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List of Officers - pro tem officers are usually appointed or elected for a period of ninety days to carry the chapter through the formative stages. Then, at the discretion of the membership, these officers can either be retained for the balance of the suggested two-year term or new officers elected. Required officers and their responsibilities are as follows:
Chapter President
The CHAPTER PRESIDENT presides over all meetings, prepares the agenda and directs the discussion thereof.
Acts as an ex-officio member of all standing committees and temporary committees except the nominating committee.
Executes all documents and correspondence in the name of the chapter as authorized by the membership or the board of directors.
The PRESIDENT may also act as signer or co-signer of cheques.
The PRESIDENT, or other officer designated by the PRESIDENT is responsible for sending in the Annual Chapter Report to the BMW CC National Office for the clubs Annual General Meeting.
Vice-President
Acts in the place of the PRESIDENT during his/her absence or when so ordered by the President.
Assists the PRESIDENT in preparation of the Chapter Newsletter, and may coordinate the submission of articles or notices from the Chapter board and members to the National Magazine, "CONTACT".
This position may be combined with one of the other recommended positions.
Secretary/Membership Officer
Records and preserves the minutes of the chapter meetings.
Presents and reads such minutes at the request of the president.
Prepares necessary correspondence of the Chapter when so directed by either the CHAIRMAN or other Chapter Officers.
Coordinates with the CHAPTER TREASURER, and the NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR, in maintaining Chapter membership and renewal files.
Treasurer
Keeps the records reflecting the financial condition of the chapter.
sign or co-signs all disbursements from the accounts of the chapter.
Upon the request of the CHAPTER CHAIRMAN or CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP OFFICER, the TREASURER furnishes a report of all financial transactions.
The TREASURER receives all monies paid to the chapter and deposits same to its credit with the bank designated as the chapter depository.
ACTIVITIES/COMPETITION OFFICER
Primarily responsible for planning, organizing and staging the events and activities of the chapter.
The ACTIVITIES/COMPETITION OFFICER will be responsible for providing the NEWSLETTER OFFICER with timely updates to the yearly schedules of events, (club meetings, slaloms, Concours, etc.), for publication in the chapter newsletter, and submission to the NATIONAL MAGAZINE EDITOR. This information will be made available to national members and the International Council of BMW Clubs for inclusion in their International newsletter
Appoints members or recruits volunteers to take care of portions of each event.
Keeps records of these events and how well they succeed.
All Chapter motorsport events and Concours de elegance must be coordinated through the NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF MOTORSPORT, so that your chapters' event may be added to and covered by the National Club's liability insurance umbrella.
ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP OFFICER
Primarily responsible for recruiting LOCAL advertisers for the Chapter newsletter and sponsors to help offset the cost of staging local events, such as Concours de elegance, indoor go-cart championships, summer slalom events.
Works closely with the ACTIVITIES/COMPETITION OFFICER to recruit members or recruits volunteers to help with the running of each event.
Keeps records of advertisers and sponsors and their contribution to the chapter during the course of the year.
Maintain a list of local businesses which extend a corporate discount to club members, for coordination with the NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS.
Coordinate the collection of advertiser revenue with the CHAPTER TREASURER and the NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING.
CHAPTER NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Primarily responsible for compiling and publication of the local Chapter newsletter.
Must coordinate the publication of local events, and notices with the ACTIVITIES/COMPETITION OFFICER and the ADVERTISING/SPONSORSHIP OFFICER.
Works closely with the other Chapter officers to recruit volunteers from the membership to contribute articles of local interest and which will augment the National Magazine with local news.
Coordinates with the NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF MARKETING to publish national and local membership incentives and offers.
Coordinates with the NATIONAL MAGAZINE EDITOR(S) on the publication of the local calendar of events in both the Local newsletter and the national magazine.
OTHERS
In addition to the above-named officers, we strongly suggest that you recruit enthusiastic volunteers and establish committees for particular chapter interests, (such as autocross, rally, racing, technical, membership and newsletter committees). The more people that you involve in your chapter organization, the more active your chapter will be, the more efficient your operation, and the better your chances of grooming future officers and chapter leaders.
Chapter Bylaws - as a subsidiary of the national club, you do not need your own bylaws. A copy of the National Bylaws are included with this brochure. Should you decide to create your own set of bylaws due to local circumstances, then they should be based on those developed by the National Club and the International Council of BMW Clubs Constitution. If you do not get it, please ask for your copy from the National Office.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW CHAPTERS
Chapter Incorporation - Your chapter is automatically incorporated under the Federal Charter of the National Club. Provincial incorporation is not required. Your national club has insurance coverage to cover liabilities of the officers and the members in cases of lawsuits, etc.
Chapter Logo - The chapter should design and use a logo [club emblem] based on the accepted Guidelines set forth by the International Council for the use and creation of club logos. There are 6 accepted shapes, and there are regulations in place for how the BMW Roundel and BMW name need to be handled on a club logo emblem, and when the club name is used in other ways. It is important to remember that BMW holds the trademark and copyright on their name and the Roundel logo and the clubs are granted permission to use it as part of a club logo emblem only if they follow the guidelines.
