A Tale of Two Societies

Every month or so, a colourful, interesting and inspiring society magazine arrives through our letterbox.

Another society magazine - RadCom - also arrives with the same frequency, but isn't a tenth as engaging.

Bill Nye (left) of the Planetary Society, enjoying very successful lobbying in the White House.  What chance this type of influence at the RSGB?

The former society - the Planetary Society - is typically American.  If we tend to think that Americans are too noisy, too enthusiastic, too anything, well, they are certainly good at running societies.

Imagine the RSGB sending a full-time CEO to live in London for part of the year so that he/she could spend as much time lobbying politicians in favour of the society as possible.  It's inconceivable under the present regime.  Yet, that is precisely what the CEO of the Planetary Society is doing, taking an apartment near Capitol Hill - and it's bringing results.

Just like the RSGB, the PS was seeing dwindling membership numbers.  Yet, it has turned the ship around and, for the first time in 10 years, has recently seen memberships increase.

Ed Vaizey was our man of influence at the NRC opening.  He passingly mocked the RSGB for its old-aged male membership, but the comment passed over the heads of attendees, who laughed approvingly!

The RGSB can't even get its priorities straight.   Hit their web homepage, and there's not a word about 'joining us' (which is buried on other pages).  It ought to be the number one most important option on the web page.  Instead, GB2RS 'news' gets the top spot.

Things have improved, but the whole caboodle still smacks of middle-aged restraint.  There is nothing exciting shouted about.  It seems it's all too middle-classed and stiff-upper-lipped for that. 

Above all, the RSGB ought to take note that the Planetary Society now sees twice as many people joining via the web than all other means combined.  

It's time the RSGB took a radical and honest look at itself.  It's no good saying the bad old days have now gone, and money owed by a big-wig recovered.  We have seen promises of turning the society around, but instead, now several years down the line, it simply seems to be sinking.

Take a look at the Planetary Society, which costs just £22 a year to join, and see how the RSGB could learn - a lot - from how it does things.