How to contact PCA to show support for 914SIG, PCA Disbanding 914 Special Interest Group Options

[bandjoey]

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=340837
Another idea PCA might consider. An Aircooled group. My 2cents.

[Manny Alban]

I'm not on the National PCA Board of Directors anymore. Just a regular member. But I can tell you it's easier to work with PCA to get to your end goal than trying to start a new club. PCA has a close relationship with the factory and thus have access to better support in many areas. Someone should volunteer to be the 914 SIG Rep and contact John D'Angelo with ideas on how they see a future 914 SIG. PCA is always open to new ideas. Remember, the club's leadership is 100% volunteers. The paid staff is there as support to the volunteers. Financials are very transparent. Most of the surplus goes back to the regions to use as they see fit. You'd be surprised just how lean PCA runs.

[ClayPerrine]

http://914.pca.org/

I like it here better.

The link to the page is gone off the main registry page.

[ConeDodger]

I'm not on the National PCA Board of Directors anymore. Just a regular member. But I can tell you it's easier to work with PCA to get to your end goal than trying to start a new club. PCA has a close relationship with the factory and thus have access to better support in many areas. Someone should volunteer to be the 914 SIG Rep and contact John D'Angelo with ideas on how they see a future 914 SIG. PCA is always open to new ideas. Remember, the club's leadership is 100% volunteers. The paid staff is there as support to the volunteers. Financials are very transparent. Most of the surplus goes back to the regions to use as they see fit. You'd be surprised just how lean PCA runs.

I contacted my Zone rep and asked what the thought process behind the elimination of the SIG was. At the very least, he will get back to me, even if he doesn’t give me a definitive answer.
Thanks Manny. I thought you were in a Past President position. I guess that was a year or so back?

[ClayPerrine]

I'm not on the National PCA Board of Directors anymore. Just a regular member. But I can tell you it's easier to work with PCA to get to your end goal than trying to start a new club. PCA has a close relationship with the factory and thus have access to better support in many areas. Someone should volunteer to be the 914 SIG Rep and contact John D'Angelo with ideas on how they see a future 914 SIG. PCA is always open to new ideas. Remember, the club's leadership is 100% volunteers. The paid staff is there as support to the volunteers. Financials are very transparent. Most of the surplus goes back to the regions to use as they see fit. You'd be surprised just how lean PCA runs.

Manny,

Multiple people have tried to do just that. I did, and I got rejected because I "Didn't have enough national presence". Everyone here who has sent an email to John D"Angelo has not received ANY replies. But the silence speaks really loudly. They act like they don't want a real 914 person for the 914 SIG, they act like they just want us to go away.

Just my $.02

Clay

[Superhawk996]

Porsche's future is with SUV's, sedans and, ultimately, electric versions of those vehicles.

Our cars (and those of us over 50) are not their target demographic. 914's are as alien to Porsche as old rotary phones are to telecom workers. There is no money in it nor any future. How many 914's survive compared to all the other Porsche models out there? Our numbers barely register.

It's not about the people...it hasn't been for a long time. It's about the money. The latest Panorama mentioned record membership growth and revenue is THREE time greater than it was just eight years ago. Sure, at the regional PCA level it may be about the people. But, at the corporate level it's about the money. Porsche (and PCA) will target the up and coming virtue signalling millennials with disposable income who will buy EV's. Very few of us have the income to buy a Taycan and those of us who do have that income don't have the desire. We are not the target audience.

It's up to forums like this to keep the 914 alive.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) I learned long ago not to chase people who aren’t interested in me.

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In a similar vain. I attended the national PCA event in Traverse City Michigan back in 1989. As a new(ish) 914 owner I was excited to see so many Porsche's in one place.

However, I've never felt so unwelcome anywhere. Never joined PCA solely on the basis of that experience. This thread reaffirms the decision and the fact that this site is AWESOME!

"Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member" Groucho Marx

[preach]

http://914.pca.org/

I like it here better.

The link to the page is gone off the main registry page.

It was/is a dud.

[jdamiano]

I want to clarify the purpose of this post. Some of the PCA chapters are very welcoming of the 914ers. Mine has been great and has enriched my car ownership experience. We want to make sure others can feel welcome in PCA and having a SIG and an active Advocate will benefit both us and PCA. The benefit to us is the fellowship at our local PCA events and the ability to have 914 only events nationwide that PCA will cover the insurance for. The benefit to the greater PCA is membership. I have offered myself as the Advocate and been in communication with John. I think we are going in the right direction. What I need is for you guys to let him know we are here and want our SIG back. If you haven’t already let him know through the website at https://www.pca.org/special-interest-groups. No threats of cancellation but offers to join or renew will help. Message me if you think this is important or a waste of time because if John passes I want to know how hard to push back.

