Updated 19-Jan-2023 = Copyright (c) 2023 Corvairs of New Mexico
========================================
ABOUT THE 2024 WESTERN REGION CONVENTION
========================================
From: Garrie Fox < gfox80915 @ yahoo.com >
Subject: 2024 convention
Date: January 19, 2023 at 09:49:30 MST
To: PPCC List < ppcc-list @ corvair.org >
To: RMC-LIST Denver RMC < rmc-list @ corvair.org >
"CORSA regrets to announce the planned Western Region convention for 2024,
sponsored by the San Diego Corvair Club will not take place due to the
challenges of finding reasonably priced convention format locations and
accommodations.
"SDCC worked hard over the past several years to make this happen and they
deserve a lot of thanks for trying to host our convention thru COVID delays
and economic challenges. We appreciate their efforts.
"CORSA is exploring alternative cities for 2024 to ensure we continue our
tradition of an annual convention. The 2023 Convention is June 19-24 in
The Wisconsin Dells, WI." "
Sent by Al Lacki on behalf of Mike Hall, CORSA President
Regards,
Garrie Fox
719.338.5051 (texting not available)
===============================
CORSA BOARD MEMBER INTRODUCTION
===============================
Received on 29-Dec-2022 via email:
FROM: Steve Lubliner < stephenlubliner @ compuserve.com >
SUBJECT: CORSA Board Member Introduction
TO: "Association Tucson Corvair" < tucsoncorvairs @ yahoo.com >,
"karlrj@comcast.net" < karlrj @ comcast.net >,
"mail@centralcoastcorsa.com" < mail @ centralcoastcorsa.com >,
"Bonneville Corvairs" < benfwofford @ gmail.com >,
"sjcc@corvair.org" < sjcc @ corvair.org >,
"John Dinsdale" < jdinsdale1944 @ gmail.com >,
"Jim Pittman" < jimp @ unm.edu >
REPLY-TO: Steve Lubliner < stephenlubliner @ compuserve.com >
Hello Everybody,
I am Steve Lubliner, a recently added CORSA Board of Directors (BoD) member. As
I hope most of you are aware, each director has a list of CORSA chapters that he
or she is asked to interface with. You are receiving this email as the contact
for your CORSA section.
I will take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself. I live in
Tucson, Arizona and am a member of the Tucson Corvair Association (TCA). I am a
retired mechanical engineer who spent almost 43 years total with a major
aerospace company. In addition to my Corvairs, I am extremely active in hobby
rocketry. My largest rockets exceed 10 feet tall, 50 pounds, and are capable of
exceeding one mile.
I own two Corvairs. My first Corvair, a 1966 Monza coupe that was purchased in
1976, had a truly independent front suspension as a result of a rusted out
crossmember. An "organ donor" Corvair provided another crossmember and this car
participated in the 1976 CORSA convention in Pennsylvania. This car has also
seen track time at the Lime Rock facility in Connecticutt and many autocross
runs. It currently awaits the installation of a 140 HP engine.
The other Corvair is also a 1966 Monza coupe. This car is currently being
stripped before its trip to the body shop. After the body shop magic I will be
reinstalling trim, the interior, and reassembling the engine compartment.
Incidentally, the cars are referred to as the "Petrock" and "Ditto". The Petrock
got its name when my college roommates referred to the car as "slow as a stone".
My intent, in this letter, is to reach out to the CORSA chapters within my
purview. As your representative on the CORSA BoD my role is to offer information
about significant CORSA activities and to be a way for your chapter to present
concerns to the CORSA BoD. Please feel free to respond to this email or call me
at 520-664-6898 (cell phone). Keep in mind that CORSA benefits include the
Communique magazine, hosting an annual convention, and insurance coverage for
most chapter activities. If you have input for any of these subjects or other
Corvair related activities please let me know. Note that the CORSA BoD has a
teleconference on the first Tuesday of the month. This will be my best
opportunity to present any concerns to the CORSA board.
Thank you and Happy New Year wishes for all.
Steve Lubliner
520-664-6898
===============
JANUARY UPDATES
===============
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We are sending out this message because the January/February 2023 Communique is
available to download from our website.
If you have selected to be an "eMember," you will only access the Communique
online through our website. The Communique file size is too large to send by
e-mail, so your Communique is available to download from our website, available
the 28th day preceding the issue month.
If you are a "Print Member", then you will still receive the printed Communique
as you always have, but now you can download a digital copy too.
To view the latest issue of the Communique, make sure you are logged in as a
member on our website and then click on the 'Publications' menu item. Under the
'Sections' heading in the left column, click on 'Latest Communiques'. Scroll to
the bottom of the current year list which is where the latest Communique issue
can be viewed or downloaded.
News You Can Use - New Year Addition
Happy 2023! Let's make this the year to get your Corvairs out on the road to be
seen and enjoyed. Watch for car shows and events where you can take your Corvair
to show it off. Every Corvair is a great car to share with the public! Every car
is a way to promote Corvairs.
