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Important message from the CLC Board

Started by sbartelski, February 01, 2023, 09:05:06 PM

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sbartelski

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Results from CLC winter BOD meeting, January 28, 2023
Please take time to read all changes.
1.) With the approaching retirement of Mike and Nancy Book (April 15), the BOD approved hiring Cornerstone Registration, Maple Grove, MN, as our office and membership management company. They will assume official duties April 1, with a NEW mailing address, a NEW email address, and a NEW office phone number. More details and information in the upcoming days and weeks.
2.) Due to the transition of membership data and other pertinent information to a new website, it was decided and approved that there will be no attempt to produce a 2024 Membership Directory either electronically or printed. However, every effort will be made to offer for purchase a printed Membership Directory for 2025.
3.) All membership dues were approved for a modest increase. All existing dues (excluding E-membership) will increase $10.00 annually effective April 1. Lifetime membership, available to an existing member of 10 years, will increase to $1,250 domestically and $1,500 other countries effective April 1. All dues categories DO NOT include a published Membership Directory. Any surviving spouse of a lifetime member will no longer benefit from membership effective December 31. We will be glad to accept survivor spouse membership applications.
4.) Effective with Gettysburg 2024 GN, all car judging will be on Friday. CLC and MRC board meetings will be scheduled on Saturday; all cars registered will be required to remain on display through Saturday at 4:00 pm unless removal is approved by National Chief Judge. These enhancements will allow tabulators sufficient time to accurately complete judging results and the awards committee time to assemble appropriate awards.
5.) A "rain policy" was approved by the BOD to be enacted at the Albuquerque GN. In the event that rain or inclement weather exists, and judging is halted or canceled, there will be no further judging and NO awards issued for any cars previously judged. More details to follow.
6.) Stefan asks all CLC members to access their member profile on the main CLC site ASAP and edit all information to facilitate accurate personal/vehicle information for transfer into the new system.

We will be communicating more information soon.
Thanks for your understanding and support,
Ronnie Hux
President
Stefan Bartelski

webmaster@cadillaclasalleclub.org
470-253-4725

Chris Cummings

I had been unaware that surviving spouses (spice?) of deceased life members remained club members.  Will the club really save a significant amount of money by cutting them off, now?  Just curious.

Rossoroo

Wondering about the logic behind charging a premium to non USA residents for a life time membership?
I'm Canadian, At today's exchange rate $1500 USD coverts to close to $2,000 Canadian.
Unless I'm missing something, charging more for "others" seems to be a little discriminatory.
I thought we were trying to entice the membership not alienate them.
49-6269 My First Caddy

Art Director

Quote from: Rossoroo on February 03, 2023, 04:19:27 PMWondering about the logic behind charging a premium to non USA residents for a life time membership?
I'm Canadian, At today's exchange rate $1500 USD coverts to close to $2,000 Canadian.
Unless I'm missing something, charging more for "others" seems to be a little discriminatory.
I thought we were trying to entice the membership not alienate them.
It costs that much more to mail copies of The Self-Starter outside the United States.
Tim Coy
CLC Southwestern Regions Vice President
Interim Western Regions Vice President
Art Director, The Self-Starter, International Membership Directory
Life member, Rocky Mountain Region
CLCMRC Benefactor #102

1963 Six-Window Sedan de Ville
1972 Fleetwood Brougham - RIP
1988 Sedan de Ville - RIP
2001 Eldorado ESC - RIP
2003 DeVille DTS - sold

Art Director

#4
Quote from: Chris Cummings on February 03, 2023, 11:15:12 AMI had been unaware that surviving spouses (spice?) of deceased life members remained club members.  Will the club really save a significant amount of money by cutting them off, now?  Just curious.
Yes. We have some Life members who bought the membership in their 30s, as it takes only about 14 years at the old Life rates for the membership to pay for itself. After those 14 years, there is still the cost of mailing the magazine even though the member no longer pays dues.
Tim Coy
CLC Southwestern Regions Vice President
Interim Western Regions Vice President
Art Director, The Self-Starter, International Membership Directory
Life member, Rocky Mountain Region
CLCMRC Benefactor #102

1963 Six-Window Sedan de Ville
1972 Fleetwood Brougham - RIP
1988 Sedan de Ville - RIP
2001 Eldorado ESC - RIP
2003 DeVille DTS - sold

2011DTS

Quote from: Art Director on February 03, 2023, 10:10:35 PMYes. We have some Life members who bought the membership in their 30s, as it takes only about 14 years at the old Life rates for the membership to pay for itself. After those 14 years, there is still the cost of mailing the magazine even though the member no longer pays dues.

Tim that is the point of the Life Membership, the club gets the use of the money in the year that the Life Membership is purchased. In your example of buying a Life Membership when the member is 30 that means someone would first have to join when they are 20 to meet the 10 year membership requirement, which I would venture a case is very very rare. Second, to use your example, if some one purchased a Life Membership 14 years ago, the $750.00 paided in 2008 is equal to $1,033.00 today. So therefore the club recieved dollars that had apporximately 27 percent more buying power in 2008 then the same $750.00 today. That is the idea behind paying in advance, the member is paying with current year (2008) dollars that will have less value in the future (2022). Lastly, I would venture to guess that the typical Life Member is in his 50's or early 60's when he or she qualifies for purchasing a Life Membership and therefore will reap only limited rewards in the years after the 14 years that you state the fee pays for the benefits. However, I would defer to those with the actual data. if the data was used in making these decissions or it was just some idea from the Board to provide less value to the membership for a greater cost.

