MaddBaggins
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Rzeppa said:
Good job!!
Thoughts on raising TLCA dues???
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Good job!!
treerootCO
Where are my keys?!
Rzeppa said:
That should help out I would think. No need to raise dues if we can sign up 26 new or renewing memberships.
woooody
el Jefe
That's roughly $625 in renewals. Some of which would have occured anyway. Not sure how that offsets an $8K or $10K shortfall.treerootCO said:
treerootCO
Where are my keys?!
Rising Sun is only one chapter...
woooody
el Jefe
Ahh... gotcha.
Yes, Cindy Twiddy got 27 new/renewals at the PMC fun day. I suspect that if every event included a way to sign up / renew, we would be in better shape.
Yes, Cindy Twiddy got 27 new/renewals at the PMC fun day. I suspect that if every event included a way to sign up / renew, we would be in better shape.
Our budget forecast a $8k shortfall as of July YTD. The actuals which Casey distributed yesterday show a $3K shortfall, easily overcome, and possibly already overcome at this time, about a month later. That was before the email reminder software was put back in place a few weeks ago.woooody said:
I'll be working on calling the May expireds for the Central region which Jenn sent me yesterday; Ross do you need a copy for the Western region?
woooody
el Jefe
Yes -- Eric sent them to me last time.
The $8k shortfall I was speaking to was the 2006 budget presented in Jan 06. I know our actuals aren't as bad now as they were in May.
The $8k shortfall I was speaking to was the 2006 budget presented in Jan 06. I know our actuals aren't as bad now as they were in May.
woooody
el Jefe
Should be a lively meeting Thursday... lot's of recent discussion
woooody
el Jefe
I think there will be a lot of input / fresh ideas as we have new data, and several new delegates / chapters. We rarely have taken a full hour, elections being the normal exception.
I will be happy to increase my yearly dues to belong to the best offroading club there is. The benifits I receive aside from Toyota Trails far exceed a small increase in the yearly dues. I will be more than happy to pay $30 a year for Bulk mail Toyota Trails... Which by the way arrives in my mail box in a timely manner.
Matt McCurdy
TTR Secretary
P.S. I heard of the TLCA dues increase at the last TTR/LSLC meeting from Nick Stone. I found this thread via the mention in the Toyota Trails Magazine page 2.
Once I had posted this response I went back and read the thread. If I had started by reading the thread I would not have posted at all. What a bunch of ninny's. TTR has been a great experience, offroading, camping, wrenching, comraderie. TTR/LSLC, the White Trash of the Ellwood Chapter, Cottonland Cruisers, et al, have been a great bunch of people to meet/wheel with/camp with/get winched out with. TLCA dues are less than a tank of gas, for a year. Your grandstanding and philosophising will only drive people away. Jeez. Lighten up!
Matt McCurdy
TTR Secretary
P.S. I heard of the TLCA dues increase at the last TTR/LSLC meeting from Nick Stone. I found this thread via the mention in the Toyota Trails Magazine page 2.
Once I had posted this response I went back and read the thread. If I had started by reading the thread I would not have posted at all. What a bunch of ninny's. TTR has been a great experience, offroading, camping, wrenching, comraderie. TTR/LSLC, the White Trash of the Ellwood Chapter, Cottonland Cruisers, et al, have been a great bunch of people to meet/wheel with/camp with/get winched out with. TLCA dues are less than a tank of gas, for a year. Your grandstanding and philosophising will only drive people away. Jeez. Lighten up!
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A $5 dollar increase on dues would generate, over the course of a year, just about $19,000 (3800 actives x $5). This money could quickly balance the current deficit, with the remainder to be used as the BOD sees fit. I have read that there are plenty of people for and against increasing dues. The best reason I've heard is that dues have not been increased in a long time. It would be prudent to do a small increase now, using that reason, instead of doing it in the near future because of a deficit that could have been prevented.
Personally, I would like to see at least a percentage of new funds used to create membership kits (please forgive me if this has been done before) to be distributed first to those companies listed on the Business Members Directory on tlca.org. Said kits would contain informative brochures on how and why to join, a complimentary copy of Toyota Trails and maybe a "give-away" item of some kind, like a bottle opener or something. To help track the source of a prospective member, some sort of code (like an "Offer Code" or something like that) system could be devised; a unique one for each business member (in the form of an attachable sticker, so we would only have to print one style of brochure)... whether the prospect mails in the form or elects to sign up on line, we would be able to track the source. That way we could see what works, what doesn't, who's pushing and who's not. Mind you, this is just one example and certainly not the best, but it's a start.
