Suggestions for the DSCC ??? Long but needed.

[Engineer Ed]

Fello DSCC Members,

It's obvious that some things in the DSCC may need to change this year.
Most significantly, do we hold together as a large group, or split into separate states? I am all for remaining together, but how do we improve on what we have?
Do we continue to have a single club president and area (State) coordinators for FL, GA, AL…etc?
But if we remain this big, how do we host annual meetings?
Does each state conduct its own annual meeting and then the state representatives meet to discuss club business?
What do we do to promote the club and provide “fun” things for its members?
I.e., the “Reptile Roundup”, Cobra Dan’s bar-b-que, Willis 100, Frank and Sons bash, etc…

Suggestions are needed so we can put it to a vote this weekend.
I know I'm rather late in starting this topic and we may just vote to have a forum participation poll to be held in a week or so.

Elections will also be conducted this weekend and we would like your input if you are unable to make the meeting.
Perhaps Dan can post the names of those nominated for office.

Dues:
Some of us feel like they are necessary to conduct club business.
Postage is not free and it may be the only means of contacting some of our members.
Also, too many of our members fail to notify the club if their contact information changes. If your contact info needs correction, please contact Ruble or the DSCC secretary. (I don’t foresee a change; Ruble has done an excellent job).
I feel dues are also needed to reserve and prepare for the Annual meeting.
Dan, how much of your own cash have you put into the meeting?
I know the fact that instilling dues may cause some members to leave, but seriously, how many "ACTIVE" members to we have at this point anyway?
Those people who are active (and the ones I've talked to) all have agreed to the fact that dues (in the $20-$25 range) wouldnt kill anyone.
This money would need to be accountable for and financial information available for every member.
This money will be used to send mailings about comapny events, deposits for meetings, etc.

This is a big step and needs to be discussed by all the members.
Additionally, perhaps having a "financial" interest in the club might make some members commit a bit more time and effort into the club (if they are paying to be a member). Paying for part of the Annual meeting in advance will definitely make planning much easier. These days, deposits are needed for almost everything.
T-shirt money, trophies, etc…..
If it weren’t for Enzo and Paula, we wouldn’t have door prizes either.

Gainesville and other track events promoted by the DSCC can include a membership fee if you are not a DSCC member to participate. I just attended the SVTOA Sebring event and had to pay an additional $30 to become a SVTOA member just to attend their school.
The same should hold true for Gainesville. I believe since our club promotes it, therefore it should benefit from it.
The “racing” group would like to purchase tents, timers and other materials to improve the events.
T-shirt sales and bake sales are not generating enough money to promote this club.

I / we need your thoughts and ideas so we can bring them up at the meeting on Saturday.
Please make your voice heard.
Again, we hope to see you at the meeting, but if you cannot attend, we would like to at least hear from you.

Ed
FFR1997K

[CobraDan]

http://www.jerryscobras.net/Join_Us/join_us.html
On our club website we have listed state representatives for all 8 states except for Mississippi and Tennessee. Some of these names should be changed and others are doing things all the time in their own state. If we had a Vice President, at least one from each of the eight states they would be in charge of their state activities for the year and would be responsible to get their group together for the once a year annual meeting. The meeting destination would be decided on by the officers of our club. The officers we have right now are Dan Wulff President, Keith McFarland Vice President, and Ruble Moore Sec. Treas. I will not be running for President for the following term and at our annual meeting will sponsor Ed Kamptner as our next President. Keith McFarland, because of his new arrival a son will not be able to attend but has sent in a letter that he would accept the nomination for Vice President for the up coming term. I will let Ruble speak for himself as he will be at our meeting Saturday evening at the Hospitality Room of the Holiday Inn. The meeting should be able to start at around 8pm after we all go out to a local retaurant for dinner after our day at Silver Springs. I will have pop (soda), beer and chips for anyone joining us. After we discuss this problem at our meeting we will bring it back to the net to fill everyone in and also add their opinions.
Dan

[Johan]

I say make the events the attraction and let them speak for them selves.
What CobraDan wants to do with his car, and what I want to do with mine are at the opposite ends of the spectrum (no offense Dan,you waxer).
When people agreed to join the DSCC , they were only agreeing to participate on the forum, and it is always going to be only a portion of the membership that wishes to participate in any given activity. The meeting place of the DSCC is this forum, not an amusement park , or racetrack, not even the hospitality suite at the Holiday Inn.
It is a mistake to judge the success of any given event by the percentage of DSCC members that attend. A better indicator of success would be how much fun was had by those that actually attended, and leave it at that.
Dues will drive away the members that only participate on the forum, and do not wish to participate in person. What will they be getting for their money ?
The members that don't come to the racetrack still provide interesting input, funny stories, unique perspective to the forum, and we want them as members. So too for the members that
only sit in a parking lot and stare at a parked Cobra when it is broken, hating every minute of it.
The most active members of the DSCC are those with the most posts, and may not even have a Cobra (TC ?), or FINALLY got a Cobra (E_guru ?), or a total idiot (Spydee ?).

