"Membership isn't the only solution" ... Ed Hertel

I guess I have been mis-reading the intentions of all these previous posts and threads by primarily club members. I was under the impression that declining club membership IS THE ISSUE and a major concern.

If the efforts are about increasing "the hobby" and NOT the club (as you put it Ed) ... how do you do that without an organization?

If individual club members are unable to recruit a new club member once in awhile, how do we get new people interested in "the hobby"?

I have read suggestions about hiring an Executive Director and applying for 501(c) grants. How does this happen without an organization? Would "the hobby" magically find these professionals? Who does all this work and where would the funding come from to provide for these services? Certainly not "the hobby". Who puts on a convention each year and all the other projects that an organization undertakes including the publication of a fine magazine? "The hobby?"

Demographics are factual. Young collectors (under 21) are very few in number in this hobby ... or who belong to the club. It does not mean that we should not welcome them. Another fact; Very few women, comparatively speaking, have shown interest in club membership. Does not mean that we discourage or not welcome them. Comparatively speaking, very few people of color are club members. Doesn't mean that we discriminate or not welcome them.

Many folks have compared our hobby to the baseball card hobby. I may be wrong, but I don't recall an organization that represented baseball card collectors.