Initially a new club/chapter may use the same logo as the National Logo of the BMW CC, but should use the chapter name with the local address. For regional identity however it will be desirable for most new chapter/member clubs to create their own logo emblem based on the guidelines.
The national logo is registered and approved by The International Council of BMW Clubs, and BMW AG, under the auspices of BMW Mobile Tradition. The BMW CC represents an umbrella organization, as recognized by BMW AG, and is seen to represent the entire country and all its BMW chapters and registries.
Permanent Address - Every chapter needs a mailing address to handle its correspondence. We urge you to obtain a post office box in an area close to the largest number of working club officers. A permanent address enables the chapter to print sufficient stationary and related items without fear of obsolescence, and provide continuity if and when the officers change.
Tips on Preliminary Chapter Organization [from the 1998 guide version, some parts may need updating.]
FIRST MEETING
The first meeting should be planned very carefully. It should be primarily a social event to feel out the possibilities of forming a chapter.
Invitations to potential chapter members should be sent out well in advance of the meeting. Phone the BMW CC members in your area two (2) weeks before the upcoming meeting, and 2 to 3 days before the meeting as a follow up. The second call will give you a chance to tell them about the program you have planned. Copies of your invitation should also be sent to the national office as we may be able to find a representative who can come to your meeting and answer any questions that may arise. If your invitation is received in time by the national office, notice of your meeting will be carried in "CONTACT" Calendar of Events.
At the first meeting, the purpose and advantages of BMW CC chapter formation and national membership should be explained and discussed. Is the chapter wanted and needed? Do enough people want and/or need it? Who will work and for what will they volunteer? Does anyone have any previous club experience or specialized talents (lawyers, artist, writer, technical expertise) to offer? If the interest is there, try to get a commitment while you have them.
Waste no time - get a slate of pro tem officers nominated and elected and get that petition for charter circulated. You will then be we on your way. Discuss chapter name and chapter boundaries. Have the newly-elected secretary take copious notes the whole time.
SECOND MEETING
A slate of officers, petition for charter, a chapter name in short, all of the items required for charter, it they were not fully established at the first meeting, should be settled on now. The minutes of both preliminary meetings should be forwarded to the National Office. Plan meetings at least one month in advance, preferably two months, to ensure that the relevant information is updated in CONTACT Calendar of Events. This will be extremely difficult at first, but will let members know what is coming. Continuity influences people to come back.
Do not be discouraged if the initial attendance is low. Many members will wait for a meeting or two simply to see if you sink or swim - the "show me" philosophy. It may be discouraging, but do not be disheartened.
If you have a problem or need assistance - call the National Membership Development Officer or any other National Directors. They will try to help you solve your problems.
BUILDING CHAPTER STRENGTH
Certain steps must be taken to ensure that your new chapter grows and flourishes. It is absolutely necessary that the four (4) or five (5) key club officers be as capable and as dedicated as can be found. Do not feel that positions of this magnitude should be awarded to persons as an honor or in gratitude for some service to the group. The criteria must be capability and willingness.
It is also essential that the chapter endeavor to schedule those types of events and social activities that ensures continued attendance and support of all the members of the chapter - the race freaks, the picnic buffs, the shade tree mechanics, the Concours devotee, and the serious or amateur rallyist; by ensuring the continued interest of all types of members can the chapter be guaranteed a solid base of membership from which to draw ideas, valid criticism, officer material and continued life.
The energies of these two elements - capable and willing officers and an involved and enthusiastic membership - are then directed towards those three areas which constitute the Chapters raison d'être: services to members, an informative publication and club meetings and events.
Services to Members
This takes many forms from chapter to chapter, but all approaches have a common goal: to enhance the enjoyment and minimize the hardship of BMW ownership. Services which could be developed include parts and accessories discounts, repair shop reports and critiques, establishment of personal contacts among nearby members for purposes of technical assistance and camaraderie.
Chapter Newsletter
The Chapter newsletter serves as a forum for all chapter members. Technical articles, activities and event reports, buy and sell sections, reader questions and contributions, social notes, racing news, administrative commentary, parts and accessory evaluations, discounts' lists - the entire range of the Chapters activities is reported.
The chapter newsletter is the prime communicating element among members and makes them aware of the various services offered by the Chapter. Don't try for a super-flashy magazine. A type-written circular letter that comes regularly will get any Chapter news to the members and be much more useful. A copy of this should be forwarded to the national club for possible use in other chapter newsletters.
Chapter Meetings and Events
The third important area is a well-balanced and regularly-scheduled series of meetings and/or events designed to present to the membership every facet of BMW ownership. We strongly recommend that you plan events for an entire year. The event can take the form of watching movies at dinner meetings, drinking beer and munching crackers while talking up the superior qualities of the marque, preparing your car for a Concours d'elegance, tiptoeing down a backwoods road on a gas-economy run, or hard charging through some pylons during an autocross.
