PFRA Elections

[JeffreyMiller]

Three ballots received so far. Don't forget to vote!

[Rupert Patrick]

Vote early vote often.

[JeffreyMiller]

As of this date, 12 ballots have been received. Just a reminder that you have until 11:59 PM October 31, 2019 to submit your votes.

[Throwin_Samoan]

Would this be an appropriate place to bring up questions or concerns related to the elections themselves? Apologies if that's not kosher, but it seems like there should be a place for honest concerns to be brought forth and considered and potentially debated before ballots are cast.

My concern is that the platforms (for lack of a better term) of each of the candidates for president say nothing about membership. To me, that should be our number one objective: to increase membership. I'm going off the top of my head here, but it seems like we have, what, maybe 300 or so total members? Maybe fewer than that who are actual paid-up, legit, pay-your-own-way members? (Correct me if I'm wrong, I could go look up the last time that was announced, but I thought it was about that.)

The most popular sport in the country, one with more than a century of fodder for research, has only a few hundred members in an association dedicated to preserving and shining a light on its history? That seems like an opportunity to me.

Whatever a goal would be, 500 members, let's call it, you have to actually put that goal forth to have any chance of getting there. Okay, what's our goal? How are we going to get there? What actual strategies are we going to use?

Maybe that's NOT actually the number one concern, but as I look at the priorities of the two gentlemen running (and I'm not disparaging either of you, not my place, not my intention), I see a bunch of things that make me go, "Yeah, but...." What about membership? Is that a big concern? Wouldn't a really robust association be a greater thing?

Maybe I am the only one who feels that way, in which case, that's fine. But that's what came to my mind and it seems to me there should be at least some discussion of it, whether it's in this context or another. Thanks for hearing me out.

[JeffreyMiller]

I think increasing membership is a goal no matter who is president. It seems to me both candidates struck on that issue through their respective statements. Heightened awareness and availability of resources would translate into increased activity, and hopefully increased enrollment, for example.

Are you seeking specific examples from the candidates as to how they would, or plan to, increase membership?

[Rupert Patrick]

I think making the PFRA more visible is probably the most important way to increase membership. The membership of SABR (Society of American Baseball Researchers) is a little over 5,000, I believe the PFRA membership (from Ken Crippen's speech at the Buffalo meeting) is about 430. I was a SABR member at one time but am currently not a member, but there are no doubt PFRA members who also belong to SABR. One might look at how SABR is run, what a SABR member gets from their membership, discounts, etc, and see if any of those things can be applied to PFRA. I realize a SABR membership is a little pricier than PFRA; I think it was s 65 dollars a year when I was a member.

One of the areas where I think PFRA could possibly get a possible perk for it's members is by working out some sort of deal with McFarland on books, even if it is ten percent on book sales, given the long-term relationship between PFRA and McFarland. It might mean raising the PFRA subscription five dollars, but I think in the long run it would increase membership. Would I pay five dollars more to get a ten percent discount on McFarland books? Absolutely. It's something to think about.

Another thing that SABR does that I wish we could do is to produce an annual research journal (even if it is online only), which is an anthology of what we've produced this year from the Coffin Corner, and maybe add a few original pieces, possibly adapt interesting forum discussions into new articles, and maybe some pieces from old Coffin Corners. Such a book should be available free to members only, but should be available to purchase by non-members on the site thru Paypal; I don't know, charge, say, 15 dollars for it.

Coffin Corners should be available for purchase in the regular website via Paypal; I don't know, maybe charge five bucks a piece for them, any issue. If people see what they are missing by not having a membership, maybe it will interest them in signing up.

Another possibility is for PFRA books to publish a "Best of the Coffin Corner" book with McFarland. That would spur interest in the Coffin Corner and also the PFRA. It wouldn't be as massive an effort as putting together the Packers or Colts books as the material has already been written.

These are the kinds of things the new PFRA President should consider to increase membership.

[Throwin_Samoan]

You can lose 25 pounds, straighten your teeth, get a new wardrobe, and work out six days a week, but you're not going to find a mate just by going out. At some point you have to actually talk to a potential mate.

All these things have merit and should be examined, for sure. But I used to work for (non-major-league) sports teams and for membership-based organizations, and tickets don't sell themselves and members don't come walking in the door just because you tell them you have a game or tell them you have an attractive organization.

I always used to say, "Telling someone there's a game is not the same thing as selling them a ticket to that game." (You obviously can't sell someone a ticket to a game they don't know is going to be played, but it can't stop there.)

I'm talking about selling the way any other salesperson makes a quota: establishing relationships, identifying potential customers, having the right messaging to deliver at the right time, and asking for and closing the sale. It's not enough to just say, "Hey, here's what you can get for your dollars, contact us if you're interested." You have to make the sale.

Every successful sales organization has goals, identifiable, quantifiable goals. Sell X number of widgets this month or this year, achieve x number of memberships by such and such a date. (I realize no one is getting paid to do this, so it's not like there are commissions as an incentive, or a Cadillac, or a set of steak knives. I am not suggesting someone make it their full-time avocation to beat the bushes for membership.)

I am suggesting there are ways for all of us to strategize that can actively identify and recruit new members outside of just making the website more functional or attractive or putting more stuff in the package. We'd have to want to do it and it would take some work, but we'd be better for it, I think.

I'm not belittling anybody or trying to stage a coup like whoever that guy was who was emailing us all a while back to air grievances. I just think we can be an even stronger organization if there's a focus put on and a goal set to get to 500 members (or whatever the number is). Like selling tickets, that has a whole host of knock-on benefits that spring from it. I feel like that should be a vision, if not THE vision. But I am just one person and have not been here long enough to do anything but guess at how hard it has been to get the organization to this point. I'm certain it has been a ton of work by a lot of people. That's not what my thoughts are about - I just think we can be even stronger.

[JeffreyMiller]

Just keep in mind that the officers of this venerable organization serve as volunteers. Many of the strategies necessary, or recommended, require a time commitment that might go beyond the expectations of the position. I'm not rationalizing or defending anyone's accomplishments or efforts, but rather trying to establish some perspective. Establishing goals is all well and good, but if someone does not attain a certain goal (for example, 500 members), exactly what does that mean ? And is a goal of 500 members more important than, say, having more members who are either active or well connected?

[TodMaher]

The reality is the president of PFRA is only one of seven board members. He can do only two things:

1) Appoint the Executive Director (who in turn appoints the Assistant Executive Director);

2) Appoint the Publications Director.

[JeffreyMiller]

Twenty ballots have been submitted as of this date.

If you don't vote, don't complain.