Darling Downs Soaring Club Getting and Retaining Members.

Darling Downs Soaring Club

Getting and Retaining Members

Gliding Queensland

• 8 clubs in the south east

– Gympie– Caboolture– Kingaroy– Southern Downs

(Warwick)– Boonah– Darling Downs– Qld Motor Glider Club– Pacific Motor Glider

Club

• 3 other ‘active’ clubs– Nth Qld Soaring Centre– Central Qld– Bundaberg

• 2 Northern NSW Clubs– Byron Gliding Club– Byron Soaring Centre

and Aeroclub

Gliding Qld Today

• 7 years ago almost defunct with $30000 in the bank

• Only function was collection of funds from comps

• Resurrected around 5 years ago• Currently represented by most of the Qld

clubs• All Qld pilots fly at club rates at any club• Democratic election process from 2007

Who is DDSC?

• 200 km west of Brisbane• Large club of 110 flying members, 45 social• Fly all year round• Large fleet

– two tugs, – three two seaters, – four club owned single seaters, – two cross hired single seaters– Access to private Duo Discus for cross country training– Fifteen private gliders

• Clubhouse, hangars, bunkhouse etc• Own our airstrip.

History

• Toowoomba Gliding Club/Oakey Gliding Club around 47 years ago (folded)

• 43 years Darling Downs Soaring Club

• Six Years ago – – Racked with politics– Run by a minority– Closed and unwelcoming– Stagnant

First steps 5-6 Years Ago

• Finances modernised• New committee – all active pilots• Club Identity improved (T shirts, hats, wine,

etc)• Established website and email ‘chat’• Weather Station• Duty pilots system• Relationships with other clubs• Chucked out the politics

Recent Initiatives

• Club survey• Aircraft booking online• Change in instructing

approach• New member “welcome

packs”• Marketing survey• Revamped the piecart

for a better image• Increased social

activities

• Mini comps• Focus on member

retention• More young people and

more women• GFA Club Accreditation• Investment in GPS

technology and equipment

• Revamped website• Briefing room• Info email response

Our Management Team

• Ten committee members

• Paid accounts person, aircraft maintenance, cleaner

• At least one position is allocated to a new member or a

young member

• Roles specified and shared

• Strategic Plan - Removal of “the Committee should…..”

• Meetings are negligible

• All current competition pilots; all busy full time jobs

• Club communication is everything

Club Communication

• Newsletter monthly

• Electronic chat for members

• Instructors chat

• Tuggies chat

• Website news

• Openness (no secrets)

• General Meetings

The Survey

• Anonymous Web survey cost nothing– How did they find us?– How long have they been members?– Why did they choose us?– What makes them stay?– What are the club priorities?– Suggestions

Why did they choose us and what makes them stay?

• Friendly reputation

• Willingness to help new members

• Cross country opportunities

• Aircraft Booking

• Training booking

• Women and Young people role models

• Well kept club aircraft

Inter club relationships

• Caboolture Gliding Club Reciprocal Agreement– Join only one club– 450 AEFs a year, (DDSC 40 AEFs a year)– Caboolture Week 1-2 times a year– DDSC Instructors help Caboolture

• Boonah Club week• Tauranga Club visit• Omarama Club reciprocal agreement• Overseas visitors every month

Visitors

• Off the street; booked AEF; 3 flight intro pack• Optimise every visitor• From friends or website• Assign a person to look after their first visit if

they pre-book• AEF instructors are trained (5+ flights)• Our AEF instructors typically get a rating at

around 100-200 hrs.• Post flight pack – cap, DVD, certificate, smile.• First impressions are everything – be proactive

New Members

• 6 weekend day course, 3 month club membership, full membership

• New member welcome pack:– Log book– Key contacts– Progress chart– Basic Gliding Knowledge– Letter from the President– How to find out about the club activities– Duty Pilot Manual– DDSC Radio procedures– DDSC SOPs

• Fulltime students under 26 yrs fly for ½ price and ½ subs

Progress Path

Instructing

• Change of focus to issues rather than pilots• All instructors are current cross country pilots• Morning briefings for all pilots 9am• Panel notes are distributed to all the club (de-

identified)• Pilot development, rather than training• Training booking and minimum number of flights

for students each day• Learning to fly shouldn’t be an initiation test.

Pilot Development

Safety

• 3 years of improving our systems• Younger members think it is an important

part of their flying• Developed systems to a higher standard

than GFA in many cases• No blame incident reporting and trends• Nearly 100% OzFLARM coverage• High safety standards give the best first

impression

Saturday Mini Comps

• Introduced 18 months ago• Saturday tasks set twice a month in

summer (less frequently in winter)• Handicapped to club class• AAT to allow participation• Evening BBQ and prize awarded• Online competition encouragement• Participation from Pre solo to 8000 hrs

Sunday Morning Training

• Daily Inspections• Radio and airspace• Fitness, fatigue, dehydration• Remote flying safety• Weather Forecast and Interpretation (NOAA)• Mini Coaching (eg thermalling, cross country)• How to be a duty pilot• Official Observer training• Pre-competition training• Parachute awareness• How to use Colibri• 3 monthly working bees

First flight to C certificate

• Emphasis off first solo• Progress chart• Make them part of the club from day one• Involve in the duty pilot role a.s.a.p. with an

experienced member• If the day’s good, go soaring• Plan the training• On Solo, C progress book• “Qualified Glider pilot” at C certificate

Beyond C Certificate

• Aircraft conversions

• Online competition

• Cross country coaching

• Mini comps

• Easter Comps

• Saturday rostered cross country coaches

Documents

• Standard Operating Procedures

• Radio Procedures• Using FLARM• ABC Certificate Prog

ress Book• Conversion Guides

– Jeans– Using Flaps

Participation

• 110 flying members• 75 of these are on rosters, or working bees, or

donate time in some other way.• 90 active pilots• 8% women• 13% under 30 • 8% are retired (ie 92% work or study fulltime)• 70% live in Brisbane• Very little “churn”

What is important to them?

1. Personal development and progress2. Feeling good about their flying whatever the

stage3. Aircraft availability & quality of aircraft4. Quality of training5. Being in a friendly welcoming environment

• Not Towing costs• Not Glider costs

The New Member

• X and Y Generation– Do not respond to the traditional command-and-control type of

management – Have an opinion– Technically savvy– Expect more from training

• Baby boomer generation– Have money– Kids are grown up– Looking for things to spend their money on– Looking for challenges

• Women– Role models can be important– Change the dynamics of the club

Our Focus

• Is it good for gliding? (Not is it good for DDSC?)• We are here to go flying• Politics are out• The Committee represents the members• The instructors are leaders and training

facilitators• Provide opportunities - within or outside the club• Everyone should leave the field feeling they

have achieved something• Collective will to make this continue.

Effective Marketing?

• We tried:– Yellow pages– Local advertising– City expensive advertising– Website– Flyaways– Marketing Study– Advertising in NZ– RACQ Travel– Brochures in local establishments– GFA Accreditation (www.soaring.org.au)

Marketing Study

• Three undergraduate marketing students

• Cost – almost nil

• Results:– People viewed gliding as

• Unsafe• Too hard to learn to fly• Didn’t know much about it• Maybe too expensive

Our Marketing Strategy Now

• Website

• Visitor word and mouth

• Member word and mouth

Your Focus

• Do a SWOT on your club• Improve what you do best • Change what you do worst• Get younger people involved at any cost• Build relationships for sustaining gliding• Get a website, or update your website• Communicate

Our role should be to – look after the history and effort that has gone before, – look after our members today, and – provide a future for gliding

www.gogliding.org.au