[CobraDan]

Johan has a lot of valid insight to what our club is right now. I'm interested in everyones input to why we can't race locally and still get together once a year someplace. At our first meeting we had 10 Cobras and 28 people. Jerry Rowley and Joe Smith started the club and thought it was time to meet and organize. Jerry Rowly brought his newly equipped hard-topped Unique Cobra and boy did he need that top. Joe never made it because of the rain. At the second meeting in McDonough GA. we had about 60 Cobras and over 100 people show and it rained all weekend and stopped finally on Sunday but everyone had all ready left for home. I was really waiting to meet everyone including Johan and did. Why is DVSFIII growing each year? As far as our club on the internet it has also seen less and less people posting. Of the 345 members on our membership list we have about 35 listed as enthusiasts only, but many are in the process of be coming Cobra owners. Terry Lee just picked up his Cobra back in February and has been with the DSCC for ever race in Florida since.
Dan

P.S. Johan I don't wax Cobras

[DaveH]

I'll be unable to attend the Annual Meeting but throw in my 2 cents.

I don't think that there are many (if any) that can afford to drive a Cobra or attend our events that would be driven away by a $20 annual dues. Granted there are those that are still working towards their dream car that may not be able to afford this, but would still be welcome forum members, get the word about DSCC events, and be welcome to attend those events. The forum membership should be kept open to anyone that wishes to participate.

In my mind the DSCC is more than the forum. Being a regional organization is important when it comes to physically getting together... if we're a forum only organization it doesn't matter much whether we're all in the Deep South or spread across the country.

I would argue against the club spending alot on items that would be "club property". Being spread across such a large region, and with potential changes in officer's throughout the region keeping track of the physical locations of these things would likely become problematic after a few years. I would recommend putting out the call to the members for items we need first. It seems the members came through with flags and radios for the Gainesville event. Small (physically) items like timers and radios may be useful to purchase to ease the organizers anxiety levels just before the event though.

Ed: regarding tents, I have two 10x20 tents (sunshades) in my hangar at the airport about 4 miles from the track in Gainesville that the club is welcome to use. They could be used at other events as well, although transportation may be an issues since they're a bit long to fit in the trunk of my Cobra

[Engineer Ed]

Johan,
I agree with you on some points, but the DSCC has members that do not frequent this forum or even have a computer.
As members, they have the right to be notified of club events and meetings. So, how do we pay for the alternative method of notifying them of events and happenings?
This is the reason I brought up the idea of dues.
I myself paid for all the mailings that went out about the Reptile Roundup, phone calls to damn near every member, Gainesville info packets... etc.
I did not do this for myself, but for the members of the club.
Why should we bother spending hours and hours of our time?
Because I enjoy meeting all of you and enjoying these cars.
Waxers, racers, I dont care who you are. Helping with builds, meeting for pizza, remembering an old friend, the list goes on.
The club and it's "active" members are the best part of owning a Cobra. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

An annual meeting is a way to say thank you to the members, meet some new friends and plan events for the coming year!
If we had "some" money in a treasury, it would make the event more interresting, easier to plan and all around better for everyone. Shirts could be ordered, plaques, banquet halls reserved.... ydo you see where I'm going with this?

I propose a small fee for dues (let's start at $20.00) and see how that goes.
The money will be used for the annual meeting, mailings and if enough $ is leftover, Club T-shirts, possibly a news letter, etc.
Also, for the guys who race their cars, insurance has become an issue. I know not all of us race and therefore should not shoulder the responsibility of paying for the insurance. BUT, we are cautious about not having a general liabilty insurance policy for our gatherings.

So, as "DSCC members", we need to vote on whether or not dues are needed and warranted.
Believe me, I prefer to keep my money and spend it on other things, but if we are to have a club, it needs money to conduct business.
A forum is just that, a forum.
Anyone can join this forum provided they obey the rules.

