Regional A7 club magazine costs

[Charles P]

On a personal level, if all the Clubs amalgamated into one UK-wide one I would simply set up another local one and start the fun all over again...

Reminds me of https://youtu.be/WboggjN_G-4

[Ruairidh Dunford]

[Ivor Hawkins]

I was chairman of a Specialist car club for about six years and acted as magazine editor and in that time we were permanently on the verge of bankruptcy, we reduced the frequency to quarterly as a printed mag, produced it as a pdf as well and members came and went but levelled out in the end and the club is now flourishing with everyone paying the same sub.

I’m a member of the A7 club London and the Isle of Wight Austins and lately the Isle of Wight has produced it as a pdf, plus of course you can print it out...works for me, but I’d miss a proper printed grey mag

[daveg]

From the replies so far there seems to be stronger support for a printed magazine than I had expected and those replies are all from people with online access!

Ruairidh – I wasn't judging the financial running of the PWA7 club and to be fair to them the figures I used were from an article explaining why the membership fee was having to rise by £8 to balance the books. I was just surprised how expensive the monthly magazine is and how it left the club with little money to support the A7 movement in other ways.

The ScA7C experience of emailing the magazine for £5 is the sort of thing I thought might be possible and at that sort of price I would be happy to read several other club magazines without wanting to be a member of those clubs.

The figures Tony Press gave for the Light Shaft magazine are interesting. If a similar uptake of just under 50% for an online version of the PWA7C magazine could be replicated the club would have about £14,000 to spend in other ways – enough, for example, to buy and support a new loan car every year.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Ruairidh – I wasn't judging the financial running of the PWA7 club

Hi Dave,

I did not think you were.

For your interest, hopefully, we produce 6 A5 magazines a year (shared workload amongst 3 editors, who do two each) - these are sent out as hard copy to all members, unless they actively opt-out on the membership form. 

It is also sent out in tandem to all members and numerous Club contacts across the globe as a PDF, which we actively encourage to be shared.

In addition to this we have, a least, 4 further MailChimp e-newsletters that are sent out - this often contain minutes of meetings and other wordy documents that would take up a lot of space in an already brimming, and otherwise lively, Magazine.  We also use MailChimp to promote our on-line Zoom meets and other timely announcements etc.

This horses for courses approach works really well for for us.

[John Mason]

I have been a member of a worldwide organisation (not car related) for nearly 50 years. Some years ago. The British section moved the quarterly magazine to online as well as hard copies for those that wanted it that way. This saved an enormous amount of money and had a bonus that the online copies were all sent out on the same day rather than hard copies that sometimes were up to 14 days later. I was also secretary of my own local branch which also changed to online for its members newsletters. Again this saved money in postage together with production costs. A bonus for me was that I was not folding paper in to over 200 envelopes and then sticking on stamps. I realise that some members do not have computers etc but we are in the 21st century. If you can drive a car you are capable of learning a few computer skills. My advice is get up to date. I realise this will no doubt stir a hornets nest with some and I am prepared for the flack. I have my tin helmet ready. Can I also mention that I am a member of the PWA7C and will willingly pay the increased charges after all if paying by direct debit it is less than £3.00 per month.

John Mason.

[Tony Betts]

Hi john,

Not looking to give you a battering, just can't shear your words.

What you are suggesting is similar to what I get with customers.

Most want to use a card.
A few are happy to send a cheque.
Most find it very easy to do a direct transfer.

But then I get a few in the middle, who can't find there cheque book. They can access the internet, but wont do a transfer. Some can do a transfer but don't have internet access? It takes all sorts.

On your suggestion, they should all step up and join the 21st century. If they don't??.

my suggestion, Is try help customers as best I can to get what they need. And be as flexible as i can afford to be over taking payments.

Clubs are taking money same as any other business, and should be as flexible as possible for there customers over access to there magazines.

I've always bashed clubs for not looking outside there box, anything they do is for there current paying members. Squeeze members harder by forcing them to join the 21st century, I'm sure will result in less members.

The clubs that are thriving, look outside there little box. And like the SA7C gain from it.

Tony

[Mike Costigan]

... If a similar uptake of just under 50% for an online version of the PWA7C magazine could be replicated the club would have about £14,000 to spend in other ways – enough, for example, to buy and support a new loan car every year.

A 50% reduction in printed newsletters will probably only result in a 20-30% drop in costs, though. Postage will reduce, but the actual printing costs will hardly be affected.

[Chris KC]

My two penn'orth - I would gladly receive 'local' club mags online.

Forgive my bluntness but most frankly don't have sufficient 'reference' / technical content to merit archiving in hard copy.
Unless in 20 years time you want to re-live Bob & Joyce's outing to the pub in their Chummy? 
I generally flick through them for something of interest, add to a nomadic pile of things-I-have-no-space-for on the floor, and forget.

Of course anything of interest in an online mag can easily be copy - pasted to folders on one's computer if you want to file it.

Online mags also have positive benefits - not least that everyone gets them at the same time.
Ever been frustrated to find that the hen's tooth you've been looking for was snapped up long ago because everyone else saw the classified ads 3 weeks before you did?

The A7CA mag for me is quite another matter. It is the cream of all the articles, and generally something within is worth filing for future reference. It is also of an agreeable and handy format which doesn't take up too much house-room.

Those who do not adapt? Well of course I understand. I fight many losing battles against those who feel everyone ought to own a mobile 'phone.
I'm not sure though that a majority of members should subsidise them. The SA7C model seems eminently sensible to me.

[John Mason]

Mobile phones. It’s everybody’s choice but a cheap no frills phone on pay as you go (No contract) is the best thing out if you breakdown and need help. Most areas are covered now and if by a chance of real bad luck you can’t get a signal you are no worse off than before.

John Mason.