It has recently come to my attention that the Membership guidlines for DCMM will be changing for calendar year 2007. The big change is that members must own a MINI Cooper (S) in order for the club to remain non-profit. This will allow the club to have some way of standing out and be unique in order to classify as non-profit.

So please board of DCMM clarify this for me, tell me if the collective of 300+ members and great minds can help assist in this matter. Tell me how many members really own MINIs? Reason being many members join before they own a MINI. Will there be some clause that states a member must own a MINI within 30 days of joining DCMM.

This is not meant to be an attack on DCMM as I understand the issues facing a non-profit volunteer organization. I just wish there was another way.

The above is raised since I sold my MINI and still plan to be a part of DCMM.

 

Suck it up and pay the $5 for the driving event!!!

Hellll ... take the IS250 to the dragon

 

Psst..I paid my yearly membership dues for 3 years going now

The IS is coming to the dragon as I was already going with the MINI

 

You're always welcome at Tar Heel MINI Motoring Club! No Dues EVER!

 

Boy, MDS would have to get a place in NC. That would be a hike for a run.

 

No problem, its coming up in May little thing called MOTD

 

The only change to the membership guidelines is that members will be required to own or have a MINI on order. In the past, the club was open to those who loved MINIs - even if they did not own one. Unfortunately, in order to be incorporated and get a non-profit tax ID status, we need to be a social club with a distinctive reason for joining. This is probably not the best language, but it the best I can come up with right now.

Everyone who is currently a member stays a member until their one year is up. Regardless of ownership status.

At the moment, our bylaws state a significant other becomes a member too. That significant other does not need to own a MINI. This is likely change in 2007 too.

And, nothing will change until we have been granted our 501c7 status, which we are in the process of applying for.

This information will be the focus of this year's annual meeting in March.

 

How many really own MINIs - probably at least 99%, probably even higher than that. Most applications come in with ownership information. In fact, in all of 2006 I can only remember one application where someone did not. So to answer your question, an incredibly small percentage of DCMM members do not own MINIs.

Please keep in mind that non members are always welcome at our events.

 

Jen,

What does the club do with the dues they collect? I realize there is a welcome package sent to new members. Is the remaining money put in an account in case of a disaster or something? Reason is I wonder why the non-profit is so important.

 

The dues may for the membership packets, pay for printing expenses to promote the club at dealerships, pay mailing and other expenses, pay for our business expenses, and underwrite our activites over the year. Non profit is required (not optional) because it is what we are. We are a social club. We don't make profits. There are no shareholders to pay a dividend too. All our monies go back into club activities. That is the defintion of a non profit. We need this status for tax reasons too.

 

What counts as a MINI? MINI's, mini's.... how about toys, such as radio control cars, hot wheels cars.... etc?

 

I can sell shares of my MINI for $0.01 each. That way, anyone without a MINI can say they own one!

And I'll put the money towards the "clean car fund". You guys would probably flip if you knew how long it's been since I've washed my MINI... *sigh*

 

Thats the spirit!

 

^^good idea

 

Just out of curiosity what exactly is the reason for such a push to become tax exempt?

Although after talking with a close friends mother this definition of a 501c7 was confirmed:

I must be missing the reason behind why the club has to be so discriminate to the point that you MUST be an owner of a MINI.

 

Members must be bound together by a common objective directed toward pleasure, recreation, and other nonprofitable purposes. Fellowship need not be present between each member and every other member of a club if it is a material part in the life of the organization. A statewide or nationwide organization that is made up of individual members, but is divided into local groups, satisfies this requirement if fellowship is a material part of the life of each local group.

In order to meet this definition, we cannot be a club open to anyone who just happens to like MINIs. We need to have a common objective. In this case, that we are owners. Trust me that we consulted several people who have gone through the process.

It also has to do with become a corporation - which was already done under these guidelines.

To set up DCMM properly as an organization for the future, we need to go all the way with tax exempt ID status. This will save the organization a lot of work in the future.

This has already been decided some time ago. The work is already in progress and I do not feel that this is going to be a problem for over 99% of our members - the VAST majority of which OWN MINIs.

 

[quote=mdsbrain;1263355]I just wish there was another way.

[quote]

To sum up the discussion, there is not another way for this organization at this time. I am sorry that this might make a few current members feel left out. Please keep in mind almost all our events are open to non members. Non members do not have to own a MINI or even like MINIs. No one is going to be turned away from an event open to everyone because they do not have a MINI. And, the friendships we have made while in this club - while they started through coming together because we owned the same car - will likely last longer than the cars.

 

Jen, in order to sign up via the website everyone must put that they own MINI. They can't put family, on order or non-owner.

 

We are not going to be the gestapo here. If you have family that owns a MINI, you could join them in their application. We will be setting up single, dual and family memberships next year.

 

Understood but doesn't this create a large error in the assumptime that 99% of members own MINIs

 

Nope, because if you sign up as a family - a member of the family does own a MINI. Or if you sign up as dual, one person does. And, if you sign up as a single, you own one. We do not have this system now, but we are setting ourselves up for it in the future.

 

Very interesting, this must be something new that was placed in affect within less than a year ago because when a few of my friends and I were in the process of writing proposals for a social club and an organization to gain non-profit status it was not this detailed. Long story short...we were granted the status as well as filling out the 1024 and 8718 forms to gain tax exemption.

 

Every organization is different. I sit on the board of a non profit in DC that serves the homeless. Our requirements were different than what DCMM had to provide.

The bottom line, as I said in my earlier post today, is that this is a done deal and we cannot turn back.

 

I guess I just have to learn that a social club is different from a democracy.

In a democracy the members of the board are represenatives of it's members and voice these concerns to the members.

In a Social club the board decides these things and the decisions only become public via hear say or should a member becomea violator.

This is my biggest problem with the change, that the members were not alerted. Maybe I am the only one with an issue with the change since I don't have a MINI any longer. If so then thats fine, my membership is good till Aug 2007.

Members of a social club shouldn't be part of a club based upon their ability to purchase a vehicle or drive a certain car but the goal to have a good time while owning such a vehicle.

 

Mark,

You're ignoring what I've already clearly told you - that the changes are part of new by-laws, and that those by-laws will be posted on the website soon... and Jen has made it clear that this will be the main point of discussion during our annual meeting next year.

Communication IS going to happen - you just happened to stumble upon it because you are one of our most active members... and you went and sold your MINI!

And besides, this isn't just "any" social club... it's a social club with a specific purpose. A car club... and one for a very specific car.

We've tried to make it clear to you that you are still welcome as a (future) non-member to socialize with us. The net effect of not being a member is ultimately very small. You can still come to all events (incl. driving events with the $5 non-member fee), you can still hang out... you just won't be able to vote in board elections, nor claim the DCMM discount at DC area dealers... but why would you need to buy from there any more anyway, if you don't have a MINI?

Through all of this frustration you are venting, you are forgetting that it was your decision to sell your MINI, which is the one and ONLY thing that brought us all together in the first place, and it's the reason the club exists. I really can't understand why this policy is so upsetting to you. We're not going to treat you any differently as friends than we did before, unless you choose to behave differently yourself.