@so many more CCA members
Either you haven't visited the club website in a while or you're thinking of The Chip Board (http://thechipboard.com) which is a privately owned discussion board owned by former CCA club President David Spragg that is still using software from 2012.Just noting, as a relatively new member to the hobby, I have no effing clue what the CCA is or does. Even though I care about chips, history, etc.. I haven't spent any real time to investigate the CCA, because you make it difficult to (largely only using archaic websites, chat boards, etc).
You asked for it and you've got it (me). I'm here to help. Tell me what you'd like to have me (or others) post from the CCA that would be of interest to you.Maybe get a more active presence here (or the other forum) if you actually want to drive membership?
I'd suggest that you might have it a bit reversed. The Chip Guide has been around (in various forms) for 25 years. It's not a one-off. Everything that followed it are the one-offs. Some are splinter or special interest groups like Silver Strikes, http://silverstrikers.com, which are still part of the CCA collectibles family. Others are rebel groups - those that feel they can get their needs served better without having to deal with other collectibles or maybe they've had bad experiences with the CCA or specific people and decided to do their own thing.Integrate the chipguide more into forums like these vs having just another one-off site?
I think I'm being a bit of a wake-up call to the CCA as well. I gave a speech when I was installed as the new President, outlining 14 specific things I wanted to do or change with the club. Some will be easily agreed to, adopted, and implemented. Some will be met with great resistance. And others will make sense over time and I have 2 years to do what I can to improve things.Yes I'm throwing rocks, but feels like a wakeup call is in order given the non-hobby/community building actions that are being taken and seemingly tight grip on the way things are/used to be.
Yes, you ARE our target demographic. That said, anyone and everyone who collects gaming "stuff" is our target demographic. We certainly would like to see more younger members get involved, so if you fit that category, that's an added bonus./rant, I'll go to back to my hole now in which no one called into to ask my opinion. But I wanted to provide the raw perspective of a "newbie" which I assume is a target demographic.
Thanks, Barry - appreciate the response.Either you haven't visited the club website in a while or you're thinking of The Chip Board (http://thechipboard.com) which is a privately owned discussion board owned by former CCA club President David Spragg that is still using software from 2012.
Believe it or not, there are a great number of people that actually prefer the "archaic" format of the Chip Board, and so they continue using it, in spite of the fact that the club's message boards have been updated (https://forum.ccgtcc.com) and all have been invited to use it. Member numbers are approaching 800 (I remove "spam" accounts, so the actual number of active members is less).
So, I don't think you're giving the current club a fair shake. Check us out.
You asked for it and you've got it (me). I'm here to help. Tell me what you'd like to have me (or others) post from the CCA that would be of interest to you.
Come to the board meeting tonight (link posted elsewhere on this forum). See what we're doing and what we're planning to do. Tell us how we can engage with set collectors better. The CCA is there for ALL casino collectibles, not just chips. We have people who collect dice, swizzle sticks, menus, slot glass, silver strikes, and a lot more. Set collecting is an important part of that.
I'd suggest that you might have it a bit reversed. The Chip Guide has been around (in various forms) for 25 years. It's not a one-off. Everything that followed it are the one-offs. Some are splinter or special interest groups like Silver Strikes, http://silverstrikers.com, which are still part of the CCA collectibles family. Others are rebel groups - those that feel they can get their needs served better without having to deal with other collectibles or maybe they've had bad experiences with the CCA or specific people and decided to do their own thing.
Aside from sharing the goings-on of the CCA with you all here, I'm not sure what other "integration" you are imagining. Give me some examples and I'll see what I can do with it. You can DM me as well, if you want to take the conversation offline.
I think I'm being a bit of a wake-up call to the CCA as well. I gave a speech when I was installed as the new President, outlining 14 specific things I wanted to do or change with the club. Some will be easily agreed to, adopted, and implemented. Some will be met with great resistance. And others will make sense over time and I have 2 years to do what I can to improve things.
But I am but one vote on a board of 5 (plus 2 non-voting at-large members). There is no "tight grip" as you put it. At least not how I envisioned my dictatorship, er, Presidency.
Jump on the board meeting tonight (starts at 6pm, public comment at end). Offer up your ideas (you'll have a max of 3 minutes to speak, so prep what you want to say in advance). I assure you that I want to hear what you have to say that will improve the hobby for all of us.
Yes, you ARE our target demographic. That said, anyone and everyone who collects gaming "stuff" is our target demographic. We certainly would like to see more younger members get involved, so if you fit that category, that's an added bonus.
