I’d like to know if anyone here is involved in their local builders associations.
I’m recently elected to the board of directors of our local association.
I’d like to share ideas with anyone else on how you:
1. raise money for your association
2. what you do to get more of the members involved
3. if you have monthly meetings, and what topics do you cover at the meetings. Do you have speakers come and do a talk?
4. Do you do Home Shows or a Parade of Homes. Any other events?
Just looking for some ideas and some back and forth
Replies
basically it the same here, raise money, raise money, raise money, raise money but dont do anything for the community or association. Its a racket.
Yes, sir. I sat on the local board for the last three years. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was glad that I felt I made a difference for the local industry. Don't get me wrong, the money is important (to keep dues lower, pay operating expenses, pay scholarships, pay legal defense funds, etc.), but there is a WHOLE lot more than money that the association can do for you. It is all what YOU make of it.
1. Our biggest money maker was home shows, some money made by golf outings, dinners, etc.
2. If you can figure out how to get more members involved, let me know. That is the toughest part. And you will realize that about 1% of the members (you) do the work for the other 99% to benefit. The best way to get more members actively involved is to talk up the association and benefits of being a member and to mention that you will get out of it only as much as you put into it.
3. Monthly board meetings do not have speakers. Board meetings are for decision making and typically lasted an hour and a half. We did not have every month. I think we had 10 meetings per year. However the local county chapters had monthly meetings with speakers. We found that a lunch meeting had better attendance than dinner meetings. Speakers ranged from building inspectors, county officials, weathermen, concrete companies, PR companies, etc.
4. We had 2 Home A Rama's per year, 2 Parade or Homes, numerous golf outings, a formal dinner, etc. HAR's were the main revenue generators.
http://www.bagi.com
http://www.buildindiana.org
Hope this helped,
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like all the associations are going through the same thing. Not much money and not much member participation.
Pretty much. Actually the money thing for us is not bad. Our revenue generators do well. The participation is so-so. I don't know how yours is set up. We have associate members (vendors) and builder members. Associates do alot to get in the door with builders.John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
I was for a few years ( a member ) but came to the conclusion that you get out of it what you put in, and I wasn't putting in enought to make it worthwhile. But I'll still share a couple of observations.
I believe the money is important but it came across as too important. Especially on the newer people who the assn was trying to recruit. A lot of these guys are either just recently interested in expanding or maybe startup companies, and $500 was a chunk of change to plunk down on something that you couldn't define what it was going to accomplish for YOUR company.
I had kind of hoped, albeit a little foolishly, that the org would be a little like BT here in that people would rub elbows and share info. That was a very optimistic assumption. I think primarily it was a place where subs begged new construction guys to try them out, where friends just had drinks together, and where the newer crowd just tried to figure it all out. If someone new asked someone old about any info or assistance, it was usually met with a "you figure it out." Now at the time I thought that was pointless and rude, but I'm starting to see more of the rationale. Because a lot of the questions were things you can't answer, i.e. how should I bid this, or things that you really just have to figure out on your own. I totally understand a guy who spent 20 years getting it "right" not having the time or inclination to just give that info away to someone who hung their shingle out last week. Especially if they're potentially competing.
I didn't, and still don't, see what the money did for anyone involved other than the new construction crowd. It helped the ad campaign for the parade which brought foot traffic to them. But sub trades, and the remodeling contractors, they really don't get much out of it. And if they want to fly their sign at the home and garden show, then they have to pay again for that. There was nothing but an eternal sump on the pocketbook and montly pleas for donations to the next worthy cause. Not that they weren't worthy, but some guys couldnt say no and just spent thousands they didnt have and got nothing out of it.
But we didnt really have any ongoing educational opportunities, which I thought would be beneficial regardless of business or time served. We still have people today using bright common fasteners with ACQ lumber. I think an organisation like that has a responsibility to be the first with the intel and get it out to the group.
This isnt a grouse about my local group. In general, I think the idea behind them is good, but it really, as with any organisation, takes someone who's on top of their game at the helm to make the group worth a spit. Without that, the entire membership is just going to be aimless.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
i've been a member of RI Builder's Association since 1975
i was a director and pretty active for the first 10 years or so..
then i gradually became less active
the RIBA membership has a lot of benefits... especially in terms of Group Health & WC safety programs
they also monitor the legislature and act as our lobby
if you want to network, there is no better place to start , wether you're a sub or a GC, there are about 1500 Builder members
i certainly get value out of our annual dues of $350, and we are automatically members of NAHB
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Edited 12/23/2006 4:59 pm ET by MikeSmith
I'm not a member, but I attend most of the meetings. They meet monthly, but sometimes they skip a month.
Dues are $500 which includes the meal at the meeting. If you don't go to the meeting, then that money goes to the general fund.
Main fund raiser is the annual golf tournament.
They give a couple of scholarships each year. I think $500.
They try to support other local causes. They recently funded the purchase of a dog for the local law enforcement. Then the dog died from a virus in less than six months!
Most meetings have a speaker, but sometimes (usually?) the speaker is someone looking for funds! Last month was a guy talking about investing for retirement.
No home shows.
I'm not sure how many members they have, but few of the members are builders or tradespeople with the exception of excavators (I think ALL of the local excavators are members). Lumberyards, concrete suppliers, insurance agents, bankers.
If twenty people show for a meeting, that's a good attendence.
How to get people involved?? Beats me.
Rich Beckman
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Edited 12/26/2006 8:49 pm ET by RichBeckman
Edited 12/26/2006 8:55 pm ET by RichBeckman
I worked for a company that was a member of the HBA in Springfield, Illinois. I wasn't directly involved, but here's what I remember.That particular chapter was virtually ALL made up of suppliers - I don't think many homebuilders even attended the meetings. It was basically set up so the suppliers could do all the work and try to kiss up to the builders. I believe the suppliers also financed the association for the most part. Dues for suppliers was higher than it was for the builders. Basically the suppliers provided all the money and did all the work.Don't know if that would work anywhere else, but it seems to me like they have a pretty good scam going up there.
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an arguement [William Gibbs McAdoo]