Austin International Folk Dancers
Organizational Manual
AIFD can exist as a viable recreational group only if a sufficient number of people attend the weekly dance programs. This requires that the weekly fee be kept at a reasonable level, which can only be done if it will generate enough income to cover AIFD expenses. Effective publicity to recruit new members and bring back former members is essential to generating that attendance.
In the late 1960’s, average attendance at AIFD dance events peaked at 80-100 dancers. Since that time, attendance has slowly declined (with occasional temporary rises) to an average of 25 dancers in 2007. Reasons for the decline have generally included the following:
People don’t start folk dancing and/or don’t continue folk dancing for a variety of reasons. The two main categories are decreased ability to participate (e.g., age-related limitations, injuries, personal commitments, work demands) and a decreased desire to participate (e.g., increased physical/mental effort to dance, lack of dance partners, insufficient pleasurable social interactions, decreased knowledge of dances being done due to ever-changing and expanding repertoire, increased competition from other discretionary priorities). AIFD may not be able do anything about a person’s decreased ability to participate, but it can do something about their decreased desire to participate.
The AIFD Board has periodically evaluated the trend in attendance and has taken various actions to try to address the decline. However, the trend has never been significantly or effectively reversed because, over the decades, the group has become less and less energetic about attendance, participation, special events, recruitment and retention.
The key to a strong group is to create and maintain a significant social benefit for each member so that they want to come every week. The unspoken question when a person chooses a discretionary activity is: “What’s in it for me?”. AIFD must provide an attractive answer to this question for prospective, current and former members in order to achieve a profitable weekly paying attendance.
Recruiting new members is a separate but closely related issue. More effort could be made to search out complementary activities or groups and recruit from those sources (dance clubs, music groups, academic departments, ethnic organizations, churches). AIFD must create for all members a “family” or “community” type of environment, a genuine feeling of friendship and an opportunity to belong. AIFD must provide programs and activities that allow that person to accomplish their personal goals, which invariably include making new friends and learning how to do folk dances. AIFD must offer a variety of opportunities for members to creatively participate in its programs and activities and to help run the organization.
Improving attendance requires Board leadership. The following suggestions may prove helpful:
AIFD prepares flyers or ads primarily for special events. It has its own web site at www.aifd.cc and links through www.tifd.org, www.arts.state.tx.us/CalTCA/calendar.cfm?&AssocID=2919 and www.movineasy.com/directory_alpha.php. It also has business cards for distribution to people interested in folk dancing. Individuals who submit their email addresses receive the AIFD e-newsletter