Tlca 30% bylaw

[canucksafari]

Why? Because when we formed the club, it's intent was a LAND CRUISER WHEELING club. By that, I mean not just Land Cruiser owners but those who would take their rigs out in the bush. Canada has the 15 year rule for vehicles and thus has quite a few deisel Prados and 80's and we get folks who would show up just to try to sell theirs. Our club is not a classified section of the news paper.
From the get-go we recognized that the success of our club is not based on how many members we have, but rather, the quality of the membership.

I can agree with you on the issue of quality over quantity. However, what happens if you have a guy who loves LCs but for whatever reason can't afford one yet? Or what happens if one of your club members finds themselves having to sell their LC and won't be in the position to buy one for some time. Lately, we've seen a fair bit of selling because of job loss. I think that the quality is not tied to owning a TLC but the interest one shows in learning everything they can about LCs and the desire to have one. Whether they have a LC or not shouldn't change that.

 

[REKCUT]

Why would you turn away FJ Cruisers. Heck, we don't turn anyone away. On another note, some of our Toyota owners aren't TLCA members and I'm not gonna run them off because of their decisions. They are my friends and wheelin buddies and that's enough for me.

Later,

Then why is it in you by-laws if your not going to follow it?

COTTONLAND CRUISER ASSOCIATION
BY-LAWS
Revised: June 12, 2004
NAME

A. The name shall be CottonLand Cruiser Association, and also known as CLC.

PURPOSE AND AIMS

A. CLC shall be non-profit in character.

B. Bring together and promote the interest of four wheeling in Toyota 4X4's.

C. Protect as well as enjoy our country 's natural resources.

D. Preserve the Land Cruiser legend.

E. CLC fosters an environment of exploration and learning about your Toyota 4x4 vehicle and its capabilities through events ranging from off road adventures, mechanical maintenance days and the knowledge, expertise and experience gained from other members within the club.

MEMBERSHIP

A. REQUIREMENT:

1. Membership is open to owners of four-wheel drive vehicles manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation and to Associates (businesses).

2. Members are required to join and maintain membership in the Toyota Land Cruiser Association ( HYPERLINK "http://www.TLCA.org" BlueHost.com).

B. MEMBER DUES:

1. To retain an “active member” status, a person must maintain current paid-up membership through one of the following membership options:

a. Individual Membership dues per year in the amount determined by the BOD at the last BOD meeting of each preceding calendar year.

b. Additional individual Membership within same household (ie: significant other, son, daughter, etc. with their own vehicle) in the amount determined by the BOD at the last BOD meeting of each preceding calendar year.

c. Associate Member-sponsor or business- CLC Associate membership- in the amount determined by the BOD at the last BOD meeting of each preceding calendar year.

 

[66fj40x2]

Then why is it in you by-laws if your not going to follow it?

Because TLCA requires it..... but it seems to me the local chapters do as they see fit as long as their within TLCA reporting requirements. TLCA is made up of it's local chapters and the chapters made up by the individual members. Those members and chapters can run their club as they see fit. I'd reckon if TLCA pushed the issue for all the clubs to require Toyota 4x4 owners to join TLCA many clubs would drop TLCA before their members. Once enough clubs drop TLCA the club members can drop TLCA......... That would tend to enhance TLCA's funding issues I'd think.

Thad I sure don't understand why this is such an issue with you but I don't forcing folks to join an organization is going to help it grow in a productive manner.

 

[Green Lantern]

What Mike says.
x2

Happy Trails! N

Because TLCA requires it..... but it seems to me the local chapters do as they see fit as long as their within TLCA reporting requirements. TLCA is made up of it's local chapters and the chapters made up by the individual members. Those members and chapters can run their club as they see fit. I'd reckon if TLCA pushed the issue for all the clubs to require Toyota 4x4 owners to join TLCA many clubs would drop TLCA before their members. Once enough clubs drop TLCA the club members can drop TLCA......... That would tend to enhance TLCA's funding issues I'd think.

Thad I sure don't understand why this is such an issue with you but I don't think forcing folks to join an organization is going to help it grow in a productive manner.

 

[Bodean]

I'm with you Nick and Mike! We'll just keep on having fun and worry about the rules later!

 

[Romer]

We have a couple of members who are not TLCA members. They dont go to TLCA events, dont read TT. There isnt inything in it for them. They just want to belong to a local club for local wheeling and socializing.

We still have 71 members who are also TLCA members and we have done things to increase TLCA membership

1) Volunteers at CM get their TLCA membership paid
2) We donated $1000 to the tellico fund and said all current Club and TLCA members would be eligible to get a $10 raffle ticket for the truck.

The only other thjing we could do is tell them joing the TLCA or the club will drop them. Thats counter to the atmosphere we have in the club.