Lastly, thank you for speaking up. Nothing gets done unless something is said.
Barry Sherwood, CCA President
PS That Moulin Rouge chip you have as your avatar is one of my favorites.
I’m sensing a new volunteer raising his hand. Am I wrong?The focus of member retention, while important, should be second to new member development IMHO. The new focus should be on younger new members. The sets community of 1000's most likely has a median age of under 50 maybe even 45 who from past interactions feel shunned and somewhat disrespected and dismissed. A hard run at the sets community with welcoming arms should be developed.
Maybe the membership director should be a membership comitee composed of folks frow SETS and SINGLES. Developing new members, to me, should be the MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE at hand.
I’m sensing a new volunteer raising his hand. Am I wrongThe focus of member retention, while important, should be second to new member development IMHO. The new focus should be on younger new members. The sets community of 1000's most likely has a median age of under 50 maybe even 45 who from past interactions feel shunned and somewhat disrespected and dismissed. A hard run at the sets community with welcoming arms should be developed.
Maybe the membership director should be a membership comitee composed of folks frow SETS and SINGLES. Developing new members, to me, should be the MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE at hand.
I’m sensing a new volunteer raising his hand. Am I wrong
A question that lingers mostly un answered is:
What are the 5 key benefits of being a CCA Member?
Maybe some CCA members can chime in on this.
First of all, thank you for taking the time to chime in. We will have 5 more open board meetings between now and next June's convention, so more opportunities for you to jump in. I'll be posting minutes from the board meeting on the club's website (and message boards) and posting notice of that to this and other online resources.I wish I could have made it to the meeting. Here's the top 5 reasons I see (now) for becoming a member:
I hadn't considered that, but you're right. It's kind of an unwritten understanding that you have a better shot of having a good transaction with someone that is a club member. Shysters aren't likely to join something where they have to give their identity (and money).1. Trade freely with club members. Used to be the case most club members wouldn't deal with anyone who wasn't a club member. This is why I initially joined.
To be clear, the club will MEDIATE in order to bring a sideways transaction to a successful conclusion for both sides. Aside from kicking someone out of the club, we have no actual legal authority to "discipline" anyone.2. Code of ethics. The club can step in when an ethics violation happens. For instance, someone ships you a different chip than you purchased. The club can discipline the person who doesn't participate in an honest transaction.
Done!3. Chipguide access to advanced searches.
Well, you're in luck. This already exists. Go to the club website, click on the "Education" tab, then choose a link for whatever you're interested in. There's a VIDEOS section that takes you to https://www.youtube.com/@CCASocialMedia, which has a bunch of how-to videos that were made around a year ago. More are under discussion within a committee, so stay tuned!I'd like to see tutorials and examples so even non-techies can take advantage of this powerful tool.
The club has an electronic newsletter in addition to the club magazine. The newsletter is published by Brad Smith via Constant Contact. If your contact email is up to date in the club membership database, you should be receiving it already. If you aren't, send an email to membership@ccgtcc.com and Membership Director Mike Nawrocki will help you from there.4. Magazine? I don't normally read it, nor would I read an electronic version. A club newsletter could replace it.
What? You don't like saying "CCA"? It's so much shorter and easier, haha! In truth, there are a number of folks who still use the old name so you're not alone there.5. I like saying CCGTCC, and Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club
That's a great idea and I'm going to add it to our "future ideas" list (which is kind of long, so please be patient).What I'd like to see, is help for collectors who struggle insuring their collections. I don't want the club to insure them, but find an insurance company willing to work with our specific corner of collecting.
Bob Miksztal wrote a nice paper that covers selling one's collection. It's found on the same Education tab I mentioned earlier. It's the last link in the list, but here's a shortcut: https://ccgtcc.com/education/selling_casino_collectibles.aspxI also think it would be valuable to have a chip dispensation service after a collector has died. Maybe you have to be a member for x amount of years to qualify for this. But many families struggle with chip collections. Maybe offer them to the club, then ebay, and return 50% of the proceeds to the family.
The club offers some financial/feature benefits already, including:People today are asking, what can the club do for me? I think its a good question, and when I think about other organizations I belong to...
PDGA membership allows me to enter PDGA Tournaments and sanctioned leagues.
USBC allows me bowl in a sanctioned league. (probably tournaments too, but I haven't looked into it)
If my "CCA Members are Free" idea goes through, you won't even need to pay for your badge if you're a member. Schweet deal, right?There's no CCA equivalent that I see. I can attend the convention and trade sessions with my badge.