[SirAndy]

I just sent an email to John D'Angelo through the PCA website.

Not really expecting much but hey, at least he'll know people care ...
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[Jamie]

I just sent an email to John D'Angelo through the PCA website.

Not really expecting much but hey, at least he'll know people care ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

I just sent one also. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif)

[ConeDodger]

I'm not on the National PCA Board of Directors anymore. Just a regular member. But I can tell you it's easier to work with PCA to get to your end goal than trying to start a new club. PCA has a close relationship with the factory and thus have access to better support in many areas. Someone should volunteer to be the 914 SIG Rep and contact John D'Angelo with ideas on how they see a future 914 SIG. PCA is always open to new ideas. Remember, the club's leadership is 100% volunteers. The paid staff is there as support to the volunteers. Financials are very transparent. Most of the surplus goes back to the regions to use as they see fit. You'd be surprised just how lean PCA runs.

I contacted my Zone rep and asked what the thought process behind the elimination of the SIG was. At the very least, he will get back to me, even if he doesn’t give me a definitive answer.
Thanks Manny. I thought you were in a Past President position. I guess that was a year or so back?

My Zone rep is my friend Colin Fat. He responded with this.

[ConeDodger]

I’d guess the competition he is talking about is us right here at 914World.Com.

I’d assume the solution would be to make our events like West Coast Ramble region based events. You get the club insurance, all they really ask is that you run drives by guidelines which are on the PCA site, a set insurance charge per participant (quite low).
Someone write an article for their newsletter.
I can’t speak for other regions, but I’m a 20 year member and the only time I feel like people wish I wasn’t there is when I do FTD on street tires. Usually, beaten by a 914 with race tires. Zone 7.

[preach]

contact-john-dangelo

Thank you, your submission has been received.

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[naro914]

I want to clarify the purpose of this post. Some of the PCA chapters are very welcoming of the 914ers. Mine has been great and has enriched my car ownership experience. We want to make sure others can feel welcome in PCA and having a SIG and an active Advocate will benefit both us and PCA. The benefit to us is the fellowship at our local PCA events and the ability to have 914 only events nationwide that PCA will cover the insurance for. The benefit to the greater PCA is membership. I have offered myself as the Advocate and been in communication with John. I think we are going in the right direction. What I need is for you guys to let him know we are here and want our SIG back. If you haven’t already let him know through the website at https://www.pca.org/special-interest-groups. No threats of cancellation but offers to join or renew will help. Message me if you think this is important or a waste of time because if John passes I want to know how hard to push back.

James, This is awesome! THANK YOU!
And yes, if everyone can turn their frustration and anger into support it will go a long way.
I will reach out to John with my support.
And if you want to talk at all about some of what your getting into (all good) or want any help getting up to speed, please dont hesitate to call me. 704.309.5499. (I think I may still have an old, old list of former 914SIG members too.)
That goes for anyone that wants to help (or just talk cars). Steven Schleif and I had some really good ideas of how we wanted to build the group, we just didn’t have the time to execute on it.
Honestly....being part of PCA leadership is great, no matter what the role. My years as President then Zone 3 Rep were certainly some of the more fun years we’ve had in our Porsche ownership journey. I just could never do the 914 Advocate role justice...

Let me know how I can help.

[mathfuzzy]

Hi All,

JD here. PCA Special Interest Registries Coordinator. Clearly a passionate group as I've had correspondence with a number of you and scan through this content. Thanks to a number of you for being positive in your communications, not assuming the usual "NARP" sentiment, and for volunteering to take the advocate role for the PCA 914 special interest registry. I'll work to make sure that the PCA Executive Council understand the passion of PCA members who on 914s, the interest in reviving the registry, and, ideally, an advocate who is willing to take on the role and responsibilities associated with it.

Just wanted to ring in and make a couple of things clear. First and foremost, decommissioning the registry had nothing to do with a lack of interest in, passion or respect for the 914. I think it's safe to say that it's the opposite. With the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 914 model year in 2020, you'll see significant coverage and attention devoted to the 914 from PCA.

Decommissioning did have to do with an advocate who, understandably, indicated he didn't have the time and attention to spend on the role. The advocate role, like mine, is predicated on someone being willing to volunteer their time and effort. I'm guessing my volunteer involvement in PCA involves a few hundred hours a year and at least a few thousand un-reimbursed dollars. I, like so many others, do it because I have a passion for the marque and so many of the models it has produced over the years, including the 914.

