<VV> CORSA finances and Dues

[Bruce Schug]

On Dec 4, 2009, at 11:44 AM, Bryan Blackwell wrote:

> I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this:
>
> There are *two* people who are paid to work for the management
> company.  There are some other direct expenses - for example, CORSA
> pays most of the Internet connection for the server ($850/year).  The
> CORSA budget is published every year, BTW.
>
> *Everything* else is done by volunteers.  I'm not paid *anything* for
> my time.  Neither is anyone else on VV-help.  None of the Directors
> are paid.  None of the Committee Chairs are paid.  Nobody.  There's
> also no significant revenue stream other than dues - and there have
> been several tries to get advertising, among other things.

*SNIP*

Good comments, Bryan.

I don't really know much about advertising but I find it hard to  
believe that companies won't pay to advertise in the Communique or on  
the CORSA web site or something. Sure, there are only 4,600 members,  
so the rates should reflect that. We have small businesses pay $100 or  
so to advertise in the community newsletter for our subdivision of  
about 500 homes.

There must be someone in CORSA with knowledge of this field.

So, CORSA pays $850 for this service and gives it away?

Doesn't it make sense to either make these mail lists available only  
with CORSA membership or to charge separately for them? Someone else  
mentioned a free 30-day VV or FV membership, then you're hooked and  
you send your check in. Who, that regularly participates in VV or FV  
wouldn't pay, perhaps, an additional $30/year for them? The money to  
support all this has to come from somewhere, either ad dollars or  
membership dollars. No smoke and mirrors here.

Bryan, you're right. CORSA must either cut expenses, and there's not  
much left to cut, or increase income. Many have said that CORSA must  
give them more value. When CORSA lists the value it gives, it doesn't  
list VV or FV, does it? Isn't it time to stop giving it away?

I wonder how many of the complainers ever buy tickets to the theatre,  
a concert or a play - pretty hard to do these days for less than  
$35-60 and up. Do they ever go to a race, my one day ticket to the  
Mitty last Spring cost $25 and that's an amateur event. Do they go out  
to dinner at all? Do they buy groceries or pay doctor bills or fill  
the tanks in their cars? How much do they pay each time they place an  
order for a few parts with their favorite Corvair vendor? Don't they  
understand how little money buys these days?

INTERESTING FACT:

In Preliminary Newsletter #3, no date, but references to 4-1-1970  
CORSA dues had been set effective July 1, 1970 as follows:
Charter Members:	$6 annually
Regular Members:	$6 annually
Family Members:		$1 extra annually for all
Life Members:		$100 single fee
Honorary Membership: no charge

According to my favorite inflation calculator: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ 
  the $6 that CORSA dues were in 1970 equals $32.92 in 2008 dollars.  
The $1 extra for a family membership would bring this to $38.40.

And what did you not get in 1970 that you get now???

A glossy color Communique magazine instead of a black and white  
newsletter.
A web site.
Insurance which not only covers you but allows you to have events that  
you couldn't afford to have on your own.
Availability of the Tech Guide.
Availability of the membership roster.
Availability of CORSA merchandise.
Free e-mail lists - VV, FV, Stock, etc.

What am I missing?

You may argue that not all of these are free or done by CORSA but if  
there was no CORSA do you think they'd exist?

PART of the problem is that, I believe, as we age, we get set in our  
ways and can't handle change as well as we used to. This includes  
prices we must pay for things. That's why we complain about the cost  
of everything, "Why, I used to go to the movies for a quarter, not  
they want seven dollars!". CORSA dues are no different. Because of our  
demographics, many of us still think we should get all the benefits of  
CORSA for $6.

Time to wake up folks. It's almost 2010.


Bruce

Bruce W. Schug
Treasurer, Membership Chairman
CORSA South Carolina
CORSA member since 1980
Performance Corvair Group
Stock Corvair Group
VirtualVairs
FastVairs
'67 Monza, "67AC140"
bwschug at att.net