Club Administration

[Deep_Blue]

Hey guys!

I'm just throwing this out b/c it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately and I want to check out the general interest in this topic right now.

I guess I just wanted to see what exactly everyone wanted to do about running this club right now and in the future.

I've got a lot of ideas, but I wanted to hear some other people's opinions.

What do you want this club to do for you?

Some topics are administration itself (who's running the show?), types of events, membership fees, meetings, what types of sponsors people are interested in, etc.

If people are interested in discussing this now, get started and I'll chirp in. If you want me to start with some ideas, let me know. I just don't want to put down all these ideas if no one is interested in talking about it.

If this turns out to be a huge topic, maybe we can give it a special index or something.

I guess if you have ideas for this club, let us all know!

Cheers,

Tim

[Supra_devil]

this has all been sorted out for the time being at some of our past meets.
it is also something that is best not discussed on a public forum imo.
heavyearly87t is running the club for now, got boost is also an organizer and representitive.

[Deep_Blue]

I understand the way things are now, but I was interested in where club members are interested in the club going, and in what form, and I do not fully understand why you do not believe this can be discussed in a public forum. I would appreciate an explanation so I could understand your POV.

The only thing I could find to be suspect regarded sponsors, which I will remove from my previous post as soon as I'm done this one. Other than that, I don't see a problem with our organizational structure being public knowledge. A look at most organizations websites will give you knowledge of their structure.

I suppose that we could create a members only portion of our site where such things could be discussed if necessary, another thin which this topic has its hand in: ie. What should be public/private domain, should we have a members only area of our website, etc.

The problem I find is that there are not nearly enough of our members at meets to properly discuss these matters, whereas it is much easier for us to do so online, and each at our own pace.

While it may be argued that this preparation can take place over the Winter months, my previous experience with a number of organizations has convinced me that sucha process takes much longer than that to be done properly, and I would like to see our club with a plan for next year.

I essentially want members to think about what exactly they want out of this organization and what we need to do to achieve that. It is also important IMO for us to setup a formal structure at some point so that there are individuals in charge of developing growth in certain areas.

I think that this is the best way of making ESC into an organization that benefits its members, and allows us to set up events with more than two days notice (Although great job on the Car Show everyone).

I hope that I have helped to allay your hesitancy.

Cheers,

Tim

[Supra_devil]

as i said, this has all been talked about before by the first dozen or so members at earls house at a meet.

we came up with ideas and brainstormed on things like the shirts we currently have, key fobs, dyno days (which i organized fairly succesfully), dues, contact lists, etc. the things i don't like being on a publicly viewed forum is some of the finance and sponsors/club discounts so that other people can't screw things up for us anyway.

the point of any club of this nature i believe can be sumed up by saying we are all enthusiasts here to have fun and help each other.
this can be succesful in many ways such as sponsors/club discounts for the club, help through hands on, previous experiance and knowledge, etc.

the point of monthly meets is partly to discuss club affairs in person so everyone can make their point clearly and know that they are heard. as this club is edmonton based a monthly meet shouldn't be too difficult, we plan for them way in advance, middle weekend of each month generally.
the car show was planned at least a month in advance, so was my dyno day.

As this was the first year we are formed we kind of accepted that this summer would be a write off for having set in stone, long term plans and events. for next year i for one was going to have set in stone a dyno day long in advance, similar to NECC. pay in advance, make time to be there, instead of the previous one were people showed up day of with money and i didn't know till 2 days prior how many people would show, and even then it changed. The car show we had more time for and it went off very well, i would have liked to see more signage or advertising but other than that we did very well.

edit: i am all for sharing ideas, but i hate the thought of someone coming on here unknownst to us and representing us falsly, or abusing discounts with sponsors who are taking a risk in their eyes on a new club with small membership. I want the club to enjoy longevity that is why i am cautious about posting up too much info.

maybe i'm just being paranoid. :dunno:

[James Earl]

Tim,

I agree with you 100%. As you will see in the posts that I have submitted on this forum and 780tuners we do think alike. Here is where we are at this time.

This club currently does not have a fee for membership. As with most clubs there will be a small percentage of active members verses the actual count of signed members. I hope to keep the club free to members while relying on active members to support our activities through the purchase of shirts, decals, and other associated items. Soon we will register as a non-profit organization to fund raise for our cause.

I intend to have a new shirt design for each year and with luck get one or more of our supporting sponsors to pay for them. If we can make them cool enough we can sell them outside the club. This will allow for a low shirt cost with the proceeds going to pay for this site and help to reduce the cost on dyno days or an annual club paid BBQ.

