Scantlings

So I didn’t know where to put this, but I guess this is as good as anywhere. I am on the board for the Duluth Yacht Club, and we have a couple of things that need to be addressed, namely a physical home (ours was demolished to build a new hotel), and the potential need for a new committee boat is a very real possibility. All of these things require funds. We have some funds, but if we were to buy a boat today, it would pretty much take all that we have in savings.

What ways have your yacht clubs gone about raising funds? What kind of money-making endeavors work? We plan to increase racing fees and certain membership levels, but this only gets us so much…I need to hear some fresh ideas because I can’t sit through another board meeting where we talk about it but don’t accomplish anything. Thoughts?

When I was on the board at ILYC, I used to call up my late friend Russell Hoyt and ask him if he could organize the funding for what I wanted. He would claim he went to a bunch of people, even though we all knew he wrote the check, himself. Tom Claggett was another patron. Do you have any members who love the club and have the wherewithal to write a big check? Failing that, would your budget be able to absorb a mortgage?

I wish there was some more money within the club that we could pull from. We've got one guy who could possibly write a check or two, but I don't know how impressed he is with how business is currently being run, so I doubt he is feeling very complelled. He may be more willing as an investor type, but I hate to speak on his behalf.

We don't at the time have any kind of savings for a down payment on a mortgage, let alone the ability to cover the month-month expenses. It also makes it difficult that there isn't a whole lot of available space in the vicinity. In an ideal world, we would love to have a cerntral spot with docks as currently our fleet is spread out thoughout at least 3 different marinas...There is some potential for something doewn the road in a development that is in the works in one of the old freighter slips next to a old cement factory, but we are talking years.

It's hard to grow your membership, especially social/crew membership, when you don't have anything to offer. We hold post race socials at various restaurants in the area,but there aren't any perks. It's also hard to raise fees when you aren't delivering anything in return to justify the fees.

The local club here just moved from a tin shed to a nice waterfront building that came up for sale.
It was a kayak shop, on a state government leasehold for the land, so the club renegotiated the land lease for the building with the state.
The state was prepared to set a reasonable lease for a community project.
The club had some savings, which bought some of the building. It also has a loan.
The shop came with a lot of kayak bays, which the club is renting out to cover the costs of the lease and loan.
The costs of the move, fitout and those sorts of things are largely met by voluntary work from members, we have electricians, plumbers, builders who have just given their time and resources.

Maybe there are some ideas for you in this deal.

Thanks for the input - on another note, what do your yacht clubs say about people needing to be members? We had 40 boats pay race fees, and we had 102 members this year. Thats just over 2.5 members per boat. Most boats go out each night with anywhere between 3 and 12 sailors, so we should have a much higher membership...it was brought up at our all-member meeting this past weekend that most crew ask the question "What's in it for us?" which I must say sounds a bit entitled, considering that they get to go out and race every wednesday night and most weekends.

A lot of people have the idea that we need to offer something to these people - free food at socials, free beer etc. I mentioned that if I want to play volleyball for our local rec league, I need to pay money. They certainly aren't giving me anything in return, other than facilities and an official to call the game. Exactly what you get when you crew in a yacht club. We aren't asking them to become full voting members, we options for crew/social and student levels as well...

What is the expectation in your neck of the woods?

Britches wrote:Thanks for the input - on another note, what do your yacht clubs say about people needing to be members? We had 40 boats pay race fees, and we had 102 members this year. Thats just over 2.5 members per boat. Most boats go out each night with anywhere between 3 and 12 sailors, so we should have a much higher membership...it was brought up at our all-member meeting this past weekend that most crew ask the question "What's in it for us?" which I must say sounds a bit entitled, considering that they get to go out and race every wednesday night and most weekends.

A lot of people have the idea that we need to offer something to these people - free food at socials, free beer etc. I mentioned that if I want to play volleyball for our local rec league, I need to pay money. They certainly aren't giving me anything in return, other than facilities and an official to call the game. Exactly what you get when you crew in a yacht club. We aren't asking them to become full voting members, we options for crew/social and student levels as well...

What is the expectation in your neck of the woods?

Any time I hear someone use that expression "what's in it for me?" I immediately write them off. Self centered assholes - at BEST.

We do not require crew to be members of the club. I think racing would dry up.

We have a big, old, club. 75% are powerboaters, 25% are sailors. It has a restaurant, bar and banquet facilities, a moorage basin, outstations, etc. We have three levels of membership, Active, Associate, and Junior.

Active members must own a boat, get all the benefits of the club including moorage in our basin, use of the outstations, voting priveliges, burgee, restaurant etc.

Associate members do not need to own a boat, do not get moorage in the basin, do not get a burgee, and cannot vote, but they do get to use the restaurant, bar, and banquet facilities. This brings in people who want to have a nice place to bring people to for lunch or dinner or to have a drink. Dues for Associate members are significantly lower than for full members

Junior membership is for youth from 12 to 21.

All Active and Associate members are given a dollar amount they must spend in the restaurant/bar every quarter. If they do not spend it during the quarter it is tacked on to their bill.

http://tacomayachtclub.org/site/Membership.html

I hope this gives you some ideas for your club.

Joe