Joseph E. Boling:   Find ways to have dialogue with that younger cohort that I mentioned above - through Internet presence and programs that appeal to teens and young adults.

Michael L. Ellis: Work on number 6 (see question #6), then go after cyber members. I have been to enough local club meetings to know that there are more than enough collectors out there who do not belong to the ANA, mostly because they have never been sold on the ANA. Most of these same people do not utilize the Internet. Perhaps offer a senior tier at a discount.

Brian E. Fanton: Let the non-member know we are there to help in any way we can, like education, answer questions, join a local club, promote new coins, upcoming shows, etc. We should be able to promote the hobby by using handouts, flyers, posters and ANA contacts at shops and at shows. The cost of membership is small for what you can receive back.

Patricia Jagger Finner:   Get out there at the grass roots – try other convention exposure and markets (AARP, Scouts, home schoolers, banks).  Think outside the box, everyone knows what money is.

Jeff C. Garrett: I strongly advocate working more closely with the dealer community, institutions (such as the Smithsonian), and the U.S. Mint to explore ways to expand membership.  There are millions of coin collectors in the United States.  The opportunity for growth in our membership is incredible.  Better content on the ANA website would also help attract new members and retain the ones we have.   Although there is a membership committee in the ANA, I would like to see a strongly focused task force to address membership numbers.  We should bring in the best and brightest from not only the ANA Board and management, but from the entire membership.  Marketing and promotion is extremely important.   The hobby has exploded in the last 10 years and the ANA needs to get to the bottom of the reason for its stagnant membership numbers.  I am confident that with the right talent focused on the problem, we will see a tremendous increase in membership. 

Thomas G. Hallenbeck: If the ANA had a more prominent web presence then our visibility would be greater, if our visibility was greater than our name would be synonymous with coin collecting. We need to look at all options for collaborations with like-minded organizations and companies that are mutually beneficial.

Alan Herbert: Hundreds of ideas to solve this problem have been proposed, mostly with little or no success. There is no pat answer beyond education and repetitive solicitation.

Paul Hollis:   There are far more coin collectors today than ever before in history and the membership growth of the ANA should be following this trend.  One of the first doorways to our hobby is the local coin shop.  Perhaps a contest with prizes, awards and even cash incentives could be offered to the local dealers for signing up new members.  Also, referrals by the membership could also be encouraged.

Chester L. Krause: Change its mentality from fraternal to a collector organization.

J.P. Martin: Interest in the incredible diversity of modern mint products has obviously increased and the U.S. Mint has become the largest coin dealer in the world. The ANA is facing an identity crisis. Do we represent just the classic coin collectors, or can we find a way to become relevant and vital to the new modern coin collector as well? Since the mint has become such a numismatic force, perhaps we could work with them by jointly offering ANA materials.

Clifford Mishler: Coordinate all of the ANA initiatives under one coordinated marketing focused umbrella.

Walter A. Ostromecki, Jr.:   New ANA members (approximately 5,000+) are being signed up each year, but these numbers are being offset by equal if not more in yearly member retention losses. We have to figure out why (perhaps by individual personal contact) and develop a strategy. This used to be one of the main functions of the Representative Program, but not in recent years. Charge them again with this responsibility.

We also could work with the U.S. Mint on an ANA membership promotion Aas an educational outreach benefit to its many novice and young collectors.@ There may be no definitive solution or answer. How about: >Every member sign up a member challenge=.

Thomas A. Palmer, Jr.:   Membership depends on both getting new members and retaining current members.  We can offer more social networking on the ANA website to attract new members and YNs, and encourage dealers to direct customers to the ANA site.  We could also offer lower dues for first-year members.  Member retention might be improved by emphasizing benefits, or possibly offering a MoneyMarket coupon for membership renewal.

Scott Rottinghaus:   The new basic membership is a step in the right direction.  This makes membership more accessible to a broader audience of emerging numismatists.  The ANA should strive to regain its prestige within the hobby, thereby encouraging more collectors to join.  Finally, the ANA needs to better publicize its membership benefits and educational programs.  An enhanced Internet presence is one comparatively inexpensive way to accomplish this.

Jeffrey Swindling:   It is vital that the ANA reach out to Young Numismatists through Scouting Programs and numismatic educational opportunities. We should also expand our relationships with member clubs and develop a strong Internet presence. We have relied too long on 20^th century ideas of member recruitment and retention. The Board needs the innovation and creativity of a more youthful member to accomplish this task.

Michael S. Turrini:   Again, the Association needs ‘to tap’ the Representative Program, enhance its ‘tools’, and charge those Club Representatives and District Representatives to be the primary ‘Recruiters’. Plus, a nominal ‘online’/’Internet’ membership might be considered. Furthermore, the Association needs an active and avid presence among other hobby interests and organizations, plus Senior and traditional fraternal communities and groups, ‘to tap’ the phenomenon of multiple interests and leisure.

Wendell A. Wolka:   We have to provide a compelling argument that membership is a superior value to prospective members.  This means talking to non-members and finding out what they want, what they feel has value, and how that compares to the present offering of services and programs.  Again this can be done at meetings held in conjunction with shows, via surveys, and focus groups.