Great post, Joe, though I'd give you more than 1.5 cents for it. I agree. A club can only do so much in the PR department. A club's focus should always be it's current members. Recruitment is a noble and lofty goal, but astronomy clubs are not churches with proselytizing missionaries going forth to spread the good word, or pyramid schemes gathering new members to go out and recruit even more new members. The science and hobby isn't dependant on grass-roots organizations to guarantee it's existence. Clubs are formed, have a limited lifespan, and die-off. A new club is then formed when the time is right. The current incarnation of SLAS, for example, is not the first astro club in Salt Lake City...nor even the second, nor the third. And it won't be the last. Public outreach and educational events are great, and many members love to help out with these various star-parties. But I contend that they should never be conducted with an eye toward recruitment or expansion. They should be done with love, by those who get nothing more from it than a warm fuzzy. Measuring club growth against activities conducted or energy expended is misguided and bound to disappoint. On 1/7/12, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com> wrote:
OK, here's my 1.5 cents' worth: