What is a Club to do??

I have been in this hobby for nearly 35 years now and most of that time I have belong to several clubs. I'm now a member of 13 clubs in 5 states, mostly in Texas. I have seen the very best of clubs and the very worst happen to clubs. What makes a club go downhill is usually the lack of interest by the members for one reason or another. Lack of programs or guess speakers during club meetings can be one cause. Lack of outside activities for the membership can be another. Worse is the domination of a handful of members that turn the club into a "click" so to speak, not acknowledging visitors or other members that are not in their little group. Being an officer of a club is not easy, for much of the membership are there to be entertained. This is fine and good but as any type of club, it must have participation by all the membership. Death comes to clubs that don't work together to find those programs for the meetings throughout year or help to plan outside activities for the membership each month.
I'm like many members of clubs all over, I have my special interest type hunts that takes up some of my time, but we must remember because we join a club we pledge ourselves to be a part of that club, it's activities and planning. Every club needs it's members help, thoughts and suggestions to support it. Even if it is the simplest outside hunt such as picking a school yard or park and giving each hunter 4 flags to place in the ground to form a box of sorts. Have each hunter use very low discrimination and dig everything they hear. Move your box several times and then the club give a prize for the first, second and third best finds, and for the worst item found by the members. Not only did the club have an activity, but the members also learn what hunting in very low discrimination is like and may just prove it to show how much is left when hunting in high discrimination as most do. How about a outdoor activity like visit to the Arkansas Diamond mine, there's something different for the club to enjoy.
All clubs should have some type of community service activity once a year; it can be an open kids hunt, where the members teach local kids how to use metal detectors in the field. You could have an open training course and advertise it in the local paper for folks in the community that own a detector and are not sure as to how to adjust it or use it, this would possibly cause an increase in the clubs membership as well. The club should also invite the chief of police or sheriff of the county as a speaker one meeting and make that law enforcement officer an honorary member and offer to him the services of the club and their ability to use detectors for future crime scene searches.
Then lets not for get the club should jump at every opportunity to get good PR for the hobby and their club. So when you do a good deed for the community, or become a service for law enforcement be sure to advertise it in the local newspaper. You will suddenly see your club grow and many doors will open for other activities for members and the club thru just a little positive advertising. Lastly, if you have a local dealer, ask him if you can place some flyers on your club at his business. He will come to support your club and most that buy from him will be handed a flyer to visit the club and learn more about their detector and places to use it. Keith