Organizing the Club Meetings

The task of organizing and scheduling a meeting can seem like a huge hassle but they are part of the normal routine for a car club president. The exact matters that are discussed at each meeting can vary, but having a good idea of what you are going to talk about can help make the process go as smoothly as possible. Ensure that you plan your meetings ahead as much as possible so that they go also go as smoothly as possible.

One of the main issues that clubs talk about is a quick reading of the minutes from the previous meeting. This is generally done by the Secretary for the club; however, there are times when someone else is given that job instead. Additionally, someone is responsible for taking a roll call to see who is attending the meetings and who is not. These records are generally kept for at least a year in the event that they are necessary so it is important to ensure that this is done properly.

Other issues that are raised during meetings are often talks and plans about events and activities that are in the near future. For example, most people tend to start planning and organizing car shows, and even races at least two months in advance. This means that issues are usually discussed at meetings at least a month before this time so members can all discuss potential plans and decide who will be doing what for the event.

Additional matters can include any charity runs that are coming up, or any other events that the club is planning to participate in that are not directly hosted by the club. For example, if the club always attends a car show that is sponsored by another car club this would be discussed at a meeting held before the show so that everyone can ask questions and all details can be clearly communicated to the members.

During the time of year when the club has elected to hold elections it is very important to ensure that time is scheduled for the nomination process as well as the election process. Without the time scheduled for this it is often quite easy to overlook and this can leave the club scrambling to schedule emergency meetings to ensure that elections are properly handled.

Another important issue at many meetings is the various news items that arise, such as talking about car shows, races and even sales that are going on that can be of great interest to members. For example, if a detailing shop was running a huge special right before a car show it would be worth mentioning to members for those who did not have time to detail their vehicle themselves.

Most clubs also reserve a bit of time during each meeting for the club treasurer to discuss the finances of the club. This allows the club members to all be fully aware of what the money paid in dues goes for, and ensure that funds are being properly managed. This serves primarily as a system of checks and balances to make most people feel much better, as well as ensure that the treasurer is properly handling the money.

Most clubs are able to handle all of their business in approximately an hour once a month or so. There are some clubs that meet much more often, but the majority are able to wrap business up pretty quickly so that everyone can move along with other plans. With a well organized meeting agenda it is possible to speed the meeting greatly and still cover all of the essentials.

Local, Regional or National Car Clubs

Deciding which type of collector’s car club to join can sometimes be a very confusing process. After all, what is really the difference between the different levels and why does it really matter? While the differences in the overall club may be small between the different areas, there are generally some distinct differences in what the club expects from you, and also the number of members and the types of events that are organized.

People who are looking for a small, close-knit type of car club are going to find happiness in a local club typically. These clubs generally are very limited with members only coming from a specific area. While some areas are larger and account for larger clubs, they are still usually much smaller than the regional or national clubs could ever hope to be. Additionally, these clubs tend to meet on a weekly or monthly basis and also elect officers once a year. Another component to the local clubs is they tend to expect members to be fairly active because everyone lives fairly close together. This can include rides, shows, races and various other club related activities.

Regional clubs tend to be a bit larger and can often cover several states within the same region. Most regional clubs are lucky to meet once a month because of the distance in which people are having to travel in order to attend meetings. As with local clubs there are generally club officers elected once a year and there are often meetings held on a monthly basis or even bi-monthly. The exact location of the meetings can sometimes vary as the club moves the location around the region to ensure that everyone is able to attend at least one meeting a year. Clubs at the regional level usually organize and hold at least one or two car shows a year and several other great events as well for the members to enjoy.

National collectors car clubs tend to be the largest with the most members for each club. These are very large and typically do not have meetings on a frequent basis. Most of these clubs are lucky to meet once a month mostly because finding time for that many members to all meet together can be a large logistics problem for officers. The members in national clubs tend to come from all around the country and often members do not know each other and can only identify each other based upon seeing another member wearing the clubs jacket or shirt.

National clubs are also known for organizing several car shows a year. Additionally, depending upon the exact car style the club may organize a few races a year as well at locations around the country. Because members come from all around the country typically, meetings are not a requirement for members. To help handle the problems with members being located all around the country come officer election times many elections are held either over the internet, or by mailing a ballot into the club.

Picking out the club that is best suited to your needs and desires is based upon your own personality and desires. Many people join all three levels because each offers something that they want. You are free to join any level that you are interested in, looking around online you can generally find any club level you are interested and find out about their membership requirements easily.