Project: Southern Communication

 

Roger's first BLOG post!!!!!!!

Roger, man, you are starting to "get it"!!!  wooooHOOOOO (dances around the computer room, trips over dog, gets yelled at by wife) This is what BLOGGING is all about!!!!  There is hope for us yet!!!!!

I have an idea I'd like to bounce off of you.  Thanks, Dave

This way people could just login and watch and hear the meeting from anywhere there was a computer.  The website I have used allows this for free and also provides a chat box that allows your members to type in questions or comments during the meeting.  Also you can password protect it so only members who know the password can see the meeting.

 

Might be a way to get more members involved.  Also might try to get your clubs to get together somewhere local and watch the meetings together.  Certainly would help in building local club relationships.

 

Other things:(don't know if your already doing these thing)

 

Negotiate with sticker and t-shirt company and provide deep discounts to your clubs.  Maybe have a Southern art director position that can design the shirts and logos free for the clubs. Then have a certain small percentage go to Southern and be use to provide a t-shirt or such at one of the main events.

 

Negotiate with a few vendors to provide deep discounts.  (Summit racing, Jegs, etc....)  I'm pretty sure if you have a big enough member base they would provide you with a coupon code for savings in return for some sort of sponsor title.  The more members you have the more leverage you have.  The more leverage you have the more members you will gain.  Get it?  If you got 10 or 20 percent from just one of them, a member would be stupid not to join.  Heck I would join for that alone.  I spend a bunch of money with those two every year.  Also pretty sure there are some other big companies for specific vehicles.  I know there are a couple big Jeep catalogs out there.  Now is the time to solicit their business.  They are looking for any way to keep the money flowing even at a lower margin.

 

Support the local clubs events by providing services to them.  (planning and development, printing (banners, flyer's, e-blasts, etc.)

 

Don't know how your doing e-blasts and United might be already providing this.  But if not it's real cheap to have a service that you use to e-mail all of your members at the push of a button without clogging up someones e-mail account.  You can also do poles and find out what is important to your members.  I use  www.constantcontact.com  . Also I'm pretty sure most sites will provide some sort of demographics on who is actually reading the e-mails.  Also can provide visitors to your website a way to be able to want more info without signing up as a member right then.  (You can have a little box on your website for them to input information and it can get added to a list and allow you to advertise Southern as well as vendors to them)  This would help in providing another perk for vendors to be involved with you.  You build that list and you really will have something.  Might even look into buying an e-mail list of potential members.  I'm sure some company has a big list you can buy of people who are interested in ORV's.  Might also help in bringing in new members.  Could also let your clubs use this service to help get members in their area. 

 

I'm pretty sure also that vendors would be willing to pay money for a list of your members e-mails or your entire list.  Just another way of bringing in some income.  You members would be more interested in getting involved if they new the money would be spent on them.

 

I'm assuming Southern or United is already supplying the local clubs an e-mail list of members in their area that they might want to solicit?

 

Find a safety company that will provide products at a discount to your members. (fire extinguishers, first aid kits, etc....   Halls comes to mind.  

 

Other companies to solicit:  Paint supplier, trailer manufacturer, U-haul, AAA, etc...

 

And about me.  So you don't think I'm some tard.  I took my local Land Cruiser club from 40 members to 150 members in two years being President.  This year I'm the GSMTR chairman.  I'm sure most of you know who I replaced.  Roger has done a great job.  I think he wanted to focus on Southern and more on the fight to rescue Tellico.  Last year GSMTR had a little over 100 registrants.  This year I'm looking at doubling that.  I think I can do it with the backing of our 150 members.  If you provide a value to the participants they will come.  Even in a down economy.  Value and promotions are the keys to having a successfull club and events.

 

So in that I'd also like to say I see the officers are spending a big chunk of their time on the Rescue Tellico.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But if that is all you are doing and the club is not the main priority right now I suggest you start making some new positions in the club to help make sure you have the club taken care of first.  No way 3 or 4 officers can do Rescue Tellico and grow a club at the same time.  Not if you want those officers to stick around for very long.  Having your bylaws set up to allow for officers to designate certain individuals to lead up a certain task is the way to do it.  That way if that person falls down they can be replaced and you don't have to have an election.

 

Every club I have ever seen has a "what's the value" period.  What y'all are doing is nothing new.  Back in the day just being around people who shared your same passion was enough to gain membership.  In todays world that is not enough.  They want value the relationship has only become a part of the equation.  Just the way it is.

I like the webcam idea.  Excellent.  Online resources are the only way to go with such a vast service area.  Communication, communication, communication.  I have built our OHV4TN citizen lobbyist email base over the past two years to a very respectable number...it has even outgrown my email capabilities so thanks for the heads-up on that resource.

 

My last and most repeated advice to all large non-profit, all volunteer organizations...you need one paid staff member to see that all the work gets done.  It is a fact that burn-out happens in all organizations.  You need that one resource to keep the ball rolling hell or high water or you are doing a disservice to your membership.

 

This is a critical year, let's become that organization that noone can do without.

 

Only way to get more people involved and help you out is to pick up the phone and talk to them.  You cannot simply put out a post or e-mail and expect someone to volunteer.  People need to feel important.  A simple phone call settles that in most cases.

 

You don't have to turn your club into a business to be successful.  Most don't want to see the business side of a club.  It's important to make all that behind the scenes.  

 

If I were a member all I would want out of the club is to help a cause, have a good time and meet some new friends.  That being said in order for me to have that I should understand at some time I will have to put my dues in just like all the other officers and run the ship so they can do the same.

 

There is nothing wrong with having someone join the club and only want to participate online.  That is a value.  May not be what most would think of as a value but it is.  Everyone is not going to fit into the cookie cutter wheeler mold.  You just have to make sure your not being exclusive.  Some people like to be on the web, some wheelin, some running the show, being part of a cause and some just want to be part of something bigger.  The goal of the club should be to understand that and not discriminate against someone because they like only doing one certain thing.  I always have a motto.  "Something for everyone."   You do that and you cannot fail.

 

And as far as learning from my experiences.  I say I'd be very cautious listening to one persons view.  I'm not the majority.  I'm pretty sure y'all are capable of figuring out what works and what doesn't.  Nothing wrong with seeing another view.

 

Any discussion good or bad is always good in my book, because it keeps people involved.

You have some great ideas

But, the reality is that is is damn near impossible to get 7 volunteer Board members to travel to 31 Club meetings in 6 states in their "spare" time.

 

They already have jobs, families, and SFWDA duties.  They already attend 4 Quarterly meetings, 2 major events, and the Leadership meeting.

 

Our Web Master can answer the RSS question.  trailfest@sfwda.org

Thanks for your efforts and ideas.