I guess what I'm trying to say is.."Is this club not worth investing $20.00 a year? After all, it's going towards helping a club whose main purpose is to promote comraderie and assemble events that bring it's members together (at a minimum of once a year).
If you think we can come up with another idea to attract funding for the club without dues, I am open to ideas.
FWIW, the "Racing" crowd has generated the most revenue for the DSCC that any other means we have had.
It has yet to be used for anything.

Just my .02 worth.

Ed
FFR1997K

[Gatorac]

Before you come up with a proposed dues, you need to have a budget. Remeber the club is incorporated. Sit down and figure out what expenses the club is likely to incur in the coming year. Once that is done you'll have to estimate the number of members that will be willing to still be members if dues are required. Only then can you come up with the amount. The budget will need to be approved by the members. Usually that would happen at an annual meeting. You may find that the dues will be far less or more than your estimate of $20.

Here are some expenses we may need to consider.
1. postage for mailings. How often? For events only or do we send out general information mailings?
2. Printing of information that will be mailed.
3. annual meeting. Some of the preperation and costs of this meeting should be covered by dues.
4. Insurance?
5.Coporate filing fees.

An internet only form of comunication with the members may be required if no dues are collected. PDF or word documents can be emailed or downloaded easily. Folks can send in thier entry form on thier own dime. Do many members who are not contacted via internet participate in the club?

If a member never participates in any club activity, is he truly a member? Should the club or it's officers incur an espense to constantly try to contact that member?


I agree that the club owning assets could become a problem since the club area is so large. Who would store them? How would they be transported to events in other states or areas? At this point I don't think we are ready to answer those questions.

Just a couple of thoughts...

[CobraDan]

Jim,
I'm glad you are coming to our meeting because a lot of your questions will and should be discussed.

http://www.jerryscobras.net/incorp.htm

Jerry Rowley our past President had our club incorperated in Alabama and it is posted on our web site for those that would like to read about it. I also checked into liability insurance for our club and will have that info with me but you won't like the results.
See you on Saturday.
Dan

[Joe Smith]

I'm all for dues. As a regional rep
for the DSCC since day one, I can tell you that many of us have spent a fair amount of personal funds to make this thing fly.
In my opinion, that simply isn't right. I
have (and will continue to do so) be
ready, willing, and able, to donate my time to help with any DSCC activity that
I can attend. But we can't do it totally
without YOUR help, folks. There are deposits, fees, insurance, and a host of
things that are often required in advance
for an event. I know that Dan, Ed, Jerry,
and myself, had all "bellied up to the
deposit bar" for previous fees. It' s a
scary feeling, especially if your fellow
team mates leave you holding the bag if
an event doesn't play out.
We're all adults here. I also think that
adults realize that money makes things
work. Let's ALL help make it work.

My 2 centavos

[Bumpster]

My take on a few of the points we are discussing:

1) I'm o.k. with the idea of dues. I pay dues to belong to SAAC and I contribute to Brent for Club Cobra. No problem.

2) I believe the idea of breaking the DSCC down into state clubs is inevitable. I don't want it to happen unless it is for the improvement of the club as a whole, however.

3) This is related to #2. One of the prevailing reasons for members not attending our third meeting, or any other event, is the distance to travel and the time and expense to do so. If the DSCC continues to try to cover such a large geographical territory, this will always be an unsolvable problem.

Bumpster

[excelguru]

Man, there are so many good comments here. I guess I should include my 2 cents.

Dues are necessary

I know first hand what Dan and others have gone through to organize this event. As was stated earlier, I organized last year's event. I must say that I paid a good bit of expenses from my pocket. And then you have deposits for things like banquet halls. Last year we almost lost a BIG wad of money on that one, but managed to get enough people signed up in the last 4 hours before the dinner. Southern Automotive spent a lot of money from their own pockets as well. Jerry spent money from his pocket. And on and on...

Some amount of dues are necessary. The earlier statement regarding the creation of a budget is a very good one and should be followed.

One VP per state

Let's face it, I can't do much good locally for the fine folks in Mississippi from way over here in SC. I would certainly endorse the idea of electing local VP's.

What do other clubs do?

There's nothing wrong with stealing a good idea (Bill Gates did it and look where he is). How do some of the other large clubs resolve issues like ours? How about the Texas Club? They're about as big as all of us put together (almost). Perhaps we could pick their brains for some ideas?

