The BSF logo tree, pic by Ed Trout
We are writing in response to a question sent to the BSF Executive Committee about “What ‘tangible’ benefit does BSF offer individual members?” This is not the first time asked, but it comes from one of the longest BSF member societies. In the paragraphs further below, some of those tangible benefits are provided.
As current president of the state-wide societies (living in Sarasota), I was initially “dragged” into the artform by a friend. My first meeting netted me winning the raffle of the visiting artist’s demo tree. All current members were peeved: she will surely kill that tree! In the following years, my young family and their demands kept me from attending conventions, but after the kids graduated and I was asked to assist with the Exhibit set-up over 10 years ago, attending the convention has become an absolute thrill! Since then, it has literally been the highlight of any given year. I am passionate about bonsai, and am passionate about the charitable organization that is BSF—it is the glue that keeps Florida Bonsai alive and vibrant, and pulls together our many clubs throughout the state!! That tree I won in the raffle 18 years ago??– I’ve kept it alive and it is still happy today.
To explain what the Bonsai Societies of Florida is, we must address the second word: societies.
BSF was originally designed to be a state-wide organization of bonsai clubs and societies with the sole purpose of bringing a worldwide bonsai convention to Florida.
To quote from our website:
“On Saturday, September 15, 1973, in Tampa, Florida, delegates from the ten established Florida bonsai societies came to the organizational meeting of the Bonsai Societies of Florida (BSF), and the first Florida State bonsai convention was organized and held by BSF later that same year. Then on July 2 – 6, 1975, in Miami, Florida, BSF hosted the International Bonsai Congress ’75”
The real worth of the Bonsai Societies of Florida has always been intangible. It’s statement of purpose is:
“The Bonsai Societies of Florida (BSF) is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt educational organization providing supportive services and activities to encourage and promote the traditional art of bonsai throughout the state, as well as neighboring states in the Southeastern section of the United States.”
Our job is to present bonsai to the world, to educate the world about bonsai, and to help member groups within the state to do the same. Outside of the Annual Convention we hold every year, what else do we provide? We address this further below, in depth, with some real tangible benefits: visiting artist programs, publications, resource guides, profit sharing.
But why should we care about a convention?
Many of you don’t know Florida bonsai masters Ed Trout or Martha Goff, but they are arguably the longest continuous members of BSF who have advanced the art of bonsai in astounding ways.
We reached out to them for comment; here are some excerpts (full responses in the main body below)
From Martha:
“…..as a club we realize that we have great responsibilities to new bonsai adventurers. Thinking about what to do caused me to remember my first days with this club. One of the main things that was stressed was attending the state convention.
I have to say, personally, it is all the friends from all over that I look forward to seeing each year. You cannot find a better group that will support and help you through your bonsai journey. I can only hope that I can convey this successfully to our club’s new members, and inspire them to attend the next BSF state convention.”
Ed’s words:
“In 1988, my teacher, Joe Samuels, asked me if I would volunteer to serve on The Bonsai Societies of Florida Board of Directors. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I would do anything my teacher asked me to do, so of course I said yes. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. The Art of Bonsai has been my life, and BSF has been a large part of it. The yearly BSF conventions brought Florida bonsai lovers together in one place to celebrate, share, learn, and enjoy our work….”
Is there a need for change within the structure of BSF?
Yes indeed. And it will change. We have some exciting ideas being worked on as we write. The first step taken was the redesign and update of the BSF website a few years ago; now our social media presence is the next step. We intend to revive both the visiting artist program and to again publish articles, videos, and bonsai related PowerPoints for BSF member clubs to use. Additionally, we already have plans to restructure the concepts of what a BSF member club is.
But the lingering question: Why BSF?
Because in today’s world of division and arguments, an organization that promotes an art form that transcends those petty concerns while bringing nature and the world together is NEEDED!
Thank you for being part of an organization that brings together both experienced bonsai enthusiasts and beginners. Let’s keep this art form alive.
Your BSF Board members,
Kathrin Harris, President
Lauren McMullan, First Vice President
Adam Lavigne, Second Vice President
Kay Waldron, Secretary
Steve Schinner, Treasurer
Larry Naeder, Epcot Committee Chair
Rebecca Lavigne, Membership Chair
Scot Stewart, Webmaster
BSF Benefits Summary:
The BSF Board takes its role very seriously and does its best to listen and adapt. We all know change is difficult and that change takes time, especially in a 100% volunteer driven organization. In answer to the question: what benefit does a club member obtain if their club pays $15 per primary member? We examine both previous and current programs offered as part of BSF:
1. Convention: BSF was originally designed to be a state-wide organization of bonsai clubs and societies with the sole purpose of bringing a worldwide bonsai convention to Florida.
Today’s Status: The Convention continues to be one of the largest conventions in the United States. BSF brings artists from around the state, country, and even internationally for an entire weekend each year. Even without paying for registration, BSF members can enjoy any program during the course of the weekend simply by selection. Over time, BSF added and subtracted several different convention ideas that involved member clubs in the presentation, education, and organization of the convention. Some years have lost money, but through constant and vigorous hard work of dedicated volunteers, the last several years have made record profits.
