Hi Everyone
With only being two weeks into our new financial year I thought it would be a good opportunity to share with you all our current membership stats. The renewal rate has slowed to a snail’s pace now and if you aren’t sitting down yet you may need to before you read on. Keep in mind the renewal notices were mailed out at the beginning of June, and we offered an early bird discount if you got in before July 31st.
Membership from 01/08/2013 to 31/07/2014 was 5337 + 612 RSA.
Total Membership 5949
Membership as of today is 2218 + 612 RSA. Current financial membership is now 2830.
A drop of 52%
The past year was hard work for everybody and there were as many steps taken forward as there have been backwards. The regular news paper stories containing commentary from the odd spokesperson have in my opinion contributed to the large loss of member’s support this year which is both very sad for the Club and the Nelson community.
In the eight months since I have been here it has felt like we just start to get some traction and then the rug got pulled out from under us again. Since February 10, we have welcomed close to four hundred new members to the club. That in itself was a gallant effort and not one that many clubs can match. We have done some brilliant work through our catering and functions team over the last year too. Bringing back a regular line up of Friday evening entertainment in the bar has started to show dividends with the increasing numbers coming in for a drink and bite to eat and we are committed to continuing with our plan to provide quality low cost entertainment for as long as there is a demand and growth in attendance.
There is always a drop in membership every year come renewal time however we didn’t expect to drop by such a large number. In the last two weeks we have received 132 written resignations for individual membership. Sadly the Rock n' Roll section decided to relocate to Club Waimea taking 106 members with them which is a great loss to our Club indeed. While they will all attend dancing at Waimea, not all of the Rock n' Rollers cancelled their membership which is a credit to them.
Where to now? We have a long road ahead of us again. We must reduce our borrowings significantly and as soon as possible to have any chance of long term future viability. Amongst many other tasks we will need to go back to the drawing board again and develop another business plan to work toward. There is going to be a lot of hard work ahead and I expect some long hours in the boardroom and office. As ever the optimist says “My glass is not half empty. It is half full”
We are due to start working on profiling candidates for executive positions for the up and coming AGM. Not an easy role and often an unrecognised one. If you have an interest in being an Executive Officer in the Club and have the drive to make a difference your application will be welcomed. As a candidate you will stand alongside our current committee for election. If you have the time and can commit to such a role then now is the time to come forward and express your interest.
Have a great week.
Regards Rob
Message from Jim Reeves, President from Nelson Suburban Club
Read this week's full newsletter here!