£60,000 a Year?

The latest RadCom carries the latest financial reports from RSGB HQ.

The society has certainly turned itself around from taking the membership as some form of donkey-like money-givers, as used to be the case until recently, and into something much better managed. 

For that, there is no doubt that the current management must be congratulated, and encouraged to continue.

There isn't very much of note to make comment upon - except the annual and ever-greater problem of attracting younger and new members.  Income is still going down, albeit more slowly than in earlier years.

Whilst it's not the first time it's been the case, someone at the RSGB - one person only - is reported in the accounts to be earning "more than £60,000" a year.

Who?

I don't know.  I don't even care who it is, only that, for a hobby society with falling income and a not very good balance sheet overall, this is a staggering amount of money for anyone to be earning at the RSGB.  Each member is paying slightly over £3 a year, or about 6% of their annual subscription - for this item alone.

The society does, I'm afraid, continue to pat itself on the back rather too much when it reflects on what it has done and achieved in promoting interest amongst those who have never thought about radio before.

If you followed the young hams convention thing that featured in RadCom during 2014, then it's clearly a good effort in the right spirit.  But look at the numbers.  Tiny!  And who are they?  Often, kids of those already on the radio.

There is no doubt in my mind that the RSGB just isn't approaching the issue of outreach in anything like the way it could.  You just can't depend on what happens internally and amongst the membership to try and get the word out.  It clearly isn't working, and no amount of argument can change that.  A typical gathering of hams on a field or special event day is often extremely unwelcoming and insular.  We have to accept that this is how we often present ourselves, and do something about it.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  There has to be investment in exciting publicity material coupled to physical school visits to get the message across.  When I first mention radio to kids, they always look bored and uninspired.  But, I've yet to see anyone who wasn't excited (even though they try to hide it often), by actually speaking to someone far away.

Because of the past financial irregularities, and the understandable reluctance to chance investments on the stock market, the RSGB does seem to have entered a rabbit-in-car-headlights mentality.  Somehow, it has to realise that investment in publicity is very sorely needed.  Avoiding it will yield the wrong result.

That is the message for the RSGB: Get out amongst the people.  It is the only way the society - and the hobby - will survive.