|
We invite your club to become a member of the Association of Collecting Clubs. ACC exists to serve all collecting clubs, societies, associations and groups - your leadership and your membership. Here are some of the benefits ACC can provide.
Direct Link:
A direct link to your club's membership application from the ACC website's home page.
Discussion Forum:
A discussion forum on the ACC website on your club's or society's collecting area, operated by your club, or if you already have a discussion forum, a direct link from our website to yours.
Club Conventions:
One of the areas where many clubs are looking for new ideas and suggestions. ACC has just completed a national survey on club conventions and is starting a Club Convention Discussion Forum exclusively for future, current and past club convention chairmen, to share information on any aspect of planning, promoting or conducting conventions.
Membership Recruitment and Membership Retention:
ACC already has several programs in place and is working on others relating to club promotion, reaching new audiences, the youth audience, member services and more. Advisory groups and resources can assist in each of these program areas. In October 2003 ACC represented over 120 collecting clubs at the Atlantique City Antiques & Collectibles Show. A major program on ways clubs can reach and involve younger collectors is currently in process. If you are searching for new ideas for increasing your membership, we can help.
Club Websites:
The club website is increasingly becoming a crucial part of club operation as both a member recruiting tool and as a valuable educational resource. ACC is developing an impressive Internet Advisory Group composed primarily of webmasters from within the collecting industry, as well as from outside the industry, to assist clubs and club webmasters to make their website even better.
The Project on Reproductions:
This project, coordinated by ACC in partnership with the National Association of Collectors, has a single goal to work toward having all collectible reproduction and fantasy items permanently marked and dated. Any club representing a collecting area which has a problem with reproductions needs to be a part of the Project on Reproductions. ACC is an active supporter of the Hobby Protection Act and works closely with the Federal Trade Commission in enforcement of the Act. ACC conducted a national survey of clubs about reproductions in 2003.
Management and Finance for Clubs:
No two clubs are exactly the same, however, there are many components of club operations that are the same. How to avoid mistakes, how to be more financially creative, determining if your club membership dues are in sync with the services you are providing, having a plan of work tied to a budget, year-end audits - all are areas ACC plans to work on during 2004.
New Club Models:
ACC is working with a number of collecting groups which offer opportunities for collectors beyond the traditional club approach, or in combination with traditional clubs.
ACC News Service & Resource Bureau:
A new and expanded electronic news and resource service is dedicated to serving collecting clubs by sending your news and features out to hundreds of news outlets in the antiques & collectibles industry in addition to target marketing to larger newspapers, news and feature magazines, news syndicates, feature columnists and wire services at no cost to you!
ACC Insurance Programs:
A collector insurance program can be offered directly through your club to your members, which provides an administration fee directly back to your club. ACC can also provide a liability coverage policy tailored to your club's membership convention or other club-sponsored events.
National Association of Collectors:
The NAC is a "sister" organization of the ACC, and is targeted at individual collectors. NAC identifies and addresses those needs and concerns that are common to all collectors - information on collection management, security and insurance, dispersal and estate planning, displaying collectibles, utilizing new technologies, and more. For all clubs that join ACC, your entire membership automatically become members of NAC, with all NAC privileges. At NO ADDITIONAL COST! In addition to the NAC information and educational programs for individual collectors, this means that your members can participate in the NAC Partnership Program which provides discounts to members on a broad range of products and services of interest to collectors.
Information Resource:
The ACC website at http://collectors.org has been a major free information website serving the antiques and collectibles industry for six years. The numerous directories, schedules and collector information brings in tens of thousands of visitors to the site every month. The Club Directory, Show Calendar, Flea Market Directory, Auctioneers Directory and Club Convention Schedule are just a few of these resources provided by ACC.
Collecting eNews:
This electronic newsletter keeps thousands of collectors and the leadership of collecting clubs informed of news about collecting, your club activities and ACC & NAC programs.
Collecting Partnerships:
Through direct links with the key contact reps in other ACC member collecting clubs, you can develop strong partnerships with other clubs in a variety of ways as the need or opportunity arises.
A Voice in the Antiques & Collectibles Industry:
Started in 2002, ACC is already developing a strong voice in the antiques & collectibles industry representing both collectors and collecting clubs. By joining together and creating a major "voice" for causes supportive of all collectors, we can make a difference, both in identifying problems and helping to solve them, and in identifying the potential for opportunities which exist and helping to capitalize on them. We want you to be a part of this by becoming a member of ACC.
How To Join
By joining ACC, your club has just added an additional, valuable service to your own club's membership services - the programs and services of both ACC and NAC - at a value hard to pass up.
The cost for joining ACC for one year is stated in the letter above - there are no additional costs.
You may join by sending a check or money order made out to the Association of Collecting Clubs to:
ACC
18222 Flower Hill Way #299
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Upon receipt of payment, we will send you a form for submitting additional information regarding some of the above options.
We look forward to hearing from you regarding your decision and to answer any questions you may have on joining ACC or about our services. We look forward to working with your club's leadership on a broad range of programs in support of your membership - and all collectors. ACC asks clubs which become members of ACC to be pro-active partners. Every club or society has strengths which can be shared with other clubs. The success of ACC is directly proportionate to how active our member clubs are in identifying areas in which they can contribute or take an active role; and, how successful ACC can be in really making a difference in your club as an ACC member.
Larry Krug & Rick Moses
Association of Collecting Clubs
NewsService@Collectors.Org
301.926.8663
|