HSL suggestions required

[Tom Hart RIP]

I was at the AGM on Sunday and the board are looking for suggestions to increase membership.

At the moment the club gets roughly £200k per year from HSL which is used to up the playing budget. The Foundation of Hearts pay roughly £1.4m to the club. I fully appreciate that the Hearts fans paid money to save their club but the vast majority have kept paying and this must give them a bigger budget than us. My concern is that we could end up falling behind them particularly when they have paid off the stand so I would like to share my idea.

I joined HSL after chatting to Amit at a fans event one day and he introduced me to Ally Mcleod, one of my all time heroes. I got such a buzz from meeting Ally, I went home and went through my finances. I decided to phone Sky and after suggesting that I wanted to downgrade or leave, they reassessed my monthly bill ans reduced it by £20 per month if I agreed a new yearly contract. I did this and joined HSL, paying £10 per month and am now a member. So in the end we both won.

Just a though but I suspect that many of us could save money by shopping around on insurance, mobile bills, electricity/gas companies etc, and we could give a percentage of what we save to HSL for Heck's budget.

I appreciate that for many others this won't be possible and I am not suggesting that anyone should join that can't afford it, but my suggestion would mean that Hibs are benefiting from some large company without costing the fans anything other than some time phoning around.

I think the HSL officials read this site so I wondered whether anyone else has ideas on how to increase the membership?

GGTTH

[Greencore]

If hibs can stick all those stickers on a seat yesterday, why can't they get it done for hsl?

When I bought my season ticket last season I wasn't offered to sign up with HSL

Two separate company's I get that, but the HSL advertisement has been poor. Not had one thing through my door about them.

[kennyh]

FF lower have the old bookies pod sitting empty. I am guessing its the same in other stands.

If HSL have some form of branding / banners etc they could be placed around / in the unused pods and all adults are handed a simple leaflet as they enter the turnstile outlining the benefits with a straight comparison of what current members contribute compared to the Hearts and Dons donations to their club hopefully hundreds more would sign up.

I appreciate there are not that many people involved in this logistically at the moment so possibly tackle an area at a time with leaflets and a visible presence at the turnstiles guiding people to the pods if they have any questions. East for the first 4 games of the season, then FF Upper etc etc

If they dont already could all Hospitality guests in the West stand be given a leaflet on their table and an application form so it could be monitored how effective that was ?

[OfficialHSL]

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FF lower have the old bookies pod sitting empty. I am guessing its the same in other stands.

If HSL have some form of branding / banners etc they could be placed around / in the unused pods and all adults are handed a simple leaflet as they enter the turnstile outlining the benefits with a straight comparison of what current members contribute compared to the Hearts and Dons donations to their club hopefully hundreds more would sign up.

I appreciate there are not that many people involved in this logistically at the moment so possibly tackle an area at a time with leaflets and a visible presence at the turnstiles guiding people to the pods if they have any questions. East for the first 4 games of the season, then FF Upper etc etc

If they dont already could all Hospitality guests in the West stand be given a leaflet on their table and an application form so it could be monitored how effective that was ?

kennyh

We have already approached the Club to do all of this and are hoping for a positive response.


HSL

[green day]

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If hibs can stick all those stickers on a seat yesterday, why can't they get it done for hsl?

When I bought my season ticket last season I wasn't offered to sign up with HSL

Two separate company's I get that, but the HSL advertisement has been poor. Not had one thing through my door about them.

I don't care if it's 2 separate companies. The only way HSL will increase is by Dempster coming out and endorsing it for Hibs, advertising it on the front page of the website, putting it in the programme, putting billboards up around ER.

HSL themselves can't do this, that much is obvious.

I am now getting a bit pissed off with HSL asking for answers which - as you point out - are very very clear.

[DaveF]

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I don't care if it's 2 separate companies. The only way HSL will increase is by Dempster coming out and endorsing it for Hibs, advertising it on the front page of the website, putting it in the programme, putting billboards up around ER.

HSL themselves can't do this, that much is obvious.

I am now getting a bit pissed off with HSL asking for answers which - as you point out - are very very clear.

Correct.