When I took over responsibilities for the PCA special interest registries a couple years ago, the program had been around for roughly 21 years and had evolved over time. Working with the PCA EC (just to be clear, none of the actions were done in a vacuum or unilaterally) I took a step back to figure out the purpose of the program and how it did and should exist as a benefit to PCA members. What I found was a wide spectrum of size, activity, engagement and purpose among the existing registries. At best, I found a handful of vibrant and active registries with websites or Facebook groups that showed daily activity and moderation, periodic newsletter, and annual gatherings. At worst, no web presence, no social media presence, and no response from the named advocate after several attempts.

In early 2018, after clarifying the advocate role, I reached out to all existing advocates to communicate the new role and responsibilities. At a minimum, it meant that each registry needed either a website or Facebook group...ideally both...to foster member interaction. Several were already doing what I was asking, several pledged and have since met minimum requirements, some tapped out, some did not respond. Bob responded and said he'd try to find another volunteer to take over as advocate. As of the end of 2018, when it was time to take action, nobody had stepped up to take the role so the registry was decommissioned along with several other changes and consolidations.

Having said all of that, my bad for not completing the loop with Bob, and for not connecting the dots to the Octeenerfest subsidy. That was, I can promise, an unintended consequence. Having triple checked with Vu, that event can still be insured through a PCA Region, so hopefully the continued viability of the event doesn't hinge on the lack or presence of a $400 subsidy. And if PCA reinstates the registry it needs to serve a purpose beyond providing a subsidy for a couple of events. Ideally it means there's an active and engaged community of PCA members who own 914s in the form of a Facebook group.

As I said, it's great that there are a handful of people who have raised their hand to volunteer for the advocate position. It's a great start and I'll be working on making sure at least one is up for the role and then with the EC to reinstate the registry. In the meantime, I get it, I don't need more letters. Special thanks to those who have reached out with a civil tone. For the rest, I'm not the enemy. PCA isn't about the money (or if it is, nobody is cutting me in). It's about providing a benefit to members and supporting the passion of a vast number of members.

Thanks again to those who have taken the time to reach out. Again, I get it and I'm on it.

All the best,

JD

[Betty]

Thanks again to those who have taken the time to reach out. Again, I get it and I'm on it.

All the best,

JD

Kudos to you JD! It might have felt like walking into the lion's den when you came here and signed up for an account. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

As a 17 year PCA member, thank you very much for coming here and addressing some of the issues that were recently raised. My personal .02 is - that act alone makes me feel better than I was feeling before. I'm a firm believer in "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much" (Helen Keller).

So................... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

And... what cars do you have (they don't have to be only Porsche). I'd love to see pictures of your car(s) - and maybe even hear part of your 'Car Story" if you feel comfortable sharing! I've got a '74 914 I've owned for 34 years that, now that Okteenerfest 2019 has come and gone, has over 400,000 miles on it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving-girl.gif)

[preach]

@mathfuzzy Thank you JD for your response to my email.

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[simonjb]

Thanks JD !

[SirAndy]

Thank you JD for your response to my email.

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Thanks for your email reply and posting here.

Looks like we'll be able to work this out.
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[Minerva's 914]

http://914.pca.org/

I like it here better.

As we all know, the 914 community is thriving... both here and on the many Facebook groups.
If a PCA SIG's existence was based on online activity alone, then there would be very few left...well, maybe only ONE (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

911 SC & Carrera 3.2 - Facebook
911 Carrera 3.0 1976-77 - PCA vB forums, 41 members, inactive
912/912E - Informational site with link to Facebook
924/931 1976-1982 - 924Board.org forum, very active
968 - informational web site, abandoned?
996 - informational site with unused forum
Boxster - PCA vB forums, 3428 members, 123 active members, somewhat active?
Cayman - PCA vB forums, 4487 members, 408 active members, not very active
Early 911 Registry - PCA vB forums, 90 members, 8 active members, basically inactive
GT3 / GT2 / GT3 Cup - PCA vB forums, 3451 members, 315 active members, inactive
PCA Club Coupes - WP site, WP forums, inactive
RS America - informational web site, last updated 11/2018
Wide Body/Turbo Look (M491) - Facebook

Of the three Facebook "groups", two don't look very active at all while the third has minimal activity.
John D'Angelo is Advocate of the PCA Club Coupes SIG (only 60 of those cars produced (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) ) and that forum is INACTIVE!!!

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I'm a member of the Boxster - PCA vB forums, kinda stopped even going there as it's too lame. Not a lot of activity and ZERO personality. Much rather hang with you guys.