At our last Zone 1 president’s meeting in February, one of the topics discussed was membership.  This is a regular topic at PCA meetings, from the local to the national level.  Although PCA continues to show healthy growth, there are concerns about the demographic being heavily slanted toward the older crowd.  In addition, one topic that was discussed was the concern about member participation.  Although I had planned to bring this up for discussion, I was surprised to hear that almost every one of the 17 presidents had listed the same concern in their pre-meeting questionnaire.  A quick survey around the table produced a consistent response: that about 10% of members actually participate in the varied offerings each zone provides.  I must admit, I thought this was unique to our region, but it seems to be a systemic problem.  The discussion that followed offered multiple possible avenues to improve the situation, but not one or even a few common ideas.  Part of the problem is that the size of the region dictates the type and number of events they can host – larger regions have more options and a greater number of each option. Smaller regions cannot afford to offer a wide variety or number of events.  But the question at the core of the issue remains – why don’t more members participate?  It is very easy to join the Porsche Club of America, and quite inexpensive, but becoming engaged appears to be a separate issue for most.

I believe there are several contributing factors.

Probably the most common factor would be time.  We all have busy schedules (even us retirees), and it does take some effort and a firm commitment to carve out the time to participate.  Location could be another factor.  Although we have a relatively small region geographically compared to others in our zone and nationally, it can still easily take over an hour or more to reach some venues, depending on the starting point.  Level of interest is also an important consideration.  We are fortunate in CVR to have a wide variety of events to choose from, based both on the size of our membership and a core group of very dedicated volunteers that keep them going.  But the number of members who participate in multiple events is actually quite small, with most people limiting their participation to one or two offerings.

So, what can we do to increase the engagement of members to participate in more and a wider range of events?  I believe one of the most important is word of mouth.  Talking to family, friends, and acquaintances about the many varied options CVR offers is an important way to get the word out to others about what you like about the club.  I can say from personal experience that the enthusiasm with which members described what CVR does is what encouraged me as a new member to explore different events.

Another avenue to increase awareness is the email blast we use to keep everyone informed and up to date.  We have increased the frequency of these in the last few years to improve the communication of what is available. 

A third method to provide information, new this year, is the printing of our yearly calendar in an 8.5×11-inch trifold pamphlet format.  These will be available at most of our events (monthly meetings, sampler, etc), so anyone interested can take one and bring it home, set it on the fridge with a magnet or other convenient spot for easy reference, and hopefully refer to it regularly to remind themselves of future events.  The calendars were very well received at the March monthly meeting at Castro Oasis, so we are planning on printing a sufficient amount to have at all of our venues.  Make sure to pick one up the next time you’re at a CVR event.

Finally, I understand I’m probably preaching to the choir here – it’s possible only 10% of the membership reads my column.  But if each one of you encourages your acquaintances, friends, and family to participate, we would all benefit.  And definitely explore other options in the club that you may not have considered in the past.  It’s a great way to meet fellow CVR members, and you may just become “hooked” on another way to enjoy your Porsche in a manner you hadn’t considered.  I hope to see more of you at future events.  We all benefit from increased participation.