You should try to present all sides, letting the Chapter members pick those meetings and events that they like best. It will soon be evident if your chapter is primarily interested in social events, technical events, competitive events or rallying/touring events. In fairness to this preference, you will have to schedule the more popular events more frequently.
Do not lose sight of those members that seem to be losing interest, and try not to become "branded" as a strictly one-event Chapter. Meetings are most important in allowing the members to get to know one another, to exchange ideas, and to gain the feeling of belonging to BMW CC, (and by extension the larger community of the International Council of BMW Clubs), and to the Chapter. For these reasons, it is best to keep all business at these meetings at a minimum and let the officers do the work of running the Chapter.
MAINTAINING CHAPTER STRENGTH
For a Chapter to grow and prosper, you must always "think ahead" to what you want the Chapter to accomplish. The successes of today were planned yesterday. The successes of tomorrow are planned today. A chapter that does not plan for tomorrow will become stale and fail. There are several areas in which the chapter must be proficient for future growth. These are as follows:
Recruiting New Members - to ensure that once the chapter is going it will live long and prosper, you must have sufficient numbers of BMW owners and enthusiasts in your area to support and perpetuate your chapter. There are several approaches open to you:
Rubber-stamp the National Membership Application Form with the chapter address to let prospects know that there is a local organization. Develop your own newsletter. Leave space on the flyer for you to write your name and telephone number. This gives the potential member a local person to contact immediately.
Consult with the National Club regarding information as to the number of current and past BMW CC members within your chapter boundaries.
Check with local dealers regarding a possible mailing to his/her service customers, or ask them if you can place posters and/or flyers in their showrooms, near the service managers desk, and in the parts department.
Contact the area sports car clubs for names of members owning BMW’s. Investigate the possibility of putting your first meeting announcement in their newsletter.
If there is a sports car column in your local newspaper, public service announcements on radio stations, and any other way to get your name out to the public.
Attend races, rallies, auto-crosses, and other sports car events and activities in your area and talk to BMW owners.
At a large event of any nature, walk through the parking lot with a handful of flyers and stuff them under windshield wipers. This will get the job done nicely.
Of course, the old standby of bagging BMW’s on the highways and byways is a guaranteed form of recruitment.
Chapter Records and Accounting Procedures - It is essential that you establish and maintain a functional yet expeditious form of book-keeping with a good working relationship between the Treasurer and Secretary. The secretaries primary goal should be to immediately establish and maintain detailed records relating to income.
A full membership register and a verifiable style bank-deposit book is important from the very beginning. This is the ultimate source of verification and confirmation with regards to dues, renewals and all other forms of income.
Fund Raising - A very necessary part of chapter income is derived from new members and renewal of old members. However, a solid financial base is obtained from other sources also. One of the best ways is to get paying advertisers for your chapter newsletter, making it as self-supporting as possible. You will find that the newsletter and its related postage are possibly the biggest single cost that your chapter will incur.
Your Activities/Competition Officer is responsible for financially structuring the entry fees for events in such a way that the Chapters costs (including any plaques or trophies) are covered, with a small profit on each event. If this profit is spread over the entire participating membership of the event, the cost per person is small but the profits to the Chapter are most important for its growth. All costs for an event must be included in computing the final entry fees. These include postage, telephone calls, publicity, supplies and any rental equipment. If the Competition Officer can receive trophies or prizes as donations from local merchants or car shops, they should still structure the cost of the event as though they had paid for them. This will provide continuity from one event to another, as well as reward the chapter financially. Do not forget to mention donors at the event and in the newsletter, and let them know that you did.
Membership Dues and Renewal Procedure - With regard to new members, a member can come from one of these areas:
The member can live within an established chapter area. When they write in for further information about BMW CC, he/she receives a custom-tailored application/information sheet with info on the club in their area. By completing this form and mailing it to the appropriate local club office or the National Office, they join both the BMW CC, the regional Chapter, and all affiliated clubs for one year. If the form is sent to the national office enters them on their membership roster, and forwards a copy of the person's application to the chapter office along with the dues.
If the person requesting information lives within the area of a potential chapter, they receive a BMW CC application/information sheet, and the name and address of the potential chapter organizer. They join the BMW CC National Club as either a full member, (with no chapter affiliation), or an associate member, (where ownership of a BMW is not required), until a chapter in that area has been established.
DUES PROCEDURES
Renewal of annual membership is dependent on when the member joined. The membership card has the renewal date on it along with the membership number. A renewal reminder notice will be sent to the member by the local chapter they belong to.
The National Office and Chapters on an on-going basis will collaborate and create an undated membership list, to enable you to maintain an up-to-date mailing list for your local newsletter. It will also enable you to follow up on expired local members.
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