Although I don't agree with your last sentence as I think the guys that run HSL have to strike a balance between their relationship with the club and the fans they are trying to reach.

The club can and should be doing so much more. That is obvious and a real disappointment to me.

[hhibs]

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I don't care if it's 2 separate companies. The only way HSL will increase is by Dempster coming out and endorsing it for Hibs, advertising it on the front page of the website, putting it in the programme, putting billboards up around ER.

HSL themselves can't do this, that much is obvious.

I am now getting a bit pissed off with HSL asking for answers which - as you point out - are very very clear.

Yep !

[jacomo]

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I don't care if it's 2 separate companies. The only way HSL will increase is by Dempster coming out and endorsing it for Hibs, advertising it on the front page of the website, putting it in the programme, putting billboards up around ER.

HSL themselves can't do this, that much is obvious.

I am now getting a bit pissed off with HSL asking for answers which - as you point out - are very very clear.

FoH was set up in response to a crisis at Hearts but became the centre of their story. The contrast with HSL is night and day.

AberdeeNA or whatever it’s called was driven by the club.

If Hibs want HSL to deliver more funds then the club has to promote it, not leave it to HSL to rely on volunteers.

[ozwoody]

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FoH was set up in response to a crisis at Hearts but became the centre of their story. The contrast with HSL is night and day.

AberdeeNA or whatever it’s called was driven by the club.

If Hibs want HSL to deliver more funds then the club has to promote it, not leave it to HSL to rely on volunteers.

Totally agree,
i have looked at both hearts and Aberdeen websites, and their initiatives are featured on the home pages with links.This gives the impression that the clubs are actually endorsing the fundraisers.
Is there anything on our site? Nothing,nada,zilch.Do the majority of our fans know about it?

Without a perceived endorsement and backing from the club in terms of getting the word out there and promoting it, we will always be playing catch up due to fans not having clarity on where the money is going.

i know there are probably emails from HSL to members, but what if people who are swaying about getting involved? They have to email questions, wait on replies etc when all they possibly need to be convinced is figures about their financial input .

Would something like this sway me if I was on the fence? https://www.afc.co.uk/aberdna-homepage/benefits/
absolutely it would.

I am astounded the club isn’t shouting this from the rooftops as they are the sole beneficiaries in this venture.

This is not a criticism of the work the volunteers do , it’s more of answering the question regarding feedback

[Tom Hart RIP]

They were saying that a presence at the stadium hasn’t worked as most people arrive around 2.45 and are keen to get to their seats rather than take time to chat or sign up.

[HappyAsHellas]

I don't recall getting emails from HSL advertising what is happening. The club do so every year with season tickets and other promotions, so is it not possible for HSL to access the database and start contacting people? If you don't already subscribe you could be easily forgiven for not being aware of what they do.

[OfficialHSL]

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I don't recall getting emails from HSL advertising what is happening. The club do so every year with season tickets and other promotions, so is it not possible for HSL to access the database and start contacting people? If you don't already subscribe you could be easily forgiven for not being aware of what they do.

HappyAsHellas

The Club have very kindly twice forwarded emails from us to the Club database and indeed have agreed to do more. We don't know why you may not have received these but we are not in a position to investigate that.


HSL

[Tom Hart RIP]

I think they said they have twice had access to the club database and will get access for a third time in the near future.
Leeann was there and seemed supportive although she did admit that it had possibly fallen down her list of priorities, particularly the 3rd team jersey which will have every Hsl members name on it. She now realised the popularity of the initiative.

[Jones28]

They need to increase their presence online, especially on social media and actually make people acutely aware that their donations go to the playing budget.

[DaveF]

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They need to increase their presence online, especially on social media and actually make people acutely aware that their donations go to the playing budget.

Yep. And hibs tweeting about it would help no end.

[matty_f]

How about a member referral incentive?

If you're an existing member and get someone to sign up, then you go into a draw for a prize. The prizes that HSL have put out so far have been fantastic, and I would imagine that there would be some "money can't buy" type prize that could be arranged with a referral scheme.

One entry per new member signed up, ideally you'd want a prize that both the referrer and the referred can win.

