Re: Response From Dave Niswonger to Paul Black Letter

[Capeiris <capeiris@aol.com>]

Thanks Ron for your input and experience in your region. This type of input
put together with others may help us get new ideas so wew can move forward.
Dave





-----Original Message-----
From: Ron and Sue Killingsworth <retmiagt@dishmail.net>
To: aisdiscuss <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Wed, Dec 1, 2010 3:20 pm
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Response From Dave Niswonger to Paul Black Letter


As the treasurer and membership keeper for SLI, and the new RVP for
egion 10, let me share some experience of our membership problems
ithin SLI.  We normally sign up twenty to thirty new members each
ear.  Unfortunately we lose thirty to forty old members each year.  I
pend a lot of time reminding members to renew.  I have started pasting
 label across the Fleur de Lis (our quarterly newsletter) being mailed
ut to members who are about to expire.  This has helped.  Still,
riting letters to expired members always gets a few to sign up again.
 have just completed a survey that I am sending to 21 members who were
embers in 2007, 2008, and 2009, who did not renew.  In the survey I
ave solicited the reason they no longer wish to belong to SLI and have
nclosed a self-address, postage paid envelope, to get them to respond
o the survey.  I'll let you know what results I get and the reasons
iven for not renewing.  I already know one reason.  Members are getting
lder and older and we are not recruiting young people.  If the mother
r grandparent did not interest them in flowers, they just seem to not
evelop an interest until they get older and retire.  The majority of
embers of SLI are well advanced in age, to include myself.
 would think combining any sections would not be a good idea.  I am not
hat familiar with the dwarf and other sections but most sections have
reat pride in their individual organizations and attempts to combine
hem, without the approval of both, might prove counterproductive.
LI membership has decreased year after year and all efforts to turn
his around have thus far provided ineffective.
s the new RVP for region 10, with some 21 members of AIS in region 10
the whole state of LA), I am challenged with increasing membership in
his region. At the same time I have real problems getting members to
enew within SLI. Most of the members of SLI living in Louisiana (our
argest group of members) do not grow tall bearded or many of the other
pecies of irises.  Here in Shreveport, LA, they are very difficult to
row.  So members who belong to SLI are getting information on the type
f iris they grow and it is difficult to get them to join AIS.  I am
rying to recruit new members of AIS so they can take judges training
nd become AIS judges.  I would also like to get some of the clubs in LA
o become affiliated with AIS but the membership in AIS is just not
here. So many challenges and so little time!
Don't know if this helps.
on Killingsworth, RVP, Region 10
On 12/1/2010 11:50 AM, Robert Pries wrote:
 I have left Paulbs Letter at the end of this very long post so that everyone
an refer back to it. I really appreciate that Paul has taken the time to raise
hese issues. I agree with much of what Paul is saying with the exception of
ome Key points. I also believe the way forward may be different than any of
the
urrent thinking and would like to propose several new approaches.

 First I wish to put all this in context. The American Iris Society has been
on
 downward trajectory for the last 17 years. At first it was not understood.
And
ven now there are some that are STILL in denial, but you do not go from a
embership of over 8,000 to a membership of 4,000 and claim success. I have
pent weeks of time interviewing principles in other plant societies,
esearching data on the internet and talking with Garden Writers,
orticulturalists, etc trying to understand how to turn this around. This type
f market research should always be a part of the PR office I chair and frankly
 could use of team of people that could help acquire data, assimilate it and
evelop strategies to act upon it.

 My research leads me to believe that the natural size of our Society should
be
round 12,000 members. That said I believe if the Iris Society would have been
ore pro-active instead of just reactive they could still be at this level.
hile comparing notes with a director of another plant society director, they
ommented, bYour just about ten years behind usb. While I do not believe this
is
xactly true, I would ask you to think about the amount of change in the world
n the last ten years and ask yourself, Has the AIS changed as fast?.

 I have tried to understand what brings people to join and participate in a
lant society. I have boiled it down to an acronym PIPP. Plants, Information,
eople, and Praise probably in that order. Let me address each and how they
elate to Paulbs suggestions.

 PLANTS: In 1980 I came to the Iris Society because I was looking for Dwarf
ris and species. I believe for most people the contact and interest in the
Iris
ocieties develops because of plants. Thatbs what we are all about. Years ago
in
earching through garden magazines you would discover ads for AIS. By joining
ou would find sources for all types of Irises advertized in the Bulletin.
Clubs
lant sales, shows, etc also all brought people into the Iris society because
hey were looking for plants. Club sales and shows still function this way, but
ulletin and Magazine advertizing serves a new role I will explain in a minute.
oday most gardeners are going to the internet if they are looking for a
articular Iris.

 But first let me suggest that AIS as an organization does not have enough
nput from hybridizers and nurseries. We should be working together to the
enefit of all. I have suggested the possibility of a trade association of
urseryman and hybridizers that could work with AIS. And even if that could not
appen, at least a liaison to the board could be created that represents the
ndustry. How could this be useful? It could develop a code of ethics for Iris
urseries. Members of the Iris society already practice such a code although I
o not believe there is a formulation of such anywhere. The first basic tenet
is
hat Irises are sold true to name. Today there are large nurseries outside the
ris society, who do not care, and e-bay nurseries that are downright
raudulent. The new role of the Iris Society is validation of sources if only
by
heir association with AIS. AIS has not even discussed these problems and we
ask
urselves why are people going to Davebs Garden and the!
ir!
    Garden Watchdog.

 If there was such a structure I believe Paulbs point one could be implemented
uickly and point two worked out also, although perhaps in a different way than
e is suggesting on point two..

