NWTF Activities
05-26-2003, 06:34 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Western MO
Posts: 321
NWTF Activities
Im on a NWTF Committee and am looking for ideas, thoughts, feedback, etc.
What have you seen your committe do well? Its not just NWTF...DU, RMEF, others too.
What do you do to get the most people to join and come to your events?
What would you like to see done that has not been tried?
Last...are you an NWTF Memeber? If not, why not...If so, for how long?
What have you seen your committe do well? Its not just NWTF...DU, RMEF, others too.
What do you do to get the most people to join and come to your events?
What would you like to see done that has not been tried?
Last...are you an NWTF Memeber? If not, why not...If so, for how long?
05-26-2003, 07:13 AM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Missouri USA
Posts: 5,420
RE: NWTF Activities
Yeah Wooddust I' m on our committee also, we have our banquet coming up the 6th of June, can' t hardly wait. Right now we are in the process of trying to grow our committee mainly to sell more tickets. Man I would love to win that Win. model 94 lever action .410. Is Larry Neil your regional director also? Where do you live in Mo. and when is your banquet? I can' t give you many pointers on what to do since its just the 2nd. year for our chapter but one thing we are doing different this year is selling tickets on the gun of the year and the Jakes gun before the night of our banquet, last year we just tried selling them during our banquet and did' nt get all of them sold, this year it looks like we might. I have sold about 25 banquet and membership tickets along with 1 sponsor so far and think I will sell anoter 10 or so before the 6th. Good luck and I hope you have a suscessful banquet.
I talk with a few turkey hunters that don' t care much for the NWTF mainly cause they work so close with the conservation dept here in Mo., I just try and explain to them that if it was' nt for the Cons. dept and the NWTF we might not have the wild turkey to hunt, that has worked for me in persuadeing some them to join.
I talk with a few turkey hunters that don' t care much for the NWTF mainly cause they work so close with the conservation dept here in Mo., I just try and explain to them that if it was' nt for the Cons. dept and the NWTF we might not have the wild turkey to hunt, that has worked for me in persuadeing some them to join.
05-26-2003, 09:16 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Western MO
Posts: 321
RE: NWTF Activities
Where is Alton MO....maybe I could get to your banquet!
Ours is in August in Harrisonville. Not sure how we will move forward on increasing banquet attendence but my goal is to build the committee membership.
Id like to see about 5 new committee members and make sure we have men as well as women represented. Your thoughts?
If anything, I think we need to work on this public relations issue...I mean why would someone object to their money being used here in the state and specifically for the benefit of turkeys? And who would NWTF work with the freaking highway department?
Im amazed that we have to actually overcome such objections. DU money seldom gets used in state...a bit does but not very much...but people support DU.
Let me know some details on your banquet please!
Ours is in August in Harrisonville. Not sure how we will move forward on increasing banquet attendence but my goal is to build the committee membership.
Id like to see about 5 new committee members and make sure we have men as well as women represented. Your thoughts?
If anything, I think we need to work on this public relations issue...I mean why would someone object to their money being used here in the state and specifically for the benefit of turkeys? And who would NWTF work with the freaking highway department?
Im amazed that we have to actually overcome such objections. DU money seldom gets used in state...a bit does but not very much...but people support DU.
Let me know some details on your banquet please!
05-26-2003, 12:31 PM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Missouri USA
Posts: 5,420
RE: NWTF Activities
Alton is in south central Mo. about 125 miles S.E. of Springfield or about 25 miles east of West Plains. I know what you mean about growing the committee, we have had about 5 people do it all this year, it would be much easier if we had about 10 more.
As far as the people not supporting the NWTF It would be my guess that they are about a half *** poacher. If you are interested in coming let me know and I will get you a ticket. Its June 6th. at the West Plains Civic Center with the doors open at 6:00 p.m.
As far as the people not supporting the NWTF It would be my guess that they are about a half *** poacher. If you are interested in coming let me know and I will get you a ticket. Its June 6th. at the West Plains Civic Center with the doors open at 6:00 p.m.
05-26-2003, 02:16 PM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Chester County Pennsylvania
Posts: 869
RE: NWTF Activities
Here' s a couple of things our banquet does:
1st we have an early bird special on our sportsman raffle tickets, $300.00 worth for $100.00 if they buy thier tickets early.
