Mark,
You are right on both counts…..
I have received over a dozen email inquiries tonight based on the email stats I sent out to all North Texas members on this topic just this evening
Members are concerned, rightfully so.
Here is a reply I just sent to more than a few that you and others may find helpful
Esp the layout of the numbers and the charts (graphics) from K4FMH who I mentioned at this mornings club meeting.
One member asked if the SK’s in the organization contributed greatly to these numbers
Here was my reply…….
First off in my opinion without attempting to find the stats.
There are not enough SK hams in the whole world to get these bad of numbers departing the league from silent keys.
And Other organizations are growing, such as WRL and POTA etc etc.
I share these numbers not because I want to focus on the down slide but because our members deserve the Facts
And appreciate everyone that enters a dialogue on this.
I will stress even under these trying times ARRL membership does have value for some of us
We each must look at what it does for us and decide.
I remain a member so I can serve fellow Amateurs as the Section Manager
And maybe something more in the future, iow I do not want to burn any bridges.
Although select staffers at the league and the CEO would love to see me gone, because I am to vocal in their opinion.
So maybe some bridges are already burned, so be it I will not sugar coat things to members and member prospects.
These are West Gulf Numbers (Our ARRL Division)
To get the numbers formatted better I had to post on my Blog and link it here
Hopefully the link works.
I believe you will find the national membership number is falling faster that our Section numbers
However, it still is far from pretty and of course I have no votes at ARRL HQ
ARRL Overall stats July 2025 as compared to 2024
And while John Robert Stratton our Division Director does have a Vote
He and only several others are voting for what Members want, but the majority of the Directors are siding with the CEO
On whatever he wants and causing severe damage.
The projected attitude in the most recent Editorial by the CEO in QST
Stating the ARRL is not a democracy pretty much says it all on his attitude towards members.
Of course that is just my opinion and I am reading between some of the lines he stated.
I also encourage members to look at K4FMH Blog
He is a retired professional Statistician and lays it out graphically very well
https://k4fmh.com/2025/01/31/they-went-down-down-down-and-the-flames-are-higher-but-its-not-too-late/
They went down, down, down..and the flames are higher … but it’s not too late – K4FMH
The interactive chart above uses the “full” member number as the figure for the lowest membership number since 2000. It would still be that even with the foreign and associates were added, totalling some 137,218 as of November 2024. (Internal word is that the “ransomware” attack prevents the League’s HQ from having firm membership numbers, although my sources say they can count about …
k4fmh.com
I hope Frank K4FMH stats is helpful to you
Cheers!
Steve
KG5VK