Keeping Your Club Strong

By Trevor Schulz
President, CPC Calgary Bow River
   

In 2004 /2005, Calgary Bow River had a very challenging year.  (At right:  the Bow River Boys at National Convention in Saskatoon.)  We were, and are, a healthy club.  We are able to raise significant resources for Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Calgary as well as the CPCF; we are active in the community and are able to have a lot of fun in the process.  Still, we had a problem in that we were not keeping the entire club engaged in the work of Progress.  Turnout for our social events was declining, we had a number of members on the roster that were somewhat less than “active”, and there were signs of decline within the club.  Our challenge, therefore, was to arrest this decline and set the club back up for future success.

Our board approached the task in several different ways.  Our president worked diligently on our club roster with the Membership Chair.  Members were contacted and encouraged to commit themselves to the club.  Mentoring tactics were introduced to encourage participation in our fundraising events and socials.  When these efforts failed, tough decisions were made and our membership roster was trimmed down to reflect only those members who really were committed to Progress.  Our numbers may have decreased, however it is important to note, we did not really have the benefit of the numbers we were showing the previous year.

Two new events didn’t fly due to unforeseen circumstances.  “Fins and Skins” which partnered with a fishing non-profit organization from Okotoks was cancelled in the eleventh hour, when our partner got cold feet and pulled the pin on the event.  We were in the midst of advertising a “Mud Bog Racing” event in High River when our license was pulled by the Town of High River due to newly realized potential damage to the field where the race was to take place.  Despite these setbacks, we hosted the new Comedy Fest Gala, which generated a modest profit in its first year.  We are confident that this event can be grown into a successful event in future years.

Our Community Service Chair worked to resurrect a few events from the past.  He ensured that the commitments that we had made were followed through with and were successful.  Inter club participation, by the Bow River Boys, included attendance at events and club meetings of our brother and sister clubs in Calgary and beyond.  Recognizing the importance of fellowship within the club, we held a number of club social events including a billiards tournament, St. Patty’s poker tournament, a Back to Progress BBQ, Brewery tour, and a number of tailgate parties at our Stampeders football games. A number of Bow River Boys even got together on a Saturday to paint our Big Bothers Big Sisters new office space.

Finally, we held a closed door meeting where our members were encouraged to speak their minds.  Where is our club going?  What is working and what is not?  And where do we want our club to be in a year’s time?  Our Board took that feedback to heart, and is working to ensure that we stay the course that was identified in that closed door meeting.  The Bow River club wants to grow its membership.  To that end we have initiated a program with full club participation and time lines, and have made some changes to encourage mentorship and retention.  I hope to report on our success in membership growth next year!

Yours for Progress,
Trevor Schulz