I wish I knew what the barriers are, but since I get the same treatment in my own club, they need new members and club instructors aren't all that enthused about teaching yet they refuse to send beginners to me even though I'm listed as an instructor. The barrier very well could be, doing the stressful chores of giving flight instruction. In my 50 years of introspection in the hobby, I've never won this argument. And yet the AMA is down 30,000 or more members and lost $30,000,000 in the last 20 years and loses over $700.000 annually and MAAC is only hanging on by a thinning thread, they're down from 14.000 to 8000 members, but hey, who needs more flight instructors/promoters to attract more members? I was told by several club members that their club instructors told them, "If you bring in new members, you train them and don't send them to me." No doubt you and I have different perspectives and this discussion will never be settled. Those 10,000 aren't doing their jobs if they can't convince people to get into the hobby. I have no trouble getting people to fly my trainers, but being 77 I'm running out of steam and obviously, I can't do it alone. My main focus is on the big picture and not just a club or two. That's probably the barrier.
Here's how MAAC is doing.
Whelp... board meeting minutes from Sept 9 the financial update said revenues are down by~$40,000 (about the revenue from 500 open members) AND some budget lines are over. With a budgeted loss of ~346,000 we could be seeing a loss of close to $400,000. (if we look at last year's actuals for reference of 'good performance' against budget, then we are still looking at a $300,000+ shortfall)
Looking at the revenue reported. 8,000 members is likely 1250 juniors and 6,750 open members.
Dues increases are $15 for open and no change to juniors... so... about $100,000 more revenue... if the membership numbers stay the same. (They won't... 2024 was the final year for members who paid 3 year memberships just before the exemption was pulled.)
But assuming they do.... 3200 additional open members would be needed to balance the budget with no change in spending.... the changes in spending have to be
drastic and reflect the
mission and vision of the association.
- Probably time to re-evaluate the management company.
- Magazine has overstayed its welcome, but professional communications with the members will still have a cost.
- Paying directors to go to events they would normally go to?
- RPAS Centre / RPAS Wilco (how much does that actually cost MAAC)
- FAI travel money in general, or at least spending to repeat team members who show no signs of improvement? (at least some sort of performance criteria)