 

[REKCUT]

Thad I sure don't understand why this is such an issue with you but I don't forcing folks to join an organization is going to help it grow in a productive manner.

Mike, its the hypocrisy of the issue that gets to me. No individual or club is forced to be a member of the TLCA. I dont understand why a club or group of people would want to call themselves a TLCA chapter if they are not willing to live up to the requirements. Its very simple. If you want to be part of a club then live up to the requirements. If your club wants to be a chapter then enforce the rules. Why would you want to associate yourself or your family with a organization you dont believe in. If your club doesn't agree with the requirements then why as a group are they still calling themselves a TLCA chapter.

One of the real issues that TLCA needs to work through is the apathy associated with its members and chapters towards the parent organization. There are barely enough clubs calling in to the monthly meetings to get any kind of issue voted on. Chapters and members want to be called TLCA members but it seems that very few want to do anything to further that membership.

I dont feel that forcing people to be members is a good way to grow the TLCA, but I do feel that making clubs think about why they are chapters would be good for the TLCA.

The TLCA would be better off with a smaller member base if those members were active and interested in improving the TLCA. Yes it would lose the magazine, and there would be wholesale changes, but you cant grow a quality membership without having a solid base to work with.

Just my thought Mike as to why it bothers me.

 

[REKCUT]

Recap. Members need to live by the rules or change the rules. I am not saying that requiring membership is the best way to proceed. I am saying that its the rule. If its not going to be followed then we should change the bylaws to reflect that on a TLCA level and a chapter level.

 

[Green Lantern]

I believe Thad's observations illustrate the problems facing TLCA right now. I appreciate your frustration and I think I can help you.

The reason TLCA has a participation problem is the fact that cruiserheads place much more priority on themselves and their local chapter than the national organization. Folks talk about themselves, their friends, and their local club long before they mention TLCA. Most of our members take fanatical pride in their independence.

So.... TLCA provides a national identity, a common ground that we all reference when we meet cruiserheads we don't know personally. There have always been differences between the chapters. TLCA created bylaws and SOPs so our meetings would run smoothly. TLCA bylaws are designed to facilitate communication and allow the Board of Directors to coordinate events and promote chapters. We only need rules if we think someone needs protection. If we treat folks with courtesy and respect.... we don't need any rules.

The bylaws are written exclusively for Toyota 4X4 owners. That doesn't mean TLCA is exclusive. Being a member doesn't make us better than anyone else. It just means we want TLCA to be a club of Toyota off road vehicles, not jeeps or hummers.

The bylaws reflect six reasons we exist. There is no requirement that everyone do all six. Any one of the following reasons qualifies you as a member of TLCA. All the rest of the requirements are just there to facilitate peaceful cooperation.

Article II, A-F
1) We're a non-profit, we ain't here to make money.
2) Promote four wheeling.
3) Preserve the history and character of the Land Cruiser.
4) Protect our country's resources.
5) Support our chapters.
6) Educate our folks to preserve our environment and wheeling areas.

I respect Thad and his comments. I firmly believe that TLCA was not designed to be center of our universe. TLCA is just a loose association of independent chapters and cruiserheads.

My two cents,
Happy Trails! N

Mike, its the hypocrisy of the issue that gets to me. No individual or club is forced to be a member of the TLCA. I dont understand why a club or group of people would want to call themselves a TLCA chapter if they are not willing to live up to the requirements. Its very simple. If you want to be part of a club then live up to the requirements. If your club wants to be a chapter then enforce the rules. Why would you want to associate yourself or your family with a organization you dont believe in. If your club doesn't agree with the requirements then why as a group are they still calling themselves a TLCA chapter.

One of the real issues that TLCA needs to work through is the apathy associated with its members and chapters towards the parent organization. There are barely enough clubs calling in to the monthly meetings to get any kind of issue voted on. Chapters and members want to be called TLCA members but it seems that very few want to do anything to further that membership.

I dont feel that forcing people to be members is a good way to grow the TLCA, but I do feel that making clubs think about why they are chapters would be good for the TLCA.

The TLCA would be better off with a smaller member base if those members were active and interested in improving the TLCA. Yes it would lose the magazine, and there would be wholesale changes, but you cant grow a quality membership without having a solid base to work with.

Just my thought Mike as to why it bothers me.

 

[Rzeppa]

I dont feel that forcing people to be members is a good way to grow the TLCA, but I do feel that making clubs think about why they are chapters would be good for the TLCA.

Well said Thad!

Hey, give me a call when you get a chance please? My number is in Toyota Trails.

Happy cruisin'!

