SAA Member Discussion - Future Directions

Your SAA Committee has been in discussion over recent months (and years) with regard to the average age of members of the Space Association of Australia getting older, and how that trend affects the ongoing viability of the Association.

Despite the multiple efforts to attract and retain new and younger members, this has largely been unsuccessful. We have been successful in recruiting new members around various special events, only to see a number of non-renewals in the following year.

On the other hand, while the in-person meeting attendance has declined post COVID, (to an average attendance of around 12 to 14 at our Golden Gate Hotel meetings) with an occasional increase for guest speakers, etc to 20+, our actual long-term financial membership average seems to hover around 50 (today’s number is 48). This means that ~50 people do value and enjoy what we do, be it our meetings (live and virtual), the radio show (live and podcasts), YouTube channel etc., which means all our efforts are not for little or nothing.

Personally, I get a great deal of satisfaction out of creating and presenting SAA and Australian Space News each month and plan to do so as long as I am able, but it is a lot of work.

For an illustration of what goes on behind the scenes, some of the work done by your SAA committee members:

Monthly meetings
• Arranging & coordinating speakers
• Presentation content research & presentation (a very large effort)
• Audio / Visual setup, monitoring & tear-down for remote experience (another very large effort)
• YouTube editing & uploads

Weekly radio show
• Interviews
• Production
• Weekly podcast
• Editing & uploads

Special events
• Development, organisation, content, administration (logistics and financial) and delivery.

SAA General
• Treasurer
• Membership and SAA administration
• Social media administration.

We suggest that it is now time to create some kind of succession plan for these roles and tasks. Would someone like to step into a permanent, temporary or occasional role (e.g. bimonthly, etc)?

Due to the average age (and ageing) demographic of our members, should we start to contemplate winding up the SAA at some point? Perhaps triggered by some metric (membership number down to say less than 10 or other?), whether this be in the short, medium or long term?

Future directions?
• Our members are getting older
• Fewer make the trip to meet in person
• The committee members are getting older
• A number of the presenters are getting burnt out
• What happens if current volunteers are no longer willing or able to continue?

The Committee has decided to hold a members-only Zoom meeting, on Monday, April 17 from 8 pm, to discuss these matters, gather thoughts and suggestions, and possible directions. We believe that this is the ideal time, in the lead-up to the AGM, which is now scheduled for May 22, 2023.

Zoom meeting details are as follows:
Space Association of Australia Inc. is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: SAA - Future Directions Zoom Meeting Time: Apr 17, 2023, 20:00 (AEST)
Australia/Melbourne

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82157211765?pwd=akd1TU1mdWI4dGg3NGkwOU45UXM5UT09

Meeting ID: 821 5721 1765
Passcode: 091327
Dial by your location:
+61 2 8015 6011
+61 3 7018 2005
+61 7 3185 3730
+61 8 6119 3900
+61 8 7150 1149

We intend to record the meeting (with participant approval), and upload to our YouTube channel as ‘unlisted’. In case you are unable to attend, and would like to see the discussion, simply make contact and we will send you the link.

We look forward to seeing you on the 17th!

Best regards,
Peter Aylward
President - Space Association of Australia Inc.
space.asn.au
meetup.com/AusSpaceNet/