Lynn--Thanks for posting the 2020 report to the IBT. The most significant thing I found in the report was the committee self expectation to "intent to effect change" and not just create a list of recommendations.
Before the 2020 committee spends 6 more months and a lot of effort to compile a list of recommendations and polish the Vision & Mission Statements, I recommend they do the following:.....
I mentioned this last year while the IBT was meeting in Georgia. I see no one has tried going in this direction to force some change:
Sec. 2 ....... It may hold meetings at a time and place designated by the President and special meetings may be called by the President or by eleven (11) members of the Board of Trustees or at the signed request of one thousand (1000) members in good standing. (7/1/86)
Would be cool to call a special meeting, and cooler still to get a motion through! You can count on my signature.
Hey just what has happened to the WBCCI web site? Anyone know? It's been down for a long time.
I have also been trying to get on wbcci.org for several days now with the same results that you had. Their website does not seem to be a priority with WBCCI. I think that the prevailing wisdom on the IBT is that this "internet thing" is just a passing fad. Besides, all the information that the WBCCI membership could possibly want can be found in the Blue Beret.
Brian
__________________ SuEllyn & Brian McCabe WBCCI #3628 --- AIR #14872 2005 25' Safari FB (Lucy) with HAHA 2005 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Olivia) & 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer (Daisy)
Aha! Thanks Lynn. I swear it wasn't there when I posted. I know there isn't a lot of activity there, but I do check...just in case. If you're into hearing yourself talk, that's the place to do it. Still waiting for the leadership to start getting involved and mentoring...
__________________
-- Carol
The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life.
I mentioned this last year while the IBT was meeting in Georgia. I see no one has tried going in this direction to force some change...(7/1/86)
Well, so you call a special meeting, now what? The problem is that if you want to pass some major change, you just can't call a special meeting. You need to have everyone on board BEFORE you call the meeting -- that means units, that means Delegates. Outside of the Mid-Winters, and the International, where are you going to corral 20% of the units to go to and at what time of year? You need 20% to have a quorum, and you've got an enormous scheduling job on your hands just to get 20% anywhere at any point in time. Of course the mid-winters is your best bet, but what specific issue, what specific change, are you going to use to lure 20% representation at the Delegates Meeting.
The proposal, the specific wording, better get a ruling (hopefully an accurate ruling) from the C&BL Committee before you convene, and THEN maybe your special meeting would do some good.
It may in fact be very difficult to get 1000 signatures without a major crisis that needs to be addressed NOW. Getting everything else lined up for that emergency meeting, to have a hope in hell of being successful, is probably more than many would care to bargain for. It's probably more difficult than getting elected from the floor...
The WBCCCI site seems to be up and running this morning ... Lynn
I've been watching it long enough to guess that it's the forums causing the problem. Just a guess... Ever since they ran that auto-delete routine it hasn't been quite right. Even the posts that they restored are all now missing author information. I've noticed a few flaking responses from the forum that then seem to temporarily disable even the mothership site.
I know they've alerted the outsourced vendor to look into the problem -- but it's still not quite right...
Well, so you call a special meeting, now what? The problem is that if you want to pass some major change, you just can't call a special meeting. You need to have everyone on board BEFORE you call the meeting -- that means units, that means Delegates. Outside of the Mid-Winters, and the International, where are you going to corral 20% of the units to go to and at what time of year? You need 20% to have a quorum, and you've got an enormous scheduling job on your hands just to get 20% anywhere at any point in time. Of course the mid-winters is your best bet, but what specific issue, what specific change, are you going to use to lure 20% representation at the Delegates Meeting.
The proposal, the specific wording, better get a ruling (hopefully an accurate ruling) from the C&BL Committee before you convene, and THEN maybe your special meeting would do some good.
It may in fact be very difficult to get 1000 signatures without a major crisis that needs to be addressed NOW. Getting everything else lined up for that emergency meeting, to have a hope in hell of being successful, is probably more than many would care to bargain for. It's probably more difficult than getting elected from the floor...
__
and that's exactly why the club will fail before the necessary changes can be made to gain the additional members to stay afloat.
I will renew my membership when the majority of my annual dues goes to the local unit and not the IBT.
It's more important to do one change now than have a long list of things to do down the road. If they can show one success at the Jan 2009 meeting, they will be celebrated for getting the process underway and will be given the required time to do the next one or two and then the next one or two until after several years, meaningful change has improved the club.
Unless I've mis-read the report, they've already selected one thing. A cost cutting move. They want the Blue Beret available in pdf format to reduce printing costs.
I'll suggest another. With the club down from 28K to 6K+, let's eliminate 6 Regions (merge 12 down to 6). 300 people don't need their own region, no matter what the square miles are. Take the current Region officers, figure out which 3 are the furthest apart (a better representation of the region as a whole) and let them retain their current region officer roles, and cycle the other three in as portions of the region wind up without representation.
Now, with Regions down to six, eliminate both the election status and voting privileges of the Int. Recording Secretary, and the Int. Treasurer. The incoming Prez really appoints these two now, members are just doing the unanimous head nod vote anyway.
Okay, I can't help myself... Take the Int. Rally away from the current Executive Committee. Establish Regional International Rally Chairman that can form their own regional team and let them set up each International Rally. Why pay for the EC to travel all over NA to set up these Int. Rallies when the locals should be able to do a much better job (with fewer reimbursements).
and that's exactly why the club will fail before the necessary changes can be made to gain the additional members to stay afloat.
Well, I think I just answered you as to why nobody would bother to call an emergency meeting.
Everything else does take time. Bylaws changes take less time because only the IBT can make bylaws changes. Your best bet, well, a member's best bet, is to figure out exactly what they would like to see changed. Pass the idea onto other units in their region, gain a consensus, and then approach the Region President and see if you can all work out what you'd like to have changed. Region Presidents are likely the best ones at drawing up these proposed changes. That RP can bring it before the IBT at least twice a year, and get bylaws changes that make sense, done.
You can get things done, or at least addressed, fairly quickly, if you care to work the system. Seeing as the WBCCI is the only game in town with more than 650 rallies a year, I think that even today, it's pretty easy to see why more than 7,000 Airstream owners belong...
and that's exactly why the club will fail before the necessary changes can be made to gain the additional members to stay afloat.
I will renew my membership when the majority of my annual dues goes to the local unit and not the IBT.
Duane,
Under the heading of, "Great minds think alike", what you said!
I could not agree more. The structure of the WBCCI GUARANTEES that it functions the way it does. Until the STRUCTURE changes the members have absolutely no control or input to anything.
I am sure there are those who will explain the error of my ways to me about that line about having no input. I would reply to any argument made about members being able to input to the WBCCI that it is impossible to talk with someone who is not listening.
Jim
__________________
We are travelers with an attitude. We get to go anywhere, anytime, and have attitudes about what we see and hear.
"Travel is fatal to bigotry, prejudice and being narrow minded."
Could you tell me exactly which members of the IBT are not listening? I'd like to compare notes.
Definitely not a personal assault Jim, but until you've walked that mile...
The point is, that without being a member, you're painting with some pretty broad strokes here. I'm really not sure how a non-member, without at least having been a former member, can do that.