Welcome to the frustrations of being a club officer Bill. I've been on that merry-go-round myself. It's not fun. I'll wait for the upcoming club officers meeting and their follow-up financial report before commenting... but I don't personally believe that the decline in SS membership has anything to do with club officer's decisions. As has been posted by others it's a combination of the current economy, the overall demise of silver strike machines ... and the removal of silver content from the strikes themselves which has severely lessened interest in collecting them. Similar membership declines are occuring all over the country in hobby organizations. Money is tight in many quarters... especially if one does not have a job. The unemployment rate in the U.S. currently stands at just under 10% and is predicted to go higher.