Currently not a lot of club business gets done at our summer meets as it is too nice out and we really do not have a lot on the go right now. The winter meets will be indoors and there will be a lot of work done for planning next year. Agenda items are as follows:

1. What will be covered a certain meets. New technology for our cars? New tools etc. I hope to have outside people come in and tell us about services that they feel will help us with our goals. EG. Get a dyno tuner in to talk about what we can do to help with tuning the car with the least amount of dyno time/cost per car. Detailer in to discuss tricks & tips for showing the cars. You get the idea.
2. Car shows, who is or wants to be on the show team. How we as a club can support their efforts with helping hands, ideas, and free or low cost parts or services.
3. Organized work parties. Anybody who has a big job to do and wants help can ask & we can team up to get the work done quickly.
4. Pick the events that we will attend as a club. SCC, Creations, Street Legal, Suprafest, etc.
5. Community support events, the creation or attendance of events that give back to the community while at the same time providing positive exposure for the club.

Keeping in mind that several cars are in the beginning stage of build up. This summer has been unpredictable as to who can make what event. My expectation of this coming summer is high. We will have a collection of some of the most impressive modified Supras I have heard of. Think about it, Mki Turbo (Bob), 2 Mkii Turbos (5M, Glenn, Barry), Mkii Turbo (6M Dave). A 400+ WHP Mkiii (Mike buys the Boss). An extreme Mkiii show car (Scott). Well you get where I am going with this. Together most of this work can be done this winter & spring. Then I feel we will represent a solid and well-organised club.

There are several other items that I will not go into on open forums as Glenn mentioned such as finances and funding plans for the future. But be assured I do have a plan that has been shared and this winter it will start to come together.

Any Ideas you may have are welcome as we are together for the cars and the people who own them, or as Andriy puts it, the cars that own us. LOL

Url

[Deep_Blue]

Thanks Earl!

That's exactly the type of stuff that I'm talking about!

Some of the things that I'm thinking about are more along the lines of how we want to run the show. I was thinking we could have elected positions like: President. VP External, VP Operations/Finance, VP Programming/Events. President would oversee te direction of the club and probably take minutes at meetings,VP External would work with sponsors and media (much like Mike is doing now), VP Operations/Finance would oversee finances, pass budgets for events, and probably do our taxes if we are non-profit. VP Programming/Events would plan all the events. We could aso take turns planning events.

Something I'd like to see us have ready at the beginning of the upcoming year is all of the sponsors that we will have through the upcoming year so that we can create banners with their names on them. I'd also like to know what all of our events for the upcoming year will be at the start of the year, with dates. That way everyone will know what is going on at the start of the year. If required, we can later make minor changes to the dates.

I keep talking about the upcoming year, but this is yet another thing that needs to be decided. When does our year end and begin? It does not necessarily have to be based on the calendar year. I would recommend that if we pursue my idea of having an elected executive, that we elect in late January/early February, and that the new year starts in March or April, right as thing are getting started. That way each new executive would have time to plan events, etc. It is also not too early for time-sensitive complications.

Earl, I really like your idea of having new T-shirts each year, b/c honestly, I would love to buy a new one each year, if not two.

I do foresee complications with us having a free membership though. Allow me to put forward a couple of scenarios that will elaborate why: First, let's say that we have a group buy where the club puts in some of the cost (which I would like to do). Then, literally anyone can get in on the group buy and ESC would be paying for part of their cost despite no commitment on their behalf to the club. As an active member, I know that I wouldn't be happy with money I put in going to just anybody who walked in off the street for such purposes. What we could do in such a situation is draw a distinction between active members and others. Active members would get money put in on their behalf by ESC, while non-active members (non-paying) and others could get in on the group buy but ESC would not pay for part of their product. This would give volume benefits while not hindering ESC unreasonably.

Now, let me give you another scenario. We are having elections for an executive (if we choose to have one), and someone doesn't want to have somebody else elected, so he/she invites 20 of their buddies to the meeting and they become "members" for no charge, then they all vote against that person. Would we draw a distinction between those who pay and those who don't for voting rights? Perhaps. In my opinon, we should either have a mebership charge or draw distinctions between membership levels, as many clubs do. If we do multiple levels of membership, it wouldn't have to be something that was widely advertised who was which. This is in fact not what I would like to do. I think that we should have a basic membership charge. It wouldn't have to be extravagant. Like $10 or something, but it should be there. Or it could also be more like $25 and then you get the T-shirt and everything like that. While I'm on the topic of SWAG, I'd like to see if maybe wa can get some Licence Plate Frames or something. Something to think about I guess.

Anyhow, I think that I have exhausted my speaking rights for the time being, so I will pass tha speaking stick onto someone else.

Cheers,

Tim

[Supra_devil]

voting for positions is stupid, imo. earls in charge, he started it. if he decides to hand it over to someone i believe it should be his decision who. this is a simple club, not some massive organization. and as you mentioned there could be favourism involved.

i do agree about a small $10 fee for a club card or something to be aplicable for discounts. which you will recop on your first purchase most likely.

