at least in Northern Calif. I have tried to contact my local chapter on serveral different times via email and phone (left msg) to volunteer my time and I have been completly ignored. But I do get somthing in the mail almost weekly wanting more money. I do not have a lot of money to give but I am more than willing to donate my time but I guess that is not good enough, so from this point on I throw all their mailings in the trash.
Born to fish forced to work.
Alan
[This message has been edited by fish4trout (edited 30 March 2006).]
Why not simply go to a monthly meeting. They are open to the public and after a short business meeting have a speaker or slide or power point presentation. Officers change as do addresses and although it has been 5 years since I was president of our chapter I still get stuff addresed to me as president! I don’t know of a single chapter that would turn down new members… Meetings are usually announced in local papers or often chapters have their own web sites that you can get from national. Did you send in a form joining TU from a magazine?
I guess most chapters have local projects that they are involved with and usually solicit volunteers for these at the meetings. I’m not sure what kind of help you could offer on these types of projects being so far away. In any case, they should at least acknowledge and answer you. I would try contacting the chapter president directly if you haven’t done so already.
The mailings you get are most likely from the national organization and not the chapter. Don’t let them sour you on the workings of your local chapter.
As President of the largest TU chapter in the country (about 4500 members), I can tell you that it is sometimes a challenge to stay in touch with and meet the needs of all the members of a chapter. We get chapter members through local or national renewals, generated from the TU headquarters in Virginia. Many of our new members come to us via a free membership offered with a fly rod or pair of waders, so it’s often hard to keep track of everyone, especally here in Texas, where anyone in the state who joins TU becomes a member of our local chapter (Guadalupe River Chapter), even if they live 500 miles away in Amarillo or El Paso and may be much closer to chapters in New Mexico or Colorado than they are to us.
I personally take very seriously the responsibility that our Board and Officers have to stay in touch with our members and do what we can to answer their questions, include them in our activities, and invite them to join us in fund raising or conservation projects, when possible. We send out three printed newsletters a year and try to use e-mail for notices and monthly e-letters. We also use our website (www.grtu.org) and its bulletin boards to keep people informed and communicating with each other.
I admire your persistence and hope that you will eventually be able to make a good connection with your local TU chapter. In the meantime, it’s also important for us all to realize that TU, as a conservation organization, must be constantly fund raising to continue the advocacy and stream projects that is at the heart of its mission.
Mick McCorcle
President
Guadalupe River Chapter
Trout Unlimited
Boerne, TX
Alan I can relate to what you are saying. Several years ago I decided to join up with the Northwest Steelheaders. I sent my money in and it took them four months to deposit my check, I never recieved any confirmation of my membership, never recieved any of their newsletters, I could not get them to return my phone calls, and to add insult to injury they called me a year later and asked if I wanted to renew my membership. Needless to say I told them no in a not so pleasant way. Then the guy who called said I should have called them. I broke my phone when I hung up on him.
Mick, A question for you. With that many members why don’t they break off into other chapters. We have helped 2 new chapters spur off from our Clearwater chapter in NT, Albany area, and are still at around 700 members. We get 70 to a 100 at a meeting depending on the speaker.
Are they just members on paper only? Must be some banquet you guys throw!!!
I think a club that constantly asks for money from their members above and beyond their yearly dues, 50/50 raffles etc is a very poorly run club. It sounds like the club directors want to spend the money that comes in, but are too lazy to EARN money for the club.
If a club is hurting for money, then they should do what any household does when in a money crunch, re-adjust their spending and look for ways to earn more income.
You should not have to spend money directly out of your pocket to help keep a club going. What your club should be doing is holding various fund raising activities, banquets etc. that utilize the members time instead of their wallets. Start out small and only do what you can afford, with time the money will be there.
I have been the president of a FFF club for four years now and I realized long ago that for the most part, members want to be involved, not constantly bothered for money.
If I were you I would find a new chapter to be a member of.
Just my opinion, but based on a lot of experience.
Mantis, there have been numerous attempts to split off and form other TU chapters in Texas, but none have taken hold, since the Guadalupe is the only year round trout fishery in the state. One of the big draws here is that the chapter leases access at numerous spots along the river and uses the money it collects for lease memberships to pay for the leases and stock around 10,000 14-24" trout each winter (Thanksgiving through Spring Break). We also have a minimum flow agreement for the summer months and a special regulations section (artificials only, catch and release) on the prime stretch of the tailwater. We are active in sponsoring river cleanups, river studies, and conservation projects that allow us to work to preserve and improve the place we fish. With no other trout streams in the state, it’s hard to generate enough focus and enthusiasm to start and perpetuate a TU chapter.
Also, I’m betting the $$ requests he is mentioning come from TU national’s mass mailings, not local chapter appeals. We simply do not have the funds at the local level to afford many direct mail appeals. When we do ask for money, it is for a specific project or coincides with the annual membership renewal process, which happens once a year.
We don’t do a banquet here, but are looking into starting one. We meet in a gymnasium and take over the local community center once a quarter for a day of activities. Our highest attendance comes during our January meeting, at the height of our trout season, though we’ve been able to fill the room if we have a conservation battle to fight, as we did with the minimum flow issue, when we took the local water authority to court.
[This message has been edited by mickmcco (edited 30 March 2006).]
I would check to see if there is another chapter close by. I know here in PA we have two or three chapters that are all active that meet with in an hour of my house. Just because TU National puts you in a chapter, you can switch to another. Check Calif. Trout and then the National web site to see if there is another chapter close by.
Shame on them for not contacting you. Most chapters follow the 80/20 rule 20% if your lucky do all the work.
