<VV> Planning for the Future

Fri Apr 16 07:51:41 EDT 2010

Robby and Hank, You both have gleaned part of what I was trying to 
illustrate in my plan. Robby, I do not advocate 100% CORSA membership from 
our non-CORSA chapter members. Although I wish all corvair enthusiasts could 
enjoy the benefits of CORSA, forcing them will not make them join CORSA. I 
don't want to eliminate or reduce the number of printed Communiques you 
receive in a year, but if you look at the financials there may be no choice 
but to do just that. You both touched on the importance of promoting our 
cars by getting them out and driving and showing them. Jack Pinard always 
says Promote, Promote. Promote!! He is absolutely right. Why do you think I 
pushed so hard to separate the Concours and car display and hold them in a 
park at this years convention. It does CORSA and corvair enthusiasts 
absolutely no good to have a car display on a week day, in the back or side 
parking lot of the host hotel. My hope is to find a way to hold future 
convention car displays in a very public place on a Saturday. I disagree 
with people who feel the website is not an important part of promotion. 
People, and especially young people rely on the net to provide them with all 
the information they desire. I'm not that computer freindly but I find 
myself searching on the internet more and more. The net is also another 
reason I am not afraid of reducing the number of Communiques we receive. 
Back in the day the Communique was created so information could be passed 
between Corvair enthusiasts once a month. Now we have the internet that is 
here at your fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are reading 
this you are at a computer and I am communicating with you. One final 
thought for everyone to ponder. It seems to be a trend that only about 10% 
to 25% of CORSA and chapter members are active. It appears in my opinion 
that everyone else is happy just to know that there are other corvair 
enthusiasts out there. You never see or hear from them or see their cars, 
but without fail they pay their dues every year. Is there a way to get more 
of these enthusiasts involved? I don't have an answer to this. Thanks

Jamie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "henry kaczmarek" <kaczmarek at charter.net>
To: "virtualvairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 11:57 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Planning for the Future

