Advice on dive club affiliation with dive store

First - this is my first post but I've learned so much from reading ScubaBoard so thank you to everyone!
So I'm starting a dive club in my area. I am good friends with the owners of a local store and I'm hoping the club will help their business. We will meet at the store monthly and they will help with providing guest lecturers and often attend dives, etc.
We thought it would be better if the club was independent of the store so perhaps everyone will feel more welcome and not feel they had to be loyal to that store, etc. Also it seemed simpler to me. However, we are meeting there, and advertising the club through their newsletter. I originally thought that the store could "sponsor" the club, in the sense that stores sponsor a sports team. They don't own the team or control it, they donate goods or services to the team. However, I find that other divers interpret this to mean the club is completely affiliated with the store. I'm new to diving and still learning how this works. I see clubs attached to stores and clubs that are completely independent. Is there anything in between? That would fit my situation? Thank you in advance. I would appreciate all comments and advice!

I'm going to say its kinda hard to get between those lines your either affiliated or not. Mainly due to any type of marketing and trend of business. If you have no affiliation then people are left to their devices on each shop. The moment you start getting stuff from one shop or advertising through them you then begin aligning yourself up with them as your not marketing their goods/brands/charters and you can guess how the other shops in the area will feel if they are getting an edge in for part of a very small pie. I know the shops here in Victoria BC are well very politicized as I thought about getting a club together to bridge the gap between shops and well I gave up after talking with 2 shops of 4. I was hoping to bring all the groups together share trips, events, dives, and the like. Lets just say shop politics here is a bitch.

Now that said about the only way to get your idea to work would be to give equal representation to each shop in town and even that would be tricky as holidays and high sales times each shop will by trying to get their business out in-front of the others.

IMO although it will take time, let word of mouth work for you. If the club is indeed not affiliated but only supported by the store with no strings attached, that is no expectation or pressure to buy from the store then that will come thru to people and they will tell others. These days word of mouth translates into word on social media so word should travel fast. The diving community is usually a pretty tight group and talk about these things. Also think about whether you may be limiting your exposure if you are using only the store's newsletter. Using the social media seems to be the way to go.

I have had interactions with clubs that are/seem to be affiliated with shops and those who have none. Greatly prefer the latter. Anytime a shop has had a hand in supporting, setting up, or sponsoring a club the results have left a bad taste in people's mouths. Will the shop.where you are having your meetings allow an instructor or owner of another shop come in and do a presentation? Will you be able to have independent instructors offer discounts to the club on training? I tried that and the club I was with stopped sending me emails and newsletters. Those newsletters were put out by the shop "to help the club." There were members who would get dirty looks and snarky comments when they would show up in gear the shop did not sell for.outings. I agree with using social media, get your own speakers, and approach a restaurant about using them once a month for meetings. That is what the most successful ones I know do. The restaurant loves having a large group of people eating, drinking, and behaving themselves. Pick the right one and you won't even have to rent a room there. They'll just give it to you with enough notice. Treat the wait staff right. Welcome people via facebook, here, twitter, and other places. And don't be surprised when shop owners try to come in and take over. Don't let them. And don't be surprised when some bad mouth you. If they do ignore them and don't recommend them. If you put out a newsletter give equal space to all shops and independent instructors if they want it. Don't get greedy with dues. Welcome everyone equally.
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Probably the biggest part of any successful dive shop's business involves creating a local community of divers that patronize the shop. That's their primary market. This is why shops constantly offer OW classes and organize trips. By forming a local club that is associated with a shop, you are in essence doing this work for them, and they should 'pay' you for it with some sort of compensation. They will view the club as a marketing campaign, rightly so because their first priority to stay in business is to create a market for their stuff.

So if your priority is a club first and foremost for the betterment of the club members, you should steer clear of a formalized association with a particular shop. You can certainly be friendly with shops (plural if possible) in the area and forge informal relationships with them; after all, you have something of high value to them (local divers) and they have something of value to you (air, pool, gear). It shoudl be win-win for all concerned.

There is a club affiliated with my local shop. They meet once a month at a local pub. Sometimes there are talks, either organised by the shop or club members, open to anyone regardless of club affiliation. Members of the club are able to go down to the shop's pool nights (twice a week a 2 local leisure centers) free of charge, where as if you're not a member of the club or taking a class through the shop there is a small charge. Club members also receive 10% off gear, gas and courses as well, but there are no hard feelings if you take a class elsewhere. The club is non-agency affiliated and does not offer certification. They are purely social and organising trips. Both the club and the dive shop organise local trips. The dive shop trips are open to anyone, whereas the club trips are only open to paying club members. I'm not a member of the club, but I am in the shop quite a bit and quite friendly with the owners. Basically, the club is not run by them, although they are members of the club, but they allow the club to be advertised in the shop and do give members discounts on kit and gas.

From a shop owners point of view dive clubs can be tricky. There are 2 established clubs in my area and 1 getting off the ground. I will let any of those clubs put up fliers. I do not favor one over another. But I also do not support any of them with goods. This keeps me nuetral. It is easier for me to be good to all divers regardless of club affiliation or not.

Dive shops should start their own clubs. An independent club should "meet" at a restaurant or bar, maybe at the Holiday Inn.

That's the biggest stumbling black for start-up clubs- where to meet for free? Maybe start at a Condo Assn's meeting area, a bank's community meeting room, check the public library or VFW... get creative. You can always move later once you get rolling. Usually this means that you can guarantee the bar bill minimum for a meeting room at a local restaurant or hotel. In Utah, where you are, I have no idea what their criteria might be, but then again, in Utah, how much dive club competition is there?

Having been involved with several independent clubs that also maintained a close association with local shops- it always worked quite well.

It is very tough (esp when starting out) to run your own "week long" dive trips. This is where an area wide "dive council" or in this case- an association with a dive shop can be really handy. The more, the better.

When you are looking for members, what better way could you drive that? Posters and flyers at the shop. If your LDS was smart, they would offer something (a discount air fill card, etc) to your members with ID. Aint nothin' for free, but if everybody gets a little something- everybody benefits.

There seems to be a never ending bit of dive club DNA. The common element that binds participants together is 50 solitary minutes of silent activity. Everything else you are now engaging in requires social interaction and interpersonal skills. Let the games begin.

I too think you will have a hard time keeping the mood cheerful if you are allied with 1 shop or not allied but using their space for meetings. I suggest you not be associated with any shop (because everyone buys so much from the internet and that's such a tricky fact with LDSs) and switch to meeting at a local Denny's/pub/school/family basements.

Meeting at a pub or family restaurant can usually work well because they are often happy if you all order even coffee to go w/ your meetings. For folks with busy schedules it can be really nice to not worry about dinner on meeting nights and start the meeting with soup/sandwich/burger.

Good luck with your club!

Doc:

An independent club should "meet" at a restaurant or bar, maybe at the Holiday Inn.

That's the biggest stumbling black for start-up clubs- where to meet for free? Maybe start at a Condo Assn's meeting area, a bank's community meeting room, check the public library or VFW... get creative. You can always move later once you get rolling.

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I have to agree with Doc and the others who all suggested good free meeting spaces. Go look around and you will be able to find something. I know my church would give me a room to use for a dive club meeting. I organized a club for homebrewers that met at a local bar on his slow night. The owner even special ordered beers for us to sample. The VFW is also a good suggestion, similarly you might find an american legion hall, a grange association hall, Knights of Columbus, Elks club or Eagles aeries are all over. I happen to work at a community college and I am sure that we would allow a scuba club to meet in an unused classroom.

Good luck with it,
Jerry