The Culture Of Stamp Clubs/Societies

Recent experiences have got me thinking about how different some clubs are from others and why this may be so.

I joined a specialist society, sending my dues payment via Paypal on 10-1. For weeks the only thing I had to show for it was the Paypal receipt; no email from the group, no mailing, nothing. Then when I inquired I got a petulant reply from their contact who seemed to think I was being too impatient. He did at least give me my membership # so I then contacted someone else to order some literature. Now that person isn't responding. I"m on the verge of asking Paypal fr a refund of my dues money. Their journal's latest issue came out last month, I still haven't got it.

I contrast this with my experience in other groups. I belong to the USSS, among others. I always get an immediate reply to any inquiry. I think the difference is, they value their members. With some of these groups, they don't seem to.

I won't get into locl clubs. They are a whole other story. Comments welcome.

I am never at ease with membership of any club or society.
I am too much of an individual.
My discomfort is not entirely because other collectors are very different from me. Mostly I look at them and think "oh no...I am just like these people".
The nature of collecting stamps is that we are all to some degree rooted in the era that we started collecting....in my case 1960ish.
but the downside is that too many seem rooted in the attitudes of the time. There is a presumption of a "group think" and a presumption that the broader membership shares the latest rant of the most vocal member.
It would of course be different if there was an inclusive dimension to our hobby...more young people, more women and a reflection on the diverse nature of society.
As it is, it is difficult to swim against the tide and call out rambling sexism, racism and homophobia etc without a response that I am too "politically correct" or worse "don't bring up politics".
So as a general rule, I avoid stamp clubs and societies.

Specialist societies depend on volunteer labor. Every society is constantly looking for more volunteers to take on roles with the society. They are not for-profit businesses with paid staff. Sometimes the volunteer is slammed at work or on vacation or dealing with an illness (their own or a family member) and aren't able to respond promptly. Sometimes the volunteer is burned-out but the society hasn't been able to find replacement. I wouldn't say that the societies value or do not value their members, rather that some societies get good volunteers and are well-organized and others are not.

I think some of the issues I raised have to do with the age demographic. If you have a group with a leadership mostly over 70, you're going to run into dealing with their health issues when trying to work with them. That's one possibility.

It sounds as if you've come up against the same things as I have with local clubs. Given the older demographic you get lots of old, angry white guys who think you'll love their racist, homophobic jokes. I want to talk about stamps at a club meeting. How hard can that be? It sure drives away younger people, it ought not be tolerated.

I'm basically with FJH. I don't really want to spend time at a club. I'm happy to collect stamps as a solitary activity, perhaps occasionally broken by giving my daughter the opportunity for eyebrow-raising.

Yeah, those farging stereotyping bastages... so annoying.

So I'm stereotyping? Or am I missing your meaning?

Just asking.

I am poking fun at your stereotyping of the average stamp club member while you criticize them for doing the same thing.

I in no way suggested that these behaviors were those of the 'average' member. It takes only a few of these types to ruin a group and from where I sit, I sure keep running into them.

Most folks at clubs just want to enjoy the company of other like minded persons. The people I was critical of probably mean no harm, they just cannot imagine you do not share their opinions.

As philately has, of late, become mostly a spectator sport for me, I've been joining specialist societies left & right (a half-dozen so far, most of them for things I do not collect).

I also plan to join a couple of the philatelic libraries, none of which I am ever likely to use for, say, research.

Why? Supporting these groups financially is important to me. With one exception, any one of them costs less per year than one dinner-and-a-movie night, so I figure that the costs are trivial, the journals are fun to flip through, and the satisfactions of supporting my colleagues are high.

My local club holds most of its meetings on a night when I have a superceding obligation, but they post the videos, so I really can't complain.

For the kind of money most of us are tossing around on the hobby, specialist society memberships are a triviality.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Well, actually you did, though probably (let's hope) unintentionally.




I.e., "older" = more often than not ("lots") angry, racist, homophobic.

Ikey,your club posts videos of meetings? Are they available to be viewed by non members? I'd love to see them.

Well, I'm going to put a plug in for the local stamp club.

As a WW collector, fairly advanced, I'm constantly surprised at the material that becomes available locally when you let other club members know (many have specialties) that you might be interested in their area.

And we are a friendly group. (Of course, we avoid politics, as we have members on both ends, but stamps, now, we can agree. )

There are usually about 25 members at any meeting, twice a month.

Just friendly nice people - somewhat like yourself!

I feel that many clubs and organizations go through an evolution. Typically when a club is small it has a tight group of movers and shakers. Folks that pull together and build something that works well; teamwork abounds, motivation is high. The efforts are often successful and the excitement contagious, the club or organization then grows larger and larger.

But once it grows larger, money and power starts creeping in; people who seek empowerment gravitate into the control positions of the club or organization. As more money and power becomes involved, politics enter and the drama increases.

The original movers and shakers leave or other-wise become disengaged or disillusioned. The club or organization is then at a crossroads with very few managing to continue to thrive and grow. Those handful of clubs/organizations which achieve a balance and keep the money/power issues from polluting the culture are indeed special.
Don

I've just attended my first stamp club meeting in years, and met some very enthusiastic folks, listened to a great lecture on the Postal History of Western North Carolina, and networked with a few folks. I even met two frequent contributors to this forum, which was just the icing on the cake.
Many folks were there perhaps to socialize, spend some time talking stamps on a Sunday afternoon, and I saw some trading and buying.
This club seems well organized, minutes from the previous meeting were read, discussions were had on the future direction of group purchases and auctions, and so on. Last time I went to a club, there was no agenda. While that works for most folks, it doesn't work me. So in the end, we should feel out different clubs, and attend the ones where we're most comfortable in.
Demographics? We all know what they usually are. We can discuss the reason for this, but perhaps focusing on how to change it and get more folks in would be more productive. The reasons why will only lead us some rabbit holes better left unexplored (and lead to the likely pronouncement of Godwin's Law at some point and PC/non-PC labeling.)
I'd probably avoid clubs where being respectful (what some people would label 'politically correct') is discouraged. I don't equate respect with political correctness - I'm short, not vertically-challenged. However, using slurs or reminiscing of times where you could freely use them and 'doggone it, that's the way we liked it' is likely a turn-off for me.
I come from a very homogenous country, and grew up with what I would think were racist, homophobic, and religiously-intolerant people. That doesn't mean that I should be justified in making those same comments, no matter where or *when* I grew up. Most homegeneous countries share this experience - we're all alike, so let's find some 'others.'
But, back to stamps, I'd like to join a club where folks give back, share, and learn.