Good job, Dan. Thank you.

If you've never organized an event like the annual DSCC meeting, you could not begin to imagine what a headache it is. Dan deserves a lot of heart-felt gratitude for his efforts. I know first hand that it is a trying and difficult task. Thanks Dan. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Keith

[Spyderman]

There's really only 40 or so of us that are even close to being regulars. SO is that 800 bucks at 20 each? Man you would need about 10 grand in the kitty to do the insurance route, have enough to buy timing gear for the racers, personal grooming devices for the waxers, and still have 1000 left over so you don't look broke, and I'm sure I was light on the insurance premium if they knew about our little hobby cars.
Let's start another club as a front, like the Thouroghbred dog club, take pictures of dogs ansd stuff , talk about dogs, maybe even get some new members, but spend the dues on racing !

[Engineer Ed]

Thank you all for being such good sports on this and the "other" topic.

The DSCC is a rather large group (Registry) of Cobra owners and very few active members.
For the most part, our active members have been the ones who race their cars. The PBFFROG group get together at times for car shows and auto-x's.
I have nothing bad to say to those of you who prefer to wax and drive your cars just for cruising. It's your car and you enjoy iy how you like. I prefer to beat the hell out of mine and hopefully not have to buy many parts. She is purpose built and personally I get more enjoyment passing Jim Pomroy on the track...

We are however a group of guys who joined a "group" and hopefully want a chance to meet other members and share good times.
So, how can we do this if that is our intention?
Other than a multi-state convoy/poker run, I see no other means to meet all it's members. (That would be cool!)

Now Dues!
I am for them solely to make event planning easier for the host.
Like the posts above have stated, we should not have to dig into our pockets and eventually lose our shirts for the club.
I was able to get some sponsorship for the "Reptile Roundup" and I am very glad I did. I would have lost my shirt.
Thanks also to the Ritters for the money they put out for the T-shirts. They also lost out due to the weather.

anyway guys, we will discuss this at the annual meeting, try and come up with a budget, and propose changes to the forum as soon as we can.

Ed
FFR1997K

[Mike I]

Spyderman,
I really like your idea about the fake dog club, but I fear it would only degenerate into a pissing contest between the groomers and the obstacle course guys.....oh, and then there's the whole "my dog's crank is bigger'n yours" thing....

Mike

Ed, emphatic Yes to dues.....!! Those that wish to support the events may ante up, those that don't wish to, shouldn't have to.

[67Cobra]

I'm OK with paying dues, but the "Deep South" is too big. Living in north Alabama I'm actually closer to Columbus than Silver Springs. And the family atmosphere isn't a big attraction to me. Either it's a Cobra event that I can take the Cobra to, or it's a family event. But the Cobra can't carry the whole family.

I drove my Cobra 500 miles up to the DVSF II last year, and hope to make it again this year. But 2 long weekend trips so close together are tough. Plus I'm planning on going to the SAAC at Nashville and the Hot Rod Power from Nashville to Memphis. Not being critical, but from my perspective the DSCC seems more like a Florida Cobra Club.

[jerry rowley]

Ed, Dan, Joe and all,

This started as a strictly, "pay-as-you-go" club, and as the official "incorporator", I would like to see it stay that way. I doubt if we have 100 "real live members", even if 335 said, "yeah, sign me up". But, for the OVER 100 in the past three years that have participated in our events, we have had a good time and DO HAVE a treasury balance around $1500 (or more). This came from the last year's meeting in McDonough, GA and from the "racers" going to our Gainsville events. There is no reason that anyone with honest expenses can not be reimbursed from the funds we now have. I believe that at least two officers should approve these expendatures (there four officers, BTW, as the Past President is also an officer according to the bylaws).

I do think we could have a Vice-President elected from each state. They could serve as a "board of directors" in addition to the four national officers, and could be one of the approvers of an expendature. I also believe we could hold an election meeting electronically (on-line) if necessary, since we all have to log-in to post.

I do not see mailings to members (very expensive with poor return, traditionaly). I would only do this for a vote to disband the club if it came to that. This started here on Club Cobra, and that is good enough for me. If people want to be in the club and don't have access to a computer, sorry Charlie, only the BEST tuna get to be Star Kissed!

It's YOUR club, and I am just ONE member. Unfortunately, I can not make it this weekend, wish I could. Y'all decide what you want to do. But, if we are going to make a BIG change, it should be put to a vote on this forum after one months posting notice for a vote.

