Are you a member of your local &/or national Orchid Society? Why or why not?

[LeeB]

I'm a Life member of the NHOS and AOS. I have gotten so much from the NHOS meetings. If there isn't a speaker then there is an auction of plants & special forums put on by expert members. The members are very friendly & willing to answer ?'s of all kinds. Yes, most of the members are more mature but orchids are expensive. I got my first plants from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 1972 at an orchid growing class & still have 2 of them. It took a long time for me to be able to afford to grow more. I'm not so sure I'm getting my money's worth from AOS membership but the magazine is wonderful and I've always gotten answers to my ?'s. I haven't been to the Fairchild Wheeler facility since it opened but plan to in the future. This forum is wonderful IMHO & I plan to support it with a donation soon. Regards. Lee

[Lorraine]

[QUOTE=Leafmite;629759]
Membership table is very fun. I have been doing it for the past three years. It helps if your OS gives out a free orchid to those who become members at the show so suggest this. Also, be certain to be very friendly and to tell those that enter about all the benefits. It helps to have a few people at the table who are excited and enthusiastic. Remember, too, these people are all potential friends as they share a common interest. [COLOR="Silver"]

---------- Post added at 09:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:49 PM ----------

We have our Membership Table set up just inside our door where everyone enters at our show. We have free out of date AOS Magazines to give the those attending (one each). These are donated by our current members. Several of us are usually sitting at the table and get to engage with anyone who approaches us. It is a very informative table with a freestanding poster board featuring pictures of events with members. Available are orchid care sheets and of course membership applications. If someone doesn't have a chance to stop by going in they get to stop on the way out and get a care sheet for the bags of orchids they just bought and an invitation to attend our next meeting

---------- Post added at 08:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 AM ----------

Originally Posted by RandomGemini

I'm thinking I may just go back anyway, just to show them I'm determined. I am probably gonna wait until after the holidays tho. I have some things I need to deal with here at home and I would love to have something in bloom to take to the meeting to get people talking. Maybe if I wow them with something cute, they'll see that I'm not just passing through.

You can always look at it this way "If I'm not part of the problem then I can be part of the solution". Bringing a tasty refreshment treat can go a long way. Go WOW them!!!

[Ray]

I won't claim to be an expert in this area, or to know all of the answers, but let me throw out a few thoughts:

I read a fair number of "there just isn't enough in it for me" comments in this thread. Has there been any consideration that your participation in a society might be of benefit to others? These situations are a two-way street.

Each group has its own collective personality. One cannot walk into a group and expect to be immediately accepted by the current membership. It doesn't hurt to quietly observe for a while, as a way to understand that "personality". Not only does it give you a chance to assess if it fits, but it allows others to warm up to you, too.

Once gaining a bit of acceptance, offer to contribute...and PARTICIPATE. Folks who do, but never get any help, can burn out if the rest of the populace just continually relies on them to "handle it".

I think that applies to the AOS, too. It's hard for folks who are not large-scale orchid professionals, or are not located near AOS HQ to contribute active, hands-on support, but being a paying member is a degree of support all by itself, and it wouldn't hurt if you submitted an article either - and I'm sure they'd be thrilled to get them. Sharing almost ANY aspect of your experience or expertise raleted to orchid growing is likely to be acceptable, and no matter how small or insignificant you may feel it to be, someone, somewhere will gain from it.

[JungleMel]

When I moved, I joined 2 local societies that are both within driving distance, and I've got some flexibility with my job to be able to attend. One is run very "officially" and there's a wide variety of growers and types of orchids on the show table. The other is run more like a "get-together," but a much larger group. Both fun in their own way.

I agree with those "younger" growers on here that it can be a little off putting when people assume you don't know anything because you're young. The best way to get through this is to get over it, ignore the assumptions, keep attending, and bring in your blooming plants for the show table. You do have to prove yourself as a grower, but everybody new did, it wasn't just you. It takes time to be accepted into a group, so participate and it'll go much faster! I'm also the youngest member of one group, and the second youngest of the other. I'm trying to schedule my work around the annual show this year, maybe do some greeting at the entrance table. I figure maybe if younger people see me, they'll see they won't be the only young one who likes orchids enough to get involved, and won't be so intimidated to show up to regular meetings.

[quiltergal]

I am not a member of AOS because it doesn't offer me enough to justify the cost.

I did join the local OS several years ago. It took me 3 tries before I finally joined. It's not a very welcoming group for strangers. Once I got to know everyone it was fine. I've been VP for the last 2 years, and plan to step down next year. We used to have an annual AOS judged show. So many vendors in Oregon have closed their doors. They made up a big part of our show, and it was decided that we just could not justify the cost of putting on the show without the vendors. Our membership has slowly been declining because we really don't seem to have anything to work towards. We don't have guest speakers anymore. Last year it was decided that the membership would give talks at the meetings. Whoever said that 10% of the people do 99% of the work was right on. I'm actually thinking about dropping my membership.

[Sharry]

I was a member of the AOS years ago and let it lapse because the website did not live up to the promise -I got more information here. Recently I rejoined because I do like orchid shows and they are a driver of that. The growth habit of a plant is important to me and it is hard to get the sense of that from images. Same thing if I want a "perfumer". The website seems better now.

Locally, I love to see what folks grow and what they have success with; however, the big problem is time. One would be a 45 minute death-defying drive after work. Maybe this is another problem with attracting younger people. Many folks are working two jobs or they have a job and kids.

[Orchid Whisperer]

When I first joined my local OS, they were quite welcoming, but also made the assumption that I was very much a new grower. In some respects, I still am a new grower after 30+ years growing orchids (I still make mistakes, still have some things I can't grow to save my life, still confuse the names and appearances of some of the basic species orchids - so be it). Also, I am re-building a collection after many years of having no time for orchids, so I have a few old, veteran survivors more than 20 years in my care, but many very young plants that have not bloomed yet.

The more I spoke with the "old hands" in my local OS, the more they realized I had some experience and something to contribute. I have given two presentations at my local OS (one on unconventional materials and methods; another was seed-sewing during the meeting, using the bleach fume technique). The old hands were happy to have someone else besides them doing all the talking and presenting. I have two more presentations I am thinking about giving next year (one on orchids and insects; another on water quality)

If you are a member of a local OS, make it a new year's resolution to present to your OS on some topic. It could be anything (successes you have had, mistakes you have made, orchids you saw on your last vacation, etc.). Be fearless - don't worry about your public speaking skills, a presentation to you OS should be just like a conversation with friends (if not, you are in the wrong OS anyway).

I do wish that it was less expensive to be an AOS member. I think a reduced-rate AOS membership without publications (but with some of the other benefits) would be a good way to accomplish this.

[The Orchid Boy]

I'm not officially part of my local society but I know a few people so I get the newsletter and I'll probably help out with the show this spring. I work the days they have the meetings and live 1.5 hours away. They thought I was a beginner until I started talking about some of the species I grow, my setup, scientific names and so on. I always heard they were a closed, stingy group, but they aren't that way at all. They're very generous with knowledge and trading.