As we head toward 2023, the SCCA is carrying forward some hard-earned momentum, and making a few fee adjustments to ensure continued long-term viability and success.
In many areas of the Club, ground lost due to COVID-19 shutdowns across 2020 has been regained foot by foot, yard by yard. And if recovering from a global pandemic was not challenging enough, 2022 saw both the highest rate of inflation in recent history and global supply chain challenges. Bottomline? Operating costs across all areas of the Club — like most other businesses — have increased significantly.
“To use a motorsports metaphor,” said Mike Cobb, President and CEO of SCCA, “some days it has felt like the Club has been ‘pedal to the metal’ striving to move forward while the parking brake — the economic environment — is fully engaged.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculated consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate to be 25.7+ percent between 2016 and October 2022. In that same time, the costs associated with SCCA membership and licensing held steady, but some are slated for a necessary uptick in 2023.
“To keep the SCCA momentum against the economic headwinds, we had to review and adjust fees across Membership, Licensing, Sanctions and Insurance,” noted Cobb. “But I’m glad to say that we were able to keep the adjustments much lower than the CPI reported over the last several years.”
Annual individual membership will move to $80 with family membership landing at $105. Concurrently, weekend membership will move from $10 to $15. Members can find details of other 2023 fee adjustments in the File Cabinet area of the Member Account Portal.
How Will the Revenue From Fee Increases Benefit the Club?
The 2023 Strategic Plan and Operating Budget, which the SCCA Board of Directors has reviewed and approved, directs investment into three primary areas:
- People. The SCCA Staff that carried the Club through COVID-19 despite shutdowns, furloughs, salary cuts, hiring freezes, etc., will be the first area of investment. Much like the fees discussed above, compensations have not moved commensurate with inflation over the last several years, and we must invest to take care of the people who work hard to take care of us.
- Processes. The Club has significantly improved efficiency through the Membership Account Portal (MAP), which now houses all Membership, Licensing, and Sanction/Audit activity, along with the newly launched SCCA Academy. It will receive added focus going forward, for the benefit of members, drivers, workers, Region leaders, and staff.
- Programs. Targeted investment of time, money, and resources will be made into select SCCA programs at National and Regional levels to ensure continued improvements to the experiences being delivered.
“We have fought hard to hold the line in the face of price increases in every area of SCCA business,” Cobb stated. “But, to continue driving forward as a Club, these changes are necessary as we head into 2023.”
Full details of 2023 fee adjustments are available to all members now on the Member Account Portal.
Photo by Philip Royle / Staff