These profits are shared with clubs who volunteer and participate in making the convention a success. For example,
• The Treasure Coast club, a small club on the East coast, only paid BSF for around 18 members with ~$270 of dues. Last year, through the foresight of their president and the volunteer efforts of their club members, BSF wrote a check of over $1000 to them.
• The Central Florida Bonsai Club: again, because the club believes in the mission of BSF, paid BSF $480 in dues for 32 members, and got back from BSF convention proceeds of $4500.
• A new study group, Chainsaw, had just 8 full BSF members, yet they earned $2254 from volunteering and participating in the 2025 BSF Convention.
In conclusion, clubs can benefit directly from their volunteering efforts at the convention. Although this requires hard work and dedication, it’s clear that member clubs can obtain a real tangible benefit from supporting this convention.
2. Epcot: Since 1997, BSF has partnered with Disney’s Epcot to provide Bonsai and Penjing displays during their annual International Flower and Garden Festival. This is a task and an honor which BSF takes very seriously, therefore a well-structured system with a selection committee and chair has been put in place to assure the selected trees meet Disney’s rigorous requirements. For well over 20 years, Paul Pikel chaired the committee tirelessly, without bias, selecting the best of the best for display at Disney.
Today’s Status: Last year, we proudly showcased 27 stunning bonsai trees across the Japan and China Pavilions, captivating millions of visitors from around the world. This exhibit has become a true World Showcase of Bonsai, thanks to the passion and dedication of our members. Larry Naeder is taking on this responsibility and will continue as Epcot committee chair for this active BSF program.
3. BSF Magazine: For many years BSF provided a focal point for volunteers to collect bonsai related pictures, instructions, history and writeups for publication via a magazine to members of BSF. Note that this magazine was not fully paid by BSF. This effort was driven by T Morris, who took it upon herself to organize and donate to an extensive silent auction program at the annual BSF convention to subsidize the magazine.
Today’s Status: After T Morris’ passing and during BSF President Michael Knowlton’s tenure, a cost analysis and feasibility study determined that producing a printed magazine was not financially sustainable. The expenses associated with postage, and printing exceeded what could be supported by membership dues at the time. This led to the adoption of a digital magazine format. In summary the $15, membership fee was deemed insufficient to cover the costs of producing the magazine.
Secondly, BSF monitors metrics through Mailchimp and has noted that users do not read long form content as much as they once did. Metric collaboration with other clubs has supported this conclusion. In general, most people are more interested in Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok for short form content.
Lastly, the internet offers plenty of bonsai long form how-to articles and videos, making it largely unnecessary to publish a magazine (either in print or electronically) in today’s internet environment. Note that BSF has petitioned all clubs for content in the past two years and only one club has provided direct input to BSF for publication. Unfortunately, the BSF magazine is not being published at this time.
4. Visiting Artist program: For many years BSF volunteers organized the visiting artist program throughout the state of Florida. These artists would travel from across the United Status (even internationally) to visit local clubs. The program relied on local clubs to find a venue, pay the artist’s fee, obtain material, share the travel expenses and provide local transportation, room and board. While program was popular many years ago, even before Covid made venues more difficult to secure, this program was fading due to artists unwilling to spend the average 14 days of travel needed for what was frequently only about a dozen total bookings.
Today’s Status: Over the past two years, BSF has tried to re-initiate the traveling artist program. BSF has noted that many of today’s clubs have limited access to meeting venues, are inflexible as to meeting dates, and appear to be too busy to support such a program. For example, when the prospect of a California artist visit was offered last year, only two clubs of the 25 plus member clubs showed interest. At present, this idea is not being pursued, but we do hope to try to bring it back in some fashion.
5. Venue Insurance: Many years ago, BSF had a blanket liability insurance policy that covered special events held by member clubs that informed us of their event.
Today’s Status: The number of clubs that ever used the event insurance was very low. Insurance premiums have increased exponentially over the past few years, making this benefit unviable. The program has been discontinued.
6. Website: For many years BSF has maintained a website to promote bonsai in Florida and give member clubs a central location to post news about club contact information, upcoming events, club meeting locations and times. This website has always been paid by BSF and managed by BSF volunteers. BSF provides this as a benefit to member clubs at no cost.
Today’s Status: The BSF website has changed several times over the past few years and has migrated to a new hosting provider that improves both security and performance. Also, BSF uses a business from Bradenton FL, whose owner is a BSF member, that volunteers its time and resources to keep the website current, using professional programmers and design layouts. The website continues to change for the better and tries to remain current. The next focus will be to improve the convention registration and signup process on the site.
7. Educational materials: the rental of old film and slideshow programs and books.
Today’s Status: This program was made obsolete with the Internet and has been discontinued.