And it may sound more expensive than it is. Cost of TT handouts would be minimal considering that, from what other people on this forum have said, it costs the same to print 5,000, roughly, as it does to print 10,000. The biggest cost would be in layout and printing of the brochure (and the "give aways"). There are several on-line print houses that are pretty affordable. Anyhow, just a thought... The other side of this coin was covered, I felt, pretty well by Eric V. in an early post on a different thread: "And without these members who are sort of fence sitters would TLCA still be the same organization?" I understand that argument: why dilute your current member base with those who might taint it? The main reason, in my opinion, for expanding membership outreach relates to a saying I've heard my whole business career: if something doesn't grow, it dies. And, at the end of the day, who really cares about the "fence sitters"? Isn't their money (member dues) just as good as anyone else's? And who really cares if they pay their dues and sit on the fence when their money could be used to offer more to the members who actually participate?
Personally, I would like to see at least a percentage of new funds used to create membership kits (please forgive me if this has been done before) to be distributed first to those companies listed on the Business Members Directory on tlca.org. Said kits would contain informative brochures on how and why to join, a complimentary copy of Toyota Trails and maybe a "give-away" item of some kind, like a bottle opener or something. To help track the source of a prospective member, some sort of code (like an "Offer Code" or something like that) system could be devised; a unique one for each business member (in the form of an attachable sticker, so we would only have to print one style of brochure)... whether the prospect mails in the form or elects to sign up on line, we would be able to track the source. That way we could see what works, what doesn't, who's pushing and who's not. Mind you, this is just one example and certainly not the best, but it's a start.
And it may sound more expensive than it is. Cost of TT handouts would be minimal considering that, from what other people on this forum have said, it costs the same to print 5,000, roughly, as it does to print 10,000. The biggest cost would be in layout and printing of the brochure (and the "give aways"). There are several on-line print houses that are pretty affordable. Anyhow, just a thought... The other side of this coin was covered, I felt, pretty well by Eric V. in an early post on a different thread: "And without these members who are sort of fence sitters would TLCA still be the same organization?" I understand that argument: why dilute your current member base with those who might taint it? The main reason, in my opinion, for expanding membership outreach relates to a saying I've heard my whole business career: if something doesn't grow, it dies. And, at the end of the day, who really cares about the "fence sitters"? Isn't their money (member dues) just as good as anyone else's? And who really cares if they pay their dues and sit on the fence when their money could be used to offer more to the members who actually participate?
Excellent ideas Jason ("Streebeck"). While I do not support a dues increase, we have not sent out much for new members in the way of kits for many, many years, and we should start doing that again. It should include, at a minimum, the contact cards (business cards with TLCA contact info and a place to write your own name and contact info) which we already have. It might also include a few extra copies of the TLCA membership application for members to hand out.
I've seen lots of posts in this thread weighing the relative value of the various services that the TLCA provides to members - Toyota Trails, insurance for sanctioned events, support for off road advocacy groups, discounts on parts, camaraderie and a way to share a mutual appreciation for Land Cruisers. I've seen damn little talk of the responsibility that members in an organization such as this owe to the club.
You can debate the relative merits of different printing styles and their relative impact on the final cost of magazines or discuss the nuances of bulk vs. 1st class mail but in the end, it seems to me that the debate should be less about the value that we get for our membership dues and more about how we can best support this organization that we have chosen to join.
When I learned that it was more of a hassle and a financial burden for the club to use bulk mail to send out magazines I immediately regretted having gone with the bulk mail option. I'll certainly opt for 1st class mail the next time I renew and frankly the difference in cost spread over a year is so ridiculously small that I challenge anyone to claim that they can't muster up enough initiative to dig in the couch once a year or occasionally throw some change in a mayonnaise jar to help the club out.
I gotta say that it I think its pretty sad when I see folks who have obviously been involved in this community for many, many, years and invested untold time, effort and money into their passion for Land Cruisers, claim that they'd be willing to call the whole thing quits and walk away over a few bucks a year. I marvel that TLCA has lasted as long as it has with that kind of attitude represented in its ranks.
Maybe it's that I'm relatively new to the club and that my enthusiasm is still pretty high but when I hear that the club is in trouble financially, my instinct is to help.
I say suck it up and scrape together the change. Recycle some beer cans if you have to. This thing is bigger than you and me and it isn't going to kill us to come up with a few bucks a year to help keep it going.
You can debate the relative merits of different printing styles and their relative impact on the final cost of magazines or discuss the nuances of bulk vs. 1st class mail but in the end, it seems to me that the debate should be less about the value that we get for our membership dues and more about how we can best support this organization that we have chosen to join.
When I learned that it was more of a hassle and a financial burden for the club to use bulk mail to send out magazines I immediately regretted having gone with the bulk mail option. I'll certainly opt for 1st class mail the next time I renew and frankly the difference in cost spread over a year is so ridiculously small that I challenge anyone to claim that they can't muster up enough initiative to dig in the couch once a year or occasionally throw some change in a mayonnaise jar to help the club out.
