Much has been written about how to interest people in mechanical
music.  Most of the posts have focused on how to attract "new" people
to the hobby.  Nothing has been said about how to get former members
interested again.

There are many former members of MBSI, AMICA, etc. who have left the
organizations.  When a person leaves or does not renew his or her
membership, what has been done to follow up with them to learn the
reason(s) why.  As far as I know, no one has ever followed up with
these people.

In some cases, the reason may be as simple as "I forgot to send in my
membership dues."  Others may just not be as interested in mechanical
music as they thought they were.  Those are the simple answers.  The
complex answers are more difficult.

How many of you have taken the time to sit down and listen to a former
member's reasons why they left?  A one-sentence reply from them just
isn't sufficient.  If you take the time, you just might be surprised by
the answers.  In some cases, you may hear a sad story of changes in the
person's family or economic situation.  In other cases, you may have to
develop a thick skin and listen to harsh criticism of the organization.
Be patient and try not to take it personally.  The first step is
listening.  The next step is making any necessary changes.

We all have different opinions and it's not realistically possible to
make changes for all complaints.  If there is unhappiness, the fault
could lie with either the organization or the individual, or both.
However, when the same complaints keep cropping up from different
individuals, then it's time to take a serious look at the situation.

There are many former members out there, good people who would like to
be more involved with the hobby.  But at the same time, these people
don't like things the way they are now.  If a member leaves, it is the
organization's responsibility to reach out to that former member and
learn why he or she left.  The people are there and the interest is
there, the next step is up to you.

Joyce Brite