Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

I know many of you have struggled with how you can drive more membership, and therefore more support for this sport we all dearly love. And many of you have struggled with legislative concerns that affect your state, and need support for those causes, as well.

Well... we would love to help, and believe we have a plan for a national organization that will partner (not compete) with each of you. I'm talking about the local coon hunters club, the state organization or the breed association.

We are offering a dual membership program, that would provide your members all the same benefits of our national members, including the ever-growing discount program. This means, you could acquire new members by offering them a membership to your club, as well as the NHTDA, and they could in return get heavy discounts on lights, boots, even pups and stud fees!

Our belief is that this "reward program" would drive more members to both our organizations, and repay those members for their support!

And this is because, many sponsors see the value in organizing nationally and want to help protect our sport. The likes of which include: Dan's Hunting Gear, K-Light, Sunfire Boots, Sunspot Lights and Juke Box Kennels! And many more to come...

If you are interested in partnering with us, give me a call! If you are not a club officer, but interested in being a dual member, and acquiring these discounts, let your officers know!

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

So... here's a program, where clubs don't really have to do anything, but have the potential to make money, and drive more members.

Here's what you do:

- When you sell a membership to your club or organization, you ask if they want to be a dual member.

- IF they say yes, it costs only $5 more for them, and your organization keeps $2 of the $5. OR your club can pay a flat fee of $100 up to 50 members or $250 for more than 50.

- Once a dual member, they get all the discounts afforded to an NHTDA member, which means you may be able to sell more memberships.


Right now we have a growing discount program, that provides up to $10-20 off of lights, dogs and clothing purchases. Meaning if they go shopping, they get there money back, or are even money ahead!

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

Last edited by deschmidt27 on 04-25-2015 at 06:21 PM

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Registered: Aug 2008
Location: SE Ohio, Glouster
Posts: 2244

Thanks David, I am currently a member of your organization. I will bring this up at our December meeting. Sounds like a great idea to me.

If our club agrees to move forward with this, how do our clubs contact you and get our members documented in the NHTDA membership roles??

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

Have one of your club officers give me a call, and I'll send them an agreement to sign. Your club would mail me the $3 plus member information, for each dual membership sold, and I would send them the membership cards to distribute. We could do this in periodic batches, to keep postage to a minimum.

We keep a record of every member, and make it available to our sponsors, to enable them to provide the discounts.

Thanks!

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

For those of you that haven't visited our website and wonder what this National organization is all about, here's a summary:

Our mission is, “To promote the future and growth of: the sport of hunting with hounds and tree dogs, wildlife habitat, and our rights as sportsmen and women.”

This will be achieved through several key objectives:

• The education of our youth, our lawmakers, and other citizens
• Supporting our fellow sportsmen/women through charitable actions
• Helping define the standard by which we responsibly participate in our great pastimes
• Development and promotion of conservation practices to protect the game we pursue
• Cooperation with law enforcement and wildlife biologists

And here’s what we’ve managed to achieve, already, since March:

• We completed our incorporation, and managed to acquire our federal tax exempt status as a non-profit, which was no easy task, if you have been following the issues with the IRS and other groups attempting to organize!
• In support of our education and law enforcement cooperation initiatives, I and our newest board member, Erika Froeming, presented an overview of hunting with hounds to Wisconsin conservation officers and biologists, to help their understanding and appreciation of our sport. We also took part in a youth outdoors event, to introduce school children to hounds and cur dogs. AND Erika is now working on a program to achieve similar efforts in other states.
• In support of our charity initiative, we launched Houndsmen Helping Houndsmen on our website and just issued the first check from donations to a young lady (fellow coon hunter) in need.
• Also in support of helping our members, we have compiled and negotiated a laundry list of sponsors (see the list on our website at http://nhtda.org/index.php/membersh...ness-membership) that want to provide our card carrying members, a discount to help us out in these tough financial times.
• In support of the goal to define the standard by which we participate in our great pastime, Joe Newlin and I have started publishing some thought-provoking articles in: Coonhound Bloodlines, Full Cry, American Cooner, Hunters Horn and Rabbit Hunter magazines.
• In support of the conservation initiative, we handed out coon and squirrel nest box kits, to youngsters, at UKC’s Autumn Oaks event this Fall

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but we at the NHTDA see this as a way to help clubs recruit more members (by offering the our discount program) as well as helping us organize and unite the numerous clubs and associations.

To us, it seems like a win-win, and a way to help, but we're not getting a lot of "takers"... so what are we missing???

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David Schmidt
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Registered: May 2006
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Posts: 112

Looks to me like the NHTDA has a lot of great ideas, and a solid structure in place.... Now all we need is some more boots on the ground!

We've had some really great success in Wisconsin by offering coonhunting opportunites to the public, to youth and to state agency employees. We are interested in helping you offer similar programs in your state, so please get in touch if you would like to get this ball rolling!

I am best reached by email at Erika.Froeming@NHTDA.org. I can also be reached at 262-903-0234.

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

New update... along with the membership discount benefit, all our members (including the dual club members) are entered to win a Garmin Alpha Combo, and Sunfire Ultra HD light, to be drawn and given away at Autumn Oaks.

So if you become a member, you support a good cause AND get entered to win a $1,100 prize package!

We've also changed the fee structure for the larger clubs, not wanting to administer the $5 fee per member. If you have more than 50 members, it's just an annual flat fee of $250.

For Example, the Treeing Walker Beeeders and Fanciers joined this past weekend, and now all their members are also NHTDA members.

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

The Wisconsin Sporting Dog Association has also joined, along with the Stoney Creek Coon Club and the Piedmont Coon Club. Big or small... you are all welcome here!

We also just added Nite-Time Hunting Supply as a sponsor, where they will provide our members 10% off any $250 purchase, or more.

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

And... the North Carolina Coon Hunters Association just became an Affiliate Club, where all their members are now also our members!

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David Schmidt
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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Roseboro, N.C.
Posts: 3346

David, it was nice to meet you yesterday, thanks for all you and your organization do so our sport will remain for generations to come. I look forward to the NCCHA being involved with your association.

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

Our alliance is growing, through our Affiliate Club program... Wisconsin Sporting Dogs, North Carolina CoonHunters, Treeing Walker Breeders and Fanciers, Piedmont Coon Club, Stoney Creek Coon Club and many more discussing it with their board of directors.

Won't you join the fight???

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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