** Start your 2023 planning to attend great events that will be held throughout
the year. Events start as early as February in Florida. There is one almost
every month where you can show off your car, visit Corvair friends and shop for
parts. Be sure to check the Events page on the website. And if you are hosting
an event, please list it soon! Current and Upcoming Events (corvair.org)
** Don't Forget: You still have a couple of days to donate to the Corvair
Preservation Foundation, a 501c3 organization, and gain tax benefits for
charitable contributions. Of course, we welcome donations any time of the year.
It's easy- and can be done here: Support our Corvair Causes
** Check out the latest video from the December 15th Meet Up Zoom call with
guest presenter, Richard Lentinello. https://youtu.be/iYTyFwxgSjM You will hear
Richard's thoughts on Corvairs and vintage car collecting. He also talks about
his new magazine, Crankshaft, and why he wrote "Corvair Style". Subscribe to the
Corvair Society of America YouTube channel to get notifications of new videos.
And all the previous videos are on this channel.
** Meet Ups in 2023 will be held as presenters are available. If you are
interested in presenting, contact corsamembership@gmail.com.
** International Corvair Society of America Convention is in the Wisconsin Dells
June 19th - 24th, 2023. Time to start planning for a great event! It will be
held at the Chula Vista Resort- check it out here: Chula Vista Resort: Wisconsin
Dells Water Park Resort & Hotel There are many room choices, lots of parking,
and beautiful, scenic drives. You can find the information to book rooms here:
CORSA Headlines (corvair.org) To book rooms, you must call the hotel.
Registration for the convention will open in April but book those rooms now!
** Show us your winter projects! Show us your winter drives! Post your
pictures to corsa_corvair_official on Instagram and let us see how you are
spending your winter getting those cars ready for driving. We also want to see
those Corvairs on the road in winter sun or snow too! Corvairs are for all
seasons.
Corvair Society of America ~ (630) 403-5010 ~ PO Box 68, Long Lake, MN 55356
www.corvair.org
====================================================================
******** JOIN CORSA -- THE CORVAIR SOCIETY OF AMERICA *********
Founded in 1969 by those who still appreciate the Corvair automobile
====================================================================
We encourage all members of Corvairs of New Mexico to become members
of CORSA -- the Corvair Society of America. Anyone who appreciates
the Corvair will benefit from CORSA membership, and Corvair owners
will benefit from a strong national presence to lobby our interests.
Try it out. Dues are $45 for 1 year or $90 for 26 months.
We are sure you will find it a worthy and rewarding investment!
TO JOIN, REGISTER OR RENEW ONLINE, VISIT:
https://www.corvair.org
Corvair Society of America, P.O. Box 68, Long Lake, Minnesota 55356
(630) 403-5010
============================================================
CORSA VIRTUAL MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL -- TEST DRIVE CORSA FOR $25
============================================================
Some exciting news. Members of your chapter who are interested in
joining CORSA will want to take advantage of this new limited time offer.
**** CORSA is now offering 12-Month Virtual Memberships for just $25 ****
instead of the usual price of $37. Come and "take a test drive with CORSA"
by signing up for a 12-Month Virtual Membership.
Virtual Membership provides on-line access to the CORSA Communique magazine,
member-only events, technical information and more- all for about $2 a month!
It's a great deal for everyone - *new and existing* members.
What's a "Virtual Membership?" you may ask? The only difference is that Full
Members of CORSA receive copies of the CORSA Communique magazine both online
and through US Postal, whereas Virtual Members get online access only.
Everything else is the same.
Here are the details:
- Price: $25 for twelve months instead of the usual $37.
- Eligibility: All new and existing CORSA members.
- Offer Period: Now to December 31, 2021.
- Effective date for new members: Membership will begin on the date payment
is received - register on line.
- Effective date for existing members. Existing membership will be
extended twelve months beginning on the day after membership would
otherwise expire.
Important information about the offer:
- One-Time Only: Offer good for 1 sign up or renewal. Individuals can take
advantage of the offer one time only. Renewals at this price for one year
only.
- Corvair Basics Book: No matter which level of membership is chosen, brand
new CORSA members ordinarily receive a free copy of the Corvair Basics book.
However, due to the expense, we cannot extend this to persons opting for the
$25 offer.
- Attention Full Members: Full Members who apply for any level of Virtual
Membership (including the $25 offer) will immediately stop receiving copies
of the CORSA Communique magazine in the mail. (This has always been the case
but we mention it here to make sure there is no misunderstanding).
- No Refunds to Facilitate Transition: We cannot issue refunds of dues paid by
Full Members to facilitate transitions from Full to any level of Virtual
Membership (including the Offer).
- Offer is only good during this time period. No refunds for prior purchase of
membership.
Sign-Up Today on the CORSA Website!
https://www.corvair.org/index.php/membership/join-or-renew-here
Josh Deitcher
CORSA Western Division Director
SFBA CORSA Membership Chair
SFBA CORSA sfbacorsa.org
_______________________________________________
==================================================
2019 AND 2020 TONY FIORE CHAPTER NEWSLETTER AWARDS
==================================================
Subject: 2019 and 2020 Tony Fiore Chapter Newsletter Awards
From: Terry Kalp [ tkalp@cox.net ]
Date: 2021=May=27 14:20:18 MDT
To: Jim jimp@unm.edu [ jimp@unm.edu ]
Jim,
The 2019 and 2020 CORSA newsletter awards were announced at the CORSA
Mini-Convention in Springfield. Since you maintain a list of winners
on the club's website I am attaching an official list of the winners
as a Word document.
