Top Eleven Things to Pursue to Guarantee a Successful Society
by John M. Hotchner
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May, 2024
This handout was created by John M. Hotchner, and was
distributed to discussion seminars that took place at PIPEX 2024.
It is just one important document in the "Collaboration Crew"
collection.
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Make sure you have a high quality, on time journal; and consider using email blasts to members to provide club news, needs, and encouragement to participate;
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An activist/involved Board of Directors with an engaged president; who sets and monitors a set of goals;
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Accurate and current governing documents;
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Dues level that is the minimum possible such that the members feel they are getting good value for their annual contribution.
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The society needs a website that is regularly updated, attractive, and easy to use; the more informative the better.
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The society needs to be visible to the collecting community
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regular publicity to philatelic media
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members exhibiting their material related to the society
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the website
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members writing about your specialty beyond the society journal
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Zoom meetings (open to the public)
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meetings at shows, with presentations by members on the society subject; show-and-tell, book presentations. Social activities also welcome
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The society must avoid becoming a one man band where leadership, articles in the journal, activities, depend on one or two persons. Thus, leadership development, wide member involvement in activities and a wide range of opinions and content in the society publication must be encouraged.
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The society should be an affiliate-member of the APS and use its services for outreach and recruiting.
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The society should have a wide range of activities that promote both buying and selling so as to help members sell duplicates and add to their collection. This would include society systems such as members’ auctions, sales books, member and dealer ads (both for sale and wants) in the journal.
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There is a danger that societies become a group of aging specialists who wake up one day and find that the membership is waning and society is dying. Thus the society should put special emphasis on recruiting and supporting beginners by, among other things:
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including a beginners column, and a Q&A column in its journal.
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having a mentor’s service so that experienced collectors can encourage newbies, provide advice on available resources, and answer questions.
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Including a wide range of other websites/on line resources in its website offerings.
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It is easy to feel comfortable in our own cocoon. But we can always learn from other societies and clubs; both those you might be a member of, and those that are at least partially congruent you’re your subject area. Look for ways to collaborate; to multiply your efforts by using ideas others have come up with.