new club question
so just joined the second week in March. I am looking for information on starting a local club here in Alexandria, MN. There are about 7 of us with stangs in the area so looking to start a small club of mustangs and friends.
any ideas would be helpful
7 years ago I had the same thought. Found the best way was to organize a gathering of Mustangs at a local fast food location for a cruise in. Find someone who can design a cool looking flier (in color). Make about 50-100 copies, give a few copies to your current crop of Mustang buddies and then anytime over the next few weeks when you all are out and about, if you see a Mustang at a gas station, store, school, office building, etc. stick a flier under the windshield wiper. Also, if there are any other cruise-ins or car shows upcoming, go to them and seek out the Mustangs.Originally Posted by bishnickee
The flier should have the address, location, date and time. Add a phone number and email address. Choose a rain date if available. Try to get the fast food place (Sonic is usually the best) to offer a discount for any attending Mustangs (include that on the flier). Ask the facility if they can put the words, "Mustang Cruise In or Mustang Show on the outdoor sign. Get your current crop of friends to promise they will be there, and then on the day of, sit back and hope people will show up. Do not be disappointed if the turnout is low, especially if you are going up against any other kind of well established car event (try not to). Do this on a Friday or Saturday night if at all possible.
If and when other Mustangers show up, talk to them and get to know them and then ask if they would be interested in making this into a club. Try to get names, emails and phone numbers of anyone that shows, and then you can contact them for the next cruise in or to get together to attend an upcoming show or cruise in hosted by someone else. If there is a Mustang club in another city that is close by, consider taking the time and going out to one of their show. You won't be taking members to your club, but you will be learning what makes a club tick and how they do things to have fun.
When we started here in Asheville. I did the same thing with fliers. It was pretty much me going around Asheville and putting fliers on Mustangs. I did a show to raise money for Hospice by doing a pony drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had no sponsors, cash, nothing. We had a local radio station that agreed to do some ads for us as it was to raise money for a charity and I found a local BBQ place that came out and served lunch after the drive. We had Krispy Kreme donuts serve coffee and donuts before the drive. On the morning of the show, we had 125 Mustangs show up! We lost money that first year, but we also had 125 names. When we sent out emails and calls for a meeting about a club, we had 12 people show up. The next meeting, we had 30, the next we had 44. Word got out. The next year we did another pony run and we had 250 Mustangs show up! Over the years, our peak year was 320 Mustangs and 200 families in the club. Our club became an MCA club and in 2010 we hosted our first national show with over 450 Mustangs attending (It was at the Biltmore). This year, we are hosting another national show and already have 250 Mustangs registered in only 40 days (we will not be at the Biltmore).
Our club has become smaller (down to 80 families) and our annual pony run is now down to about 170 Mustangs.
But, there is and was the economy, people leaving the club to due selling their Mustang, moving, dying, or joining other clubs (which in this case, one of those clubs already shut down and the other is on it's way out).
Either way, it requires a bit of work, so start small and plan for big. Make those fliers and find those Mustangs and you may surprise yourself. Don't give up if the first time you have a small turn out. But on the other side of the coin, imagine the look on our faces when 125 Mustangs showed up for the first pony run! That makes it all the worthwhile. Check out our club at BRMCOA.ORG
very cool!
I am a full time radio personality so can do some stuff as well. I am also a graph designer so have that going for me. Tanks for the advice, I hope I get more as well!
Two great things going for you. Design the flier, do PSA's on the radio (or, if not too corporate of a radio station, talk it up during your shows). Newspapers generally will run a small paragraph on the events/fund raising side so if you make it a fund raiser and charge $5 per car, you can donate the money to a charity of your choice.
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