Keep up the good work. There should be an award for longest term as
chapter newsletter editor . . . pretty sure you would be a shoe-in.
Terry Kalp
TONY FIORE CORSA CHAPTER NEWSLETTER AWARDS
2019 Calendar Year:
1st The Fanbelt - New Jersey Association of Corvair Enthusiasts - Bob Marlow
2nd Tie between:
COCA Newsletter - Central Oklahoma Corvair Association - Coleen Law
Corvan Antics - Corvanatics Special Interest Chapter - Molly Bacon
2020 Calendar Year:
1st Corvan Antics - Corvanatics Special Interest Chapter - Molly Bacon, Editor
2nd Tie between:
The Fanbelt - New Jersey Association of Corvair Enthusiasts - Bob Marlow
The DenVair News - Rocky Mountain CORSA - Paul Seyforth
================================
NEWS FROM CORSA / CORSA CHAPTERS
================================
CONVENTION CANCELLED
Subject: CORSA's 2021 Convention Canceled
From: Corvair Society of America
Date: 2021=Feb=20 02:00:22 MST
News Flash!!
The 2021 CORSA Convention has been CANCELED
An emergency board meeting was held on the evening of Monday, February 15th.
At approximately 11:00 pm Eastern Time, the CORSA directors voted to cancel
the 2021 CORSA convention in San Diego. With the host hotel still not being
open or even returning calls and the unavailability of a suitable hotel in
the area to accommodate the guests and the activities that were scheduled,
the board was left with little choice in the matter.
This decision did not come easily. With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
still dominating a significant portion of our lives, it was not practical or
even possible to conduct an event like a CORSA convention without a proper
venue for the activities scheduled. As the health of our membership is
paramount, we made the decision. We apologize for having to make such a
drastic move but it was in the best interest of the membership and CORSA.
We will have more information about this in the April Communique. As a
partial remedy, we will be adding some additional activities and meetings
to the Mini-Convention. A registration form for this event will be located
on the cover wrap of the March Communique, which will be in the mail soon.
THANKS ARE IN ORDER
We all need to thank the members of the San Diego Corvair Club for all the
hard work they devoted to planning and arranging a wonderful convention for
us, irrespective of the cancellation. For this, we are profoundly appreciative.
Thank you so much!
MIKE HALL, PRESIDENT
Corvair Society of America (CORSA)
(630) 403-5010
PO Box 68
Long Lake, MN 55356
United States
================================
================================
FROM THE 2021 JANUARY CORSA COMMUNIQUE
Corvair Society of America's 2020 Membership Meeting
The Corvair Society of America held its Membership Meeting for Year 2020 on
the evening of Tuesday, November 10 via Zoom. It lasted an hour and a half.
Presenters included:
Mike Hall (President),
Jeannette Alberte (Membership),
Jerry Brown (Merchandise),
Allan Lacki (Secretary)
Paul Sergeant (Treasurer).
After the presentations, Mike opened the floor for questions and comments.
Topics included:
* Providing more value to members by holding monthly Zoom meetings and podcasts
* Improving communication between Regional Directors and their respective
chapters
* Reaching out to members, especially those who have no nearby chapter
* Adding new kinds of merchandise for sale to raise revenue
* Adding PayPal as a means for members to pay their dues to make it easier to
join and remain
* Giving members a choice to have their membership renewed automatically
* Giving members a choice to pay dues in monthly installments
* Combining the CORSA Facebook page and CORSA Facebook group into one to
eliminate confusion
* Giving public access to a sample of CORSA tech articles on the website to
hook-in new members
* Establishing an online archive where chapters can store their newsletters for
posterity
* Post CORSA board meeting minutes on the website
* Opening up CORSA conventions to owners of cars other than Corvairs
* Improving the CORSA brochure so chapters can use it for local recruitment
A number of questions were raised, too:
* How much revenue does the CPF raise through Amazon Smile? (We'll find out).
* What is the consequence when a chapter does not hold a single meeting during
a given year, as required by the Chapter Plan Procedure? (No consequence this
year due to COVID-19).
* When will a final decision be made on holding the 2021 Convention? (It will
depend on the city's orders. We antic- ipate a ruling in April).
A video of the 2020 CORSA Membership Zoom Meeting is now available for viewing
on YouTube. Here's a link that will take you there: https://youtu.be/t776_CKVOZQ
It is one hour and 24 minutes long. The first couple of minutes of the session
were not recorded, so it starts with Mike Hall talking about plans for the 2022
CORSA Convention in Peach Tree City, Georgia. But aside from that, it's
complete.
Sixty-eight members participated in the Zoom meeting. Special thanks go to
CORSA Board Member Josh Deitcher, who arranged, moderated and recorded the
meeting. And of course, we thank all of you who were there with us.
