[Nobbc] To advertise or not... NOBBC

[gtwincams]

Hello,

For those members who are undecided about the direction the club should 
go in taking money for advertising, I'd like to bring up some issues 
that arise when a club such as this starts accepting money for 
advertising. I base these comments on personal experience running other 
clubs, and these comments are made to inform your decision or opinion 
only at this time. No criticisms are expressed or implied!

If the club has no legal entity such as "Doing Business As" (DBA), 
non-profit or other status, the money must be deposited in a personal 
account. That is because, unlike when we pitched in to help Dean with 
website expenses (I spent about $60 putting on the tech session so 
didn't also contribute cash - sorry Dean), money coming in from an 
advertiser has to get stored somewhere, and that is usually one person's 
checking account. That has tax implications for that person, which can 
be ameliorated by that person (Ron?) setting up the club as his business 
and writing off expenses, for example, but do impose a tax liability for 
income on that person nonetheless.

Another issue that arises is accountability for the funds - a 
responsibility that one may either shirk or embrace, but as a club 
grows, members often want to know how much is coming in, how much is 
going out, and for what purpose. Again, with a club of this nature, 
those amounts are small, and have largely been borne by a few people. If 
members want to expand the club, it will eventually require it to become 
more formalized, like with other clubs. If members wish to maintain the 
club as it is now, and as Steve and Dean and no doubt others would 
prefer, then accepting advertising money will make that more challenging.

There are pros and cons to the current form of the club vs. a dues/for 
profit club; we have little overhead and no meetings to attend, no dues 
to pay. One result is that there is no funding for activities in 
addition to driving once or twice a month. For example, there is no 
newsletter to create, pay for, or for those who want one, to read. If 
members prefer having organized events and tech sessions, that will 
impose additional costs. Another example; I would be happy to host 
another tech session, but probably will ask people to bring food or 
drinks to keep my costs down. On the other hand, if the members want to 
stay informal, one activity we can all share costs on is meeting at a 
restaurant or pizzeria just to socialize, an idea I've had for some time.

With about 100 members (though only a small percentage show up for 
drives), the club can easily go in either direction - stay informal, or 
become more organized. I am not aware of a club charter that provides 
for a way to make such decisions, or for members to share in such 
decisions, so can't speak to that - since this club is really the 
efforts of Ron and Dean, and formerly Steve, can any of you answer that 
question?

OK - doffing my professor's cap, and donning my driving cap! Trish and I 
were sorry to have missed the last drive - work has been hectic. Looks 
like good weather is here to stay - I would love to see us return to 2x 
a month drives, if only so that we can make one of them! Having just 
come from the Dixon meet (and could not find any club members gathered 
at the meeting place stipulated by Ron), I was impressed by how many 
really nice cars are out there. If money were not a factor (you don't 
have to pick the most expensive), what car would you want to take home 
if you won it in a raffle? Have to say this time I would have picked 
Mike Ostrov's Lotus Elite, but there were some sweet cars there.

Last item - I asked for input on tech session ideas - I've got some, but 
would like to hear from you.

Cheers,
Greg Tatarian