Koi Clubs and members

[dinh]

Hi Spike,

Welcome to the Koi-Bito board. Hope you will continue to particiapte to this forum. And Spike, this is one of the best ;-))

Regards,
--Dinh

Quote: Originally Posted by Spike Cover Hi, Spike Cover here. I belong to a club that's folding. We have tried to discover what will get members to meetings and, as a matter of fact, have discovered the answer on several occasions but seem to soon forget and/or ignore it. For you info, here is the results of a survey: __________________________________________________ ______ The Questionnaire was submitted to approximately 50 members in mid November of 1999 of which about 19 responded (approx. 38%) by early February 2000. The following is a summary of the results of those respondents. __________________________________________________ ____________________________ The respondents indicated they like the knowledge and friendship they gain from the club. They want the club to provide them with information on koi health and medication and on good koi husbandry. They overwhelmingly don’t like the politics of the club. If we want them to come to meetings, we need to have good speakers and visit ponds with good koi collections. The most important thing in the newsletter is information on local alerts and opportunities. Most respondents are still OK with Sunday meetings but a fair number would prefer a week night. They would prefer most of the meetings be at members’ homes with knowledgeable koi related speakers on the agenda. Most folks were willing to host a club meeting and help at a koi show. Of the thirteen respondents who rated having their spouse involved above a one, the issue was fairly important to them. __________________________________________________ ________________________ So we knew what they wanted; we just forgot or ignored the results or both. Anyway we didn't have good speakers, we continued to argue (very likely perceived as "politics" the thing everyone hates) and the club is going into mothballs or dissolving. The lesson: if you go to the trouble of asking the members what will bring them out to meetings, you probably ought to believe what they tell you. Cheers, Spike

[woodyaht]

Quote: Originally Posted by luke frisbee surfhead hit it....FREE booze.... actually FREE anything will double the attendance at a meeting

Awww, hell I tried to put together a small gathering (just a group of local koi friends), free food and booze, but couldn't get anyone to come out.

Maybe I need to change my deodorant

[aquitori]

Well I am goin to talk from and under 35 point of view on so-called koi clubs...Most on this board are Koi-Kichi....I have yet to see a thread in regards to Watergardening-Kichi, cause most people know better. I hate to hate on so-called koi clubs but what is there to offer? That is what koi clubs have to answer, besides getting 10% off purchases at the dealers..
Also, the politics...let me stress it isn't good to be talking politics when potiential new members are there. It's one thing to see your parents argue but it is another thing to see a whole room of "Baby Boomers" complain about this and that...I was at a club meeting and I came out of the meeting saying "What for?"....
So why join a local club when you can basically sit on your ass and be in a club by just logging in to a chat board everyday...boring isn't it...socializing on the internet? what a bunch of losers....Atleast in cyberspace everyone can be equal in knowledge with the "googling tool"....

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spike Cover The lesson: if you go to the trouble of asking the members what will bring them out to meetings, you probably ought to believe what they tell you. Cheers, Spike

Welcome to K-B and thanks for sharing that painfully learned lesson. Don

[Mike T]

Spike:

Thanks your point is well taken...

Toni:

When I first joined our club, I felt that I wasn't learning anything and that the boards were more informative... Was about to quit after 3 meeting but luckily a friend suggested that I give it a little more time...

End results is that the friendships I've made at the club meetings, far outweigh any minor deficiencies I thought I perceived...

It would have been easy to sit back and complain about what we thought should be done, but instead a group of us came together and are trying to move the club forward from a very sound foundation that our current officers have set up... We've been lucky in that there's no politics in the club so change is easy and well received...

It would be like your koi unit, except we'd get together every second Sunday to have a good time and good eats...


Aloha! Mike

[111whalen]

Spike,

Welcome. This is a good board. It's tough for a club to succeed for all the reasons on this thread. However, there is no replacing the meeting of fellow koi guys. It's like looking at pictures of koi, but need seeing the real fish. Some of my best friends are club members. Our club is breaking up, it's sad, but life goes on (I heard that in a Beatle song a long time ago). Some day I hope to bring a club to the So Cal area that can avoid the pitfalls and focus on the hobby. I guess that's enough said...

[bekko]

Tony, from the looks of your new avatar, you represent the WAY under 35 crowd.

What Mike T is not telling you folks is that he will probably be the new president of the Hawaii Goldfish and Carp Association beginning next month. "Probably" may be an understatement because Mike is the only one who would agree to have his name put on the ballot. Since Mike T is "the retired guy" the club can expect to receive 110% of his attention - with a few minutes off each day to take care of his own fish. Before you think about congratulating him for his effort, understand that Mike is only doing what he was pre-programmed to do. The thanks should probably go to Nelson who kept him interested in the club and egged him on.

My opinion about how inclusive a club should be....
Every club, association and society struggles with defining their scope and boundaries. On the one hand, you want to be all-inclusive, defining yourself loosely so as to bring in as many members as possible. The extreme example may be the National Geographic Society. On the other hand, you want to be exclusive enough that all the members share the same interests so the organization can effectively address the member's needs.

I tend to lean towards being more inclusive than exclusive. Despite the preponderance of koi keepers in our local club, I enjoy the fact that other goldfish keepers are included (though by-laws, the very name, etc.). Some would probably like to change the name to eliminate 'Goldfish' and update 'Carp' to 'Koi'. I think the 'Carp' name is quaint and reflects the club's long history (46 years), but would like to change the name to the Hawaii Goldfish, Carp, Water Garden, Water Lily, Water Feature, Water Fall, and All-Other-Backyard-Water-Things Association.

Does having a diverse group make it harder to put together a program which will be of interest to everyone? Sure it does. But, how many koi keepers do not like water lilies, despite the fact they would never have one in the same pond with their fish. How many serious koi keepers started out with a water garden? I see no real distinction between the water gardener and high-end koi keeper - both are entertaining themselves with a little aquatic ecosystem. It's all about the water.

-steve hop ki ns

[tom&zuma]

I'm not sure what people should expect for their membership dues, except a newsletter. Anything more is your ultimately their own responsibility.

We have been members of IKS for two years, have attended most meetings lately. We were also a bit lost at first, but made an effort to strike up conversations and contribute some time to the club. We've found friendly, knowledgeable people who are willing to answer questions and offer help.

The IKS holds its regular meetings at members' ponds, which is the first reason we attend - to see others' pond ideas and fish. The last meeting was at a custom home built over a 16,000 gallon pond full of high quality jumbos. It also has an indoor sitting/feeding area and triple filtration systems - more than a bit intimidating, actually!

The IKS also holds an annual tour of local ponds, which helps to attract new members. It will be in September this year. I wish they could hold a show, but that is really a bunch of work. And Kelly schedules speakers with technical topics as often as possible, Spike is coming in January (yay!).

It's like the pot luck, when you bring something it gives a sense of ownership and motivation. You get as much back as you put in.

So, when can we have a meeting at your place, Mr. Bolding?

Tom
KHA in training

[joe bauer]

the main problem for me is club politics in the form of cliques. a group from within the club decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, and then they become judgemental and exclusive.


happens on forums too.

[KoiCop]

Quote: Originally Posted by joe bauer the main problem for me is club politics in the form of cliques. a group from within the club decide what is acceptable and what is not acceptable, and then they become judgemental and exclusive. happens on forums too.

Another troublemaking post Newt/Joe_Bauer?

This time I refuse to bite. Hopefully, others are tired of your games, too, and will ignore this trap!