Jason Edge

#6
Quote from: 2011DTS on February 04, 2023, 02:49:49 PMTim that is the point of the Life Membership, the club gets the use of the money in the year that the Life Membership is purchased. In your example of buying a Life Membership when the member is 30 that means someone would first have to join when they are 20 to meet the 10 year membership requirement, which I would venture a case is very very rare. Second, to use your example, if some one purchased a Life Membership 14 years ago, the $750.00 paided in 2008 is equal to $1,033.00 today. So therefore the club recieved dollars that had apporximately 27 percent more buying power in 2008 then the same $750.00 today. That is the idea behind paying in advance, the member is paying with current year (2008) dollars that will have less value in the future (2022). Lastly, I would venture to guess that the typical Life Member is in his 50's or early 60's when he or she qualifies for purchasing a Life Membership and therefore will reap only limited rewards in the years after the 14 years that you state the fee pays for the benefits. However, I would defer to those with the actual data. if the data was used in making these decissions or it was just some idea from the Board to provide less value to the membership for a greater cost.

Lynn, I think you answered your own question if you just think about it. We have to adjust membership dues, including Life Memberships because of inflation ... and other external factors.  For example I became a life member in 2010. That $750 would be over $1000 in 2023 due to inflation.  Just because we could provide Life Memberships 10, 20 or 30 years ago at a given rate, doesn't mean we can continue to offer that rate forever. We have to adjust for increased cost of everything related to sending out that Self-Starter including production, printing and shipping which has shot through the roof in the last few years.  So the club spent X$ to send me a Self-Starter from 2010 to 2020. I can guarantee you it will be closer to 2X or more for 2020 to 2030!

The bottom line is we do everything we can to keep cost increases at a minimum but the increase for Life Memberships is long overdue. Think about all your other bills and memberships over the last 10, 20, 30 years ... I wish all of my expenses could lock in to a particular rate and never go up.

On a positive note, and as I have stated many times, I was glad we had the option of dropping online only e-memberships by $10 from $35 to $25. This was only possible because we do not incur the cost of printing and shipping, and most of the cost for maintaining these memberships is almost purely administrative. For some of us, including me, we like our print Self-Starters, etc. but the Cadillac & LaSalle Club does not set postal rates, or printing rates, and we certainly cannot control inflation so those that want print copies will have to dig deeper into their pockets or go the e-membership route.

Jason Edge
Lifetime Member
Executive Vice President
CLC 1963/64 Cadillac Chapter Director - www.6364Cadillac.com
CLC Carolina Region Webmaster - www.CRCLC.org
CLC MRC Benefactor
email - jasonedge64@outlook.com
1964 Coupe DeVille - Sierra Gold - http://bit.ly/1WnOQRX
2002 Escalade EXT - Black
2013 Escalade EXT Premium Edition - Xenon Blue
2022 XT5 Luxury Premium - Dark Moon Blue Metallic

The Tassie Devil(le)

I feel that the term "Life Membership" in the case of the CLC should refer to "buying a Membership for Life".

The local Clubs that I belong to, a Life Member is granted to a Member that has earned the honour of being awarded a Membership for Life, and cannot be bought for love nor money.   

The fact that a Club offers extended Membership for a large amount of money, for the continued life of that Member, it is up to the Club to invest the money received to gain in value in case the Member goes on to live for many many years, well past the expected lifespan of a normal person.   If this money windfall is not invested wisely, then, with so many Members receiving the benefits, it will soon run out, and as has happened, the Club is finding the need to increase membership fees for everyone else that is paying annually.

When I initially joined the CLC, back in 2001, I found it awkward that one could simply buy a membership for life.   But, upgrading to a 3 year membership with very little discount wasn't, and is still not attractive to me, given the vagaries of the market and exchange rates.   Plus, the added cost of living outside USA.

Bruce. >:D 
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

Art Director

Quote from: The Tassie Devil(le) on February 04, 2023, 07:47:15 PMBut, upgrading to a 3 year membership with very little discount wasn't, and is still not attractive to me, given the vagaries of the market and exchange rates.   Plus, the added cost of living outside USA.

Bruce. >:D 
Hi Bruce, the new membership rates starting April 1 offer a much larger discount for two-year and three-year terms for all levels except online only. We hope many members will take advantage of this.
Tim Coy
CLC Southwestern Regions Vice President
Interim Western Regions Vice President
Art Director, The Self-Starter, International Membership Directory
Life member, Rocky Mountain Region
CLCMRC Benefactor #102

1963 Six-Window Sedan de Ville
1972 Fleetwood Brougham - RIP
1988 Sedan de Ville - RIP
2001 Eldorado ESC - RIP
2003 DeVille DTS - sold