Simply put, the Club must attract members (and their children and grandchildren) who only spend a few weeks at the lake, 
new retirees, and year-round residents. And obviously many of the Club’s financial concerns would disappear if the Club had 
150 members instead of 60. 

 While the best way to get new members is always through personal contacts, targeted mail invitations might be an effective 
alternative. Incentives for new members (and present members who recruit new members) like reduced first year dues, 
membership gifts, and/or half or part-season dues, might also be helpful.

 However, the only way to have a growing membership is to provide programs that new (and younger) members want and that 
fit their lifestyle... and the best way to identify these programs is to (1) ask present younger and prospective new members what
they’d like, (2) try a variety of new programs to see what works, and (3) see what works with other Clubs and other lakes. 
(Links to other clubs’ websites are on our webpage at www.crookedlakeyc.org since they contain a lot of good ideas and 
information.) 

 Current ideas that have been proposed might be organized and summarized as follows: 

I.  Sailing and Boating

 Just as general membership in the CLYC has declined over the last few years, so too has the number of sailors participating in
the Sunfish races -- and for many of the same age and health reasons.  However, several facts support making sailing and boating
the focal point of the Club, i.e.:   Northern Michigan is one of the top sailing venues in the world: Little Traverse Bay (and Yacht 
Club) is recognized as a world-class sailing mecca, Dave Irish is a past president of the U.S. Sailing Association; and some recent 
LTYC sailors and instructors have become professional sailors, and a recent instructor is one of two Americans on the prestigious 
Volvo international round the world race.

 While over the years the CLYC has sponsored Nipper and Rebel races, Sunfish Racing has been a tradition for the last decade
or so.  And while the number of racers has varied over the years, there has been a renewed interest and participation in sailing
lessons and racing smaller sailboats on Little Traverse Bay (LTYC and Bay View), Burt, Douglas, and Walloon Lakes, and
around Traverse City.

 In short, the current low number of sailors likely reflects the lack of sailing opportunities and lessons as much as anything. 
And simply put, this has not only been the traditional reason for the Club, it is what makes our area and Club unique, i.e. few 
places in the world offer such prime sailing and boating opportunities.

 A.  Sailing Lessons.  There has been a significant resurgence in sailing lessons at the LTYC, Bay View, and other clubs and 
lakes.  These are usually offered on a weekly basis to take advantage of kids who are only up for a limited time.  And while there
are a number of challenges, (boats, instructors, insurance, etc.), one option would be to “borrow” instructors from other programs
as well as borrow members’ boats.  Adult lessons might also be offered especially since they are popular at the LTYC, and 
“clinics” for all ages are popular on Burt Lake. 

 B.  Boating Lessons.  Kids under 15 years of age need boating lessons and a certificate before they can operate a boat with 
more than 6hp.  In addition kids from 12-14 years of age cannot operate a Personal Water craft unless accompanied by a 
parent or guardian, and both the parent/guardian and the child must have a safe boating certificate. Thus the Club might also
provide the instruction needed to obtain these certificates.  Moreover, many parents might well be interested in a more 
extensive general boating and water safety course for their kids. 

 C.  Swimming Lessons with Red Cross certification were offered many years ago.

D.  As noted below, dock slips and racks or storage for smaller boats would also provide a valuable service to prospective 
members.  Some clubs also provide boats (kayaks and sunfish) for members to use (and at least one member has a sunfish 
they would lend or donate to the Club.)

 
II. New Dock 

 A.  The old dock was unsafe and has been discarded.  Options include replacing the dock with a similar new dock, say a 
minimum of 4' wide and 30 feet long.  A Shorestation dock would, cost approximately $_______, last approximately ___ years,
& cost approximately $_____ to take in and out.  To upgrade to a vinyl or aluminum dock would [double, triple?] the cost but
would last ____ years and cost a bit less to take in and out.

 However, another idea is to purchase a more extensive dock with slips that could be rented out during the summer.  The
Windjammer charged $1,175 a slip for the 2005 season and there is a waiting list at Ryde Marine where the covered slips go
for approximately $800 a season.  Moreover, there apparently is a 15 year waiting list for dock slips in Harbor Springs. Thus,
for example, if the Club had a dock with 16 slips, and rented 12 of those slips to members for say $800 a season, it would realize
gross rental income of $9,600 plus potentially 12 new members.  Obviously even after expenses for taking the dock in and out
and a management fee/person and extra liability insurance, the Club would still have a major funding boost that would (1) assure
its finances for the foreseeable future, and (2) provide the resources to fund new programs to attract new members. 

