3510 Brooklake Rd. N.E., Brooks, Oregon 97303.
The show season is now over and most of you are getting over
celebrating the holidays and look forward to this year’s shows
and events. We hope that you have had a good year and were able to
obtain that needed part to finish that restoration and have it
ready it ready for the coming show season. A note to you lady
chuggers who have been looking for something for Pa for Christmas.
Look over GEM real close. Many advertisers offer magneto and
ignitor services, sell builders plates, decals, oilers and many
accessories. Give them a try.
Over the years we have attended a great many shows and events
and have noticed that it takes quite a few bodies to put on the
show. It seems that the same bodies are the ones doing the job year
after year. We wonder! Where are all the other people that belong
to the club? There seem to be more JOINERS than there are
DOERS.
This past year we undertook an informal survey to determine how
many club members were actively participating in their club and its
functions. It appears that between 8% and 10% of the membership is
carrying the load and making the club go. What about the rest of
the members? Well, about 50% cannot get involved due to work and
family responsibilities. But about 10% seem to find the time to
take an interest in the club and help out. The remaining 50% are
what we call JOINERS. They join to be able to say that they belong.
They don’t attend meetings and they won’t help with any
club functions or anything else for that matter.
What is the solution to this problem? Well we don’t have any
easy answers. A couple of things might help. We feel that some
clubs don’t charge enough for dues. The average is about $5.00
per year. This makes it too easy for the joiners. We don’t feel
that this is enough as a lot of clubs are continually having fund
raisers to get more money into the treasury. It would make it a lot
easier on the club officers and active members not to have to
search for more funds to keep the club solvent. It is felt that
dues in the area of $15.00 to $25.00 per year would be more
adequate.
Election of officers: Most clubs elect officers with nominations
from the floor at the annual meeting. A lot of members would like
to help but they are bashful and will not volunteer. How about
appointing a nominating committee that will pursue people who are
capable of filling these positions? Do it quite some time before
the annual meeting so everything will be settled before hand.
One other thing that helps keep members’ interest up: have a
get-together of some sort about every six weeks. Have a swap meet,
mini-gas-up or visit a club member’s collection. Have more
activities so that members feel they are involved with a group that
is very positive and aggressive.
BONES WHERE ARE YOU?
We read the other day that the body of almost every organization
has four kinds of bones.
THE WISHBONES:
Those who spend all of their time wishing someone else would do
the work.
THE JAWBONES:
Those who do all the talking-but very little else.
THE KNUCKBONES:
Those who knock everything that anybody else tries to do.
THE BACKBONES:
Those who get under the load and do the work.
Our prayer is-‘Oh, God, give us more backbones.’
The National is alive and well and looking forward to another
year of good times. renewing old acquaintances and meeting many new
friends.