2nd We offered 20 guns this year.
3rd Word of mouth and mailings worked well for us but word of mouth was the best, have guys that have gone to your banquest tell people how nice they are.
I try to bring atleast one new person every year to our banquet.
I know we make Golden Gobbler every year.
I have been a member since 1987.
I hope that this little bit of info has helped.
1st we have an early bird special on our sportsman raffle tickets, $300.00 worth for $100.00 if they buy thier tickets early.
2nd We offered 20 guns this year.
3rd Word of mouth and mailings worked well for us but word of mouth was the best, have guys that have gone to your banquest tell people how nice they are.
I try to bring atleast one new person every year to our banquet.
I know we make Golden Gobbler every year.
I have been a member since 1987.
I hope that this little bit of info has helped.
05-26-2003, 04:03 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NY
Posts: 2,820
RE: NWTF Activities
Yes, I' m a member, and I thank them for getting the bird populations to where they are today, but that' s it!!!! I could care less about getting anymore newcommers into this sport!!! The turkey woods are way over crowded now, and all my Honeyholes are shot becasue of this " ARMY" we have now!! Sorry, but that' s one thing I' m not sharing, I want to be able to work a gobbler without any interference from any other Yahoo' s!! Sorry to vent, but I' m speaking the dam truth!![:@]
05-26-2003, 04:18 PM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Missouri USA
Posts: 5,420
RE: NWTF Activities
I know where you are coming from Maytom, but I bet that most of the people that join the NWTF are already turkey hunters, I have signed several, several new members the last couple of years and all of them have been hunting turkeys for years. I bet these forums draw about as many or more new hunters to the turkey woods as the NWTF. By supporting the NWTF we might insure that the turkey populations will be there for all of us and our kids to hunt for years to come.
05-26-2003, 08:56 PM
#8
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 500
RE: NWTF Activities
In the local chapter of Pheasants Forever that I' m involved with, we try to have a semi-famous speaker come to our banquet and give a little talk. Over the years we have had Bud Grant, Tony Dean and others. They charge some for appearing, but you usually make up for it by having a larger turnout. I' d ask Rob Keck or Walter Parrott or some of those Mossy Oak or Realtree guys to speak at an NWTF banquet in Missouri, offer them a hunt as part of their fee. (I' ll come speak for a hunt/land access, though I' m a " nobody." 
)
There are other things we do, too, like have an " early bird special" where people who are coming can get a chance to win a prize if they buy their tickets before a certain date. We also sell " packages," which are comprised in a ticket to the banquet plus " Turkey Bucks" (ours are called Rooster Bucks) used/redeemed the night of the fundraiser to buy raffle tickets/chances on prizes. If the banquet ticket costs $40 (including NWTF menbership), for example, then you sell a package for $80 including $50 worth of Turkey Bucks. Sponsor packages get more stuff. $300 for $100 seems steep, IMHO.
We pay attention to the $ raised per attendee. We have many different activities at the banquet--penny pot, live auction items, silent auction items, general raffle items, special raffle items, goat auction, raffles during the auction, numbered hats as part of the auction, ladies raffle, jakes raffle, raffles during the meal, a " big" gun with limited, $100 each tickets (and yes, you sell those in advance if you are worried about not breaking even). We don' t restrict ourselves to giving away prizes that are just pheasant (in your case turkey) stuff, either, we have a varmit hunting package, a fisherman' s package, for example.
We use the banquet to promote the benefits/activities of NWTF membership/local chapter to the attendees--put up displays, for example.
I' d imagine a turkey calling contest with prizes/plaque/traveling trophy would be a part of an NWTF banquet.
Pay attention to your meal and to your facilities. If you get a lousy piece of meat and are elbow-to-elbow in a blue-hazed, smoke filled room, I can guarantee people will not come back. Make darn sure you have a public address system that works, that works well, that can be heard over the din and the noise of the crowd, that has many speakers scattered throughout the banquet room.
Try to recognize a local (typically a farmer) for his efforts on behalf of the turkeys.
Keep things moving, no long drawn out delays.
Get the kids to hand out the prizes.
Tell them what you' re going to do with the funds raised.
