We have a large permanent layout. We do have operating sessions, and open houses. We have one a year at Trainfest, and others for the local NMRA division, and a few sister clubs. New members generally come to us through seeing the layout at an open house, or by word of mouth.
We don't do hard recruiting. We have found that our best members come to us because they want to be a part of the organization, and share what we have. In the past when we did try recruiting, those prospects that required extensive "courting" to sign up generally either became dissatisfied, or in one or two extreme cases became malcontents, and didn't last.
Membership is a cyclical thing, and in this economy will naturally drop some.
We also have two classes of membership. Standard membership with full voting priveledges, and a key to the building, and Associate membership, which is non voting and has no key priveledges. Associate members have to come during regular meeting times or work sessions, or when a regular member is present.
Dues for regular members are $30.00 per month, and for Associate membership are $15.00 per month. We also offer a 25% dues discount for senior citizens. We have a 6 month probationary period, and an initiation fee of $150.00 for regular members ($75.00 for associates). This does two things: it gets you your key, and functions as a "buy in". A large layout costs money to operate and maintain, plus we have rent, utilities, and so forth. If you have a good organization, and people know about you, you will attract members. Hang in there!
