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GVRNOW!
JULY 2022
GVRNOW!
JULY 2022
GVREC.ORG
How are GVR’s Clubs Faring? GVR’s 62 (perhaps 64 by the time you read this) clubs reported 8,737 members at the end of 2021, down from 10,578 at the end of 2019. The obvious culprit seems to be Covid-19. Right? By Natalie Whitman, GVR Communications Manager Fourteen clubs have seen a membership increase since Covid emerged, with the largest increases seen in the GVR Dance Club (78%), Glass Artists Club (62%), LGBTQ & Friends Club (50%), and the Shuffleboard Club (45%). The increase in shuffleboard players seems to make sense—outdoor activities are the safest option when a respiratory virus is running around a community. But how to account for the others? The Arts and Crafts Association, the Decorative Arts Painting Club, Needle Arts Club, and the new Meditation Club also enjoyed membership increases despite their indoor meetings. The Sheepshead Card Club rebounded to nearly a ten year high, and I have never met anyone who knows how the game is played—thank goodness they include the word “card” in their club name. Looking at the overall trends since the end of 2012, it is clear that quite a few clubs are on a general downward trajectory (19 of 62). The Computer Club’s reduction is predictable as technology and user savviness improves. It is less clear why some arts and crafts club numbers would plummet when others did not. Why has the Minnesota group been in steady decline from 592 members in 2013 to less than 100 in 2021? Not to pick too hard on Minnesota—membership in most of the regional social clubs have been trending down for some time. Certainly not all clubs will measure their success in membership numbers, but if your club is concerned about a shrinking membership, a frank examination of the potential causes seems to be in order.
I will step up and take some responsibility by proxy. Born in 1967, I am an early member of Generation X. I know it’s hard to believe since we’re still wearing our checkered slip-on sneakers to the office, but Gen X is starting to get cataracts and AARP solicitations. Sadly for AARP, we are not joiners. Clubs and associations do not appeal to my peers. Ours is considered a highly individualistic generation, but that did not spontaneously occur in January of 1965. The trend was already emerging among the later Boomers— the people who are buying homes in Green Valley today. GVR Clubs that hope to build their numbers or maintain a strong membership would do well to prepare for retirees with less interest in authority structures and conformance, rules-based approaches. Second, I will nominate technology as a culprit for some clubs, specifically the technology so many of us turned to during that first year of the pandemic. Social media use surged across all age groups during 2020, but Boomers were already big fans. In January of 2020, Forbes reported that 84% of Boomers surveyed felt that social media improved their lives. During that first pandemic year, video conferencing services such as Zoom and WhatsApp rescued businesses and lonely individuals alike. Convenient and affordable, these services continue to be a big part of our lives, helping us stay closely connected to friends near and far, and to the places we once called (or still call) home. Maybe we don’t yearn as much for the company of fellow Minnesotans because we are keeping that company on a daily basis via our phones and tablets. It is interesting that the Green Bay Packers Club—a club associated with a region but focused more on an activity than simple socializing—is among the clubs enjoying membership increases. Finally, Covid is not off the hook in this situation. It is a factor. It has not vanished, and we are still learning how best to carry on with life. Some folks continue to be less comfortable sharing space than others, and it certainly got many people out of social habits they used to enjoy.
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