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MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
Membership Meeting Minutes: September 12,
2008
Attendees: Laura
Kolb, Moira Underwood, Bill LaMonte, Bill Lindenmuth, John Cataldo, and I
Bill LaMonte’s
idea to reward members who bring in two new members with an opportunity to win
$35.00, was tabled pending the development of rules and procedures. When
finalized, information will be provided to the membership.
Thanks to all
that joined as a result of the June 30th property owners’ letters
to Halifax and Northampton Counties. 55 joined. This is the largest number
of new members we’ve gained from any single recruiting campaign. Thanks to
Kitty Slaton for the use of her idea from 2005.
Moira will send
660 Brunswick property owner letters the week of September 15th.
Mecklenburg
(1242) and Warren (4000) counties will soon follow.
Renewal letters,
for 2009, will be mailed by November 1st. A “miss you” letter will
be sent to 2007 members that did not renew in 2008. Homeowners’ Group
discount memberships will still be offered. We also agreed that the lifetime
membership is for families- not businesses
We developed a
draft 2009 budget for renewal letters, and the 5 county property owner
letters.
Bill Lindemuth is
investigating a way to allow members to pay dues through Pay Pal.
Membership
recommends the LGA participate in, Lake Gaston Holiday Boat Parade, day and
night festivities, again this year
We meet at the
Eaton Ferry Grocery and Grille at 10:00 a. m., on the second Friday.
Next meeting
October 10th. Many great ideas come from members at LGA monthly
meetings.
Respectfully
submitted for the Membership Team,
David Duxbury,
Chair
August xx,
2008 Membership Team Meeting (no minutes)
LGA Membership Committee -
Meeting Minutes:
July - No Meeting
LGA Membership Committee -
Meeting Minutes:
June 13, 2008
Laura Kolb, Moira
Underwood, Bill LaMonte, Sherman Merchant, John
Cataldo, and
David Duxbury
Recruiting – LGA
needs to become well known. Make joining a no brainer.
Maybe ideas and
strategies from an outside source, e. g. at the retreat this summer will help.
Would sponsoring
events, like a kids day fishing help with name recognition. The proceeds
could go to college and vocational scholarships.
The initial
letters to lake area property owners in Halifax and Northampton Counties will
be mailed before the end of June. The other three counties data were not as
readily available. After the results of this mailing are reviewed, we will
assess whether to continue.
We agreed to
continue to offer the Realtor’s Purchaser a membership for the remainder of
that year; and to delete Trial memberships. Due to the number of hours
required, we’ll continue to offer HOA and Lifetime memberships; but not
heavily market them. Bill LaMonte’s idea to offer a $35.00 prize to any
member that brings in 3 new members, will start September 1st with
the overall recruiting drive.
Sherman is
leading the effort to gain more businesses. He and Moira are preparing an
information package to show businesses and Realtors the value of LGA
membership. Visits will start September 1st. The LGA will offer
membership for the rest of 2008 and 2009. Sherman plans to show them the
benefits of a business card sized ad in the Bulletin.
We are asking any
directors that know a business owner, to help Sherman.
Bill and Sherman
will team up to strategize how to get Realtors to join, and then visit real
estate Brokers and individual Realtors. We need to follow up with Realtors
that take member packages to assure closure.
Decided that we
need to be at as many Fests, BBQ Battles, and July 5th Fireworks,
and O’sail events as possible, to show the LGA’s face. We think that
being a sponsor at lake events would help with name recognition.
Respectfully
submitted fro the Team,
David Duxbury,
Chair
LGA Membership Committee - May
9, 2008 Meeting Minutes
Attendees: Moira Underwood,
Bill LaMonte, and David Duxbury
We have 1086 members in good
standing. And, 198 that did not renew from 2007. The ads in the 7 local
newspapers yielded 8 new members. High circulation numbers,but a low yield.
FernCliff joined as an HOA. Another HOA that typically joins mid-year is
collecting Renewals and is part of the 198 number above. The
letter to all property owners in ALL five counties will start going out in
June.
Plans are underway for
Sherman Merchant to visit local businesses to explain the LGA benefits of
membership, in the hopes of recruiting new business members at one of our
supporting level memberships. Membership committee is looking at offering
businesses the opportunity to put their business card in the Bi-monthly
Bulletin.
We brainstormed ideas to
recruit members. Bill LaMonte suggested a decal to put in a
Business’ window, when they
join. He also recommended setting up a table at high traffic areas to recruit
new members; and put the LGA’s face in front people we don’t usually see. The
more often we’re seen the better. Bill will ask the Food Lion near the Eaton
Ferry Bridge, if this is OK.
Membership will help with the
booth at the Littleton Festival August 30th.
