The Chapter is the basic unit of our club and serves as the focus for all club activities at the local level. VCOA Chapters currently exist in many geographic areas of the US & Canada. If a chapter does not exist in your area, or you wish to form a new one, there are only a few basic requirements.
Download our Chapter Application and Agreement document. This is a copy of the charter that will be issued by VCOA National Headquarters. Please read the conditions and terms of the charter; your signed application is your agreement to adhere to the terms of the charter.
In order to apply, you must have a minimum of 6 VCOA members; however, you may have additional VCOA members sign the charter thereby becoming “Charter Members” of your chapter.
Be sure that you fill in all of the information asked for on the application. Print or type all information except for the signatures of the charter members. In order to complete the application you will need:
At least 6 VCOA members in good standing.These members should live in a reasonable geographic area that will make participation in chapter activities relatively easy. Each member must sign the charter application in the space provided next to the printed information. If you are recruiting new members who will be signing the charter application, you should collect their application and membership fee (check to VCOA or Master/VISA Card info) and include these with the charter application.
Name and address for your chapter.The name should reflect the location or some attribute of the chapter you wish to form, for example - “Greater Boston/Merrimack Valley Chapter,” “Lone Star Chapter,” and “Puget Sound Chapter”. The address should be one that will be relatively permanent and that won’t change every time officers or membership changes. Describe the geographic area that you wish to be included in your chapter. This information will be used to direct new club members to your chapter as they join VCOA. If possible, please specify this geographic area using ZIP code numbers so that our computer can automatically determine the appropriate chapters for the new members. Postal ZIP code maps are available in the ZIP Code Directory of your local post office.
A President and a Secretary.These will be the first two names on the charter application. You may select other officers as you think necessary; however, only the initial president and secretary will be indicated on the charter.
When you have all the required information, carefully fill in the application. If you are sending new member applications with the charter application for some of the members who are signing the charter, leave the member number blank and we will fill in the appropriate information when we process the membership applications. If you want to keep a copy of the application, make one for yourself now as the original will be retained by VCOA National Headquarters. Mail the completed application to the club headquarters address PO Box 16 Afton, NY 13730. An approved charter will be sent to the chapter address on the application.
Our former president, Lee Cordner wrote a great article a while back for Rolling talking about chapter building ideas. You can view and download a copy of that as well.
If you decide to form a chapter in your area, please contact Ryan Ottochian, Chapter Coordinator to obtain a current list of members in your area for your use.
If you have any questions or need help with any part of the application please do not hesitate to e-mail:
Ryan Ottochian
VCOA Chapter Coordinator