[Brummie_Hibs]

It just needs Paul Kane to publicly announce that it is not a Ponzi Scheme.

[Since452]

I didn't even realise i was a paid up member until i logged in and saw a "download certificate" tab. No email telling me or anything. In all honesty i'd forgotten all about it. In saying that i've changed address since i started paying every month so not sure if something was sent to old address.

It's a great idea and hopefully gains more momentum.

[Tom Hart RIP]

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How about a member referral incentive?

If you're an existing member and get someone to sign up, then you go into a draw for a prize. The prizes that HSL have put out so far have been fantastic, and I would imagine that there would be some "money can't buy" type prize that could be arranged with a referral scheme.

One entry per new member signed up, ideally you'd want a prize that both the referrer and the referred can win.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[3pm]

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How about a member referral incentive?

If you're an existing member and get someone to sign up, then you go into a draw for a prize. The prizes that HSL have put out so far have been fantastic, and I would imagine that there would be some "money can't buy" type prize that could be arranged with a referral scheme.

One entry per new member signed up, ideally you'd want a prize that both the referrer and the referred can win.

There is something being worked on. A referral league table basically.

Detail still being worked through.

[Since452]

Think the names on the shirts idea will be a good money spinner. I'll be buying one and not bought a shirt in years.

[WhileTheChief..]

Is it really about getting their message out there?

I’d be surprised if there are any Hibs fans alive that aren’t aware of HSL by now!

I’d suggest it’s much more likely that people just don’t want to subscribe to it rather than not knowing about it.

[Golden Bear]

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Is it really about getting their message out there?

I’d be surprised if there are any Hibs fans alive that aren’t aware of HSL by now!

I’d suggest it’s much more likely that people just don’t want to subscribe to it rather than not knowing about it.

Personal choice for me.

I'd rather go down the ABERDNA route than the share issue one. I'm a stubborn auld git I know.

[OfficialHSL]

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Personal choice for me.

I'd rather go down the ABERDNA route than the share issue one. I'm a stubborn auld git I know.

Golden Bear

We do intend to contribute to this thread, if it helps, but for now we hope you don't mind us dealing with this particular point first.

Can we first of all point out that we fully respect everyone's right to have their own opinion on things and we will never lose sight of that. With that in mind, and bearing in mind that I am an individual HSL Director and may be biased ( let others decide), can we ask why you think the ABERDNA route is better ? I think our proposition is much better but clearly it helps us understand why our own supporters thinks another scheme is so attractive ?


HSL

[Golden Bear]

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Golden Bear

We do intend to contribute to this thread, if it helps, but for now we hope you don't mind us dealing with this particular point first.

Can we first of all point out that we fully respect everyone's right to have their own opinion on things and we will never lose sight of that. With that in mind, and bearing in mind that I am an individual HSL Director and may be biased ( let others decide), can we ask why you think the ABERDNA route is better ? I think our proposition is much better but clearly it helps us understand why our own supporters thinks another scheme is so attractive ?


HSL

I remember looking at the Aberdeen scheme when it was first launched and the fact that it wasn't linked to share issue was a plus for me. I already have a token private shareholding in Hibs (dates back to the Wallace Mercer takeover bid) but my lifelong interest in Hibs is totally football related and i have no interest in promoting the concept of fan ownership but I do appreciate that others are attracted by such a proposition.

It's all about costing I guess, as you rightly point out not 100% of the ABERDNA scheme will go to the Club but from a supporters viewpoint it offers other attractions - eg discounts on season tickets, club merchandise ,prize draws etc. I even found a link:-

https://www.afc.co.uk/aberdna-homepage/benefits/

[hhibs]

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Golden Bear

We do intend to contribute to this thread, if it helps, but for now we hope you don't mind us dealing with this particular point first.

Can we first of all point out that we fully respect everyone's right to have their own opinion on things and we will never lose sight of that. With that in mind, and bearing in mind that I am an individual HSL Director and may be biased ( let others decide), can we ask why you think the ABERDNA route is better ? I think our proposition is much better but clearly it helps us understand why our own supporters thinks another scheme is so attractive ?


HSL

It clearly works thats why.