ALLAN LACKI -- CORSA SECRETARY/EASTERN DIVISION DIRECTOR
================================
================================
THE CORVAIR MUSEUM IS MOVING!
Corvair Society of America Club Office -- 05-Nov-2019
The Corvair Museum, currently located in Decatur, Illinois since its
inception two years ago, is relocating. Operational costs and declining
revenues make the move both a cost saving and location to a more accessible
site feasible.
The museum will close on November 20, 2019, giving us time to move the
collection to the new site on Route 66, south of Springfield, Illinois.
We will reopen the Corvair Museum on December 1, 2019 at our new site at
10041 Palm Road, Glenarm, Illinois. More details will be given within the
next two weeks.
Thanks to all who have visited. As we said when we started the Museum, it
will be ever changing!
MIKE HALL, President
Corvair Preservation Foundation
================================
================================
MAKING CORSA CONVENTIONS APPEAL TO YOUNGER MEMBERS
Allan Lacki via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ] 3 October 2019
During the CORSA Board's October 1 teleconference, Central Division Director
Justin Duplantis said his peers have little interest in attending CORSA
conventions because they are under the impression that the focus is on concours
cars. Most of the people in his age group do not have enough time and income to
build or buy a concours-winning Corvair. They are busy raising families and
paying the bills. They treasure their Corvairs but they are not in a position to
spend large amounts of money to restore them. And often, they don't want to.
They like them just the way they are, patina and all.
Western Division Directors Greg Vargas and Vince Petrie concurred with Justin's
concern. Greg said his CORSA chapter -- South Coast CORSA -- hosts a Corvair
show billed as "Ageless to Anarchy." Publicity for Ageless to Anarchy is geared
toward any and all types ofCorvairs -- even those that need to be "towed-in."
Others on the Boards' call noted that CORSA conventions have several events
aside from the Concours and that a member need not have a flawless original
Corvair to have fun at a CORSA convention. They can enter their Corvairs --
concours or not -- in the autocross, rally, economy run, and car display and do
well. This is a point that needs to be made by CORSA and the host chapters in
their convention publicity.
Your chapter -- even if it is not hosting a CORSA convention, can help get the
message out there!
Allan Lacki
Secretary to the Board
[ redbat01@verizon.net ]
================================
================================
CORSA CHAPTERS & THE FEDERAL IRS
Allan Lacki via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ] 18 November 2016
Here's a long story that may interest those of you who are interested in CORSA
chapter administration.
Hi! I'm Al Lacki from the Lehigh Valley Corvair Club of Pennsylvania. I'm also
one of the four Eastern Division Directors from CORSA. I thought I'd share this
story with you. It concerns the Lehigh Valley club's tax exempt status.
For many years, we kept our money in a no-fee commercial checking account with a
local bank. About a year ago, the bank started to charge fees. We're a small
club and have to watch every penny. So, to avoid the fees, our treasurer closed
the account and went shopping for a new one with a different bank.
As he made the rounds, he found that all the banks now require a federal tax ID
number (EIN) for commercial checking accounts. So, to get one, we had to
establish that we were a commercial entity.
I visited the Pennsylvania Secretary of State's website and began the process. I
soon found out that the officers of our chapter had already incorporated back in
2001, but nobody had thought much about it since then.
The folks at the Pennsylvania Secretary of State office said we needed to update
our Articles of Incorporation anyway to keep our tax-exempt status with the
Commonwealth, so we did it. And then, having established ourselves in good
standing with the State, I applied to the IRS for an EIN. We got one.
At that point, we then were able to open a new checking account with a bank that
doesn't charge fees. But at the same time, we became aware that we'd have to
submit annual tax filings with the federal IRS, even though our Articles of
Incorporation state that we are a non-profit 501(c)(7) social club.
A non-profit social club should be able to file a very short "postcard" filing
with the federal IRS every year (even though we have practically no net-income).
The word "postcard" is actually a misnomer. It's a carry-over from the days when
the IRS accepted a short postcard filing via US Postal snail mail. But now, the
so-called postcard filing is done over the internet on the IRS website. The
official name of the filing is Form 990-N, but there really isn't a paper form.
It's an online transaction.
So, I attempted to test it out for our club's treasurer. I established an
account for myself on the IRS website and logged onto the postcard filing web
page. But the web page wouldn't recognize our new EIN number. So, I could not
complete the tax filing.
After doing considerable research, I found out that I had to call the IRS office
and tell them that we want to be considered a tax-exempt social club. This is
actually consistent with some advice I was given by an IRS agent a year or so
again, back when we began this whole process. But since then, two other IRS
agents told me we'd have to file a multi-page form along with a $400 check to be
considered a tax-exempt social club. I nearly blew my top, but I figured there
had to be a way around this....
Wednesday morning, I spoke to another IRS agent named Mrs. Stevens at
1-877-829-5500. She said she could make it happen over the phone. She asked a
few questions about the Lehigh Valley Corvair Club and I answered them. She
typed the answers into her computer. She said it would take about six weeks (!),
at which time, "we" could do the online "postcard" filing. By "we", I mean any
of the officers of our club.