Respectfully submitted for
the Team,
David Duxbury, Chair
Membership Minutes April 11, 2008
Attendees
Moira Underwood, Sherman Merchant, John Cataldo, and David Duxbury
Membership Status
As at 3/31/08 we
have 1061 current members (which includes 35 new members who have added their
VOICES this year). We also have 216 whose membership is paid thru 12/31/07 and
hope more from 2007 will renew.
One HOA (51 LGA
members) has yet to renew from 2007 although they are in process of collecting
dues. Seven of the 51 have already paid us direct – two of which are
lifetimes.
Newspaper Ads ran
for three weeks and gained 8 members.
We are finalizing
plans to offer, a reward for members that bring in at least three new members.
A letter went out
to Lake Gaston Chamber members with the March 18 Chamber mailing.
Sherman is
leading a committee to talk to businesses about the reasons to add their
Voices to the residents.
We are calling
those that have not renewed yet, in the hope they have not forgotten. They
will be asked to share their reason, if they are not interested in renewing.
Moira is getting
the tax listing of property owners from all five County Tax Administrators.
NC counties are providing in Excel format. VA 2008 tax lists are not yet
available. We will send all of them a letter, with what we hope are compelling
reasons to join.
Warren County tax
list has over 6584 parcels of land in the lake area.
We also discussed
inserting a sheet for businesses to put a business card sized ad into the
bulletin.
David will
finalize the Membership calendar so we don’t miss important timelines that
need to be implemented early.
Respectfully
submitted,
David Duxbury,
Chair
March 14, 2008 Membership Meeting
Minutes
John Cataldo,
Bill Lindenmuth, Susanna Finger, and me.
We welcomed new
March member, Susanna Finger, to the LGA and the Membership Team.
After the March
5th monthly meeting, the directors were give LGA Brochures, and asked by John
Cataldo, to try to recruit 5-10 new members from their HOA. Jack Saunders got
3, and John got 2. Seems to be a good, easy, free way to add members, in
small numbers. We’re still looking for the method for adding large numbers.
Member letters,
Bulletin articles have brought members back. We got Team members to make
calls by county. Ear-to-ear contact worked well last year. Regrettably, we
lose about 15% each year.
ACTION:
Ear-to-ear contact.
David will send script to all callers so the calls are structured.
This year we will
contact people from the 5 counties. We’ll get the county property owners’
lists from all 5, and send letters to them, outlining what we are doing for
the communities. We will talk about a calling tree for the property owners.
Manpower is a factor, with all that’s happening.
ACTION: Letters,
letters, and letters. (And maybe some phone calls)
As always, we
respectfully ask for your ideas.
Respectfully
submitted for the Team,
David Duxbury,
Chair
February 8, 2008
Membership Team Minutes
Sherman Merchant, Bill LaMonte, Bill
Lindenmuth, John Cataldo
Recruiting new members.
Moira prepared letters to potential business
members, and also, the “reminder” letter to the remaining 2007 non-renewals.
The early 2007 reminder letter process helped retain some of the 2006 members
last year.
Sherman Merchant eloquently stated the reason
for our efforts. “Adding your Voice to the LGA Membership, will benefit
you and everyone concerned with the preservation of Our Lake Gaston
Community.”
Bill LaMonte presented the numbers to do a
media blitz to get new members. The ads will be in the 6 area newspapers from
February 27 through March 15th. His second idea was a contest to
receive $35.00 for the member that brings in the most members. The minimum
number, to be entered in the contest is three new members. See the Web Site
for details.
Sherman will get current information from all
committees, for his broadcasts on WZRU. Thanks, Sherman.
John Cataldo gave a presentation to the
Siouan Shores HOA, on what the LGA is DOING to promote Controlled Property
Growth at the Lake, and all 5 counties, in general.
The Membership team will call the remaining
2007 non-renewals, by mid-March (after the “Reminder Letter”), has worked its
magic. This retained about 44 members, (for 2007), from 2006, non-renewals.
We received a lot of positive comments, whether they renewed or not.
ACTIONS: We will get the lists of
non-renewals at the March 5th meeting.
Call Businesses and
non-renewals.
Continue to solicit new
ideas to ADD new members.
Implement Newspaper Ads.
P. S., their have been 101 renewals in the
month of February. Thank Ya, Thank Ya!!
Respectively Submitted for the Team,
David Duxbury, Chair
January 11, 2008 Membership
Meeting Minutes
Attendees: Laura
Kolb, Bill LaMonte, Bill Lindenmuth, Sherman Merchant, John Cataldo, New
member, Paul Piluso, and David Duxbury. Pete and Larry came early and helped
with corporate knowledge.
At HOA meetings,
ask for contact info, and ask them to add their Voices.
Contact Nocarva
for info for those interested, and call.
New ideas for
recruiting.