Perhaps we need both,realise you might no,t but for the good of the club we need something disntict from the HSL share initiative.I am pretty sure there is room for both and would attract a different supporter from those on HSL without necessarily *******ising the original HSL pitch

[DaveF]

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Personal choice for me.

I'd rather go down the ABERDNA route than the share issue one. I'm a stubborn auld git I know.

Only half of the donation goes the the club I believe. The other half on admin, prizes etc. Not what Im after at all

[CentreLine]

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Only half of the donation goes the the club I believe. The other half on admin, prizes etc. Not what Im after at all

Good point DaveF bests clarify that this refers to Aberdeen’s version of HSL whereas every penny of HSL money goes to the playing budget at Hibs with the exception of a very few quid for postage etc. All very clear in the accounts published yesterday. If anyone was still in any doubt that is.

[matty_f]

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Is it really about getting their message out there?

I’d be surprised if there are any Hibs fans alive that aren’t aware of HSL by now!

I’d suggest it’s much more likely that people just don’t want to subscribe to it rather than not knowing about it.

There's a degree of truth in what you suggest, but I suspect that there is still a large part of the Hibs supporting population that fall into these categories:

- Don't know anything about HSL and are totally unaware
- Know about HSL but don't know why they are there and what they do
- Know about HSL and have an understanding of them that is not accurate (i.e. ponzi scheme)
-Know about HSL and don't want to participate
- like HSL but can't afford to donate

HSL's activities can definitely help with the first three.

A wider bit of work to overcome the objections to HSL would help with the second last group but it needs those people to engage and tell HSL why they don't agree.

From my own point of view, there are 2 main benefits to HSL, which are:

- Protects the club from another Mercer
- gives the manager money to compete and mitigates some of the financial advantage that FoH gives Hearts.

I think when you understand what happens with the money, the difference it makes to the club AND the consequences of NOT having the contributions, it's a no-brainer.

IMHO, we all want the best for the club, and a healthy, competitive Hibernian relies on us as a support to fund it.

STF bailed the club out years ago, he set out the terms at that point that he wanted the club to be self-sufficient.

Without FoH, we'd be competitive financially with Hearts, but the reality is that their fans are still donating significant sums to their club.

I think that if we as a support genuinely wanted to put distance between us and Hearts, we know what to do.

Our infrastructure and set up has been the thing that has given us the advantage over them in the last few years - we've recruited good staff across the club and that's paid dividends.

At some point, Hearts will catch up with us in that regard and then their financial clout will give them an advantage.

We can act now and negate that advantage.

[hibbydad]

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There's a degree of truth in what you suggest, but I suspect that there is still a large part of the Hibs supporting population that fall into these categories:

- Don't know anything about HSL and are totally unaware
- Know about HSL but don't know why they are there and what they do
- Know about HSL and have an understanding of them that is not accurate (i.e. ponzi scheme)
-Know about HSL and don't want to participate
- like HSL but can't afford to donate

HSL's activities can definitely help with the first three.

A wider bit of work to overcome the objections to HSL would help with the second last group but it needs those people to engage and tell HSL why they don't agree.

From my own point of view, there are 2 main benefits to HSL, which are:

- Protects the club from another Mercer
- gives the manager money to compete and mitigates some of the financial advantage that FoH gives Hearts.

I think when you understand what happens with the money, the difference it makes to the club AND the consequences of NOT having the contributions, it's a no-brainer.

IMHO, we all want the best for the club, and a healthy, competitive Hibernian relies on us as a support to fund it.

STF bailed the club out years ago, he set out the terms at that point that he wanted the club to be self-sufficient.

Without FoH, we'd be competitive financially with Hearts, but the reality is that their fans are still donating significant sums to their club.

I think that if we as a support genuinely wanted to put distance between us and Hearts, we know what to do.

Our infrastructure and set up has been the thing that has given us the advantage over them in the last few years - we've recruited good staff across the club and that's paid dividends.

At some point, Hearts will catch up with us in that regard and then their financial clout will give them an advantage.

We can act now and negate that advantage.

Excellent post Matty puts eveything into perspective. Comeon guys letsgive Paul the money to spend in the transfer window