<VV> Membership question -- 100% vs Not.

[John Dozsa]

My local chapter CORSA of Baltimore is a Maryland incorporated legal
entity.  Decades ago I helped write it's incorporation documents.  At
the time our club had some participants, I'm avoiding the word members
on purpose, who drove a Corvair but had no interest in becoming a car
club member.  They were just people with daily drivers, that were so
happy to find a resource to have their car serviced.  Several CORSA of
Baltimore members could, would and did repair Corvairs.  All were part
time home garage based shops.  These daily driver owners were so happy
to have found a Corvair expert that when they found out there was a
local club they wanted to join.  The dues were $6 at the time.  Few if
any were interested in any national club, especially when the learned to
additional cost.  SO ...  our incorporation documents has a category of
local club participant, called "newsletter subscriber", they pay dues at
the same rate as local club members but only have the privileges of
receiving the local club newsletter.  They are not CORSA of Baltimore,
Inc. members in the legal sense, they do not have the right to vote,
etc.  There's a saying all politics are local, this is an example.  A
solution to help our local chapters treasury and still keep true to the
100% local chapter CORSA membership.  The legally defined "members" of
our chapter are required to be CORSA members.  They can vote, hold
office, etc.  Did some "newsletter subscribers" come to a few events,
yes.  Did some join CORSA, yes.  But in general they just faded away.
The above is one example of why a Corvair owner would not want to join
CORSA, i.e. no benefit to them.

Now decades later, our local club membership is fading.  Within the last
year I prompted a meeting to discuss the folding of CORSA of Baltimore,
Inc.  A sister CORSA chapter, Chesapeake Corvair, Inc. had folded a year
or two earlier.  Here's a summary of what was agreed to.  We would keep
the corporation going.  It doesn't cost us anything to do so and could
offer some legal protection in a suit.  BUT, in reality not much, as a
corporation we haven't come close to meeting the standard for a "real"
operating corporation.   Perhaps the next generation of Corvair owners
could breed new life into it.  Our chapter does not have 100% CORSA
membership.  In past years we have paid extra to CORSA for those members
that have not been CORSA members.  I have no evidence that as a chapter
 we have been billed for non-CORSA members in years.  Our chapter has
not had any event in years that would need CORSA insurance, no mall
shows, no moving events, etc.  When we get together for a business
meeting at the local Chevy dealers meeting room we are covered by the
dealers liability insurance, the same insurance coverage any Chevy
customer gets.   Holding a meeting at a restaurant is no different, we
are covered by the restaurant's insurance.  Bottom line the CORSA
insurance is of no current benefit.

Some will say we should try harder.  We have, our meeting format is now
rotating monthly meetings at a member's house along with a tech or
repair session.  It's helped but still not enough to grow the club.
CORSA has to find a way to add more value to it's membership.  Insurance
alone and a distance annual national convention isn't it.