 Chapter
Roundtable SummaryBy John Matzinger, ACBS
International Director This is a new Rudder column who’s purpose is to inform our members and make them more aware of what International does for them, for chapter directors and for current officers. We hope this will create more interest and input for future Roundtable meetings. These gatherings are more focused on chapter or member issues than the Board of Directors meetings, which are oriented towards ACBS International topics. Most of the discussion at the Roundtable should be chapter topics like membership, participation, budget, event chair responsibilities, chapter business vs. Board topics. Two years ago it was called the President’s Roundtable. However, to attract more participants and be more encompassing the name was changed and it was opened up to all members. Now it’s more of a group forum and is more productive. The conversations were spurred by questions that were mailed to John Matzinger by Chapter presidents. The following is condensed from comments of those attending the winter meeting in Sarasota, Florida, this past January. All members are welcome to attend future meetings. To help Chapters with growth and viability we discussed
the following considerations: Volunteers need a Chapter website to serve as a meeting place for members to get involved. This was considered a good suggestion; chapters could implement this for their membership. Four of the fifteen chapters at the meeting have 501c3 tax-exempt status. One that had it done questioned whether it was worth the effort. Others have 501c7 status, which is less stringent. The IRS website has information for those considering changing. To keep members active in a large geographic area have rendezvous or activities in different locations. Almost everyone will attend something, sometime. Some events can be social, some could include boats. It was suggested that chapters underwrite part of the
costs for their members to attend Board and Roundtable meetings. Five of the
attending chapters did this. Some chapters are attempting to encourage participation by sailboat and classic fiberglass owners who feel left out. This will be brought up at the Board Meeting. Many fiberglass boat owners have their own organization. The Brass Bell included plastic with a positive response. The by-laws don’t mention “wood”. Some Chapters commented, “do we really want more modern plastic boats?” Other than judging a boat, we shouldn’t tell members what to do. There’s no need to establish “restoration practice guidelines.” The proper restoration should be done according to what the original manufacturer did. Providing rides at boat shows is one way to attract new members; however, the liability to the owner, and chapter, is quite large. This important topic should be addressed in a future Rudder article. Guidelines for insurance and waivers will be provided by the ACBS Insurance committee. How do chapters raise money? Some through silent auctions.
The Minnesota Boat Show promoter gives Bob Spelz Chapter $5,000 and the
Indian Casino at Red Wing gives $20,000. Contact promoters in your area to
use boats as a “draw”. BSLOL uses the proceeds from their fall rendezvous
and winter boat show to invest in the shows and to subsidize workshops. They
also invest a lot in their magazine. |