Can "Clubs" Be Revitalized?

[ERD50]

Indeed. When I talked with a former club leader, he volunteered to get a bunch of the old members from the clubs heydays together for me, he said "some of them are still alive." ...

Ummm, does this mean he was considering trotting out some of the dead ones?

That would have made quite an impression on the youngsters.

-ERD50

 

[bUU]

Social networks are a modern version of clubs and are thriving.

And they're free.

We never belonged to anything, from the time we got married (and before) to about five years ago. Our perception (right or wrong) was that clubs (per se) benefited the long-time members disproportionately and didn't feel that, in an environment where jobs could (and did, once) drive us to move to another city, it would be worth the investment of time, effort and money.

Five years ago we put the nail in the coffin of any consideration of clubs: We joined a local church which fulfills not only the typical purpose of churches, but all possible social and service inclinations that clubs would.

 

[Keim]

I enjoy my Lions Club. Dues are reasonable, and we do some great things for the community: support eyesight/blindness related issues, improve local parks, college scholarships, road and stream clean-ups, etc. Yet, at 41, I am one of the youngest members.

As I read the comments people are talking about all manner of different clubs. Special interest, fun, service, etc. Just like different plants require different types of fertilizer, different types of clubs require different things to be successful. The same sh:t doesn't work for everything. And you can't simply pile more of the same sh:t on and expect better results.

I think traditional service clubs can be revitalized. They have to be about something and well organized. People interested in community service don't want to join a club just to be a member. They want to support something tangible. They want to be a part of something that is visible in their community. Members need to stop discounting the idea of recruiting certain people because they are so busy. Busy people make the best members. If they see the value, they will participate.

I am not a member of any special interest or "fun" clubs. So, I don't have any thoughts in that direction.

 

[Animorph]

Create an online forum for the club. Not sure that doesn't defeat the purpose, but it might help communications with the younger members. We had a Yahoo Groups forum for a company I worked at that was bought and pretty much disbanded.

 

[pb4uski]

It is interesting that DW and I each belong to informal "clubs". DW has a few knitting/quilting groups that she attends meeting but they are very informal - no or minimal dues, minimal hierarchy, etc. I belong to a group of 20-30 retired guys that golf each Thursday but it is very informal - no dues and a couple guys organize things and the rest of us are thankful that they do and DW and I also belong to a group that golfs on Sunday afternoons but the same thing - very informal, no dues and one person organizes it and the rest of us are thankful that they do.

Personally, I don't like any club that is too structured (I suspect that many of my younger peers would agree with me). If it has a "president" and a "board', if it requires to be sponsored or a large upfront fee for joining, if it has an extensive list of rules, regulations, codes, etc... then forget it. I see those things as ways for old fogies to keep out certain people they deem to be undesirable to the membership.

My kind of club? Informal and casual, loosely organized (often via social media), low annual fees, ability to participate when I want to and not when I am told to, etc...

 

[W2R]

I think the club ship has sailed and your efforts will lead only to frustration. I wouldn't want to spend my hard-earned retirement attempting to push a rope uphill...

+1

There are so many more peaceful, serene, enjoyable, and stress-free ways to spend the rest of my life. YMMV but I'm opting out and wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole. I'd prefer to leave that to the particular subset of working guys who have a chip on their shoulders and something to prove.

Trying to cope with this club situation sounds way too much like w*rk to me. I'd rather put my efforts into maximizing my health and fully enjoying and engaging in this wonderful stage of life (retirement).

 

[omni550]

+1 on meetup.com

I joined about 25 meetup groups 5 years ago when it was mainly a phenomena of the 'younger set'. Although I was old enough in many cases to be their parent/grandparent, I was always welcomed and treated very nicely. Meetup.com has finally reached the boomers. I'm currently active in about 3-5 groups that offer the types of activities that I enjoy with the type of people I enjoy spending time with.

I dislike the traditional clubs, due to their internal politics, feeling of 'clubbyness', costs, and always [seemingly] the pressure to volunteer for something.

omni

 

[martyp]

I've been asked to help a local club (founded 1933) with declining membership (and revenue) to revitalize itself. Most clubs have seen large declines/ever higher member median ages for decades whether social/community (Kiwanis, Rotary, Jaycees, Lions, Shriners, churches, etc.)