When Mrs. Steven typed the information into her computer, she included a note to
excuse us for filing late. The due date for filing is the fifteenth day of the
fifth month after our tax-year, which is July 31 for our chapter. That would be
December 15, 2016. Six weeks from Wednesday would be December 29, so at best,
we'd be a couple of weeks late.
So, on or about December 29, I'll log back on to the IRS website and try again.
Allan Lacki
Lehigh Valley Corvair Club Inc.
Eastern Division Director - Corvair Society of America
[ redbat01@verizon.net ]
================================
================================
CORSA Board Adopts New Chapter Plan Procedure. 22-Dec-2016
In the early days of its existence, CORSA published a Chapter Plan Procedure to
provide local Corvair clubs with instructions for obtaining and maintaining
CORSA Chapter status. From time to time, the Chapter Plan Procedure has been
updated.
On November 2, 2016, the CORSA Board voted to approve a new update to the
Chapter Plan Procedure. It seeks to do four things: (1) establish a deadline
for paying the annual $35 chapter administration fee, (2) establish a penalty
for not paying the fee on time, (3) establish a remedy for chapters who pay up
late, and finally (4) provide for a chapter to operate an active online
discussion board in lieu of either newsletters or annual meetings.
In 2014, the CORSA Board voted to replace the previous $3 non-CORSA member fee
with a flat $35 per chartered chapter per year fee. This was announced by
then-President Paul Sergeant in the January 2015 issue of the CORSA Communique.
The $35 fee remains in effect, but a significant number of chapters have not
been paying up. Last year, only 78 out of 122 chapters paid the 2015 fee. And
this year, only 67 have paid so far. It's quite possible that some chapters
have never paid the fee at all, even though payment notices were sent out months
in advance.
It was mainly for this reason that the Board elected to amend the Chapter Plan
Procedure. Effective January 1, 2017, the fee shall be paid no later than
December 31 for the respective calendar year. The December 31 payment deadline
shall be considered one of the requirements for maintaining chapter status.
Failure to meet one or more of the requirements, including but not limited to
payment of the fee, may result in revocation of chapter status until such time
as the failure is cured. Revocation shall become effective upon notice thereof
by the Executive Secretary. In other words, the national office will notify the
local club's point of contact if there is any problem. And we'll continue to
send out notices, asking for payment, far in advance of the December due date.
You may be wondering what a local Corvair club gains by being a chapter of
CORSA. Perhaps the most important benefit is this: CORSA chapters - including
their officers and members - receive free general liability insurance during
their meetings and events. There are some limitations of course. This only
applies to chapters located in the United States and Canada, and wheel-to-wheel
racing events are excluded.
In addition, CORSA hosts chapter websites on its server, free of charge and
without those annoying pop-up ads that appear on websites residing on other
no-cost or low-cost hosting services. If your website is not on the CORSA
server, you should considered putting it there.
There are other benefits, too, such as free advertising of chapter events via
the CORSA Communique, CORSA website and CORSA social media, discounts on chapter
purchases of CORSA merchandise in quantity, the ability to exchange information
and ideas with other chapters through chapters@corvair.org, administrative
guidance in the organization and running of the chapter, and more. CORSA
members can log on to the CORSA website and use our new CORSA Directory web page
to find contact information for all the folks who can make these things happen
for you. Alternatively, you can use the directory that appears in each and
every issue of the CORSA Communique.
As noted above, the new Chapter Plan Procedure also gives chapters the option to
maintain an active online discussion board in lieu of publishing four or more
newsletters per year. (Another option is to hold at least four annual
membership meetings, but each meeting must be attended by 25% of chapter members
so it's seldom used).
A discussion board (known also by various other names such as discussion group,
discussion forum, message board, and online forum) is a general term for any
online "bulletin board" where you can leave and expect to see responses to
messages you have left. For example, it can be a Facebook group, Word Press
site, or any other online medium that enables chapter members to correspond with
each other interactively.
Naturally, we're hoping that any chapter that chooses this option will keep
their discussion board active by including chapter news, meeting announcements,
etc. Proof of existence can be a simple screen shot attached to the chapter's
annual report.
You can find a copy of the new Chapter Plan Procedure and all other CORSA
policies and procedures on the CORSA website. Log on with your user ID and
password and, using the navigation menu, follow this path: Documents, CORSA
Governance, Master Policies & Procedures.
This email has been sent to the chapters using two sources of information: (1)
the Chapter Locator List at www.corvair.org and (2) the chapters@corvair.org
email facility.
Allan Lacki for the CORSA Board of Directors
cc: CORSA Board Members
CORSA Executive Secretary
CORSA Executive Editor
_______________________________________________
Chapters mailing list
Chapters@corvair.org
http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo/chapters
List use help, chapters-help@corvair.org
================================
================================
++++++ SERIES OF CHAPTER EMAIL MESSAGES ++++++++
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: aeroned@aol.com
Date: 2015=May=27 12:01:02 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
I was just wondering about club participation in other chapters. Here in Wichita
we have about 30 dues paying members. Some of these folks, I've never seen in my
15+ years in the club. We regularly get about 10 members at monthly meetings. We
might get that many to participate in a road trip event. We only get about 5 or
less to go to near by events outside our club. It doesn't sound like much, until
you look at the percentage.
