by Bob Parrish
Ladies and Gentlemen…
Again I am writing you about membership issues.
I want to focus on “memberships of expedience” (my term).
There are people who get on with the NMRA because an event is nearby; whether a division, regional or national event. Within a year we are seeing them drop off and by year two or three they are gone. If you are not sure of this happening please consult your monthly rosters from Ed Liesse to confirm this occurrence.
The decision some years ago that all people wanting to attend a NMRA event must be a member was a good one. I must confess that at first I was a bit skeptical but overall the numbers have proven me wrong.
About that same time the national board created the Rail Pass process. It was intended to be a gateway process to get on board. Further, a person who might have been out of our organization for two or more years may again ride in on a Rail Pass. What appears to be happening is a person gets on for a regional event, promptly falls off and then reappears five or six years later when a regional gathering comes to that division again.
With that uptick in memberships in a division that might be hosting a PNR convention, we need to take another look at how we tend to these members. I am suggesting that we treat these people like a first time membership that I directed you to in my last e-mail to you. The problem is that often we know these people relatively well so we falsely think that they need no further attention. They are often people who exist on the fringe of the hobby, have long been a part of the hobby, and are often well known to many. We need to connect with them as if they had never been a part of us previously. When they take a membership they take on a new relationship with us and now, again, require our attention.
To be fair to the existing membership, new members also bear a responsibility to the local divisions, regions and the national organization. They are hanging their hat on our hook. They may be getting on with us rather begrudgingly as they must be a member to attend a particular function, but they are a member none the less. We may even have been a part of a conversation with a person who might have, in the past, spoken disparagingly of the organization but they are again a member now. All former negatives must be set aside.
We must assist them knowing where hobby related information is located on our national pages plus when and where local events are happening. Yes they bear a responsibility to show up but we must engage them when they do, both in conversation and requests for service to the hobby, most frequently in the local division. New members have energy when they arrive that we need to seek out and offer outlet for them.
It takes work on our part to make single term members into continuous renewal members. If your division had any successes along these lines, please let me know so that I can pass them along. A division does not exist in a vacuum unless we let it happen. Help us make the PNR better.
Thanx
Bob Parrish MMR
VP PNR