I've never considered these clubs because, at 57 yrs old, I've never known anyone who was a member of these organizations nor have I ever seen or heard of anything they have done in the communities I've lived. Out of sight. Out of mind. I still don't know what they do . . . and I'm still not interested in finding out.

or social/activity (golf, tennis, boating, swimming, bridge, bowling, etc. - even fitness clubs in some cases).

Team sports obviously require a group of active participants to play as do competition in activities like golf, tennis and boating. I've never been particularly competitive in sports so I ignore these too.

I've played golf with "the guys" and I was part of a poker group for 15 yrs but that was just social activities with my friends. I tried a camera club for a while in the 90's but they turned that into an unpleasant competitive activity too so I dropped out. The one group I did like was Great Books Discussion Groups.

I think the factor that promotes hierarchical dues paying organizations is the closeness of the community you live in. It could be a small town or a close knit neighborhood in a city or the school district your kids are in or a common experience with breast cancer or Alzheimers or poverty or the environment.

The things I think go against these organization are:
1) The culture has moved toward people doing what they want when they want. Call it individualism or selfishness or the Me Generation or whatever,
2) In our generation we've become two earner families. As women have entered the workforce there is no one at home and work consumes the time that one person in the family could devote to community activities.
3) Communities are a lot less cohesive. I think there is a significant portion of our generation who have moved through a lot of homes in a lot of different places. I suppose this could go both ways. It might make people disconnected from a place or it might compel some people to join organizations of the communities they move to.
4) Information and communication have increased dramatically. When your dominant information input was local then you lived local. Our attention is directed everywhere now.
5) There is so much more to do now and it is so much easier to go there and connect with other people in other places. With the availability of a larger variety of activities people have not committed to any one activity. As others have said, Social Media dominates how people find things to do.

There are probably more examples but I'll quit there.

Regarding your question. I don't think you can revive an old organization that isn't or doesn't want to be synchronized with the present.

 

[Meadbh]

I think the old model of "club" was centred around a community where you had to fit in. With today's communication technology, it's much easier to follow your own path and find like minded people anywhere in the world.

 

[samclem]

Thanks to those who recommended meetup.com. I'd never heard of it, but it looks useful.
I'm not a natural "joiner" just for the sake of being a part of a group. If there's a group headed out to pick up litter or engaged in a longer-term project then let's just join up and do the work. Ongoing meetings, elections, dues, expectations of attendance--no, thanks.
As far as meetings of folks to discuss common interests: that can happen far more efficiently online, even with local events.

 

[Gotadimple]

Dues should get you something, besides being called a 'member.' Dues collected by an club must support some activity the club provides. Ask for an annual report of expenses (just like a charity) to see where your $ are going.

-- Rita

 

[omni550]

Another thought on meetup.com. If you are traveling or planning on traveling and looking to either connect with a bunch of locals once there and/or find out about potential activities, check out meetup groups in that area. You can find out about all sorts of things that are going on that you might not otherwise be aware of. You can either attend as part of the meetup or go on your own.


omni

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Midpack, there is a book called Bowling Alone about the demise of clubs and bowling teams.

I remember one of the findings from the book was that social club membership declined in towns after cable TV went in.

We have noticed that some of the clubs we have belonged to over the years often had retirees much older than us and few younger members. They just didn't seem sustainable long term.

Sports related groups that post on meetup and do community outreach events seem to do okay. I think there is less interest in fraternal type organizations these days. We went to a garage sale at a local Moose club that had pictures of all the past leaders on the wall, and DH commented that they all looked like George Costanza's dad.

I went to a local Rotary meeting and the speaker was on cattle ranching. Cattle ranching? Really? I'd rather be at home posting here on ER, a subject I'm interested in.

I think with online forums and local meetup groups it is easier to find groups with more targeted similar interests than generic fraternal groups of past years. I guess that is the long tail in action, with maybe more interest in niche groups these days. Plus cable TV, Netflix and the web are all competition for people's leisure hours.

 

[bUU]

2) In our generation we've become two earner families. As women have entered the workforce there is no one at home and work consumes the time that one person in the family could devote to community activities.

And maintaining the home consumes the time after work.