   Because the world is changing and the internet has become so important, I
xpect E-memberships to be where the AIS will gain the money to operate the
ociety and prevent the print services we already provide from disappearing.
resently the only place left to cut to balance the budget would be an issue of
he bulletin. But by bringing in other revenue from e-membership and other
ervices I believe we can prevent this. There are greater improvements on the
ay that will make a subscription even more desirable.

 But AIS is very poor at marketing itself. Despite my ranting there are many
reas in which we do things terribly. Let me suggest an element that could help
oth nurserymen and AIS gaining members. The Daylily Society has a program
where
hey give new members a coupon for the price of their membership. They do a
much
etter job of marketing their membership than AIS at least in some areas of
heir website. The coupon is one of those things that could just tip the scales
s to whether to join or not. I will let each of you do your own homework. Go
to
he American Hemerocallis Society website and see how they do it. Even though
he nurseries compete for the customers as to how they will honor the coupon,
hey can benefit by additional business. Before AIS gets a big head, let me
oint out that the nurseryman do a lot more for the society then it does for
hem. But when we turn this society around that will change. There is good
vidence that with the Iris Encyclopedia and oth!
er!
    improvements, the AIS website could generate more than 30,000-40,000
unique
isitors a month during peak season. And I believe we could bring a great deal
f business to nurseries.

 Now let me address the area where Paul and I disagree. As I have said before,
eople come to the Iris Society for plants. They want to have the best, or most
nteresting, or rarest in the World not just the USA. Although including
foreign
rises in the award system does not necessarily bring them to North Amerca,
xcluding them could easily have an adverse effect. With phyto-sanitary
ertificates and more and more regulations it is getting harder and harder to
et the worldbs plants into our country. Instead of limiting possibilities we
hould be trying to expand them. Last Year when it was revealed that Decadence
nd Slovak King could not compete on the Ballot for the Dykes Medal, the Medal
ost some of its luster in the eyes of many irisarians. They assumed that it
epresented the Best of the Irises grown in this country not just the best
roduced by North American hybridizers. For the 50 years after World War Two,
mericans had a huge advantage. This countrybs gene po!
ol!
    of Irises had not been plowed under to grow food as happened in much of
urope. We were way ahead of the rest of the world. We shared Irises with
verseas hybridizers in exchange for species that grew in their native lands.
veryone benefited. Now overseas hybridizers have done some remarkable things
in
everal types of irises and continue to share them with us. The more we take a
hauvinistic American viewpoint the more everyone looses. Now is not the time
or the AIS to turn inward. There are many types of organizations that would
eplace us. Limiting our awards in my mind would be one more way we could
weaken
he Society. Remember that plants are what people want not just USA plants.

 INFORMATION; Hear is where we have some of our biggest failure in the last
ten
ears People used to come to the plant societies for information. But in
todaybs
nternet world information is all over the place. Our presence on the internet
as superceded by Wikipedia, Davebs Garden and over a dozen other sites that
ere providing more content than AIS. Who needed the plant societies? Several
lant societies responded with Daylily Dictionaries, Daff-Net/Daff-Seek, And
ulb wikis. While those societies continued to grow the AIS had already started
ts decline The Daylily society that was smaller than us grew past us while we
ell. Now all plant societies are suffering and those that had been successful
hen we were not are doing even more change. We are catching up as some of the
hings we are doing I believe will be even better than what the other websites
ave done. But much is not in place yet. We still have to have a bylaws change
o allow the addition of e-memberships.!
 I!
   f we could have accomplished much of this before the current economic
ollapse the results would have been much better than they will be now. It will
ake longer to get the growth I believe we can achieve and it will take a
better
rganized organization than we have now.

 But e-membership can address another of Paulbs points. Right now it is
orribly expensive for members to be members in AIS and all the sections. The
ections are much more nimble when it comes to change than AIS. Two already
have
-memberships and others have them in the works. It will become easier for
ections to provide bulletins and less a cost as fewer have to be printed. With
heaper rates it is likely that more AIS judges and members will participate in
ore sections at least through e-memberships. There is one point that is still
a
roblem,  Fewer members in AIS the workforce available to edit and write
rticles for all these groups until we can grow members again.. But I also
think
-memberships will bring more younger and more energetic members to the
society.
ut this transition period of raising the sinking ship and sending it in new
irections will be painful.

 As we learn how to benefit from the internet old sources of revenue in the
ris society can be done away with or with more equitable charges. Perhaps we
ill be able to eliminate charges for registration for everyone but we are not
here yet and sadly it is very hard to get AIS to create a business plan. Too
uch of the society is done item per item as opposed to creating a
comprehensive
trategy.  Even small investments in new products tend to be sidelined if there
s any risk involved. Yet if you are providing new things you have new sources
f revenue.

 PEOPLE AND PRAISE:  Another reason people join is for the socialization. As
embership declines there are fewer people to man clubs and do activities. It
is
ard to believe that we are still doing all the things we did when we had twice
he number of people in the society. If so I expect a number of people are
eaded for burnout.
 The Iris Society does a poor job of praise. Often by the time some one is
onored they are so old most members do not even know what their
accomplishments
ere. The enormous success of the Master Gardeners, which I believe is the
astest growing plant organization, is based on praise. People join because
they
ant to make a contribution to society and enjoy being recognized for that
ontribution. Does anyone believe that it is a great honor to be an AIS judge?
re we respecting the time and work it takes to put on an iris show. The Iris
ncyclopedia allows people to help build something bigger than all of us and
ach picture that is entered recognizes who entered it and photographed it. We
eed more ways in which people can contribute. I believe with Dave that the
reater number of sections and Iris groups allows for greater participation.
The
ontributions of many have created an awesome Iris society that can be even
etter. I realize I have not covered all Paulbs points!
 b!
   ut I am wearing out typing and you are wearing out reading, so I will cease
or now. But I think the better AIS address PIPP to more successful it will
be.
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