MGB: To all you Car Club Officers and members

I know 3 guys within a mile of me with MGBs, Another with an old Triumph, A couple of RR cars including a real nice Silver Cloud III. Still another with a Healy. I am sure the Santa Clarita Valley North of Los Angeles has many more examples of British Motor Cars.

So how do you get all these together and form a car club? What technical aspects are there? Membership dues, outings, car shows etc are all things to be addressed. Are there any sources with guidelines?

There are lots of M.G. and British clubs in the area if you're just looking for events and gatherings. As for starting a new club, I'll leave that to those more experienced in such matters. Insurance is the most important thing though. You don't want to get sued for anything involving an auto-related incident.

I've also sent you a PM.

Myself being a club president in the 10th month of his 12 month term is the worng person to ask, but here goes :) most people start a car club to get folks together to share a common passion of these old cars, or any cars for that matter. In the beginning a car club is a very innocent thing, but hten as it grows comes club goverment, by laws, regulations, dues and lord knows what else, it seems to never end, officers to be elected, by-laws to ammend, and anytime you get a large enough group assembled you'll have folks that very passionately disagree on matters, now most people can't disagree on club matter and leave those diasgreements on the board table, but others will let it enter into your personal life, that is exactly what I'm dealing right now with within my club.

So take advice from a fool who has been a vice president, and now is president and soon to be board member of a car club. Join one near you, sit in the back of the room and leave running the club to ones who aspires to do such things, lord knows I wish I had not been talked into being a officer, if you do this, your car club experience will remain very innocent, but if you lift the lid off the jar of club goverment or club management, be fully aware it always doesn't go smooth as planned.

As far as your questions

we have yearly dues of $25

The president and many dedicated members will help in the planning of events, we have array of events each year, tech sessions, social outings, car shows both helping put one on, to canvoying with member to area car shows, to club rides in the mountains.

As the group grows so do club responsibilities, like electing officers, writing by laws, newletters, websites etc. Our car club with about 80 or so member has became very involved to keep running smoothly, it take several folks to do certian jobs, and it always seems you are constantly looking for your next victim :) to fill the shoes for a vacant position.

As club president I'm no longer niave about the internal workings it takes to make a car club run, I wish sometimes I was, but then next time I wouldn't be smart enough to say no :) Personally I can't wait until my presidency is over, I don't have to secure meeting places, conduct meetings, write group member emails, hold board meeting, etc., etc, etc.. I can then just get back to being a regular member who maybe helps put on a tech session or group ride, and doesn't have to worry anymore about help running a car club.

I'd be interested to hear other club presidents (past and present) chime in.

One thing I learned being president of the Boston Area MG Club over the past few years.. It helps to dull the pain if you start to drink..heavily.. J/k :)

Our club is fairly informal. The largest and hardest part is keeing membership up to a level to keep it going.

Part of that is giving a reason to join up. I am constantly thinking of new and fun things to do. We have had an annual car show (coming up this weekend!!) for the past 5 years. We have added a few shows in downtown Boston. We have 'poker runs' in the summer. Dyno Days every year or 2. Tech sessions. An annual winter 'doldrums' party and countless other events.

Our membership ($25) includes a copy of the British Marque paper as well

The BOD works together behind the scenes to make the events, meetings, outings, dyno days, tech nights, etc (appear) to run like clockwork.

We chose to incorporate and be a not for profit org.

It is great to have a local club and join in the gatherings etc.

I think I have some advice in the archives when this topic came up before, but here I go again. ;)

1) Find out what other clubs may already be in your area. No sense reinventing the wheel.

2) Go to your local car shows and see who shows up. If you find others like yourself with your interest in starting a club, make a list of names and ph.#s and let them know that you are interested in speaking to any of their pals who might also want to join.

3) Talk to the guys who service our type of cars (if any) and to the local parts counter guys. They may know of some fellow travelers.

4) If you are starting to develop a list, and are serious about starting one, print up some small announcements of your intentions, to post at the usual hangouts and parts houses. You can even get crazy and post them around at any available public bulletin board (like I did). You might even want to post an ad in the Auto section of your local newspaper, perhaps in the classic area. Advertising is key in getting a response, and getting your message into as many possible areas where car nuts travel is like casting a net. Another thing I did was to print up a bunch of business cards as invitations to join (or create) the club and stuck them under the wipers of MGs (or LBCs) I'd see parked around. You can get something like 500 printed up FREE from Vista Print. Say briefly what your club is and how to contact you. I probably got about 50% of the membership interested in joining this way.

5) when you get what seems like enough folks to actually start a club, call the ones you know about on your list, set up a good date, and all sit down to figure out what you want to do and if you all are able to be committed to such a project. You will want to hammer out what sort of club (formal with leadership, responsibilities like Hap's) or informal where everyone comes together at some time of common agreement and you do whatever seems like the most fun. Not everyone is into structure even tho it can be the best way to get things done that are more ambitious than having coffee and bench racing, or taking the occasional drive somewhere. And most importantly, you will need to set up some sort of communication about what's happening ~ a newsletter or phone chain or.... A newsletter does not have to be fancy, just good at communicating the basics of when, where, how, and who (and how to contact them).

6) If you do decide to have structure, then have your folks vote for it, and then elect a Pres, Secretary, and treasurer to start. Have someone draft some by laws (or copy some other club's that appeals to everyone) and then set up some regular meeting times. In the club I set up in ID, we didn't want to have heavily structured meetings with minutes of the last meeting or sometimes even any club business, so our meetings took the form of two coffee hours per month ~ 1st and 3rd Sat.s at two different places so that folks from both ends of town could conveniently attend. That is just one idea and there a plenty of others.

