Letter sent to CSA Club Membership and Friends of the Club
August 2, 2010
Dear Members and Friends of the Czech Slovak American Club of Tucson,
I hope this message finds you all in good health and you are enjoying your summer.
The Board of Directors (BOD) of the CSA Club met last week and decided on a number of actions and recommendations to our membership that I want to tell you about here.
We also decided to use our planned September meeting to present background information related to current issues we are facing, make a few proposals, and to get your input. As such, we need every member and friend of the Club to come to the regular Club Meeting on September 12, 2010 starting at 1:30 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1330 S. Mountain View Ave. We hope you will listen to a presentation by the BOD and then actively participate in a discussion of the issues, sharing your ideas, wishes and expectations for the Club. We also need to solicit your help and your involvement with the selected or suggested Club activities, so we have a better sense of who is willing to participate in the leadership needs of the club.
One of the main points of discussion is that your BOD is proposing to change the format of the 9 monthly meetings into 4 main meetings per year, each focusing on a major holiday or other activity. The Club has been meeting regularly since 1954 and I know we all want to see it prosper and be sustained well into the future. The BOD hopes this meeting will help bring us together in a united approach to help our Club survive. We especially want to hear from friends of the Club who may see our new direction as something they may want to join in the future.
As usual, we will be providing a main course for a meal. This time it will be catered by the Amber Restaurant, so we will need an RSVP from you by September 6. Members should bring a side dish or dessert to share and guests are asked to pay $5 for their meal. Since we will not have our chefs in September, please let me know if you can help with serving food and some kitchen duties. It will be appreciated.
Attached is a brief summary of the major issues facing our Club at this time which will serve as background for the discussion and decisions we will be making in September. For those of you that will be unable to attend, you can provide us with your thoughts by mail, phone or email. Contact information is on the attachment.
Thank you for your attention and your support. We hope to see you all on September 12.
Respectfully,
Petr Chylik
President of the CSA Club of Tucson
Attachment to the above letter
Background information for the Czech Slovak American Club of Tucson discussions
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Membership has declined to the point where this year we only have 35 dues paying members, including 10 Life Members. This is a large decline since just last year. Here are the numbers regarding membership and attendance over the past three years.
Membership has declined to the point where this year we only have 35 dues paying members, including 10 Life Members. This is a large decline since just last year. Here are the numbers regarding membership and attendance over the past three years.-MEMBERS --2008--2010 2008 2009 2010*
MEMBERS --2008--2010 2008 2009 2010* IN-TOWN PD MEMBERS 71 54 23
OUT TOWN PD MEMBERS 16 18 2 + 6 NEWS LTR ONLY
LIFE MEMBERS 9 9 10
ATTENDENCE
MEMBERS 260 226 82
GUESTS 131 193 109
NON PAY (ENTERTAIN/OTHER) 30 59 88
TOTAL 421 478 279
*JAN-JUN
IN TOWN DUES NOT PAID 17 35 18
-Our total funds we have available in the bank is _____________
Our total funds we have available in the bank is _____________-We have difficulty getting members to serve in any leadership role in the club - with current vacancies in the Vice-President and Secretary positions, and could use help with the newsletter, planning and carrying out future programs and activities, set-up/cleanup at our monthly meetings, and publicity for the Club.
We have difficulty getting members to serve in any leadership role in the club - with current vacancies in the Vice-President and Secretary positions, and could use help with the newsletter, planning and carrying out future programs and activities, set-up/cleanup at our monthly meetings, and publicity for the Club. -We are very fortunate to have Hana and Laddie Kletecka as our chefs at meetings, but they are not always available which requires alternative meal planning for some months.
We are very fortunate to have Hana and Laddie Kletecka as our chefs at meetings, but they are not always available which requires alternative meal planning for some months. -We have not been collecting enough with the $5 to offset the cost of meals. When we decided on how to deal with guests in the past we did not know that many former members would stop paying dues and opt to come as a guest, paying $5 for their meal and not having to bring a side dish or dessert. Also quite a few members are not really bringing enough food to cover very many others than themselves. Sometimes a large family group will come and bring one side dish for their entire group. Anyway, this whole area needs to be looked at.
We have not been collecting enough with the $5 to offset the cost of meals. When we decided on how to deal with guests in the past we did not know that many former members would stop paying dues and opt to come as a guest, paying $5 for their meal and not having to bring a side dish or dessert. Also quite a few members are not really bringing enough food to cover very many others than themselves. Sometimes a large family group will come and bring one side dish for their entire group. Anyway, this whole area needs to be looked at. -We do have a large number of people of Czech ancestry in our community who are not involved. We can assume that there are many who are unaware of the Club and opportunities. We know there are others that choose not to participate because for various reasons the Club does not meet their needs. As an example of the latter, there are quite a few younger Czech speaking recent immigrants from the Czech/Slovak countries that would participate if we used the Czech language in some of our activities or if they knew there would be others like them in the club that they could associate with. We have quite a few “Seniors” who were active in the past but no longer see the club meeting their needs and do not participate.
We do have a large number of people of Czech ancestry in our community who are not involved. We can assume that there are many who are unaware of the Club and opportunities. We know there are others that choose not to participate because for various reasons the Club does not meet their needs. As an example of the latter, there are quite a few younger Czech speaking recent immigrants from the Czech/Slovak countries that would participate if we used the Czech language in some of our activities or if they knew there would be others like them in the club that they could associate with. We have quite a few “Seniors” who were active in the past but no longer see the club meeting their needs and do not participate. -The problems we are facing are also present for the other European ethnic clubs and EMAT has been struggling to keep up its viability. So, we have lots of company.
The problems we are facing are also present for the other European ethnic clubs and EMAT has been struggling to keep up its viability. So, we have lots of company.-There are opportunities through festivals such as the Slavic Festival and Tucson Meet Yourself and others to gain visibility for the Club and even show of and sell some of our own creations, but we do not have the people willing or available to help out with such activities.
There are opportunities through festivals such as the Slavic Festival and Tucson Meet Yourself and others to gain visibility for the Club and even show of and sell some of our own creations, but we do not have the people willing or available to help out with such activities. -It is interesting to observe that Phoenix does not have a Czech/Slovak Club, with a population many times larger than Tucson.
It is interesting to observe that Phoenix does not have a Czech/Slovak Club, with a population many times larger than Tucson. -Officers: Peter Chylik, President, phone: ___________ email: petrC@groundskeeper.com George Coffos, Treasurer, Phone: 574-1601 email: jgtucson@hotmail.com John Prokop, Phone: 529-2807, email: jfprokop@comcast.net Jean Coffos, Phone> 674-1601 email: jgtucson@hotmail.com Robert Wack, Phone: 696-0791, No email Vera Masa, on vacation through mid September
Officers: Peter Chylik, President, phone: ___________ email: petrC@groundskeeper.com George Coffos, Treasurer, Phone: 574-1601 email: jgtucson@hotmail.com John Prokop, Phone: 529-2807, email: jfprokop@comcast.net Jean Coffos, Phone> 674-1601 email: jgtucson@hotmail.com Robert Wack, Phone: 696-0791, No email Vera Masa, on vacation through mid September -Club Address: CSA Club of Tucson, PO Box 44301, Tucson, AZ 85733-4301
Club Address: CSA Club of Tucson, PO Box 44301, Tucson, AZ 85733-4301