<CORSA Chapters> Membership question -- CORSA budget snapshot

Fri Dec 18 07:40:43 EST 2009

Tim, thanks for the details.

I believe the matter of rising dues is not new.  I recall this issue to be a concern back in the mid-90's, about the time CORSA membership started to decline.  

There is an old saying that goes something like "there will be no change as long as the same action is taken but a different result is expected".  I probably botched that saying, but the point is that a significant change is needed to stem rising dues.  

As everyone is aware, since the Communique is the major expense, that is an item where a significant change could be made to reduce expenses.  One option is to go to a quarterly Communique with a less expensive newsletter style publication for the other months.  Also, I know of another car club that issues a magazine very similar to the Communique, only it sent out every other month.  That seems to work well for that club.  There are probably other options as well.  

Wade Lanning
Central Virginia Corvair Club

----- Original Message -----
From: "tim mahler" <flat6vair at comcast.net>
To: "Chapters CORSA" <chapters at corvair.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 10:10:32 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: <CORSA Chapters> Membership question -- CORSA budget snapshot

To the chapters list only -- this is  business. it should not be cross 
posted VV.

VV is, in my mind, about tech help.  Chapters about sharing information 
between chapters and between CORSA and the chapters.  I shouldn't have to 
state this but some posts have been less than nice. PLAY NICE.  treat the 
forum as if children are present <and as if Santa is watching, tis the 
season>

I do not have the budget memorized, so answering without looking it up is 
not possible. here is a snapshot

for 2010,  CORSA is expecting a positive cash flow.of about 10,000 dollars

The Communique will cost
121,000  -- almost 60% of the budget
21,000 is postage (10% of the budget for stamps for the Communique)

Membership Admin is 36%  including the below pieces
    credit card/bank fees  1.2%
    postage (renewal notices) 2.2%
    insurance    3.2%
    audit/legal   1.1%

Cost of Merchandise 4%

(total postage is over 12% of expenses
Convention income and expenses are mostly a wash -- CORSA split is spent on 
envent rules, senior awards and other convention expenses, on average.  May 
see 1 or 2 thousand positive numbers.

revenue
Dues                               84.0%
Merchandise                     6.3 %
donations/interest income  1.5%
advertising income            5.5%
convention                        2.7%

 Jerry Brown and others are doing a good job selling,  with plans for more, 
better merchandise on the horizon,  this could help (and has in the past) 
keep the next dues increas away for several more years than would be 
possible without those sales -- the equivelent of fundraising in the 
chapters.

that dang postage again (25,500 in postage) over 12% of expenses to USPS.

postage expense is increasing.  Number of members is decreasing -- thus 
member's dues are decreasing.

We are looking at e-mail renewal notices and eCommunique to help reduce 
those expenses.

tim mahler

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Swiatowy" <gswiatowy at rochester.rr.com>
To: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Cc: "Chapters CORSA" <chapters at corvair.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 3:59 AM
Subject: Re: <CORSA Chapters> Membership question -- 100% vs Not

> While all this hand wringing and arguements are going on.
> Why has no-one asked the big question?
> Where is the money going?
> Why are we going broke?
>
> Yes, there are basic financial statements buried in the communique.
> But has anyone, in layman's terms explained where the money goes?
>
> Yes, the communique is an expense, but recent dues increase should cover
> that.
> Has the clubs insurance gone up through the roof?
> That is the big issue regarding chapters. Well how much does this 
> insurance
> cost per year?
>
> I assume, the big expense is the Convention.
> I have reason to beleive that these may be operating at a loss basis.
> Can anyone confirm that? Do they make a profit or not?
>
> Instead of telling us simply CORSA is broke, we need to fix it.
>
> Give us the reasons!
>
> Then we can make the decision.
>
> Gary Swiatowy
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert Marlow" <Vairtec at optonline.net>
> Subject: Re: <CORSA Chapters> Membership question -- 100% vs Not
>
>
>> At 04:02 PM 12/16/2009, Bruce Schug wrote:
>>
>>>I'm amazed at those who think mandatory CORSA membership would
>>>destroy their chapter. I can't fathom that. What's wrong with this
>>>picture? Why wouldn't their members support CORSA?
>>
>>
>> First, I don't think such a require would "destroy" my local chapter
>> -- but it sure would hurt it!  Why?  Simply because we would lose
>> members.  Roughly a third of our local membership does not belong to
>> CORSA; if it became a requirement a good number of them would choose
>> instead to drop out of the chapter. End result, CORSA has more
>> members, chapter has fewer.
>>
>> The reason for this is rooted in the famous observation that "all
>> politics is local."  There are those people whose interest in the
>> hobby is fulfilled via the local club, and have no interest in a
>> national or international club.  We can do all the salesmanship we
>> want, but we simply will not get all those people.
>>
>> So, again, a requirement for chapters to have100% membership in CORSA
>> will enhance CORSA's membership numbers at the expense of the
>> chapters' membership numbers.
>>
>> Which is why I set off the bomb on VV about reciprocity.
>>
>> In truth, the solution I prefer is
>>
>> "Chapters" -- local clubs that maintain 100% CORSA membership
>>
>> "Affilliates" -- local clubs that do not maintain 100% CORSA
>> membership, but which pay a fee for insurance coverage et al
>>
>> "Local Corvair clubs" -- unrelated to CORSA.
>>
>> --Bob
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Chapters mailing list
>> Chapters at corvair.org
>> http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo/chapters
>
> _______________________________________________
> Chapters mailing list
> Chapters at corvair.org
> http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo/chapters

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