<VV> CORSA book balancing, was: Resale

kaczmarek at charter.net kaczmarek at charter.net
Tue Sep 7 11:03:59 EDT 2010


Mark---Trying to celebrate the one year anniversary of the flap over the dues increase?

Fine by me! 

How does CORSA balance the books?

1. ALL CHAPTER MEMBERS PAY DUES TO CORSA---NOT GRANDFATHERED IN, EITHER YOU PAY THE DUES, OR YOU DON'T BELONG TO A CORSA CHAPTER.

There ARE groups of Corvair enthusiasts who don't belong to CORSA.  Don't want to pay dues to CORSA?  Don't expect to be a member of a CORSA Chapter. 

Think of all the dues money NOT collected from non-CORSA paying chapter members over just the 21 years I was a member.   Time for these people to put up or carry their behinds someplace else. 

 I DID, because I'm tired of paying more and constantly being asked to pay more,  while others pay nothing.  Just makes my skin crawl. 

This concept seems to shoot over the heads of our directors like a bullet. 

2. UNLIKE THE GOVERNMENT----Look for and accomplish savings within the current budget, before jerking up the dues.  CORSA is not the only organization with this problem. 

On the floor of the Marine Corps League National Convention last month, a budget was passed that had hidden in it a 3.00/year dues increase for non-life members.   When the motion to pass the dues increase failed on the floor, the organization now has a 30K shortfall for the next fiscal year.  (70,000 members---not 5-6,000). 

 The North Carolina Paymaster suggested that instead of sending out xeroxed rosters for the nearly 1400 local detachments to each Department (State) every quarter (each state gets just their own rosters), that the National HQ simply put each roster in PDF form and e-mail them to the Department Adjutants, by his calculations saving 9K per year in printing and mailing costs.   The National Staff didn't want to hear it, and declared him out of order. 

In much the same way several directors told me I was out of order a year ago for having the temerity to suggest that if you want to be a member of an organization, paying dues should NOT BE OPTIONAL. 

Heck, even the "He-Man Girl Haters Club"  had dues!

3. The Board should request from each chapter a full roster of all members in that chapter, once all chapter members have paid their dues to CORSA and become members. 

 Then decide by vote the number of dollars required as a  "Per Capita Tax"  on all chapters.  3-4 dollars per member should do it.  Times are hard, the club treasury is hard up, and every chapter could have a small fundraiser to pay National for the amount of the Tax, if they lack the funds in their treasury to simply cut a check.   

 I know you are familiar with the concept as it applies in our common fraternal organization.  

Also, as many organizations do, offer life memberships based on actuarial tables on lifespans.  Life membership money is invested for future needs of the club. And in some cases, part of  the dividends from the investments are repaid to the chapters as a rebate. 

Where's the catch?  I don't think the board will ever do any of it.  They're deathly afraid of losing members who don't pay dues to CORSA. 

 It's only logical to be afraid of members leaving who are paying dues.  When THEY leave, it COSTS YOU.  When members leave a chapter because  they refuse to ante up, and they've never paid CORSA dues anyway, you lose NOTHING.

Our cars are becoming more popular. Prices are rising even though the antique car bubble broke a few years before the housing and stock market bubbles did.  

CORSA offers some great benefits to its members.  The Directors should realize there is  a true value to those benefits, and when you are offering valuable services, it's only fair to expect payment in return for those services.  Nothing to be afraid of.  

If you care to reply, please do so off the list.  I know Mark's trolling for an argument.  He got my reply.  I will not comment on any other responses to this topic on list.  

Hank  



---- Mark Corbin <airvair at earthlink.net> wrote: 
> I'm just curious, Hank. There are those who do and those who just complain.
> The former at least have a plan, while the latter simply like to whine.
> What is your plan for getting CORSA's books to balance?
> 
> -Mark
> 
> > [Original Message]
> > From: henry kaczmarek <kaczmarek at charter.net>
> > Subject: Re: <VV> Resale
> >
> > My sincere hope is that someday our Board will see the light and do some 
> > serious future financial planning that will keep the knee-jerk reaction
> of 
> > raising dues every time the books don't balance in check, or requiring
> all 
> > members of the organization's appendant bodies to pay their fair share. 
> > Don't wanna pay?  Don't get to play our game.  When I see that happening 
> > I'll renew my membership.   Nobody's complaining I'm not a CORSA member 
> > anymore, and neither am I.
> >
> > Hank
> >
> 
> 



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