Yacht Club Membership Fees

[xyachtdave]

Re: AGM attendance or lack of.

Don't know if this has been seen by others but was from the RYA on the future of boating. 45 minute presentation - worth watching for anyone considering the future of their club.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNV7KgXyU50

She is speaking at our local MSBA conference soon. I shared that link on our club facebook page a few weeks ago, surprisingly not much response in terms of comments as it's really interesting.

Very difficult to argue with against any of the points she raises.

 

[maby]

Re: AGM attendance or lack of.

Something else to consider is the grim determination to prevent any change from the olde guard vs mantra of newbies, We are more interested in actual boating than AGMs and “If you wait by the river long enough.......

They (as in the yacht clubs) are rather caught between a rock and a hard place. Most of their current members are "senior citizens" and, like me, I suspect that their primary reason for membership is access to a private bar where they can determine things like the policy on playing loud music. The changes that would be necessary to attract younger members would also drive away a lot of the current membership - hence the club has to be pretty sure that it will bring in at least as many new members quickly - otherwise it will simply bankrupt itself even more quickly.

 

[Kukri]

Re: AGM attendance or lack of.

She is speaking at our local MSBA conference soon. I shared that link on our club facebook page a few weeks ago, surprisingly not much response in terms of comments as it's really interesting.

Very difficult to argue with against any of the points she raises.

Thank you. Excellent and very sobering presentation.

After watching it, and having attended our club’s AGM, it struck me that the Committee must have seen it, but the members had not. So I have suggested that we might invite her to speak, as our talks get a good turn out.

 

[Blue Sunray]

Re: AGM attendance or lack of.

They (as in the yacht clubs) are rather caught between a rock and a hard place. Most of their current members are "senior citizens" and, like me, I suspect that their primary reason for membership is access to a private bar where they can determine things like the policy on playing loud music. The changes that would be necessary to attract younger members would also drive away a lot of the current membership - hence the club has to be pretty sure that it will bring in at least as many new members quickly - otherwise it will simply bankrupt itself even more quickly.

Indeed a a delicate balancing act, it would be interesting to hear if anyone could name a club that they can show has achieved a reduction in their membership's median age in the last few years, and how they did it.

 

[lw395]

Re: AGM attendance or lack of.

Indeed a a delicate balancing act, it would be interesting to hear if anyone could name a club that they can show has achieved a reduction in their membership's median age in the last few years, and how they did it.

Most of the clubs I've been members of have been through many cycles. Old members die, new ones are bred. Most volunteer-based clubs seem to have survived a world war or two, recessions, boom and bust.
Sailing is not as popular as it was in the 60s or 70s, but most clubs keep going in their own way, and the sniping outsiders who think clubs have a problem and need to change are often very wide of the mark.

 

[Kukri]

Re: AGM attendance or lack of.

Most of the clubs I've been members of have been through many cycles. Old members die, new ones are bred. Most volunteer-based clubs seem to have survived a world war or two, recessions, boom and bust.
Sailing is not as popular as it was in the 60s or 70s, but most clubs keep going in their own way, and the sniping outsiders who think clubs have a problem and need to change are often very wide of the mark.

My own club thinks it has a problem and needs to change. It is doing OK on most measures, recently built a new club house, has active youth and training schemes, has a stable membership and didn’t need to put through a fee increase. None the less the Committee and the members (to judge by the AGM) think there is a problem and the Club needs to change, for the reasons given in the RYA presentation. Times are changing!

 

[Walther]

Yes, of course, employers are generally very willing to release people for half a day for the Yacht Club AGM, and/or it's such a good use of limited annual leave. Do get real.

So, the real problem is you don’t care enough about your club’s governance to bother taking one afternoon off a year to attend the AGM. Which is fine - it’s your time, and your choice how you use it - but you needn’t bother complaining about that state of affairs: it’s a busy world, and we all have to prioritize.

P.S. The majority of employers are indeed happy to give valued, hardworking employees the occasional day or half-day off, above and beyond their annual leave. Such flexibility is necessary for retention. If your boss won’t play, either search for a new job or consider whether you need increase your productivity so as to merit such treatment.

 

[UK-WOOZY]

So, the real problem is you don’t care enough about your club’s governance to bother taking one afternoon off a year to attend the AGM. Which is fine - it’s your time, and your choice how you use it - but you needn’t bother complaining about that state of affairs: it’s a busy world, and we all have to prioritize.

P.S. The majority of employers are indeed happy to give valued, hardworking employees the occasional day or half-day off, above and beyond their annual leave. Such flexibility is necessary for retention. If your boss won’t play, either search for a new job or consider whether you need increase your productivity so as to merit such treatment.

that’s definitely not the reality i have seen at every company i have worked at. staff aren’t rewarded nowadays as there is always someone else to fill your shoes for less money.

also for club politics, one pays their club fees so has every right to voice their opinions whether they attend an AGM or not.