Bill Lamonte:
(1) Advertisement in the Gazette (and the other four at the Lake papers??) to
recruit new members. Moira has a general article, but this asks the Community
to add their voice to the LGA.
(2) A recruiting
contest for Jan. and Feb. The winners to get a coupon for a local eatery.
Paul Piluso:
He’ll include our marketing with that of his businesses.
Bill
Lindenmuth: Give anyone that joins at a General/Annual meeting a $5.00
discount.
ACTION: Bill
LaMonte will write this up and send to David and John to implement.
Realtor
Membership has enough potential to continue it.
We’ve given
Realtors 105 Realtor Gift Memberships to give those clients that buy at the
Lake.
ACTION: David
contact Realtor Association, to speak to a meeting, AND fire up some Realtors,
to help us.
Group/HOA
Memberships. We’ll re-start calling those Moira Re-sent letters
of interest in
joining the LGA.
ACTION: Get
phone numbers of HOA presidents, and call.
Schedule for
outstanding 2008 renewals:
Reminder letter
will be sent first week of February to those members whose dues expired
December 31, 2007; Membership team will call those members still outstanding
during March; and will be given inactive status in April.
ACTION: Moira to
produce letters and labels from end of January database status; get them
printed & mailed thru C-Line; produce county lists from end of February/1st
week March of those still outstanding for Membership Committee calls.
Membership
Application to be inserted into Bulletin:
ACTION: Moira to
include application in future Bulletins starting with February/March on the
inside back cover so it can be cut out without affecting any articles.
Recruiting
Businesses at Supporting Levels
Proposed letter
approved but with President’s signature (not membership chair).
ACTION: Moira to
explore getting letter and attachments inserted in the next Lake Gaston
Chamber of Commerce’s newsletter.
ACTION ITEMS:
There is an
“Angies List” the LGA thought about using to help recruit new members. There
is a fee, so we’ll have to weigh the benefits.
ACTION: David
will Google it for details.
Respectfully
submitted for the Team,
David Duxbury,
Chair
Dec 14 2007 Membership Minutes
Attendees: Laura Kolb, Moira Underwood, Sherman Merchant, Bill Lindenmuth,
John Cataldo, David Duxbury
Thanks to Bill Lindenmuth and Moira for helping with the Parade of Lights
booth. We see as a good way to meet and greet.
Membership for 2008. 606 received as of Nov 2007.
We
have an idea to bring to the board in January.
We’re still interested in member ideas to add more new members. Bring you’re
ideas to the January 2, 2008.
Realtor Memberships: Not as good as we expected. A member (a Realtor), asked
for 20 applications to give to clients. Yea!!
ACTION: David will contact the Realtor associations training officer and its
Executive Director if we can schedule a talk at a meeting of their
association.
HOA’s. Should be a good source. We will re-start calling HOA Presidents to
ask if we can talk to their meetings.
Sherman is working his HOA.
ACTION: re-start calls to HOA’s
A
member offered to distribute our application with his marketing documents.
ACTION: Present to Officers’ meeting in January.
Action Items. Sherman and Moira will draft a letter to incentivise New
memberships.
David to prepare 2008 membership budget.
Bill will contact credit card companies to see if they will allow a charge
account for memberships.
Membership will continue face to face (ear to ear) contact.
Respectfully submitted for the Team,
David Duxbury, Chair
Membership Meeting
November 9, 2007
Attendees Moira
Underwood, Sherman Merchant, Bill Lindenmuth and Myself.
Government
Affairs will now coordinate festivals.
Moira and Bill
Lindenmuth will help at the Parade of Lights Nov. 17th.
General,
Supporting, and Lifetime memberships have done well. Trial and Realtor Gift
Memberships have been less successful than expected. Trail and Realtor
memberships will be reassessed after the 2008 renewals are received.
One Realtor said
the market was very slow in 2007.
Moira re-sent the
2006 members a We’ve Missed You letter. We had a good renewal response from
phone calls to the 2006 non-renewals. If you miss someone, call them and let
them know.
ACTION: Team
reassess Trial and Realtor memberships in January.
The November 4th
Ferncliff HOA presentation was well received. They’d be a welcome addition.
Strength is in numbers.
Sherman will
present to Quail Ridge. He is President.
We give the HOA’s
the name of their Counties’ Directors and the LGA’s
toll free
number. Hopefully, out of towners will be incentivized to call.
ACTION: David
E-mail HOA Presentation to Sherman.
Action Items.
David estimate
LGA income for 2008.
Talk to
Summerwood, Quail Ridge, Timbuctu, and Lake Gaston Estates about HOA
Membership.
Next meeting
December 14th, at Eaton Ferry Grocery and Grille, at 10:00.
Respectfully
submitted,
David Duxbury,
Chair
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