I gotta say that it I think its pretty sad when I see folks who have obviously been involved in this community for many, many, years and invested untold time, effort and money into their passion for Land Cruisers, claim that they'd be willing to call the whole thing quits and walk away over a few bucks a year. I marvel that TLCA has lasted as long as it has with that kind of attitude represented in its ranks.
Maybe it's that I'm relatively new to the club and that my enthusiasm is still pretty high but when I hear that the club is in trouble financially, my instinct is to help.
I say suck it up and scrape together the change. Recycle some beer cans if you have to. This thing is bigger than you and me and it isn't going to kill us to come up with a few bucks a year to help keep it going.
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Lots of good stuff here folks, thanks!
One thing to remember:just as we're having an uptick in membership right now, we've had downtrends in the past too, and probably will again-tho I hope not!!!
What I want to do is position TLCA for success in the long run, no matter what happens.
If we raise dues nominally, and experience a long and healthy upturn in membership, we'll have the enviable problem of having to decide what to do with a small surplus of funds.
When I started as Prez, we had about $90K in the bank. We now have about 1/2 that. This has been spent many ways: supporting BRC, building a new website, new webstore, new webmaster monthly expenses, developing new merchandise, and so forth.
If we're lucky enough to end up with a little surplus, we can find new ways to improve our "membership experience."
I stand by the fact we need a nominal dues increase to make up for 12 years of inflation, increased member services, a better TT, and a healthy future.
Lastly, I expect all conversations we have about this to be respectful in tone-both here and at board meetings. We're all grownups, in a car club, pursuing a common goal...not enemies duking it out..or something...
thanks, and keep bringing it!
One thing to remember:just as we're having an uptick in membership right now, we've had downtrends in the past too, and probably will again-tho I hope not!!!
What I want to do is position TLCA for success in the long run, no matter what happens.
If we raise dues nominally, and experience a long and healthy upturn in membership, we'll have the enviable problem of having to decide what to do with a small surplus of funds.
When I started as Prez, we had about $90K in the bank. We now have about 1/2 that. This has been spent many ways: supporting BRC, building a new website, new webstore, new webmaster monthly expenses, developing new merchandise, and so forth.
If we're lucky enough to end up with a little surplus, we can find new ways to improve our "membership experience."
I stand by the fact we need a nominal dues increase to make up for 12 years of inflation, increased member services, a better TT, and a healthy future.
Lastly, I expect all conversations we have about this to be respectful in tone-both here and at board meetings. We're all grownups, in a car club, pursuing a common goal...not enemies duking it out..or something...
thanks, and keep bringing it!
2ndGenToyotaFan
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Well I for one raised my own dues and renewed at first class, I hope others will do the same.
This may have been hashed out before, but how about different "levels" of membership?
$30 for regular membership, $40 for "Sustaining", $50 for "Platinum", $75 for "Grand Pu-Bah". Maybe you get a break on 1st class if you select one of the higher levels...maybe even get a special cap with an insignia showing you are a "benefactor".
It would be a way for folks to show others they care enough to support the organization financially beyond the minimum, and a little peer pressure never hurt the giving levels in any non-profit I've seen.
$30 for regular membership, $40 for "Sustaining", $50 for "Platinum", $75 for "Grand Pu-Bah". Maybe you get a break on 1st class if you select one of the higher levels...maybe even get a special cap with an insignia showing you are a "benefactor".
It would be a way for folks to show others they care enough to support the organization financially beyond the minimum, and a little peer pressure never hurt the giving levels in any non-profit I've seen.
Hi Tim,
That's an excellent idea, and in fact a long time TLCA member, Floyd Bufkin, has proposed a "lifetime" membership several times over the years. It has never been adopted, but on his behalf I'd like to bring it up again. His idea is modeled after the NRA lifetime membership, where the club invests the funds in some kind of investment where in the long haul it works out to a wash for the club and the member.
The advantage for the member is that he doesn't have to ever remember to renew, and for the club, they have a lifetime member, that they don't have to expend money to remind him to renew.
That's an excellent idea, and in fact a long time TLCA member, Floyd Bufkin, has proposed a "lifetime" membership several times over the years. It has never been adopted, but on his behalf I'd like to bring it up again. His idea is modeled after the NRA lifetime membership, where the club invests the funds in some kind of investment where in the long haul it works out to a wash for the club and the member.
The advantage for the member is that he doesn't have to ever remember to renew, and for the club, they have a lifetime member, that they don't have to expend money to remind him to renew.
Rzeppa said:
I wonder if the rate would be pro-rated for old guys with low 4-digit membership numbers?
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tarbe said:I wonder if the rate would be pro-rated for old guys with low 4-digit membership numbers?
Man, I wish I could find my original 3 digit number!;p
Old timers are those with numbers under 2xxx. It's a pretty short list. Mike Bennett, me, Kowboy, Dave West, Woody, Jim C., nuclearlemon, maybe 3 or 4 more. Wouldn't cost the Association much. Hmmm.
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