Hi
Several people have requested this a thread for general comments and discussion on matters concerning the Charlton Athletic Supporters Trust, for CL subscribers, we have these on other sites too.
(meetings will be advertised seperately).
Thanks
BR
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Comments
@razil said
August 11
We have web presence on around 7 different forums and groups. We have facebook, twitter, website, blog, and mailing list subscription just launched which is rapidly growing, and we haven't actually formally launched yet, as afka says the most popular sites will be inhabited by the most web active fans its the modern age - this isn't a CL trust sorry to disappoint.
£10-15 is more likely to be any membership fee, we strongly considered not charging at all. However various arguments were made against free membership and the need to cover basic operating costs while on the other hand we need to achieve high levels of support, would we be taken that serious if membership had no monetary sacrifice at all? If we need at some stage to raise funds above that we will campaign for them. We are seeking to represent the fans at the moment not buy the club.
I welcome all discussions on the trust, altho i prefer people to come to meetings and participate directly as much as possible. There is a lot of information out there and more to be learned.
For my part I believe Trusts can achieve if dedicated creative people who are unwilling to take no for an answer give what they can to making it a success. So by all means critique anything you read or hear it's a conversation at this stage and important to scrutinize; at the same time we who want the Charlton Supporters Trust to succeed should put our energies into properly researching and bringing ideas new and old to the table.
Cheers
BR
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@LenGlover said
August 11
Once again I seem to have unintentionally caused controversy!
Nowhere did I suggest a subscription of £100! The phrase "if, somehow," that I used hardly does that!
I just tried to illustrate the potential financial clout that might be generated by a Charlton Trust.
For the record if it was me I would have a nominal annual subscription of (say) £5 for kids and old gits £10 for others and a further voluntary donation category which enables those who can to give more should they wish.
Just my opinion though.
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@falconwood_1 said
August 11
Will there be Corporate, Lifetime and Family membership categories?
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@razil said
August 11
Possibly of some kind, we'll look at all aspects of this so do keep the questions coming.
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@SilentAddick said
August 12
Don't go in for lifetime membership as it often doesn't add value to the organisation, best to keep it all simple student, adult and senior citizens plus corporate...
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@razil said
8:38AM
This is what Supporters Direct say
http://supporters-direct.coop/wiki/index.php?title=Building_membership_at_your_trust
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@Miserableoldgit said
9:45AM
"£5 for kids and old gits £10 "
Thanks Len !!
;-)
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@Weegie Addick said
9:45AM
razil said:
This is what Supporters Direct say
http://www.supporters-direct.coop/pages/?p=3194
Razil - that is about an email platform/ membership database system - it has nothing to do with what the Trust might charge as its own membership fees.
Before you decide what you charge, you will need to work out what income you need - are you just looking to cover costs initially, with a view to having a platform ready to fund raise for the club should that become necessary, or do you want to build up a bit of a war chest to provide a bargaining tool with the club and give the Trust credibility? I can see pros and cons in either approach, but how you'd go about them would be very different. I do have some experience in the area of pricing and memberships, but I am based in Glasgow, so not readily available to attend midweek meetings. I will sign up with the Trust and then perhaps you can let me know if I can help at all.
All the best in the meantime.
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Henry IrvingMember
10:15AM
Weegie, From that same Supporters Direct website
How much does it cost to become a member?
That's something for each trust to decide. The sensible advice is not to see membership subscription as a way of raising revenue, and we won't work with a group that sets a subscription rate that we think is too high and will stop some fans joining. But ultimately, you have to set a subscription rate that at least covers the admin costs. As a basic rule of thumb, we recommend around £10.
Anything too high and your ability to get members is seriously affected; a big membership brings strength in itself, by virtue of having a lot of supporters represented. Those who can afford to contribute more still can through fundraising, but anyone should be able to afford to join.
@weegie addick
said
Before you decide what you charge, you will need to work out what income you need - are you just looking to cover costs initially, with a view to having a platform ready to fund raise for the club should that become necessary, or do you want to build up a bit of a war chest to provide a bargaining tool with the club and give the Trust credibility? I can see pros and cons in either approach, but how you'd go about them would be very different. I do have some experience in the area of pricing and memberships, but I am based in Glasgow, so not readily available to attend midweek meetings. I will sign up with the Trust and then perhaps you can let me know if I can help at all.
All the best in the meantime.
@Southendaddick wrote
Razil
Not being a local I haven't got involved in anything relating to this but forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn here but wasn't this all set up when we had all the famous five nonsense on here a couple of months ago and a sizeable number of posters thought we were going into admin after selling the entire first team?
I personally have no major issues with the senior management, coaching staff and squad so just wondered what sort of items would be on the agenda?
It's just that we all remember what a disaster the fans forum was when mere fans start getting above their station and I wouldnt want the same thing happening again when you and others are putting all the effort in
I think the rumours of the earlier summer of a cash flow crisis were more the straw that broke the camels back for some, than the catalyst alone .
I personally felt that I could no longer chat on forums and message boards and do hand wringing about possible problems in the club and nothing more, and that it was time to form a truly independent democratic and inclusive group to represent the fans.
My personal view is that as fans we are more than just customers, we are custodians - all of us not just people in the Trust. Owners come and go, and yes they give up their cash. But we fans are here for good for generations some of us.
Not everyone may agree and that is fair enough, however a large number of successful clubs in the country also have Trusts, and I believe we can make a positive impact to preserve the history and future of our club.
I personally am not anti this Board, but I am anti anything that jepordises the future of CAFC and its natural home. Specifically I want my son to be able to support our team, and his children, and so on.
It would also be good if the fans had a democratic, independent voice that could help safeguard the future of the club. I really hope we can get enough people signed up to show the board that this trust will work with them for the long term good of the club and supporters.
I'll be driving over tomorrow to lend my support. I'm happy to pick Southend Addick and any other Essex based supporters up from Upminster station at around 6:30. Just let me know.
In my opinion we should have set it up in the good years, when the club de-listed from the Stock Exchange. But too many people at the time thought it unnecessary, we were considered both by our own fans and by the outside world as a model club.
Charlton have a history of engagement with there supporters, and the cry used to be Directors are supporter's too if my memory serves me correct.
A transparent open policy towards fans on CAFC has surely to be a positive step forward.
one possible role for the Trust will be to build an online archive to celebrate our history
http://sd.squareeye.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fanshare
of course this is a publicly owned club..
Good question
At the moment the steering group of the Trust is seeking to gain legitimacy by gaining support from the fan base, and as has been stated it is seeking an active and positive relationship with the Board on that basis.
Then post launch, or even possibly post AGM, a resulting executive could then decide policy and engage more fully via whatever mechanism was available to it.
How do you see it?
The message is simple subscribe yes, but if you really want there to be a supporters trust for our club, now is the time to show it and get down to the meeting on the 25th. Bring your partners, kids, pets, neighbours, colleagues, exes, strangers. Even if we have people queuing down the road, so be it.
This is Your Trust for Your Club.
R
*We are now posting with this CL account for updates
*All meeting minutes (which may still need some updating regarding attendance), are now available on the Trust website www.castrust.org as is the Radio London interview for smaller downloadable file
Don't forget to attend the next meeting 25th September Con club Charlton
Thanks
BR
Make your views known, take the Charlton Fan Survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YPN8877
The questions seem similar if not identical so is there any point in my doing this online survey?
I'm happy to if it helps but don't want to create extra work and duplication.