Karin, Thanks for posting this timely topic and for taking the time to write out a description so everyone reading can understand what a typical format is like and knows what to expect. I could never make a meeting at 2 p.m. on Sundays, so i could not go to your meeting if I was ever in your neighborhood!

Personally speaking, I would not attempt to change anything about the old club. They have reasons why they do the things they do and might resent any intrusion. They were all founded before the internet, when people had more leisure time and lived in the same neighborhood. That is the old model. I would just move on and start a new club. But what would that club look like?

What is an ideal time? Is there such a thing? What makes a club exciting enough, with a contemporary format, to entice someone out of bed on a Saturday morning? Or stay late after work on a Tuesday evening?

I invite anyone to brainstorm with me. What would your ideal club look like? Joanne

Wow, Joanne, right down to business, eh?

Personally, i like the mini shows and raffles - information i can acquire through other channels, but without the raffle i would not have tried streps, sinningia, petrocosmea, primulina etc.... (my club is debating a merger with the local gesneriad society, so we/they combined meetings for this year, which has upped the gesneriad content in the raffles and presentations).

punctuality, like my old latin teacher would say: "ten minutes early is too early, five minutes early is on time, on time is too late!" - i find people these days are a bit blasé about it though.

i like the idea of a club greenhouse, and running a business out of it. you could dedicate it to the preservation of vintage varieties, species and original ten.

you mention facebook for networking - that was actually my suggestions to my own club - we have a facebook page, but no way to interact through it. - which means we only meet each other once a month for 2 hours. - so i am probably going to create a group for members to communicate. this would also allow newcomers to get to know "us" before dropping by a meeting. i haven't run my suggestion through "proper channels" because of that drama i mentioned - i don't know who is involved, but if either of the sides is the one starting the group, the other is likely not to participate (like high school all over). I've talked it over with a few newer members and someone who's been in the club for 40 years. they all say to just go ahead. swim or sink :-)

Karin

Hi Karin,

Growth is good, change is good.

You are the decapitation queen, and the only person I know who started hybridizng fifteen minutes after she had two violets in her possession. You like new, different, and nothing to hold you back.

So cut your losses and set down roots somewhere else, in fresh, clean territory you stake out yourself.

Suggest you start something new, all your own, independent of any club, and invite people to join. Annie of the All About African Violets podcasts wants to forge a Canadian connection. Maybe you can work with her. Maybe also revisit that first club and see if they would like your help. Sort of like what Anne Marie K did for Lyon's. And for National. She is tapping a younger generation and using embedded videos and all the tools on her blogs.

I can already see the opening scene of your podcast, walking down a country road with your dog in all four seasons.

Leave the present club alone. I have seen something similar in another club, not saying who or where, in which two competing FB sites were set up. Not cool and when clubs air their inherited bad feelings for each other at a public level on the internet, newcomers will not be interested in participating.

These are the growing pains of the 1970's style clubs not being able to adapt to change. It goes on with many non-profits, not just AF clubs.

Joanne

well, it's the new people that cause the disturbance in the force :-p pulling separate ways, whilst the old-timers mainly forge ahead on the old course. I'm impressed with the few that stay on top of the current times, considering some of them didn't even have TVs (or even fridges) growing up....

i'm opposed to creating a third (or fourth) club in the area. maybe a tea-social thing, but not an organized, affiliate society with administrative etc. i just want an easier way to get to know people...

an FB group would be nice, i'll have to talk to the person who admins the club page and see if it can be turned into a group (or even just allow people to post to the page & comment)....

Where did Annie say she's looking for a Canadian connection?

Karin

(now headed to the beach with the dog. he has me trained ;-) )

Hi, It is in the second to most recent podcast. Yes, of course, the change agitators are the new people, that makes sense! i shoudl have thought of that! Sounds like you have a plan in mind! I just like to try to anticipate the plusses and minuses. . Speaking of older folks, the grandfather of a friend of mine was 100 and was news editor and writer, so he had blogs, websites, and self-published his autobiography. He adored technology and modern life and was always taking a new computer class, he spent hours and hours a day on the computer. Well, he was the exception! joanne

I think I would like a club near me. There never has been one I could join therefore I don't really know how they would work in the real world.

I would want mine for the comaradarie, information, trading leaves, cuts etc. Not really interested in the raffles (what would that money go for???), showing end of it. I am more of an informal person and maybe I would not want a club, but just a loose knit group of like minded (violets and gesneriads!) people to get together about once a month. No, not keeping in touch by facebook. I don't even have a facebook. But by getting together in person and just sharing ideas about our hobby. And if there were more than one group in our area maybe once every 6 months we could combine and have one big meeting with trading/buying/selling gesneriads and violets, information coffee and cookies!

I know, I am a dreamer, but in my world I think that would be my idea of a nice laid back group! Rosie

Sounds like the type of group I'd like too!

With my club, The money from the raffle and sales etc goes to the club. This covers renting a meeting space, show room, coffee, laundering tablecloths after a show, printing flyers, maintaining a website and a whole slew of things I haven't even come up with. Oh, affiliate fees to avsa avsc the gesneriad society etc. insurance, Guest speakers (travel & accommodation & maybe a small compensation), ribbons, (monetary) show awards - All of it costs money....

I am amazed at how much organization goes into my club - and I'm not even all that involved!

The membership dues are a small part of my clubs income, yet they don't usually "pass the hat" asking straight up for donations, so raffles and auctions are a way to entertain and make money at the same time. Vendors also pay a percentage of sales to the club - half of our last show was paid for that way.

So, you see, beneath the surface is a lot more to think about than finding people to attend.

Well, depends on how "official" the gathering is supposed to be anyhow.

Karin

Well, that makes sense. Those are expenses I didn't think of. But, there are no groups of any kind here. <:( Rosie

Nice discussion, ladies!

Ok for all of you who have clubs with raffles let me know would be great to win a new plant and support great violets everywhere.

There was a discussion about this recently on Violet Voice Yuku. And Violet Reflections supports a Bingo game that lists the names of many older violets. Those might be two places to research various names of violets with themes. Some people like to support the vintage varieties. Lately, variegated minis in lighter colors or two tones seem to be the most popular "door prizes." They work well in designs. Most people seem to want the newest, and the newest hybridizers get the most attention. So you could go either way, vintage for the heritrage, history and genetics, or new for the unusual or sometimes improved blooms. You could also visit the Lyon's website to see what are their newest listings for this year. Where I live, many local garden centers seem to be favoring the minis in two tones. Joanne

Everything I find local is in 4"pots no minis. to be found.