 

[Bossman]

Mike, its the hypocrisy of the issue that gets to me. No individual or club is forced to be a member of the TLCA. I dont understand why a club or group of people would want to call themselves a TLCA chapter if they are not willing to live up to the requirements. Its very simple. If you want to be part of a club then live up to the requirements. If your club wants to be a chapter then enforce the rules. Why would you want to associate yourself or your family with a organization you dont believe in. If your club doesn't agree with the requirements then why as a group are they still calling themselves a TLCA chapter.

One of the real issues that TLCA needs to work through is the apathy associated with its members and chapters towards the parent organization. There are barely enough clubs calling in to the monthly meetings to get any kind of issue voted on. Chapters and members want to be called TLCA members but it seems that very few want to do anything to further that membership.

I dont feel that forcing people to be members is a good way to grow the TLCA, but I do feel that making clubs think about why they are chapters would be good for the TLCA.

The TLCA would be better off with a smaller member base if those members were active and interested in improving the TLCA. Yes it would lose the magazine, and there would be wholesale changes, but you cant grow a quality membership without having a solid base to work with.

Just my thought Mike as to why it bothers me.

Though I enjoy reading the discussions on this forum I seldom feel the need to make my thoughts known. In this case I feel somewhat compelled to comment.

In the post above, Thad makes some fairly bold statements that seem a bit divisive and exclusionary to me. Apparently, Jeff seems to agree though I'm not sure if he agrees with the entire post or just the quoted segment.

This comment -

"If you want to be part of a club then live up to the requirements. If your club wants to be a chapter then enforce the rules. Why would you want to associate yourself or your family with a organization you dont believe in."

- may seem correct on the surface but implies that the "club" is 100% correct all of the time and we, as members, must accept the edicts from on high without question or we are invited hit the bricks. Is there no room for discussion on ammendments to the rules if the membership wishes to entertain same? Do you not want our honest feedback? Would you prefer to just have members or chapters silently walk away resigned to the fact that they dont "fit" 100% of the time? If so, I propose that you may well be on a track that could result in your desired future state as evidenced in this quote from above -

"The TLCA would be better off with a smaller member base if those members were active and interested in improving the TLCA. Yes it would lose the magazine, and there would be wholesale changes, but you cant grow a quality membership without having a solid base to work with."

I can't believe that this is the vision of the current TLCA leadership. Or, at least, I don't want to believe it. Change is not always a bad thing. Perhaps we should all consider just how much change we are comfortable with...

 

[REKCUT]

Just to reiterate, my posting was in reference to a question asked by Mike on why I am so persistent in my stance on this subject. In response to your reference

- may seem correct on the surface but implies that the "club" is 100% correct all of the time and we, as members, must accept the edicts from on high without question or we are invited hit the bricks. Is there no room for discussion on ammendments to the rules if the membership wishes to entertain same? Do you not want our honest feedback? Would you prefer to just have members or chapters silently walk away resigned to the fact that they dont "fit" 100% of the time? If so, I propose that you may well be on a track that could result in your desired future state as evidenced in this quote from above -

I must not have done a good job of explaining my position as this is the exact opposite of what I am implying. I am not interested in the chapters blindly following the TLCA without options. The exact point I am trying to make is that chapters and the TLCA should follow there own bylaws or they should change the bylaws to reflect their current position. What I dont like is each chapter and each TLCA officer deciding what rules they are and are not going to follow based on whatever influences them at that time.

"The TLCA would be better off with a smaller member base if those members were active and interested in improving the TLCA. Yes it would lose the magazine, and there would be wholesale changes, but you cant grow a quality membership without having a solid base to work with."

I can't believe that this is the vision of the current TLCA leadership. Or, at least, I don't want to believe it. Change is not always a bad thing. Perhaps we should all consider just how much change we are comfortable with...

As far as the vision of the TLCA leadership and or my opinion, this has been discussed numerous time here on mud and other forums. The general range I have seen goes from one extreme of loosing the magazine and requiring members to go to multiple TLCA event, all the way to opening up membership to anyone just to keep the magazine going. I am sure that the correct answer is somewhere in the middle of those two options. My opinion on less but more active membership base is influenced by being a TLCA club delegate and noting how hard it is just to get a quorum each month to vote on club business. A very large number of chapters dont have representatives call in. As the TLCA bylaws require a percentage of delegate's present to conduct club business, it is being held up by members and or chapters that are not that interested or active in the TLCA. So yes, I feel that a smaller but more active membership would be beneficial to the quality and development of this organization.

 

[packman73]

Case in point. We have 67 voting officers and chapter delegates. The TLCA Bylaws reflect that we need 30 percent of all delegates and elected officers. This gives us 20. Now, the bylaws also state that if a chapter doesn't submit their Chapter in Good Standing Form, they don't have a vote. With that being said, there are at least 20 chapters that haven't submitted CGS forms in the last 2 years. We have had at least 3 meetings now that I remember that we've had to cancel due to a lack of quorum. We as the BOD (Elected officers and delegates) owe it to the membership at large to conduct TLCA business. We can't do this if we don't have participation. Depending on how you look at it there are certain rules that need to followed and are in place for a reason.

