atlasman

I have recently joined up with a long standing local club that has lost many members through attrition over the years and was reduced to only a dozen members. My buddy and I joined up with his brother and two of our mutual friends already belong. This is a LONG standing club (early 60's) that the old timers worked VERY hard to keep going and they actually saved money long enough to build a very respectable cabin on 15 acres of their own property that has literally thousands of acres of state land within a 15 minute radius. The roots of the club run deep and the older members have done a tremendous amount of good for local hunting and fishing with their limited means. As I sit here and type this they are short on two things.......the first is energy, the older guys simply don't have the get up and go like they once did and they are very happy to have some young blood (us) infused into the club for new ideas and to ease the workload of caring for the land and cabin........the second is money, they get by just fine and the bills get paid but there is not much left over. Stuff gets done slowly and some not at all due to limited funds.

What I need from you guys is some ideas for fund raising that have worked well for clubs you are in. It is a great club of long time hunters and fishermen with excellent potential to be even better. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

JimPic

If you want to make some decent money,rent that cabin out during hunting season for a season or two

atlasman

bump

GR8atta2d

Your area is probably saturated with other Bowhunters and shooters. Perhaps the "old guard" initimidated those that were looking to join. You should have an open house. Maybe set up a 3d range or target shoot and welcome the public to see what is offered along with seeing the trend towards new memebers. A very modest fee and maybe a pot-luck dinner for all who partake in the festivities. This will generate intrest and raise a few coins.

GR8atta2d

Another big thing especially during lent would be a nice Friday Fish Fry...Our local club does huge numbers with this type of thing.

quiksilver

Put off a $10, 3-numberticket once a year. If you sell all 1000 tickets, you'll pull in $10,000. Give a $6000 payout, and pocket the remaining $4K, which should be enough to put a new roof on, or handle a few minor construction jobs. If you have 15 guys, that's 67 tickets each. You could unload that many on here in a day.

Like somebody else mentioned - you can rent out the place, too.

atlasman

The "old guard" is definitely a double edge sword. On one hand they scratched and clawed for the last 30 years to stay afloat and keep the club alive and well......they have busted their buns for decades as dedicated advocates for hunting and fishing. They have done an unbelievable amount of good for the outdoors and our sport with what they had to work with...............but they are also set it their ways BIG TIME. That needs to change if we are going to beef up the bank account. They fear a massive influx of members because they have always been small and I think they are afraid it could start to get away from them (control) so to speak........but at the same time they are begging for "new blood" to give the club a boost. A couple more members is possible but I think they would balk at a huge population increase.

We are having a party/raffle/beer/band event in a few weeks that usually provides the most cash flow for the year.

I like the 3D idea but the cost of 30 targets is prohibitive at this time.

Thanks for the input..........I will run the open house thing by them.

atlasman

I LOVE that idea!!.........that is great, and it never crossed my mind. I kept thinking chicken BBQ maybe but their is a HUGE population of catholics around here and that could really be something good for us.

Thanks again.

GMMAT

Well......for starters.....

How about dues?

If you want to do a 3D shoot.....have each member donate a target (he could take it home after the shoot).

Raffleoff a bow.....some cash.....ANYTHING.

Our shop owner has a swap meet (anything hunting-related) once a year.....and incorporates a 3D shoot. It's his biggest day of the year. Incorporate a raffle during this event......and you're on your way.

Start charging the members a small fee for each stay.

The problem w/ "old blood" vs. "new blood" is likely that the "old blood" is tight with their own money. If you want something nice......you have to understand that nice things cost $$ (I've seen this happen with old members vs. new members at golf courses).

atlasman

Thanks Quick...........I was just discussing this with my wife this morning but I was unsure of the details. This is VERY plausible IMO and my only thoughts are how to distribute the $6,000. It comes out to $200/day but straight cash is boring IMO. I was thinking more of like $50 cash for a bunch of days and then use more of the money to buy some guns, stands, bows, and accessories for "special" prize days and when your number hits you get whatever is designated for that day.

How does that sound??