President’s Article March 2018

With the changing dynamics of BMW vehicle purchases, more and more sport activity vehicles are being sold by all major car companies with a decline in traditional sedans and sports cars, what is the future of our car club, or any car club with the focus on “car culture” and belonging to an organization especially designed for people who love cars.

As widely reported, many timeless organizations with a rich history of membership have lost membership over the last decade or so. It appears many organizations with a tradition of people belonging to that organization because of the mutual beliefs of the members, have all seen a decline in attracting new and younger members to replace older members when they leave the club or organization. As the national BMW CCA grapples with how to adapt to a new generation of car enthusiasts who may share many of the same values as the current membership, how to we get those younger people involved with the current club.

What does our club need to do to attract and retain members who may not feel the same attraction to joining organizations because of a mutual interest? As our local club is not growing at a pace we would expect to be healthy, we must change in order to bring in new members who have many of the same interests as current members. The question then arises, what new and different activities should we offer, or how do we need to change our structure to ensure the longevity of the organization we care so deeply about. All current Board members are open to discussion involving this topic. Please contact a Board member with your opinions.