Prebanquet publicity is imperative. Use all the free avenues you can--local newspaper " press releases" , cable television advertisement, local radio show talk, flyers in all the right places--supermarkets, banks, etc. Pay for some commercial advertising, too. And do a mailer to the known past attendees plus people you want to see this year. (All this should be maintained in a computer database for from year to year.)
Post banquet, that night or the next day/week, run a debriefing--what worked, what failed. Analyze things. Then memorialize it to the banquet file, so that anecdotal information doesn' t overcome the facts by the next year.
Some activities--e.g. a goat raffle, can only work once or twice. Some will be highly successful every year.
Thank the donors. In the press as well as at the banquet.
)There are other things we do, too, like have an " early bird special" where people who are coming can get a chance to win a prize if they buy their tickets before a certain date. We also sell " packages," which are comprised in a ticket to the banquet plus " Turkey Bucks" (ours are called Rooster Bucks) used/redeemed the night of the fundraiser to buy raffle tickets/chances on prizes. If the banquet ticket costs $40 (including NWTF menbership), for example, then you sell a package for $80 including $50 worth of Turkey Bucks. Sponsor packages get more stuff. $300 for $100 seems steep, IMHO.
We pay attention to the $ raised per attendee. We have many different activities at the banquet--penny pot, live auction items, silent auction items, general raffle items, special raffle items, goat auction, raffles during the auction, numbered hats as part of the auction, ladies raffle, jakes raffle, raffles during the meal, a " big" gun with limited, $100 each tickets (and yes, you sell those in advance if you are worried about not breaking even). We don' t restrict ourselves to giving away prizes that are just pheasant (in your case turkey) stuff, either, we have a varmit hunting package, a fisherman' s package, for example.
We use the banquet to promote the benefits/activities of NWTF membership/local chapter to the attendees--put up displays, for example.
I' d imagine a turkey calling contest with prizes/plaque/traveling trophy would be a part of an NWTF banquet.
Pay attention to your meal and to your facilities. If you get a lousy piece of meat and are elbow-to-elbow in a blue-hazed, smoke filled room, I can guarantee people will not come back. Make darn sure you have a public address system that works, that works well, that can be heard over the din and the noise of the crowd, that has many speakers scattered throughout the banquet room.
Try to recognize a local (typically a farmer) for his efforts on behalf of the turkeys.
Keep things moving, no long drawn out delays.
Get the kids to hand out the prizes.
Tell them what you' re going to do with the funds raised.
Prebanquet publicity is imperative. Use all the free avenues you can--local newspaper " press releases" , cable television advertisement, local radio show talk, flyers in all the right places--supermarkets, banks, etc. Pay for some commercial advertising, too. And do a mailer to the known past attendees plus people you want to see this year. (All this should be maintained in a computer database for from year to year.)
Post banquet, that night or the next day/week, run a debriefing--what worked, what failed. Analyze things. Then memorialize it to the banquet file, so that anecdotal information doesn' t overcome the facts by the next year.
Some activities--e.g. a goat raffle, can only work once or twice. Some will be highly successful every year.
Thank the donors. In the press as well as at the banquet.
05-26-2003, 09:04 PM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 500
RE: NWTF Activities
One more thing. When I started doing our PF banquets, the " competition" was DU, and, for whatever reason, DU was " men only" . So I decided we wanted to have our fundraiser open to men, women and children, and we emphasized that in our publicity. Part of that meant less emphasis on booze, part of that meant a special set of prizes just oriented to kids and women, part of that meant paying attention to when and for how long the banquet ran (be done by 11:00 p.m. on a Friday/Saturday evening, at the latest).
05-27-2003, 07:25 AM
#10
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Western MO
Posts: 321
RE: NWTF Activities
All great Ideas.Thanks!!
I dont think NWTF actually expands the number of hunters as much as gets hunters involved and supporting the habitat and bird management. Plus I see them doing some good things with the handicapped, kids, and Lady hunters too.
Le more ideas and thoughts on what works expanding the committee, etc.
I dont think NWTF actually expands the number of hunters as much as gets hunters involved and supporting the habitat and bird management. Plus I see them doing some good things with the handicapped, kids, and Lady hunters too.
Le more ideas and thoughts on what works expanding the committee, etc.