 

[ProDave]

P.S. The majority of employers are indeed happy to give valued, hardworking employees the occasional day or half-day off, above and beyond their annual leave. Such flexibility is necessary for retention. If your boss won’t play, either search for a new job or consider whether you need increase your productivity so as to merit such treatment.

Not where I worked it was not.

One of the driving forces behind me becoming self employed was the flexibility to have time off when I wanted it.

In a previous job we got an annual bonus paid in cash and at the time the tax man took 45% of my bonus each year. One year I dared to suggest that instead of paying me a cash bonus, they instead gave me a pro rata increase in holiday allowance for that year. The look of horror on my boss's face at that suggestion had to be seen to be believed. The tax man again got his 45% cut of my cash bonus.

 

[Blue Sunray]

The majority of employers are indeed happy to give valued, hardworking employees the occasional day or half-day off, above and beyond their annual leave. Such flexibility is necessary for retention. If your boss won’t play, either search for a new job or consider whether you need increase your productivity so as to merit such treatment.

Very funny. I would say don't give up the day job for a career in comedy, but you obviously haven't got one.

 

[UK-WOOZY]

my boss "arsehole" expects me to book a week in advance for days off sailing, yet its weather dependant

 

[Walther]

also for club politics, one pays their club fees so has every right to voice their opinions whether they attend an AGM or not.

We are in agreement there. Any club that wants to retain its members should be reasonably receptive to constant feedback, whether verbal, in writing, via email, etc. ... no need to wait for the AGM to voice any concerns, complaints or suggestions.

 

[[70521]]

P.S. The majority of employers are indeed happy to give valued, hardworking employees the occasional day or half-day off, above and beyond their annual leave. Such flexibility is necessary for retention. If your boss won’t play, either search for a new job or consider whether you need increase your productivity so as to merit such treatment.

I clearly live in a parallel universe.

 

[Kukri]

My club (RHYC) are having a couple of events at which members are invited to turn up and talk about what we think we should be doing to secure our future. I’m going along tomorrow evening.

 

[Praxinoscope]

My biggest problem is those members who are forever moaning that ‘the club’ is not doing enough or is not run well, but challenge them to stand for election to the committee so they can do something about it and for some reason or another they are too busy.

 

[maby]

My biggest problem is those members who are forever moaning that ‘the club’ is not doing enough or is not run well, but challenge them to stand for election to the committee so they can do something about it and for some reason or another they are too busy.

To some extent, this depends on the nature of the club - some present themselves as professional organisations charging significant membership fees and others are run on a fairly ad-hoc basis with extremely low membership fees. In the former case, the members are entitled to complain if they don't feel that they are getting value for money, in the latter, they need to either put-up or shut-up.

 

[Praxinoscope]

To some extent, this depends on the nature of the club - some present themselves as professional organisations charging significant membership fees and others are run on a fairly ad-hoc basis with extremely low membership fees. In the former case, the members are entitled to complain if they don't feel that they are getting value for money, in the latter, they need to either put-up or shut-up.

Our club although well sited (overlooking harbour and sea) and reasonably well appointed, has very low annual fees (my OAP membership is only £20 per annum), only the bar steward is a salaried post all other functions are purely voluntary so I think comes under your latter description.

 

[photodog]

My club (RHYC) are having a couple of events at which members are invited to turn up and talk about what we think we should be doing to secure our future. I’m going along tomorrow evening.

I would suggest that the first thing the RHYC needs to do is to be more welcoming to visitors... starting with the dockmaster.

 

[capnsensible]

I clearly live in a parallel universe.

If you do change galaxies, go for one where you can join us self employed!

 

[photodog]

Two suggestions for yacht clubs in general...

1. make an effort. If yacht clubs want more members they need to get out and sign them up... It’s not like it’s difficult to find potential members... walk out onto the pontoon and talk to the boat owners who aren’t. The nomination and seconding process makes it very difficult for folks who ain’t in the circle to join... as to join, in effect you already need to be in the circle. You need to tackle the inherent bias towards exclusiveness at most clubs head on by actually canvassing for new members...
2. This is more specific... join together with successful inland clubs. I was gobsmacked recently to spend some time at the Nottingham Sailing club... and it appears to be thriving with a membership decades younger than at the clubs on the coast i have experienced.. I think this is about costs.. it’s a lot cheaper to knock around in a second hand dingy, and it’s a lot cheaper to just pop to your local reservoirs. And as a consequence... younger families who are both cash and time constrained are getting involved... I can’t help but think that these clubs could be used as a feeder system to get people to engage with the coastal clubs and the bigger boats as they get more ambitious. Or have longer holidays... there are lots of points of symbiosis that could be exploited....