John Macartney wrote:
> Bill Sohl wrote:
>
> The club scene is really for those people that look at the car as more than
>just a piece
> of interesting transportation or the occasional Sunday drive. WE (the club
>joiners in the
> USA) take great pleasure in the friendships built, the knowledge learned, the
>gatherings,
> etc. The car is a conduit to something intangible that not everyone that
>owns one has
> interest in.
>
> In my limited experience, Bill - the intangible bit is so fogbound it's
>difficult to
> determine what it might be. Visitors to Gaydon often ask us where and how
>they can buy the
> car of their preference - and there are some very oddball preferences from
>time to time!
> Our reply is usually to become a club member and we cite all the benefits
>club memberships
> can bring - especially if prospective buyer is short on technical skill or
>knowledge.
> I don't know if this is a peculiarly British thing but quite often these
>suggestions evoke
> the response "Join a Club?!! Are you mad?"
> Depending on the individual, we usually follow through and ask why they are
>so anti-club.
> More often than not, the reply is along the lines "I'm sure the club is
>helpful but I have
> no wish to meet the people who populate them. Enthusiasts fine - but 'nerds'
>NO!" There is
> a general perception by the non-club member in the UK that those who do take
>an active
> part in the UK club scene are one of the lowest forms of life. This may be a
>"class" thing
> at which *skill* we, as a nation, have honed to some perfection. Certainly,
>there are
> 'nerds' out there - but this is not restricted to car clubs. Gardeners, model
>railway
> enthusiasts and others of many ilks can get so passionate about their hobby
>that they can
> bore the pants off most 'average' enthusiasts. When that manifests itself, I
>usually walk
> away - I guess most people do, unless I'm trapped? It's my guess, the
>majority of club
> members join for one thing - and that's the magazine or newsletter. At a
>finger-in-air
> guesstimate, I'd say no more than 20% of any club's total membership takes an
>active part
> in events, rallies, national weekends or WHY. This is sad because it means so
>many cars -
> in all states of repair - are so rarely seen except when the owner goes out -
>ALONE and by
> him or herself.
>
> Jonmac
To everyone concerned with the sad state of club membership in the USA.
I was at Triumph as Executive Secretary of the TSOA when it was in its heyday -
1958-1965 or
so. Yes, when you bough the car you were entitled to membership - you did have
to send in the
application form enclosed with the car but there were no dues. You got your
membership card
and we sent the TSOA Newsletter. The mailing list got up to 14 or 15 thousand
at one point but
the only ones who were real, active TSOA members also were dues-paying members
of one of the
individual clubs started by peoplelike Bill Sohl. The rest may or may not have
read the
newsletter and didn't care.
Trouble is, a membership that costs nothing is often considered to be worth
nothing by the
recipient. The people who join a club and pay the dues are the ones you want to
attract and
keep, whether they are active participants or not. If they want membership
enough to pay for
it, they are real. The ones who get it free drop out as easily as they came in.
People have to WANT to join. Any club that wants members has to figure out a
way to persuade
the propsect to want to join. The fellowship is often touted as the big value
but you can get
that without a club. The insurance? The magazine? There has to be a reason.
When we finally started charging a pittance for annual TSOA dues (3 bucks or 5,
I can't
remember), the mailing list got a lot smaller in a hurry but we knew we were
keeping the
people who were really interested in the club.
I'm not saying that club membership has to be valued in dollars only. I am
saying that if a
person has to invest in a club he will value it more. Free membership is like
getting a
mailing from Publisher's Clearing House.
Mike Cook
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