I guess more professional people wanted to go to the city clubs for various sundry reasons, especially if they have a business, to help promote their cause. The city clubs certainly have a bigger drawing card for that purpose. There also were more practical, logistical problems that eventually made holding meetings a difficult proposition. When you have only 12 people, a speaker doesn't want to come out for that. We also had problems with finding a place to meet.
Meeting places with a conference room are hard to find.
We had two evening meetings a month, and the price of meals was escalating. The impact of the civic clubs' decline is tougher to measure. For instance, the number of new nonprofit organizations in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties has mushroomed in the last five years, according to filings with the S.C. secretary of state's office. Burkett said many new groups have formed to advocate for their neighborhoods or subdivisions. People are very focused on their neighborhood.