So, one of the things that struck me out of our panel on Saturday was the number of clubs out there dealing with the issues of fantastic growth. Going from 10 to 50 members, etc. Let’s talk about what sort of challenges that clubs will face
There are a number of issues with this that I can think of:
- Meeting places - where to meet now that you have that many more folks
- Dues - collecting them?
- Structuring - how organized, how loose?
- liability
- The whole “brewers” vs. “drinkers” debate.
In the Falcons we’ve dealt with #5 for a long time and for a while some folks wanted to have a way to require that you be a brewer to be a member. For us though we have a number of older members who are active, helpful and awesome and who just don’t have the time for brewing. To us it didn’t seem fair or very warm and friendly to tell them to get grab a kettle or go take a hike. Ultimately that got incorporated into our newest bylaws (Maltose Falcons Bylaws) and the purpose statement of the club:
The purpose of the MALTOSE FALCONS HOME BREWING SOCIETY shall be to encourage all members:
To mature as brewers and beer enthusiasts;
To promote the dissemination of knowledge in the art of brewing;
To encourage and reward individuals dedicated to the brewing arts;
To educate the beer connoisseur in identifying the components of beers;
To foster the responsible use of the products of our craft; and
To celebrate the fruits of our labors.