I nominated Engineer Ed for president in a email to Dan and hereby endorse him as our next President!

That's my .02

[Gatorac]

The only reason the club "feels" like a Florida club is because the Florida group is more active in putting on events and attending them. Last years meeting was in Georgia. Many Florida members, as well as other states, made the drive to attend. Members from other states are welcome to have events. Be it track events, show events or just BS events. Members of the group cannot expect that things in thier area are just going to happen. It takes work. Step up to the plate.

I understand if folks have other events that they would rather attend. You have to have priorities. I attend the DSCC sponsered track events and I feel a duty to attend the annual meeting and support our club.

Jerry has a valid point. There is money in the treasury already. Let's think about using it to cover some club expenses.

Perhaps club business is best discussed on the net were all can attend at thier convenience. When we add dues we add more work for the secretary/treasurer. Who wants to keep track of who paid, who didn't pay....blah blah blah.

Regional events should be orginized by regional representitives. The "Reptile Roundup" is an excellent example. I'm sure EE would gladly give advice to anyone considering organizing such and event. I believe the Reptile Roundup would probably have existed with or without the DSCC. The club was a list of folks that may be interested in such an event.

Rather than dues, perhaps a T-shirt design could be made each year. The members could order the shirts before they were produced so overstocks could be avoided.

Just some ramblings. I'll drink another beer and see if anything elses comes up...

[ToyCollector]

MikeI,

I don't think I ever met you, but I like yah!! A man who understands "dog" humor and Spyderman humor (that one takes work--but he makes sure his chicks thank you for it )

I just got back from 4 days of biz travel, where I was happy to have time to take a leak and a crap, and that was all the time I had. Morning til bedtime biz BS. Arrive to hit CC only to be greeted by another DEAD fella who thinks the public streets are a racetrack. Should we thank him now for the publicity?? I am replying to this thread having speadread it so sorry if I do not highlight prior posts (if I was actually smart, i'd wait til tomorrow am for further comment, which I will do). I am beat.

[ToyCollector]

This thread is located at:
<I Just Got 200 Raffle Tickets For Dvsf>

While I have your attention. did you see this regarding ComputerWorks buying a bunch of tickets.

Need some direction on this one:

"CW, not sure what DSCC's plans are, but I will await the leadership's input. If we do not hear anything within a week, I will step up and take ownership for our allotment of what I ASSume are 10 tickets (hope you bought the "lucky" numbers!).


__________________
No CSX envy here :-)



Report this post to a moderator | IP: 64.238.102.164

05-06-2003 02:10 PM "

[Gatorac]

Originally posted by Johan


I say make the events the attraction and let them speak for them selves.
What CobraDan wants to do with his car, and what I want to do with mine are at the opposite ends of the spectrum (no offense Dan,you waxer).
When people agreed to join the DSCC , they were only agreeing to participate on the forum, and it is always going to be only a portion of the membership that wishes to participate in any given activity. The meeting place of the DSCC is this forum, not an amusement park , or racetrack, not even the hospitality suite at the Holiday Inn.
It is a mistake to judge the success of any given event by the percentage of DSCC members that attend. A better indicator of success would be how much fun was had by those that actually attended, and leave it at that.
Dues will drive away the members that only participate on the forum, and do not wish to participate in person. What will they be getting for their money ?
The members that don't come to the racetrack still provide interesting input, funny stories, unique perspective to the forum, and we want them as members. So too for the members that
only sit in a parking lot and stare at a parked Cobra when it is broken, hating every minute of it.
The most active members of the DSCC are those with the most posts, and may not even have a Cobra (TC ?), or FINALLY got a Cobra (E_guru ?), or a total idiot (Spydee ?).

I agree but, I'm sure you of all people would understand the difficulty of planning an event an not knowing what kind of turnout to expect. The officers and volunteers that are setting these events up have to invest much of thier own money. When there is poor participation, those people end up holding the bag. I think that is the main frustration right now.

If the club had some funds available for deposits and other expenses for events it would take the heat off of the volunteers setting the event up. We should discuss all methods of raising funds for the DSCC. Any ideas guys.

Here's a few.

Sell t-shirts every year. The shirts won't be ordered untill all members who want one have thier money in.

Donations.

Cooparate sponsers. (more turnout will be necesary.)

Bank robbery.