> Re: Robby's reply
> OUCH!
>
> I believe that Jamie's heart is in  the right place, and he's trying to do
> the right things.
>
> I had many of the same impressions as Robby, but didn't want to be the 
> first
> to say anything, considering my prior postings over the last year.
>
> If CORSA still had nearly 6000 members as they did when I joined in 89, we
> might still be having the same discussion.  Many more chapters were not 
> 100%
> CORSA, including Tidewater Corvair which I was a member at the time---(is
> now 100% CORSA chapter).
>
> The lower the numbers go, the harder it's going to get, as just about
> everyone now can see.
>
> I've spent the last 3 years as a District Vice Commandant for the Marine
> Corps League in NC. The 2 major functions of the job is boiled down to
> "Recruitment and Retention".  The heart of the MCL is its local 
> detachments,
> just as the heart of CORSA is the local chapters.
>
> One might argue that there are a lot more Marines out there, so 
> recruitment
> would be much easier.   Don't lay your money out there too fast.  Finding
> Marines who want to do the work for a detachment are much fewer and far
> between.  All Marines are proud of their service, but that doesn't mean
> they're ready to take on what amounts to a part-time job doing parades,
> funerals, Toys for Tots and the like, and pay an average 35.00 a year for
> the privilige. Corollaries can be drawn to the work it takes to running a
> CORSA chapter.
>
> Example---The Camp Lejuene, NC area has tens of thousands of active and
> retired Marines in residence---yet fewer than 500 are MCL members in the 4
> local detachments.  They should have 10,000 members in that area.
>
> Getting back to CORSA. How does a specialty car club chapter promote 
> itself?
> Does it promote itself at all?   Do they enter parades, offer convertibles
> to carry dignitaries?  Do they get local feature news editors to do 
> articles
> on the car with pictures and descriptions of club events?
> Work with local Chevy dealers to do inside and outside displays?   Plenty 
> of
> people remember the cars, and if they're out there, interest could be 
> ginned
> up.  CORSA has spent money for pamphlets that give all the info.  Stress 
> the
> cars still readily available, high parts availability percentage, local 
> tech
> help from club members, features of CORSA.
>
> Sure, some chapters do it, to varying degrees. I would wager most don't do
> it at all.  If yours does, cool. If not, shame on ya!
>
> Retention is obviously a problem as our members age and pass on.  But when
> they do, there's a car for sale. Usually more than one, in nice shape with
> plenty of parts  Instead of the chapter member buzzards circling the
> member's home and the widow trying to buy the cars and parts (as I've seen
> happen), why not use that opportunity to get the car(s) into the hands of
> new and younger members?  As I see it, it's the only way to bring new
> enthusiasts into the fold.   I know of several members who have over a 
> dozen
> show quality Corvairs, and are close to if not 70 years old.   How many 
> can
> you drive at once? Nobody's gonna live forever, or be able to drive into
> their 80's and 90's, though some of members have done so.   Let's get 
> those
> cars out where new, younger enthusiasts can buy and enjoy them---do these
> guys really enjoy looking out into their huge garages and see 7 cars with
> dust covers on them, with trophies on top catching dust?    You can see 
> that
> more times than you can imagine if you look around.
>
> If you're looking to join a car club, a "slick" website shouldn't mean 
> that
> much to a motorhead. Sure makes no difference to me. There were no
> "Websites" in 1989.
>
> I do miss my Communique, but not enough to pay 45.00 for it, or more as it
> soon appears to be.
>
> Just a few musings from a former member who couldn't see paying dues while
> others don't.   Come get me if you desire.  Cancer treatment has me too 
> sick
> to give a damn most days.
>
> Hank
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robby" <vintagevwbeetles at gmail.com>
> To: "Jamie & Tanya Reinhart" <jtreinhart at omnitelcom.com>
> Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
> Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 10:28 PM
> Subject: Re: <VV> Planning for the Future
>
>
>>I took the time to read this and here is my summary in a few bullets -
>> correct me if I read it wrong.
>>
>> - Forced 100% CORSA membership for chapter members - see how many members
>> the Chapters lose then.  Since those who aren't members see no value in
>> joining, I seriously doubt they will join and will just leave the
>> chapters.
>> Who suffers? The chapters.
>>
>>>
>> - Very little real value in the PR tools you mention.  Truth is, IMO, you
>> will not bring in more members by simply building a nicer website.  So
>> what
>> if you get them to the site but then there is very little perceived value
>> for them.
>>
>> Having been in business for myself for most of my adult life, I have 
>> found
>> that two things are essential for survival.  one - maintain your current
>> customer base.  reducing services that you current provide works in
>> opposition to that.  Secondly, build a new customer base.  Requires MUCH
>> more than a nice pretty website.  I make around 20-30 car shows a year. 
>> I
>> admit many of those shows are with something other than a Corvair but 
>> even
>> when I take a Corvair I am usually the only one there.  You can't grow
>> interest in a product by hiding it in your store front and hope folks
>> might
>> come by and see it.  Until Corvair owners are willing to go to
>> shows/events
>> other than Corvair only activities, you will never get others interested.
>> Sadly this has been the case for the 20 plus years I have been showing
>> cars.
>>
>> While I applaude your desire to help CORSA, I don't believe you offered
>> anything that will make CORSA  a viable growing entity.  CORSA can't
>> survive
>> with it's current membership database.  Growth is absolutely essential.
>> most of your synopsis was on reducing what CORSA provides it;s current
>> members and very little on how to reach out to potential members.
>>
>> Robby
>>
>> On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 7:14 AM, Jamie & Tanya Reinhart <
>> jtreinhart at omnitelcom.com> wrote:
>>
>>> All, A few weeks ago I promised you I would explain CORSA's problems and
>>>  my plans for it's future in a document I was writing. The paper is
>>> finished. Here is how you veiw it.
>>> Go to corvair.org, click on the forms and event rules link either on the
>>> bottom of the front page or under the events and calendar info drop down
>>> menu, and read the story entitled Planning for the Future. It takes 
>>> about
>>> 25
>>> minutes to read, but isn't CORSA's future worth that small amount of 
>>> your
>>> time time?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jamie Reinhart
>>>
>>> CORSA Central Director
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>
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