As a passionate birdwatcher, you’ve probably wondered how you can take your love of birding to the next level and start a club that gets others involved. The good news is, it’s definitely possible! Just like any successful group, you’ll need to consider a few things before starting. Whatare your motives? Who are you hoping to reach? Beginners? Advanced birders?Strategizing and marketing your club are all important. Clearly, as with anynew venture, there’s a lot to think about! The following are a few more considerations for you to think about as you start your own birdwatching club.
Have People Skills
If you’re the type of person who can’t go a day without birding, then starting your own club might truly make sense. Among those who have started Birdwatching Clubs, the most common motive has been a deep personal interest and love of nature, particularly birding. Yet, turninga hobby into a club that engages other people is a huge reason start, but notentirely sufficient to ensure a successful club. Catering to the public in any capacity,means you must also have people skills and a strong service orientation. Keepin mind that while birding will be a common interest among your members, youwill have to deal with all kinds of people of different interest levels. Youwill need to be enthusiastic about serving them regardless of their behavior orwhat is going on in your life. Additionally, you’ll have to have the staminaand resilience to take over all matters of the club. Overall, you’ll need to evaluate whether youlove birding so much that any issues with members, vendors, or outside issues,won’t take away from your passion. You’ll have to evaluate if you are ready toturn your hobby aka your “happy place” into something bigger that will take upmore of your time and energy.
Determine Marketing Strategies
Read, research, read, research. When you’re done with that, read and researchsome more! When starting a birding club, reading up on as much as you can soyou can learn about the market is a good idea. Study to know preferences,demographics, and characteristics of the individuals who may be interested in yourclub. Doing so will help you make vital decisions. You may also want tosubscribe to numerous birding magazines, e-newsletters, and articles aboutbirdwatching. Keep an eye out for advertisements providing info about servicesyou may be interested in. You’ll want to attend as many birding competitionsand festivals as you can and maybe even consider having a booth at theseevents. You’ll want to meet with vendors and those in the birding business tonetwork and connect. Consider going toyour library to research academic and professional journals to get more informationabout members of birding organizations or about birders in general. TheNational Audubon Society and the American Birding Association offer newslettersand publish magazines with information about the latest trends in birding. Besure to take note of all of those.
Setting Up the Club
Once you have a good idea of the market and what features you want to providethrough your club such as professional tours, you’re ready to market your clubto reach members. It’s important to understand that the birding market might begrouped into numerous categories such as: commitment or interest, demographicsor geographic area, and skill level. You may choose to determine your own mixof marketing tactics. This is where the networking you have done can truly comein handy. Consider offering members items such as binoculars and guides that they can borrowwhile on your guided tours. You may even plan your tours around birding events and festivals. Perhaps youcould network with the festivals to offer discount tickets for your members.There are numerous options, so networking is key.
Birding Responsibly
As the founder of a birding club, part of your job is to help your membersunderstand the importance of birding responsibly. This means taking care ofyourself, as well as the environment around you. If you’re going out with thegroup for a long period of time, be sure to encourage your members to bringwater and snacks, as well as to wear protective and appropriate clothing. Protecting yourself and members from the sun isimportant, so be sure to bring and offer sunscreen. A wide-brimmed hat may alsobe appropriate. Long, loose fittingsleeves and pants will help to protect from the sun and biting insects. You’llalso want to be aware of your surroundings by not walking with a camera orbinoculars over your eyes. And, it should go without saying, that you shouldencourage members to take care of the environment by not littering and nottaking anything but pictures. It’s important to note that while feeding birdsin your back yard is a fun way to see wild birds, feeding any wildlife innational parks is against the law. Encourage your members not to disturbnesting birds, their eggs, or their nests. If you find juvenile birds out ofthe nest, leave them alone. Nature knows best, and their parents are nearby.
Starting your own Birding Club can be a very exciting, though nerve-wracking,venture. However, if you do your research and truly have birding and peopleskills, you’ll be well on your way to a growing and flourishing club in notime!
