[Sca-cooks] OT- Input request from SCA BoD - Please Help!

[Siegfried Heydrich]

    Actually, the single factor that most causes people to leave the Society
or to drastically curtail their Society activities is politics. Almost all
the people I've run into that used to be active stated that politics was the
prime reason they quit. The Society is supposed to be a refuge of honor and
courtesy away from the unpleasantness of the mundane world.
    Instead, they find that when it comes to power plays and personal feuds
in the SCA, it's far worse than the real world; there, they have some form
of legal protection. Here, the law means nothing, and personal connections
mean everything. Almost all official SCA functions, including vendettas,
occur in total secrecy, which is distasteful to most. But since there's
nothing anyone can do about it, eventually they stop being members and
sooner or later just go away. There's a fundamental disconnect between the
populace and the SCA power structure that seems to be growing.
    So if the Board wants to slow the hemorrhage of bitter, disillusioned
former members, they should take some steps to address the state of politics
in the Society. If there is more openness and accountability, perhaps the
populace will sense that membership means more than just being able to get
awards . . .
    I would be very interested in the renewal / new membership ratios, what
the retention rate is. That figure is far more significant than mere
aggregate numbers . . .

    Sieggy


----- Original Message -----

> I've sent my response to the BoD.
>
> How to promote SCA membership, hmmm, that's a tough one.
> On the Caid chat list, I was taking a tip from the International House of
> Pancakes restaurant chain and their Pancake Tuesday promotion and
suggesting a
> Pancake Breakfast for paid members and those who paid for memberships on
the
> day of the breakfast.  Bribery Works!
>
> Selene, Caid
>
> Wanda Pease wrote:
>
> > I was at the recent BoD meeting here in Portland, and I can tell you
that
> > these people would rather do anything than raise membership rates!  They
> > know it may well lose more money than it will bring in.  Take a look at
the
> > www.sca.org website and GIVE THEM INPUT!  As one member said, "there are
> > only a few of us, and 25,000 in the paid membership.  Surely there are
some
> > great ideas out there we haven't thought of!"
> >
> > Come on and be part of the solution.
> >
> > On a food topic, the "medieval finger food at the after the BoD revel
was
> > fantastic and kept coming from 3:30 pm to 10:30.  Period food can come
in
> > small and delicious packages!
> >
> > Regina Romsey
>
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