I understand everyone's point of view about the TLCA being loosely run, but on the same token, if we can't conduct business and keep our members happy and abreast of the challenges we face, we are not doing our job at the national level.

 

[Bossman]

Case in point. We have 67 voting officers and chapter delegates. The TLCA Bylaws reflect that we need 30 percent of all delegates and elected officers. This gives us 20. Now, the bylaws also state that if a chapter doesn't submit their Chapter in Good Standing Form, they don't have a vote. With that being said, there are at least 20 chapters that haven't submitted CGS forms in the last 2 years. We have had at least 3 meetings now that I remember that we've had to cancel due to a lack of quorum. We as the BOD (Elected officers and delegates) owe it to the membership at large to conduct TLCA business. We can't do this if we don't have participation. Depending on how you look at it there are certain rules that need to followed and are in place for a reason.

I understand everyone's point of view about the TLCA being loosely run, but on the same token, if we can't conduct business and keep our members happy and abreast of the challenges we face, we are not doing our job at the national level.

So the solution would be to have fewer but more active chapters? Does anyone else find this line of thiinking strange? Putting aside for a moment that it's a "rule", why do we care if 31% of a given clubs membership does not currently own a Toyota 4wd vehicle with a low range transfer case? You are suggesting that chapters discontinue their association with TLCA if they have a problem enforcing this rule! I just don't see how this sort of exclusionary mindset promotes the best interest of the TLCA and it's members chapters and individuals. Sorry.

 

[packman73]

So the solution would be to have fewer but more active chapters? Does anyone else find this line of thiinking strange? Putting aside for a moment that it's a "rule", why do we care if 31% of a given clubs membership does not currently own a Toyota 4wd vehicle with a low range transfer case? You are suggesting that chapters discontinue their association with TLCA if they have a problem enforcing this rule! I just don't see how this sort of exclusionary mindset promotes the best interest of the TLCA and it's members chapters and individuals. Sorry.

I'm not saying they discontinue being a chapter if they don't enforce their rules. What I'm saying is that in order for TLCA at a National level to be productive, we need chapters to be active participants. As soon as the TLCA at a National level makes a decision without quorum present, someone is going to raise holy heck... At this point we "hope" that enough will show up for the meetings.

If you were the CEO of a business and you didn't have enough board members show up to constitute a quorum in order to conduct business, what would you do?

 

[woody]

If you were the CEO of a business and you didn't have enough board members show up to constitute a quorum in order to conduct business, what would you do?

keyword: business

TLCA is a non-profit group of volunteers, socially organized around a specific brand of 4wd vehicle.

For a business to succeed, it must profit. For TLCA to succeed, it must be fun.

 

[packman73]

keyword: business

TLCA is a non-profit group of volunteers, socially organized around a specific brand of 4wd vehicle.

For a business to succeed, it must profit. For TLCA to succeed, it must be fun.

At one time, TLCA may have been just that. Somewhere along the road here, it's become a magazine business with the fun stuff as an afterthought (at least is seems that way to me). The magazine part, albeit a great magazine, is our largest annual cost.

 

[woody]

At one time, TLCA may have been just that. Somewhere along the road here, it's become a magazine business with the fun stuff as an afterthought (at least is seems that way to me). The magazine part, albeit a great magazine, is our largest annual cost.

which brings us back to the question Ross asked...

https://forum.ih8mud.com/tlca-discussion-forum/287188-why-does-tlca-exist.html

 

[packman73]

which brings us back to the question Ross asked...

https://forum.ih8mud.com/tlca-discussion-forum/287188-why-does-tlca-exist.html

Yeah, no kidding... It's a viscious circle. If we took away the magazine, how many would stick around? 2/3's of our membership are not chapter members.

 

[Green Lantern]

BINGO! You got it in one!

I'm not the first person to say this, but maybe I'll be the last.
TLCA has a stable membership demographic of 2500 - 3500 members since the late 90's.
Merchandise sales has always sucked.
Rubithon has succeeded only because three California chapters take responsibility for it. Rubithon has NEVER been a cash cow.

We started in 1976, the Internet didn't get popular until the early 90's. So, for 15 years or so Toyota Trails served as THE forum for cruiserheads. Now, it's a pretty magazine that graces the toilets of cruiserheads all over America.

TLCA needs to focus on chapter formation and try to keep the Trails going because we all enjoy the magazine.

Happy Trails! N

Yeah, no kidding... It's a viscious circle. If we took away the magazine, how many would stick around? 2/3's of our membership are not chapter members.