Conservation Organizations: How to attract younger members
Ask any nonprofit organization, group, or association what their target demographic is, and at some point they will be forced to admit their need for youth. All voluntary organizations are always one generation away from extinction. The question obviously becomes, “how can we reach younger audiences and bring youth into our membership?” The answer: unfortunately, I don’t really know.
As a young adult (though feeling older every day) interested in conservation, two groups that readily appeal to me are Trout Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. These two organizations both focus on wildlife and ecosystem health as well as public land access. Both organizations have exceptional national leadership, and they both benefit from outreach fueled by notable or celebrity members (see MeatEater for BHA or Tom Rosenbauer or even Hank Patterson for TU). Why then does BHA draw in more young members than TU?
First, we must address what a “young" member is. For the purposes of this article and my current musings, I am going to call those under 45 “young" members. When observing this demographic, the story told by the numbers can be concerning for TU.
In 2019, a survey of BHA members revealed that, of those who responded, 70 percent were under 45. Conversely, in a 2019 article by the current TU president, Chris Wood, it was revealed that average age of TU members for the preceding 5 years has risen from 58 to 62.
So what’s the reason? Well, as I said earlier, I don’t really know. I am however going to speculate about it.
First, and already mentioned, is the youth that is being flooded into the “outdoor industry.” Shows like MeatEater, and countless other Outdoor Channel programs are making efforts to appeal to a younger audience. Field to fork, connecting with the fact that eating is agricultural act (quoting Wendell Berry), and moving away from the historically trophy minded format of many shows has resonated with many. So, perhaps the fact that BHA draws in hunters is the difference. Then again….
I think many TU members eat fish. I know I do. Do we promote conservation and catch and release tactics for sensitive cold water species? Yes, but that does not mean that we never eat fish. Much like when I am successful in a hunting endeavor, I am able to connect with my food in a meaningful way by ethically harvesting non-threatened species of fish. BHA is obviously aware of this fact, as they are also an organization for backcountry anglers.
The second and third factors at play are attitude and costs, and they are connected. There is often an attitude of superiority that can sneak into fly fishing. The first time I ever walked into an Orvis store, I didn’t even understand that fly fishing was a popular hobby. It was raining and I needed a good raincoat. I was in law school at the time, and the limits of my finances must have been apparent because I was escorted to the clearance section by the sales staff. Unfortunately, fly fishing can be like this at times.
I’d wager that many newcomers to the sport are dissuaded from further investigation or interaction with trout or cold water fishing because of fly fisherman. You may not have noticed, but I made a transition from talking about TU to talking about fly fishing without announcing the change. Why? So that I could set the stage to say, “Trout Unlimited and trout fishing are not exclusive to people who like to fly fish!”
Just as I felt out of place in that Orvis store because of the attitude of the staff, I also felt discouraged by the prices. Here is a bit of a wake up call: if you want younger members, then you’re going to need to understand that they may have less money to spend. This means that they may not be able to afford a 200 or 300 dollar rod just to find out if they actually enjoy fly fishing, and if they can’t afford that for the rod, they certainly can’t afford double that for a guide. When we as fly fishermen produce endless amounts of content telling them that the new Maxcatch rod they ordered on Amazon is garbage, we probably aren’t putting our best foot forward.
Let’s jump back to BHA for a comparison. If I am a young person, passionate about conservation, on a budget, and interested in catching a trout, I can get everything I need at Cabelas. In fact, I can probably pick up an ultralight setup from Walmart for 20 bucks. The good and caring folks at BHA are capable of telling me, and they do, that if I intend to put the fish back I should use single hooks, and that barbless ones are even better. So, tell me again why I should listen to the people who want me to spend hundreds up front just to fit in with everyone else? Attitude and costs are big areas of concern that get in the way of TU by sneaking through the door with fly fishing.
If you have made it this far, you’ve probably wondered which organization I am promoting. The answer? Both. I promote any decision that people make, which leads them towards conservation. I am a member of both. I respect both, and I hope that both can continue to grow, learn from one another, and draw in younger members. They are, after all, essential to the continued existence of our organizations.
--DTH
Sources: https://www.tu.org/magazine/community/why-diversity-matters/
https://huntinglife.com/young-politically-diverse-active-bha-2020-member-survey-results/
https://www.tu.org/magazine/community/tu-and-bha-team-up-on-membership/