That is generally enough to get you going. If you are lucky, you may attract a few good people who have experience with clubs and organizations who can guide you. If you are real lucky, you may also attract folks willing to take on responsibilities for events and other duties to keep the club going.

Hap, I think the problem with your club is that it asks too much of the president. I am an ex-president of the TC Motoring Guild, and my responsibilities did not include anything outside of running meetings and making executive decisions, with the backing of the club council.

While I also share your determination to be the guy sitting quietly in the back, I should point out that a club will not run itself and encouraging people to be as uninvolved as possible is a death blow to any organization!

Just my 2.34 cents USD. :)

Delegate!!!

When you talk about insurance, what does that entail? I would like something pretty low key. I like the twice a month "coffee mornings" idea. But if you are a club and it is a club event, where does the liability of the club start and stop insurance-wise?

The idea for me would be to set it up in such a way that we all have a network of sources and people that can help each other. We would accept all cars that were built in the British Isles. Drives together for a picnic lunch, and maybe a bi-annual car show. I know a restaurant that blocks off part of the parking lot for bike and car shows. So that is a possibility for that. A newsletter here and there would be good. Ive done that before. Oh yeah and some really cool t-shirts!!!!

Get in touch with NAMGBR. They can provide event insurance when a club becomes affiliated with them. This requires a minimal number of members who are also NAMGBR members, a copy of the club newsletter to be sent periodically, and possibly some other easy-to-achieve requirements. It's worth every bit of the effort to know you're covered in case of an incident.

But what kind of "incidents would a club be liable for?

Oh, like a wreck during a club rally, for instance. Or a drunken fall from a hotel balcony. Or anything else a lawyer can find to sue somebody for!!!

This is California. People sue for anything. I used to organize "events", but now we call them "fun runs".

What you're planning sounds a lot like the So Cal (VM) group, except that it has expanded to allow non-British classics.

Is there a way to release a "club" from liability such as a waiver etc? I dont see why if someone runs into a tree that it could be the clubs fault. Although Steve, I do agree about California. We do live in a "sue you" society. These clubs should be an "at your own risk" type. Well, just because of this issue I probably wont procede but I might take Hap's suggestion of "sitting quietly at the back" of a couple of meetings to get more of an idea.

Whether it's a new club or an existing club, there are a couple of things that should be addressed.

One thing mentioned above by Paul, and probably most often overlooked by new clubs...and even existing one - get incorporated! A non-profit charter isn't that expensive, and can help insulate your club officers and members from liability in the event of a lawsuit. Even if you're not worried about your own members suing the club, guess what will happen if someone else gets injured at a car show or event your club is having? Or if you're on a group cruise and an accident occurs? Without a corporate structure, your club, your officers and even your individual members might find themselves liable for damages. Waivers are nice, but there's no guarantee they'll hold up in court. Our club originally had a charter, then renewals were neglected for a number of years. A couple of years ago we got it reinstated, but I don't believe it has been renewed since - and that concerns me.

Get insurance! Hagerty offers club insurance, and it's not expensive. You'll probably never use it, but someday you may wish you did. We had Hagerty insurance (I think it was a couple of hundred per year) but, like the corporate charter, I don't believe it was renewed. Without a corporate charter or insurance we would have been in deep shit if someone had been injured at our car show last weekend.

Also, if you plan to seek corporate sponsorship for shows or other events, they'll probably want to verify your non-profit status - and may want proof of insurance.

One other thing....whatever you do don't volunteer to be webmaster!!! :D

Wow,
I think you guys havediscouraged more than encouraged me to do this. I am glad I posted this as these are things I did not think of.

Car clubs are a good thing, just be prepared should you end up in leadership role, as thats when you find out who has control issues, normally control freaks won't run for president, just tell you how to do the job.

Don't mean to discourage you....just wanted to let you now there's more to it than first meets the eye. It's not as difficult as it sounds....it just requires a bit of planning to be sure you've got all the bases covered.

There's a ton of info regarding car club organization at the link below

Speedracer Wrote:

Phil67MGB Wrote:

Don't be discouraged. Maybe what you need is NOT a club but just an informal group of folks who agree to meet somewhere, sometime. There is a such a group that I belonged to for many years in Boise and every Sat. AM we all had breakfast together and discussed cars and even did some things together. As far as I know, it is still going strong and there is no organization, just the camaraderie of those who enjoy each other's company. Perhaps that is all you need. Worked for us.

Speaking of "not a club" here's a non-club I ran across when researching the possibility of starting an MGB non-club here in Memphis. It's not a club, there are no officers, there are no dues, just a web forum for communication between those in that area who want to get together...

Ok Thats Brilliant!!!! A car club thats not a club, just a bunch o'guys hangin' out with their rides.....Thats more like it. Maybe something informal to start with then as it grows...turn it into, whatever

That's basically what I've been trying to describe. I have no interest in running a club, so we just have "fun runs". Some of these runs have had upward of 50 British cars! Check this out... click here for photos. If someone wants to have a run in their area, they just post it up and people show. One guy put on a run all the way up in Santa Barbara and we had a good turnout. Honestly, you don't have to be a club to get enthusiasts together. Clubs are great but they aren't the only way to enjoy the hobby!