Conference vmszoo::rc

RE:1391.0

Good question Jeff. Our club has also experienced a decline in the meeting
attendence. We need 20 members to show up to conduct business and we missed 
that twice this past year. I've been thinking about suggesting we start a 
raffle and would like to hear how other clubs handle it.

Along the same lines, how do other clubs handle entertainment? This past year 
its been a real hit or miss proposition. 

    I run the raffle for the CMRCM club. It was started with $50 dollars 
    from the treasurery. From that point on, the raffle is self supporting.
    If I take in $52.00, I'll buy $52.00 worth of prizes for the next month.
    If I only take in $40 dollars, then that's all I have to spend on
    prizes. Most of this past year, the attendance has been in the 40
    people range. The last couple of meetings have been in the 50 person
    range. I have always collected between $40 and $50 dollars every
    month give or take a couple of bucks. This past Monday it was $52.00.
    Last month, I think it ws $48.00. We sell tickets at $1.00 per or 3
    for $2.00. We also give a free ticket if you bring in a show and tell.
    
    The last two months, we have also raffled off two OS32 motors. The rule
    we have about "expensive" items is that we will not hold the raffle
    until we have covered the cost of the item. Surprisingly, we collected
    the cost of the motor in one night each time and I STILL took in $48.00
    and $52 dollars for the "regular" raffle.
    
    What I've basically found is that people have the money IF you have the
    prizes they like. So obviously the next question is "what kind of
    prizes do I buy". Well, first of all, it depends on the time of year.
    Now that were pretty much into winter, people are into the building
    season. So, the prizes lean towards building. Things like Zap, razor
    saws, mitre boxes, ball driver set's, etc. During the summer, the
    prizes are more like fuel, props, glow plugs, wheels, wheel collars,
    occasionally a flight box battery, covering, spinners, and stuff like
    that.
    
    So far, it's been very succcessful.
    
    Steve

    We've had better response in Ware since we started having videos at the
    meetings. We're going to try show and tell again. Several people have
    requested demos to be done also. 
    
    CMRCM determines when a raffle is pulled for a big ticket item based on 
    the number of tickets sold. If you don't sell enough tickets, it carries 
    over to the next meeting.
    
    I find that putting frequency control or noise control or dues
    increases on the agenda gets people to the meeting, but that's dirty
    pool 8^) 

    We never have raffles at our monthly meetings. We do have show & tell,
    videos, demos, but not at every meeting. Attendance runs 30-50% of
    membership.
    
    We do have raffles at our end of year dinner, tomorrow night BTW.
    These are funded from ticket sales to the dinner. 40% of this years
    ticket price goes toward buying raffle prizes. Raffle tickets are sold
    at the door. Raffle prizes total ~$250 plus other items donated by
    the local hobby shop.
    
    Monthly attendance is a function of how the members perceive the
    usefulness of attendance. A beginner would like help/hints/kinks on
    building/flying. A more advanced member wants to see the latest hot
    plane/technique/materials.
    
    Being competition oriented, our attendance revolves around planning for
    future contests/trading insults about past contests/intimidating fellow
    members with hints of future secret weapons, etc.
    
    Terry

    
    
    I'll try again...
    
    
    I agree with Eric, (did I actually say that:_))  Yup!!!
    
    We sell tickets 2 for a buck and an arm's length for five bucks.
    Arms length runs about 14-16 tickets.
    
    We also try and get a number of different sized prizes.
    We also have a "Looser's bucket.  Everyone who buy's a ticket
    can sign their name on the back and drop it into the " Looser's"
    bucket.  In Decenber we have a drawing for a few prizes from the
    looser's bucket.
    
    
    Members come to meetings to;
    
    	1, see other members
    	2, discuss club issues
    	3, discuss the hobby
    
    I think you need to develop a forum that plays to these items.
    
    We open our hall up at 6:45 and people come in and talk until 7:30.
    Meeting starts with 30 minutes of club business.  This is
    tricky some times and then it tends to need an iron (soft) fist to
    keep the discussions,motions and the like in line. Then it's a 10
    minute break for a smoke or a pit stop and then back to
    the modeling (show & tell) protion.  Meetings tend to get out between
    8:45 and 9:00.  90% of those who attend end up at Friendly's
    restraunt for more membership discussions.  Makes for a good
    evening. Even if there is a heated discussion, by the end of
    the night everything's cool.
    
    
    Tom

	The Goodyear Model Aircraft Club  (GMAC)
	Akron, Ohio
	
	Our meetings are held at the field during the warmer months when
there is plenty of daylight left for flying afterwards, and at a large hall
during the cold months. Attendance is rarely less than 50-60 members and may
be as large as 100-150. The meetings at the field are usually short business 
meetings, a raffle and flying. The indoor meetings have a business part, 
usually separated by donuts, cider and coffee, an activity like a 
show-and-tell, a speaker, a movie, or whatever and then a raffle.

When members arrive at meetings they sign in a number sign-in sheet. This 
sheet is used at the end of the meeting to draw door prizes ( a little can
with numbered thingys are drawn until all the door prizes are gone, usually
2-4 of them). The door prizes are things like 2oz bottle of Cya or a package
of golden rods or something in the $4-6 range. During the meeting people are
usually buying raffle tickets. 1/$1.00 or  5/$3.00. The prize for the drawing
is usualy nice. I can remember these things in the past:

	Goldberg Ultimate Bipe kit
	Magnum Pro .45
	K&B .65
	Futaba Conquest FM 4chan radio
	Goldberg Chipmunk kit

A local hobby shop usually gives the club a healthy discount on the prize.

Usually the prizes get distributed around evenly. The guys that come eventually
win if they buy tickets. (Even though in 3 years I haven't won one yet!)

I'm not saying that everyone comes to get a chance to win something nice, 
though. Most of the guys talk a lot an pass around pictures, magazines, kits,
and whatnot at these meetings. Needless to say that this is a stong club with
200+ paying members. We also have a nice well-kept field that is constantly 
in use. 

It seems that there is just the right amount of balance to keep most folks 
interest.

-TomR-