I joined TU and am an active member…Guess having paid a years dues makes me that??? Active … as a member???..
I really don’t feel at all active as a member…I still get the mailings asking me to join???..what’s up with that???..I have not received anything they said I would after sending them the check…
I have not seen anything detailing when and where I can attend a meeting…Have not been sent anything saying my help/presence would be greatly appreciated by meeting up at X stream for a work party/clean up of X stream…
I am doubting they even do anything themselves to help these “Valuable Cold water Fisheries” they spoke so grandily of in their Please send money a** wiper… I too am very much done with TU!!!
I don’t pursue Trout as often as I do many of the warmer water species…But I do like to spend a decent amount of time each season fishing for them…
But with all the licensing fee increases I should think the PFBC should have more than enough cash flow to do what needs done any way…
“I’ve often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before” A.K.Best
Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) “Spinner’d Minner Fly”
“Wish ya great fishing”
Bill
[This message has been edited by billknepp (edited 30 March 2006).]
I have real mixed feelings on TU and FFF as well. I got a “free” membership in TU with my waders, and didn’t renew my membership. Ironically, in previous years I got more from TU before I became a member (very nice calendars), and I thought I would rather put the money into tying materials or something else. I joined the FFF because of the fact that they span all interests in FF, not just cold water, and warmwater is my interest. Again, a few pieces of mail, a patch, some begging and that was about it. Maybe that is my fault because I didn’t go out and try to hook up with the organizations or see if there was an active chapter close by, but nothing came from the other side either. The mixed feelings are that I believe that the two organizations do try to do good, but I guess I couldn’t see anything going on around me. Maybe I should rethink my position, but it just seemed like a waste of money. Sorry.
Bob
As with anything, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. If you contribute a little money to TU or FFF or a similar organization, then sit back and wait to be served by them, you’ll be sorely disappointed. If you want real benefits from those memberships, you need to get out and get involved with those organizations. If you support their missions, then help them accomplish those missions, at the local level.
TU has over 150,000 members, so it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the relatively small paid staff in that organization to provide lots of personalized service to each member. But that’s not the point of joining, or at least it shouldn’t be. What TU and FFF provide is a structure and process for each of us to get involved in promoting fly fishing or coldwater conservation or outdoor education at the local level, where it can make the most difference, while the national staff is involved in advocating at the national level, where they can make the most difference.
If you want to enjoy and be satisfied with your memberships in those organizations, then get out and get busy.
It is hard to get involved if you never get a returned call or email. I am sure TU does great work in some areas but unfortunatly mine is not one of them. I have even tried emailing people on the state level and still no response. I also understand TU is a huge organization with lots of people but how hard is it to return and email?
Born to fish forced to work.
Alan
[This message has been edited by fish4trout (edited 31 March 2006).]
If that doesn’t work, contact David Rogers, TU National’s Director of Volunteer Operations, at drogers@tu.org. If neither of those work, send me an e-mail and I’ll help you rattle some cages.
Castwell, I can only hope that your response was sarcasism. Every orginization needs not only money, but people willing to volunteer their time. I have been involved with FF orginizations since I was a kid and I know that very few “members” ever show up to do actual work.
Money is important, very important. However, so are those willing to give of their time. For many it is easy to write a check, put the sticker on their car and feel they have made a difference. And they have, I am not criticizing them. But, on the other end, orginizations need real people giving real time to get things done.
What if a local TU chapter orginized a river clean up and many sent in a few bucks towards the cause, but no one showed up to get their hands dirty. How much trash would get picked up?
I am a member of my local chapter and have given a good bit of my time. However, I am not able to be as generous with money. So, in your view I should not have spent 4 days straight volunteering my time for the “FIrst Cast” program. I should have sent a few bucks instead???
If I had done that then many of those kids would not have had as much one-on-one coaching. Most would have not been able to fish from a drift boat. Many would not have caught a trout on a fly they tied themselves.
Ask those kids if I should have just sent a check. Ask them what part of JUST SEND MONEY do I not understand.
Like I said, I sincerely hope your response was just sarcasm. If it was not, then I guess I can understand why so many orginizations fail from within.
[This message has been edited by flybop (edited 01 April 2006).]
Quoting castwell, “The guy offered to help, got no response. Did everything he could to volunteer. Nothing!
JUST MORE REQUESTS FOR $$$
What would you do?”
I would simply not send them any money again. Like I said, most of us want to do what we can. Some can give money, some can only give their time. If my time has no value to them, then I would not give them my money either.
Money is important, but so are people willing to get involved on the grass roots, get your hands dirty level.
Perhaps there is a slight hint of the fly fishing, elitest snob phenomenon going on here?
The thing about local TU chapters is that everyone is a volunteer. Typically there’s a small core of people that do all the work, and there’s a cycle of burnout. This is not only true of local TU chapters, but any volunteer organization. The other thing is that people tend to think you can respond as if it were your full-time job. HA!
In the past I was, at various times, Financial Officer, Registrar, and President of a 1500 member youth athletic organization. It was unbelieveable how many people expected you to give them special treatment – because rules are made to be broken, didn’t you know?
Financial Officer was the worst, because if you didn’t do the fundraising, soliciting sponsors, running the raffle and the candy sale, often with little or NO HELP, the club couldn’t run and there were a lot of disappointed kids.
Plus every yo-yo out there thought they knew how to do it, and the club would be rolling in money if you just weren’t so stupid.
It had its rewarding moments, but it took me about 10 years to get over that experience.
I think local TU chapters are similar, but on a slightly smaller scale – except for the Texas guys. I always try to cut them a break, because generally they deserve it.