BASC is a business that lives to sustain its self as a business - it does that by selling membership subscriptions, employing a "sales team" and printing glossy magazines ( pretty much the same as the likes of the RSPCA.
SACS is a membership organisation that exists to serve its members 3, yes 3 employees, all of whom are countrymen to the core.
Well, I hope Beth Johnston - their new Communications Manager - is not a countryman to the core
Joking aside (and congratulations BTW to SACS for bringing on board someone to boost their exposure in the media) I really hope SACS as an organisation stays that way. I joined them directly as a result of them answering some questions I posed on this forum.
They are caught in the horns of a dilemna - on the one hand they need to remain small enough to differentiate themselves from the large, faceless, organisations such as BASC, CA, etc, whilst on the other they need to be large enough to make themselves heard as something more than a niche player. It is great to be an organisation where everyone knows you by your first name, but organisations of that size will always struggle in their claim to be representative of, or effective across, the entire UK. They simply don't have the bandwidth.
I also found it interesting to read in their latest magazine (yes, they also now have a glossy magazine) that they are starting to set up partnerships with commercial organisations, expanding their organisation, welcoming new management, etc, etc. Hopefully all good stuff, but time will tell.
Without wishing to distract from the OP too much, I was pleasantly surprised to read the SACS advice on using Social Media when it comes to licensing issues - "if you are going through a licensing or other form of police drama don't even be tempted to put it up on social media or shooting forums". Good advice that bears repetition here.