yes many of the older members are simply not computer savvy and never will be let alone a large number dont want to be. my dad is one of those people bloody computers is a common refrain from him.

a bloke he worked with told him you know what smartphones, tablets and watches are? their a FRED (f@&%n ridiculous electronic device) in some ways i agree with him.

yes the club needs more bums on seats so it can continue to afford to operate.

yes we also need to reduce costs.
one way of doing that is changing how the chapters operate.
now i have read the latest board meeting minutes someone raised the idea that some chapters become more like a social club and have no involvement insurance wise with acmoc.
yes that could work for the international chapters as they have to organise their own insurance anyway.

but i still believe the chapter and its members should still pay a membership fee to acmoc this would contribute to the cost of the club magazine, licence fees that the club pays to caterpillar corporation for use of the name etc, the annual incorporation fees to be an incorporated group, and other costs such as auditors fees etc. and have it all paid at the same time as they pay the dues to their local chapter and the same time each year for every one say july 31st this means people wouldnt forget. and it would make it easier for the treasurer and secretary yes they would be busy for those couple of weeks but you could set automatic renewal notices buy email etc

to help grow members perhaps providing a few copies of the club magazine to dealers around the world maybe cat themselves can help with that encourage the dealers to advertise in the magazine as there is still a large offering of genuine parts available for classic cat equipment. a who are we flyer to be placed in dealer parts departments would also help and it doesn't have to be fancy just well written. make a electronic copy available for members to printout themselves so they can be used to drum up members at display events.

are we on facebook we should be. a selection of info from the club mag could be reproduced here also with invitation to join us.

just a few thoughts.

Good points, trainzkid88. Especially resonate with suggestion that copies of magazine be distributed to dealers. They would not need to be current issues, even. And having a simple, well-written flyer to share through dealerships would make sense, too. There are a number of FaceBook groups related to antique tractors, including at least one that focuses on antique Caterpillar. ACMOC could find ways to make itself known via those groups. Cf. e.g., www.facebook.com/groups/149634328381305 and www.facebook.com/groups/2596122424020309.

exactly back issues could be used im sure there is a few left in each print run due to minimum order sizes. this would get them out of storage which costs money. yes it costs to print them but it costs to store or dump them too.

the flyer could be along the lines of " do you own classic earthmoving machinery or have a interest in preserving this history if that sounds like you, join us!
we are ACMOC the antique caterpillar owners club, a worldwide group of enthusiasts interested in the preservation of antique earthmoving & ag machinery focusing on products of the caterpillar company and it's related history.
please visit our website acmoc.org
new members always welcome
contact details etc
on the reverse you could have a brief list of membership benefits such as access to the tech library, the club magazine etc

to print them try mobs like vista print they are a online business specialising in business cards and other promotional stuff

WE have tried to leave "used" magazines various places and are told they will not accept any because of fear of spreading Covid. Prior to Covid we left our used mags at libraries, various offices etc. Haven't tried any Cat dealers yet though!

Happy to do whatever I can to spread the word. Certainly could drop off some magazines and/or brochures at the local Cat (i.e., Finning in Canada) dealer. And a few other ‘hangouts’ where Cat enthusiasts can be found.

I've been doing that for 5 years,cat kamatsue jcb ,logging co. retirement homes.,

FWIW: I have in the past left old magazines and primers at our local HOLT parts department; the kids there seemed pleased, as they read and learned from what was available. They did ask if I would ever bring any more in the future. They said customers would browse them while waiting for their turn at the counter. I guess it would not hurt to make a regular thing of passing them out, maybe even to other dealers?
The "AgSource" magazine which is online and is distributed on racks throughout the state of California, had a couple of ads in the past for the local IH (Ho hum) club. It did get my attention; I wondered if they got any new members from it? JM