The BOC needs your help to strengthen its finances and rebuild its membership for the longer term. There are many ways this can be done and we set out a few below. Our challenge is to encourage everyone to do at least one of these. Please help us to succeed.
Could you afford to increase your subscription? You may be able to afford to give up your retirement discount and pay the full rate or possibly increase a single subscription to a family rate? Or, if you think your membership is good value just pay a little more each year.
Simply change your standing order at the bank (we have forms if you need one) and tell Dot Lincoln what you have done or hand her a cheque payable to Berkshire Ornithological Club for the extra amount.
Have you Gift Aided your subscription? If you are a taxpayer, you can increase the amount the club earns from your subscription by 22% without paying a single penny more yourself!
Just fill in a form available from Dot Lincoln or John Roberts or just ask any of the Committee to send you one.
Maybe, like the Committee you think the subscription is good value for the whole Indoor Programme, the Field Meetings Programme, the local walks and your Newsletters. For £15 at the full rate for one person or £20 for two it is good value and even more so at our retirement rates. In addition to this you are entitled to the Birds of Berkshire Annual Bird report completely free. So how about donating the cost of this to the Club? At £4.50 is this not a bargain?
Just send a cheque payable to the Berkshire Ornithological Club to Renton Righelato for your copy OR how about persuading someone else to buy the next one?
Many companies in Reading and Berkshire provide services to people like us. They might sell binoculars and telescopes or outdoor clothing or footwear. Maybe they sell books or birdfood? Or, just services we as householders might like to use, gardening, house repairs or maintenance, financial services, decorating and cleaning etc. All these people could be asked to help support our club by advertising in our Annual Bird report, sponsoring a newsletter or even sponsoring a club meeting. Do you have a friend or know someone who might be willing to do this or maybe you are also in business and able to help?
All we need is a name and phone number and we will be glad to approach them, although if you could use your personal charm to "warm them up" first that would be a great help. Just give the details to Renton Righelato or to Colin Wilson and we will do the rest.
Give a gift of BOC membership to someone for a birthday or Christmas. If you know someone who is interested in birds why not invite them along and gift them membership of the Club? They can come along to an evening meeting to try it for the usual £2 which we will gladly refund against their first years subscription.
You need no help from us on this. Just fill in one of our application forms and send it to Dot Lincoln with the appropriate cheque.
From time to time we have raffles and events for which we need prizes. Small gifts for this purpose would always be very welcome. The AGM and Christmas social are the obvious occasions when a little help would be appreciated. Bottles, chocolates, books or maybe more imaginative, but unwanted gifts would always be welcome.
If you would like to help just inform John Roberts and bring the gift on the night.
There are a number of tasks where a little help could go a long way. For example, the club can earn some worthwhile income from selling peanuts and seed to members during the winter but we have no-one available to help sell them on the night, apart from those who already have jobs to do for the Club.
Speak to John Roberts or Renton at any meeting and we will explain what is involved (really very little) and you can decide if you wish to help.
Do you have access to a photocopier you could use for low or no cost (with the owner's permission of course)! If so, our costs for the newsletter and other paperwork could be usefully reduced. Obviously we would need the help to be reliable and access to a computer with email would be very useful.
Just let Renton know and he can explain the main tasks and timescales for doing the copying.
Do you visit any of our local nature reserves on a regular basis? We would like to make sure the BOC is known by everybody who uses the reserves and enjoys birds in Berkshire. We can arrange for our publicity and leaflets to be placed in hides and leaflet holders in most places but need people to make sure they are replenished from time to time.
Let Renton know where you visit and we will make sure permission is agreed and will give you have a supply of the leaflets.
Can you help us by telling local newspapers about our programme of events regularly? It only takes a few phone calls or occasional form filling and will help people become aware of us and hopefully attract new members. Even someone who is unable to get out a great deal can help with this.
We can provide a list of contacts for you and armed with our programme card you have all you need. Let Colin or Renton know if you can do this.