I'm wondering how other clubs do? Do you get 30% of your members to show up at
meetings or events? Is 17% a big number to travel to other events?
Do we have a problem or are we just a small club?
Inquiring minds want to know, Ned
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Gary Moore via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: Gary Moore [ hacoanews@gmail.com ]
Date: 2015=May=27 14:47:37 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
HACOA has 72 memberships, 11 are single, 61 are family, so probably 133 members
all together.
Our regular meetings usually have 45-55 members, so we roughly have 30%
participation.
Our June meeting in the park usually has over 60.
There are 3 long term members (twenty or more years) that I have not seen at a
meeting.
We have members from 9 different states. It was ten but the Iowa person did not
renew.
We are currently a 100% CORSA chapter, though that doesn't seem to make a
difference anymore.
As far as participating in events:
We had 14 members at Tacoma last year, I think we were the 3rd or 4th largest
chapter there. (Corvanatics is always the largest). Kalamazoo we had 42,
Sturbridge 8, Denver 44 and Cedar Rapids 48. I think we had 5 at both
Jacksonville and Ventura. Detroit we had over 40. And we usually have a decent
number of people at the Great Plains Corvair Round Up no matter which chapter is
hosting.
Like most chapters we tend to go to conventions that are within a day or two
drive.
Gary Moore -- Heart of America Corvair Owners Association
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Gary Swiatowy; Niagra Falls via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: gswiatowy@rochester.rr.com
Date: 2015=May=27 14:54:19 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Cc: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
You are not alone. My last chapter meeting had 3 members in attendance, 3
officers.
Seems a lot of out other members always have conflicts with other activities. On
occasion we do maybe 10 members at a meeting, but that is the exception. Mostly
we see 5-6 at a meeting out of a membership of 40 or so. Many of us though are
scattered, 3 plus hours away. Some are only members to get the newsletter and we
may never meet them. Age and health issues do not help either. We do have a few
younger members and I hope some day to get more.
This is not unique to corvair clubs either. I have been a member of other Marque
clubs, and general car clubs. Life sometimes gets in the way of things like car
club meetings. And it has been my "experience" with other car clubs that
personality clashes can drive memmbers away, as well as cliques.
Gary Swiatowy
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Bruce Schug via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: Bruce Schug [ bwschug@att.net ]
Date: 2015=May=27 15:26:14 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Our participation varies widely.
We have 49 "members" on the Roster. Most are couples, a few with children, so
this represents, perhaps, 90 people. Some - probably 24 of those - are
out-of-state, in declining health or a distance away. Looking over the roster,
I'd say we have 63 who attend something every year (70%).
We have monthly Dinner Meetings, the second Tuesday of the month. Attendance
varies from about 15 - 30; usually around 24 (17% - 34% - usually 27%).
On weekends, we have Events - a rally, picnic, road trip, Christmas Party, etc.
We probably have 12 - 65 people at these (13% - 72%). Our Christmas Party and
Picnic are up around 60-65 (67-72%). A Tech Session might be 8 - 15 (9% - 17%) -
in a guy's garage. Usually the women come to the Tech Sessions and visit. Some
times it's just the guys.
Over the years, I've found that the easiest-to-do Events that are a good draw
are simple driving events. Meet somewhere, caravan on back roads, perhaps to see
something - a park, waterfall, museum, or just nice scenery, etc., then stop at
a restaurant and eat. Everyone likes to drive and eat.
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: J. R. Read via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: J. R. Read [ hmlinc@sbcglobal.net ]
Date: 2015=May=27 16:45:00 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
CCE has around 190 memberships. Some are single and some are family. My guess
is that around 30% are single. Also included in the 190 are about a dozen
"honorary" (free) memberships. These are folks who contributed greatly to the
founding and growth of the club in the early years. Many of them are now living
several states away, but every so often one of them will show up at a meeting.
We meet at a VFW hall - so we are renting the space. Attendance varies at
meetings, but I don't think I've seen less than 30 there even when the weather
is bad. Most meetings have a theme attached such as parts auction, beauty (car)
contest, sweets auction, movie night, what is it contest, chili cook off, member
appreciation (free pizza), and others that don't come to mind at the moment. We
pretty much fill the room on these "special" nights. I would say 60 to 70 folks
present for those. An average attendance is probably around 50 to 60 over a
years time.
We regularly have attendees from both Wisconsin and Indiana. Some of our
members are also members of other Corvair local clubs.
We do several driving functions outside of the regular meeting dates. There is
a Spring and Fall tour, a parade, car judging for another car club, and more.
The parade and judging events are fund raisers for us. We also do an Orphan Car
Picnic which generates club revenue - however that is coming to an end with this
year's event in August.
