1) Chip collecting is a hobby. I enjoy collecting and enjoy the friends I've met through collecting.
2) There was a time when our hobby was booming and people bought $5 LE's which could be resold for $10 or more. I think that environment had a lot to do with the influx of new collectors. Those days are over and are not coming back.
3) I continue to be impressed with the time and effort that our Board and other volunteers put into our hobby. In my view they have always been receptive to anyone's ideas for improving our club. It is the responsibility of the board to evaluate these ideas and choose the ones to implement.
4) I am glad that our board works well together. I don't know of anyone who has donated a lot of time to our Club and has the opinion of our board being a closed and unresponsive clique.
5) I do know of Club members who donate enormous amounts of time and at least of couple who have made large financial donations with almost no recognition.
6) I also know of a number of people who were active in various Club positions who quit in frustration. Not because of the time and effort required but because of the abuse they encountered in dealing with a small percentage of our membership. Personally I know that I am far too thin-skinned to put up with some of what I've witnessed.
7) I think our hobby is a small cousin to coin and stamp collecting. If you type something like "decline in collecting" into Google you will find tons of discussion on this topic. There aren't any magic bullets.
8) Our board is very actively exploring ways that might stem the decline in our membership within the constraints of our relatively small budgets and volunteer structure. All ideas are welcome. Ideas that are adopted must fit within these constraints.
9) Maybe we could make hats that say "Make Chip Collecting Great Again."
10) Peace