In reply to idiotproof (Buxton MC):
We ask prospective members to attend one meet within a three month period. If they attend, then they become a full member unless there is a good reason to deny them membership. All membership requests are reviewed by the committee, and we ask the meet coordinator to confirm the prospective member’s attendance, and whether there is any reason to not offer them membership. We are a local club of around 100 members, located 90 mins drive away from the Peak District, with a hut in North Wales. There are no crags in the local area.
Generally, new members are recruited via our small local climbing wall, or by word of mouth. They don't usually have any / much previous experience so are encouraged to complete a basic skills course in belaying at the local indoor wall. We hold 'new members' meets twice a year, where novices can come along and either second routes or learn to lead. We emphasise that this is on a 'mentorship' basis and that we are not qualified instructors. Other than that, those who are keen end up coming out with us on a more ad-hoc basis and develop from there.
We have discussed introducing staged membership such as 'aspirant membership', or having a proposer / seconder, but have not implemented it because most of our new membership base is relatively inexperienced and we are within a relatively small catchment area where climbing / mountaineering is not an obvious activity. For our location, we are a reasonably large club with a strong base of engaged, participating members aged from 20s to 70s. With more members being introduced via indoor climbing, we do need to encourage and support people ‘transitioning’ to outdoor activities, which sometimes new members can see as a ‘big step’. We tend to emphasise level of engagement over number of members. Meets are held frequently throughout the year, mostly in the UK, with the occasional trip abroad, and are generally well attended.
A more complex membership arrangement could potentially work for clubs with a larger catchment area in a more ‘desirable’ location, where there are greater numbers of potential members to screen. We would perhaps consider this if the club's experience base struggled to cope with a large influx of inexperienced new members.