 Numerous challenges would be involved including several permits, possible parking requirements and liability and maintenance
issues... as well as financing the dock via loans, assessments... and/or contributions... However this would not only to fit the 
Club’s purposes, but also provide a firm financial foundation for the Club’s future.  (And obviously if necessary this could be
implemented over time, e.g. 8 slips in 2006, 12 in 2007, and 16 in 2008, etc.)

  III. Other Revenue & New Member Producing Ideas:

 A.  Provide storage racks for sunfish, kayaks and other small boats with a ramp (and dolly) to launch these smaller boats. 
Again, while this would clearly meet the Club’s purpose and attract new members (and new Sunfish racers), even a modest 
fee for the racks would provide new revenues as well.  (There is a long waiting list for similar racks at Harbor Springs.)

 B.  Find alternative uses for the facilities particularly in the off-season.

 C.  Offer CLYC hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, decals, bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets and other items at a reasonable 
cost.  These could also be used as gifts to volunteers and new members.  They would also create a sense of belonging, some
excitement, and be “walking advertisements” for the Club. (Many of us were always surprised how many people stopped to 
talk about “up north” when we wore our CLYC logo shirts in Ohio and Indiana.)  Ideally these could be produced on an “as 
needed basis” rather than keeping an inventory. And perhaps like the annual U-Gotta Regatta t-shirts that quickly sell out,
we could even have a different annual CLYC shirt. 

IV.  Social Events

 Saturday Night Dinners:  While the bring a dish/theme dinner format has been very successful it has been increasingly 
difficult to find someone willing and able to recruit the dinner chairs as well as volunteers to work on the Saturday night 
dinners.  (The LTYC and others are experiencing the same problems.)  Several ideas have been offered to make these 
dinners work better, e.g.:

 1.  Implement a pay-in-advance or bill-after system to mitigate the problem of no-shows,

2.  Find easier/alternative ways to make dinner reservations (via email, etc) – and/or find a way to allow last-minute 
reservations,

3.  Offer a discount for pre-payments,  

4.  Explore new entree suppliers,

              5.  Pay to have more help to set up before and clean up after the dinners, etc.

6.  Cater more of the meals (Side Door, Bob’s, other?)

7.  Provide a charge “in lieu of” bringing a dish,

8.  Have more family dinners and/or cookouts,

9.  Experiment with breakfasts and/or lunches. 

10.  Experiment with more beverage options.

Other social/dinner ideas that may appeal to new and younger members include: 

 ●  Have one big event a year (the Leelanau Yacht Club has an annual all-day party for their members.)

●  perhaps with big draw entertainment like the jazz Band or the Jelly Rolls Band....  Or fireworks...

●  And instead of using the dinners as a primary way to raise funds, use them as a way to attract members by 
subsidizing the costs, e.g. have one or two big dinners a season with a very attractive food and entertainment cost. 
Other ideas:  reduce the costs for kids ($5 any child at any dinner up to 18 years old?)  Of 
course all of this is far more feasible if the Club has a revenue generating stream from boat slip rentals, etc.

            ●  Provide social occasions for kids and young adults.

            ●  Provide “learning” events for adults and kids for example in connection with the Little Traverse Conservancy,
            Watershed Council, Little Traverse & Harbor Springs History Museums, etc.

            ●  Offer more support for the present bridge and other game nights by providing refreshments, trophies, etc.

 Note also that most clubs are “open” for members to use most days and times of the week, and some even have bars and dining facilities.  (And note that concerns about damage to the Club could be minimized with a video surveillance system, especially since the cost has dropped significantly.)  

V.  Facility Needs

A.  There is a need to build a “capital account” to cover repairs to the Club facility.

 B.  Some have expressed interest in “upgrading” the Club’s facilities.

 C.  A major overall problem is parking... the maximum number of possible parking places will have to be calculated. and 
there are few other options... e.g.  work out a deal with Windjammer, and/or seek additional parking across the road or
otherwise. 

VI. Dues and Fees

 Policy proposals at the last Annual Meeting included (1) adding $25 to the dues to be put into a special account for capital 
repairs and improvements, and (2) adding $5 instead of $3 to the cost of the Saturday night dinner entrees. There is much to
recommend these policies, i.e. a capital account is prudent and needed, and increasing the dinner fees is a very equitable way
to raise money from those who presently use the Club.  However, increasing these costs will result in some members dropping
their membership and/or attending fewer dinners, and the higher costs will make it harder to attract new members... which 
should be the Club’s overriding goal... and hopefully other options will come out of this planning process.  

 Interestingly the dues for most other yacht clubs in the area are in the $50-75 range… with some as low as $25 and the high 
being $300 (LTYC).