Later, JR
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Charley Biddle; Chicagoland Corvairs
Reply-To: clbiddle@comcast.net
Date: 2015=May=27 16:59:49 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
As of May, CCE has 62 Individual memberships, 94 Family memberships and 9
Honorary memberships. We count each Family membership as two people (regardless
of the actual number in the family), so, discounting the Honorary memberships,
we have 250 members. We just concluded our yearly membership renewal process and
23 memberships did not renew. Some of those lost interest, some sold their
Corvairs and a few have gone on to that Great Garage in the Sky. We know that
some of those still around will renew in the next few months.
We get 50-70 at monthly meetings, for a percentage of membership of 20 to 28
percent attendance. The room is initially set up with 50 chairs, but people
usually pull out extra chairs from the stacks in the back or just stand around,
mostly near the bar.
To be fair, we have members who live in many diverse parts of the United State,
most of who used to live in the Chicagoland area, but have moved elsewhere but
kept up their memberships.
We have a core membership of about 30 to 40 who attend everything everywhere,
including rotating service on our board of directors. We have a two-year term
limit on board service, but we get six to ten members on each board election
ballot. We elect five members to the board by general membership ballots, and
after election, the elected board members determine who serves as President,
Secretary, Treasurer and so forth.
I've been in this chapter since before there was CORSA to be chapters of, and we
have members who have been in this club even longer than me. I have served five
terms on the board and I have been the newsletter editor for 12 years. We have
one member whose claim to fame is that she missed the first meeting of this
club, back in August, 1968. She has missed occasional meetings since then, but
she is still around.
We are now getting grown children of current members getting Corvairs and
joining the club. We are also getting new members who have had Corvairs for a
while but never found us until now. Our membership numbers have been holding
pretty steady for many years now.
--- Charley Biddle, Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Bryan BLACKWELL via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: Bryan BLACKWELL [ bryan@skiblack.com ]
Date: 2015=May=27 18:27:34 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Offhand it sounds like you're doing ok. Our club has about 35 members (we don't
break out family/individual) and we get generally 8 to 10 at a meeting. We see a
half dozen or so at events within a day's drive.
I found over the years that no matter what sort of meeting you have, there are
some people who won't come to the "normal" meeting. I've had some luck by adding
other local events - we go to a local show and have a little picnic. The show is
part of a larger festival in Manassas, so that is some draw. Doing something on
a weeknight instead of the weekend, or vice versa, can help. Doing things with
neighboring clubs can be a draw as well, seeing new faces is a plus. At the very
least if they bring 5 and we bring 5, ten is a better crowd :-)
With the state of most car clubs being somewhat smaller, it seems around here
that other clubs are much happier to have us come as a group to their events.
Some of that I think is the wearing off of the "Nader effect", and some of it is
they have trouble getting people too.
--Bryan
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: aeroned@aol.com
Date: 2015=May=27 22:26:19 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
> We are currently a 100% CORSA chapter, though that
> doesn't seem to make a difference anymore.
What do you mean by that?
You guys always travel well. I remember talking to a guy at the Roundup
one year and saying, don't bother trying to keep up with the KC club.
Ned
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: aeroned@aol.com
Date: 2015=May=27 22:30:02 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
I asked one of our younger members why he doesn't do more stuff with us.
He said that we're all old. He hangs with his friends in a multi car club.
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Date: 2015=May=27 22:37:12 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
Reply-To: aeroned@aol.com
I've planned a few road trips this year. In the past the "event chair" would try
to find a day that everyone could go. That day never happened, so we didn't do
anything. I changed to the "we're going on this day and hope you can join us"
tact. Finding a good Corvair road in Kansas is a bit challenging. Good food and
an interesting destination always helps.
Ned
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: aeroned@aol.com
Date: 2015=May=27 23:06:58 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
Thank you everyone for the replies. It seems our club's participation isn't much
different from other clubs.
To come clean, we had a "new" member show up at a recent meeting saying the club
had to change. He wanted us to do more things, different things than what we've
been doing. Of course he hasn't participated in most of those events. We offered
to "let" him plan an event but of course that was too much for him to do. He
just wanted others to do everything he wanted. That is when he lost me.
Our monthly meeting begins with an unofficial dinner social. We then move to a
local community center. It's a nice room in a nice building with its own
parking lot that we get for free. Sounds perfect for a car club, IMO. We meet on
Saturday night. That has always been a concern of mine. Do we lose attendance
because it's "date night?" Every time I suggest changing the night to a week
night, it's overwhelmingly turned down. Of course that's by the folks that are
there on a Saturday night.
On the plus side we have our Tunas, three times a year. These events are very
successful and regionally (nationally?) famous. The success is 99.9% due to the
hospitality of our host, Terry Kalp. The other 0.1% is the food, that's not an
insult of the food.
I'm going to continue to work to make our club the best car club it can be. I
will try my best to welcome new members into our club and not present them with
a clique look. If I find any secrets on attracting new, younger members, I'll
let you all know.
Ned
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Charley Biddle;Chicagoland Corvairs via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: clbiddle@comcast.net
Date: 2015=May=27 23:06:56 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Cc: chapters@corvair.org
In CCE we've had a similar problem in previous years. Never could decide on
where or when for our tours. The decided-upon date usually was past by the time
we decided on a date. The Spring Tour happened in mid Summer or was simply slid
into Fall.