Programs Summary:
From a tangible perspective, BSF clubs and their members can primarily benefit from opportunities provided by the Convention, Epcot and website. The BSF board recognizes that other programs are not as relevant as they once were because of changes in today’s culture, demographics, and the abundance of bonsai content worldwide. BSF has ideas for new programs and is developing concepts to improve BSF club support.
Intangible Benefit Perspectives–
First, let’s recognize that BSF is an organization run by volunteers who believe in the Statement of Purpose. Through this, BSF relies on member clubs who also believe in the BSF purpose and are willing to volunteer their time and membership dues to help carry out that purpose. The BSF board asks, “can the real worth of the Bonsai Societies of Florida be quantified only in a tangible amount?” We don’t think so; there are many intangibles.
Here the full commentary from Martha and Ed:
Martha’s response —
“Over the past few years, our club (The Bonsai Society of Southwest Florida, in Ft Myers) has gained quite a few new members. As a club, we realize that we have great responsibilities to these new bonsai adventurers. Thinking about what to do caused me to remember my first days with this club. One of
the main things that was stressed was attending the state convention. It was one of the best experiences of my bonsai life, and has continued to be just that. While its president and other officers and trustees have changed many times over the years, and each new group does things their own way, the convention has never failed to be a great, enriching experience. Besides the great speakers the state has invited over the years, it is the different clubs and their members that continue to inspire. Every club has an opportunity to show off their bonsai work. As attendees, we have an opportunity to see bonsai vendors from all over the state and enjoy their talents and wares. I have to say, personally, it is all the friends from all over that I look forward to seeing each year. You cannot find a better group that will support and help you through your bonsai journey. I can only hope that I can convey this successfully to our club’s new members and inspire them to attend the next BSF state convention.”
Ed’s words on the BSF benefit–
“In 1988, my teacher, Joe Samuels, asked me if I would volunteer to serve on The Bonsai Societies of Florida Board of Directors. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I would do anything my teacher asked me to do, so of course I said yes. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. The Art of Bonsai has been my life, and BSF has been a large part of it. Besides the honor of working with some wonderful artists and organizers on the Board who taught me that part of bonsai, the services offered to the membership of BSF gave me the chance to study with national and international incredible teachers thru their Visiting Artists program. John Naka, Ben Oki, Chase Rosade, Dan Barton, Roy Nagatoshi, Rodney Clemons, Ted Matson, Boon Manakitivipart, Suthin Sukosolvisit….to name a few, that visited my garden, thanks to BSF. When BSF partnered with Disney, the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival gave Florida bonsai artists the opportunity to display their trees to the world…thanks to BSF. And the yearly BSF conventions brought Florida bonsai lovers and visiting artists together in one place to celebrate, share, learn, and enjoy our work. And I was honored to care for the BSF logo cypress bonsai in my garden for many years before it was placed in The Morikami Museum permanent bonsai collection. So, The Bonsai Societies of Florida, of which I proudly served as its President, and who honored me with a Lifetime Achievement and Lifetime membership, has absolutely been a critical driving force on this wonderful Journey I have been on for over 50 years ! Thank you BSF !!”
Joe Samuels, John Naka, Ed Trout
What’s Next for BSF?
Is there a need to change the programs within BSF?
As discussed previously, BSF has seen successes and failures within its programs. We recognize the need to balance old versus new and we recognize that BSF programs need to adapt to cultural, demographic and other societal changes within our communities. We have several ideas that we want to discuss with the BSF clubs to get their input before we roll them out.
Change within the structure of BSF?
Along with program changes, we believe we need to change the structure of BSF to improve our value to BSF member clubs. We have ideas on restructuring and redefining what a BSF member club is. But those changes must be circulated through the BSF bylaws change process, therefore cannot fully take effect until 2027 at best. Remember that the bylaws were written to establish BSF as an IRS 501c3 non-profit organization, and to meet Federal law requirements so that an individual or group of individuals cannot profit from the Florida Bonsai Community as a whole. Given this, the BSF board believes we have some latitude to try out some recommendations to test and verify small changes before they are adopted.
How can you support BSF?
The BSF Board takes its role very seriously and does its best to listen and adapt. We all know change is difficult and that change takes time, especially in a volunteer driven organization. Throughout this process, we seek to examine how variables such as club size, level of experience, location, and the degree of volunteer involvement influence perceptions of BSF.
This letter specifically invites club presidents to help their members embrace the BSF Statement of Purpose so that our bonsai community remains the best in the United States. If any member has ideas, please share them with your district leaders to get these ideas surfaced with BSF. Email contact information is on the BSF website at the bottom of every page under the Contact Us link, or click below
Below:
Letter from 1998 then BSF President Joe Samuels to Tom Zane, prior BSF president, who questioned BSF value at the time. Interestingly, Tom Zane continued to be a very involved member, so much so that the BSF Legacy Award is named after him. Shown in the picture are (left to right) Joe Samuels, John Naka, and Ed Trout.