[James Earl]

Many points have been well made. I feel that this kind of discussion would best be done in person but here I will present my perspective.

Current club organization has fallen into place due to the natural abilities presented by the mentioned members.

President: Me.
I asked Mike if he wanted it in the beginning and he modestly said no. Modesty will get you nowhere with me so screw it I’m the prez. OH, and I don’t take hints either. If you want something or have something to say, do it.

VP in charge of Public Relations: Mike.
Mike has a gift for communication and came to the club with contacts in place. Mike has experience with other clubs in the city and his informative “Got Boost” posts are recognised on several forums. Over time we will work together to develop a marketing plan that will allow us to grow as an organization making the best use of promotion opportunities presented.

VP in charge of Records: Dave.
Dave had obtained the domain name www.supraclub.ca before I had made the request while paying for it out his own pocket. (This made him very powerful as he has all the passwords. LOL). He also has used his skills as a photographer to record our events and has been present at almost all events. Combine this with the power point work for the logo’s & poster work.

More to come later….I have to work now.

URL

[Deep_Blue]

I think that Earl's doing a great job right now, but is this something that he always wants to do? I doubt it, though I certainly can't speak for him. If he gives up his current position, should it be his choice alone who takes over? I think that the favouritism we have both brought up would be far more in play in such a situation than it would if everyone voted. As the holder of three elected positions at the U of A, I would disagree strongly that voting is stupid. Also, what if Earl would like to try out a different position, like as the Events coordinator or what have you? He should have the flexibility to duck in and out of positions so that the whole organization does not languish if his personal life becomes too busy to manage things. The fact of the matter is that regardless of who starts any organization, it becomes the property of its members, not the one who started it, and it should be up to the body as a whole, who should lead them. Also, changing leadership allows the organization to grow in different ways, making it better overall.I think every person should be able to come into an organization with the understanding that they could manage different aspects of it in the future. That's my brief opinion on things, but I have a meeting to to so I'll elaborate later.

Earl, if I said anything that offends you, I'm sorry. It isn't meant that way.

Cheers,

Tim

[Supra_devil]

as one of the people that was here from the start i think your point of view is stupid. it is not required that we vote for anything, nor are we representing 1000's of students. "IF" earl decides he doesn't want to run it anymore i'm sure he is capable of deciding who runs it, since he is one of, if not the onlt one, that has meet and talked with everyone in the club. i personally wouldn't vote for half of you for the reason that i don't know you.

now, you are new here, i like your enthusiasm, but calm down. this is not something that is going to be settled immediatly. as has been said many times, this winter we were going to setup dates and plans for next year during the winter as this first summer was a write off. with a set plan there will be far less work load on everyone to get it done.

we are all welcome to organize events and such. there is no one man in charge of the entire events section. i personally organized the dyno day as i said. i have no official postion in the club, but by doing the dyno day i made sure that the responsibilty was not on earl and mike. Nor is one man in charge of talking to business', many of us have and have suggested to mike, as our representitive, to talk to them in more detail about it to st something up. again, saving load from him by asking questions.

IMHO holding any positions in the U of A boards is admirable. i applaud that, but we are talking about 2 completely different organizations.

[CanuckDave]

Well as much as its necessary to have some kind of organization for the club to actually continue running, I'd really hate to see what we have get bogged down with club politics. It is my understanding that we started the club as Supra enthusiasts, as a way of meeting others with the same interests and having some good times together (BBQs / meets..).

Now its a given that if we want to start hosting events like solo II, we have to be a formal organization, have event insurance etc.. however, right now we are a relatively small club, talking about active members here. since we're just starting out here, I think it'd be best to interract with other clubs for events like that. I was at the last NECC hot lap event, they got new timing equipment and become affiliated with the WCMA, so they're going to be hosting more events in the coming year, and I know that they're interested in joining forces with other clubs, which works out well for everybody (and simplifies things for us, if we're just joining up, its not us who have to deal with event insurance and all that). I have contacts in the edmonton RX-7 club and NECC, I have no problem talking with either of them about working together for a bigger event.

As far as how the club organization, its fairly casual as it is, but it's been working out just fine thus far. I think such a thing is best discussed at our next meet, in person.

[dogstar]

voting??? for what?
lol.

the club is small, tiny even, we dont need to vote at this stage, even if we did, i think the people who bought shirts/club packs should be considered as the only "registered" voters.

earls doing a great job, so are mike and dave.
if one of them decides to step down, i think they should look around for a replacement, someone whom they think could fill their shoes and perform the job.
nominations are great, but i question the ability to choose someone that will be able to fill the job of one of the guys i just mentioned.

we may in the future need a treasurer, but thats about it.

as for club business, i forget what else i was gonna say, ill remember later.