This year our board simply declared in January that our Spring Tour will be on
May 31 and our Fall Tour will be September 27. We have no idea where we will be
going, what we will do when we get there or who's going to organize them, BUT
THESE ARE THE DATES. Period. No argument.
Believe it or not, we actually figured out what to do on May 31 and where to go.
Magic. Even coordinating with two CORSA chapters in southern Wisconsin.
For the Fall tour, we will be going to the State of Illinois Secretary of State
Car Show (a number of CORSA members in that area happen to have a hand in that
event (Prairie Capitol Corvair Association)). It will be an overnight tour and
the date was moved up to September 12 (because that's when the show happens).
Decision final. Sign up or stay home. Funny --- nobody is complaining. Lots of
members are interested.
Much easier than asking members for a consensus.
--- Charley Biddle, Chicagoland Corvair Enthusiasts
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Bryan BLACKWELL via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: Bryan BLACKWELL [ bryan@skiblack.com ]
Date: 2015=May=28 11:53:02 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Just a couple of thoughts/comments that may help. One reason to do some
different things isn't that there's anything wrong with what's currently
happening. It's just to get a bit of "freshness" if you will. If nothing else,
it may help you, and there's nothing wrong with doing something a little
different just because it's good for Ned (or whoever the club officer or regular
attendee might be).
On May 28, 2015, at 1:06 AM, Ned Madsen via Chapters wrote:
> To come clean, we had a "new" member show up at a recent meeting saying the
Yeah, I totally get your point. I would say that if anything of those things
sound like fun to you, then it might be worth a try (see above rationale).
> Our monthly meeting begins with an unofficial dinner social. We then move to a
I'd say the Tunas are nationally famous! It does help that you guys spread the
word, and that's good for everyone to see what works.
One other thought on "events" and the "younger crowd". In many cases young
folks do much lower key get togethers, just go hang out somewhere and talk cars,
maybe with a drive before or after. Around here they call them "meetups".
Facebook is an easy tool to use for setting these up - check the weather
forecast for tomorrow or the next day, pick a spot, and go! Have dessert or
stop at a brewery, not a full meal. Maybe a fun drive to/from. We've been
experimenting with that, with some success. Don't expect too much, but we've
gotten a couple folks who couldn't make anything else to come. Great for a
weeknight!
--Bryan
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Ned Madsen via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: aeroned@aol.com
Date: 2015=May=28 13:20:59 MDT
To: chapters@corvair.org
Please don't misunderstand, I'm not against doing anything different. Doing
something is different than doing nothing.
I just think if you have an idea, "We should do..." you should be prepared to
carry out that idea. You shouldn't just come up with an idea and expect others
to carry it out. Now if you need help getting things done, that's different.
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Bryan BLACKWELL via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: Bryan BLACKWELL [ bryan@skiblack.com ]
Date: 2015=May=28 13:55:03 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Yes, I didn't mean to come across that way. I dislike "We should do..." as
well, but sometimes I tuck those ideas away for later. I agree completely, my
response is usually "sounds great, let me know when it's set up" :-)
--Bryan
++++++++++++ MEMBER PARTICIPATION ++++++++++++++
Subject: Re: [ CORSA Chapters ] Member participation
From: Red Badgett via Chapters [ chapters@corvair.org ]
Reply-To: Red Badgett [ redbadgett@aol.com ]
Date: 2015=Jun=01 18:04:43 MDT
To: aeroned@aol.com
Ned, I don't think your club is off the norm, and it seems some where winters
are rough actually have greater member activity than some of us fair weather
clubs. Here in the San Diego Corvair where we have about 100 members (30 some
Family, 40+ Singles and a couple of Subcribers - newsletter only) meetings run
between 15 - 25 persons. I wish we could get 30%, but then we'd have to find a
meeting venue to support that.
I've read some of your replies from other clubs and a lot holds true here in San
Diego.
We only have a few original members from 1973 (but that's 42 years ago). The
club is down from the original 250, and once fell to about 80. We have climbed
back up to the present 100 with a mix of OFs like me joining and some younger
folks thrown in. We've been somewhat lucky in that some members who have for
various reasons moved out-of-state still remain voting members (a couple have
elected to be Subscribers). Many no longer own a Corvair.
I would say that I've met maybe half to three quarters of our members in my 15
years in the club. I think those absentee members are actually a great support
to the club ~ they COULD be just subscribers.
Because of the ages and or work schedules our events don't fare too well,
either. We often get more members than Corvairs.
I think the greatest member turnout is at our newest event in Rainbow CA, which
is more a gathering than show.
The Great Western Fan Belt Toss in Palm Springs (a rotating host event between
four clubs) brings about an equal number of members out.
We do try to attend other area clubs' car shows, sometimes as one of our events.
Those numbers skew the event data, but what the heck, it's driving and looking
our favorite marque.
Keep on truckin' and getting the kids interested. Even a few folks enjoying the
Corvair is worth it.
Red Badgett
Secretary, SDCC
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
=END=