Rebuilding The Heart Of Our Clubs

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366 – March, 2026

By Sandy Weaver

Across the country, American Kennel Club conformation clubs are under strain. Rising costs and shrinking venue options are part of the story, but behind the scenes, most clubs are fighting a quieter, more personal battle: people problems.

Clubs everywhere face the same intertwined challenges:

• Declining and aging membership

• Volunteer burnout

• Club cultures that unintentionally push new people away

The good news? These challenges are solvable, and many clubs are already proving what works.

Challenge #1:

Shrinking Membership and an Aging Core

Most clubs don’t lack members on paper. They lack active, energized, involved people. Some of the most common barriers are:

• New exhibitors don’t know clubs exist or don’t feel welcome

• Membership processes feel outdated or intimidating

• Meetings feel procedural instead of purposeful

• Younger exhibitors see clubs as “something older people do later”

• The benefits of joining are unclear

Look around any show and you’ll see exactly who’s missing from most clubs: young owner-handlers, parents of Juniors, and performance exhibitors curious about conformation. These are future members and future leaders, but no one’s personally inviting them into the club.

Here’s how successful clubs grow an engaged membership:

Click here to read the complete article
366 – March, 2026

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Posted by AnthonyA on Mar 31 2026. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.