<VV> Just me Complainin'

[Tim Verthein]

I don't post much, cause I don't always have a lot to say, and my car continues to run fine so I don't need much advice, and I'm not smart enough to tell most of you how to fix anything.  But...

I was over in the Corvair Center Phorum complaining about CORSA stuff, and I'm going to share my posts over here just because, maybe I have some valid points.... maybe not.  But it more and more seems like the way of CORSA is going the way of the government.... more and more complicated... with less and less control over expenses....

The thread started with comments about this months magazine, which led me to reading it, which led me to thinking about things, especially after reading the financials and looking over the ballot.... my posts:

Alls I can say is.....

I just wrote out my check to renew for another year. $45.00 makes CORSA the most expensive organization I belong to, and I belong to a lot of groups. This will probably be my last year to renew, as I can talk with plenty of Corvair people without belonging, and shop plenty of vendors, and access plenty of forums without being in the organization. It is by far the least value for the money of any of the groups I belong to. I renewed this year as I will be participating in the convention, but probably won't be again as it will be many years before it's anywhere near me again. I don't always enjoy or have the time/money for a 3000-4000 mile road trip.

I'm certainly no expert when it comes to financial statements, but from what I take away from the wrap up printed in the magazine, we're spending 50,000 for "management" every year, 129.000 for the magazine, and that amazing, valuable, can't live without insurance that is touted as one of the most important benefits of being a member, is costing under 7,000. None of those numbers are impressing me too much.

The Communique should be a quarterly, be 50-70 pages and be all feature articles, photos, display ads, show reviews, tech info. All the club news, monthly minutes, classifieds, etc.. things of a more "immediate" nature should be on the web page.

Tim in Bovey

The more I read it, the more I don't like it 

Bob - I just read that display rates have been reduced with the April issue. The notes in the minutes confuse me... they're going back to the APril 2009 rates + 15%? So, how much did they go up before the back to 4/09 + 15 plan? why does this all have to be so confusing?

just wait till the three tier membership kicks in (or some variant) imagine the trouble in keeping track of who is what tier, what magazine, or e-bulletin, or email they get, which chapter they may be a member of and what percentage that chapter has to contribute to the club insurance and will different membership levels have different ad rates? Can a lower class member post an ad on the web site? Pretty soon it's going to be like filing out tax returns. Maybe CORSA can have Intuit publish some membership software so we can keep track of it all? Of course, we could each have a special members version of the software -- but only if we're top level members -- the others get a scratch pad.

Looking over that accounting review (2008 since apparently that's the most recent available) that amazing insurance that's such a great benefit to us all... amounts to 2.93 percent of CORSA's expenses. So why is it that everyone has to scream and whine about how the non CORSA chapter members are taking advantage of us by having coverage? It's a miniscule piece of the overall pie... and I'm betting that were anything to happen to one of us in conjunction with a chapter event, CORSA insurance doesn't kick in until our own personal auto insurance has had a shot at covering it -- and it covers costs beyond what our own coverage covers. Methinks that since this insurance is such a wonderful thing -- that the general provisions of the policy should be provided to we the members, so we see what we're getting. Kind of like how your own health insurance doesn't kick in until they're damn sure that any injury didn't happen at work or involve a car.

Then there's talk about trying to get 100% chapter member membership-- again. Varying levels of membership, tiers, forcing people to join.. etc.. etc.. Here's an idea -- try to make CORSA something people WANT to join so you don't have to try to FORCE them to join!

We've got a guy complaining about the convention T-Shirt. Don't know if he's on the forum, but c'mon dude, it's in IOWA. It's an IOWA style design. Kinda like Buffalo had a big BUFFALO in the logo. I was mighty proud to get my shirt early, right off the press at Fire and Ice last year. I think it's a handsome shirt, but everyone has their own taste of course -- but heck, it's even got Dollie Cole's okie dokie.

Web administration was over $4000 in 2008. For 2010 they have it split up 2316 for administration, 900 for hosting. Don't know exactly what "administration" includes, but for $900 you're getting hosed on hosting.

It's going to be interesting to see what percentage of voter turnout we have for BOD. The only "contest" is for Eastern Division. Central there's 2, vote for 2, and Western there's 1, vote for 1. Bet the returns are stronger in the Eastern Division. I mean really now-- to vote I have to either give up the protective cover on my very expensive magazine, or make a copy. After I make the copy I have to use up an envelope and a stamp, and go mail it -- to simply check off the one guy running for one position in my division. I see no space for, or instructions pertaining to, any write ins, not that there's be any chance that any others would ever write in the same people so it's kind of pointless. Easy to see why people aren't lining up to run. Maybe we should have a new law that says each chapter must provide at least one candidate for the division every time there's a BOD opening! No one in the chapter wants to be on the BOD, the chapter is out. That'll get
 'em interested!

OK, but the REAL part of the magazine is wonderful! Is the glove compartment open in the car on the cover, or is it just me? First thing I thought was "Is that a pen"? Ha.. anyway, nice photo and a great color for an early. I do generally like ALL the real "articles" in the magazine. And the photos from Bruce Metcalf on the back cover are great..... I wonder if those are infrared photos? I haven't done anything like that in years!

Egad.

Tim in Bovey

(someone else wrote)
Yes, the insurance is important. What Tim was simply pointing out was the relatively low cost in comparison to the budget. Every time a thread pops up about Corsa and the costs, the insurance issue is always held out in front as part of the argument. When the membership fee increase from $38 to $45, the insurance issue was always at the forefront of every argument here and in the Communique.
A $7 increase for 4800 members is a revenue increase of $33,600 and yet a $6479 insurance bill is the argument?
$6479 is from the Dec 31, 2008 statement, which incidentally included $7028 for Office Supplies and Postage. I hope the insurance companies don't see that. They might think they're in the wrong business.

Options: Reply•Quote
Re: No one likes this months Communique?
Posted by: timinbovey ()
Date: March 08, 2010 10:37AM

I also just mailed my check to insure my Corvair for another year. $58.25. This makes the value of CORSA membership more ponderous.

Incidentally, the Communique represents 57% of the budget, and is a benefit non-members do NOT receive. If Richard's figures are in the ballpark, the cost of the CORSA insurance per member is about $1.34 per year. I really don't think having non national club members mooch off us by being covered at a club event is the real crux of the financial worries. How many actual club event participants are NOT members of CORSA? 100? 200? 500? Even at 500 that amounts to maybe $674 worth of the insurance cost (well, not actually, as if those 500 WERE members the amount of the insurance would be divided by the additional members, making it $1.22 per person. Compared to the cost of the magazine, management, postage, etc that's really nothing. Arguing the value of the insurance is a tough sell when you look at the numbers. I should say, the *value* of the insurance is obvious, but the per-member cost is negligible, and hard to argue that non-national members are
 getting this huge, expensive and valuable benefit at no cost to them.

I do see in he 2010 budget insurance has gone up a bit, but again, negligible compared to other expenses.

Anyway, just sharing my rantings with non-forum followers, because I don't think we're heading in the right direction yet. 

Tim in Bovey