How to improve the WBCCI

[dpandorf]

Any thoughts on implementing Article IX to get our recommendations heard?

Article IX

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)

Just thought I'd ask as my wife and I did some serious perusing of the constitution over the weekend.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

We have gotten many great ideas in this thread. The one thing that stands out to me is the fact that the club is not very good at keeping new members. I would like to see a study done on how many new members drop out in the first few years and why. Once the reason for the loss of new members is documented, the club should work to correct the things that drove these new members away.

I think hat everyone will agree that the BB needs an overhaul. The folks that produce the BB are to be thanked for the effort they put forth in every issue, but in alot of ways they are missing the mark. Airstream Life is a great publication and I look forward to every issue when it arrives. I have also found that the publication I get from the VAC, while quite different from Airstream Life, is top notch as well. The BB should look at what these other publications are doing and encorperate some of these ideas into a new and improved BB.

I am sure more of you have some great ideas to improve the club and we would all like to hear them. It's our club, we can make it better!

I support both of these points.

During the June 23 meeting Leo pointed out that the stats of how long they stayed with the club and why they left would be very useful and that the IBT should be more involved with following up on this. Unfortunately it was basically handed back to the units to figure out. I think a lot of units would have more members if people weren't required to join the WBCCI.

Kristine

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by dpandorf

Any thoughts on implementing Article IX to get our recommendations heard?

Article IX

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)

Just thought I'd ask as my wife and I did some serious perusing of the constitution over the weekend.

Woohoo! Where do you think they would hold this meeting?

[GT1963]

That was the first area I noticed with my preious unit - because of our experience and the wow what did I join syndrome - We rejoined hoping to make some sort of difference but in a large unit like that you have to wait your turn to make a difference and that wait was a minimum of 3 years.

Peter and I wondered how many people join each year and then leave the next. I think at the time Streamer23 was doing stats here at the forums too and this particular Unit stats screamed of people leaving after the first 2 years.

My point I am getting at - is just try and get any answers from your Unit if they don't want you to know I wanted to sit on that committee too to help out and get invovled to find out why people were leaving and offer ideas to the new Rally hosts to make improvements - to new to young and to energetic and not playing by the "book". So you guess where my energy went .....
.....into the trailers themselves rather than the club - trailers are very accepting to your sincere attempts to restore some units are not

Great idea folks pursue it - Get the Region involved to monitor it - the units do have the information they just do not have anyone "official" asking for it or have a sound purpose to make changes with the results.

[azflycaster]

I saw this post on the WBCCI forum and I wanted to include it here. It was posted by "clubwagon" and he has some good points.

When I joined the Club 25 or so years ago we had 20K+ members and two or three thousand rigs came to International. Even then there was talk of renewal and change. Such talk was ofter met with "I knew Wally and he would not approve." That mostly put an end to that conversation.

A couple of years ago, when "the Survey" lived briefly, I had hope that the time had come. Less ritual, fewer restricted entry events, fewer perks (but more respect), two-way communication, a willingness to change. Well, that didn't happen. I am hard pressed to identify one of the many well supported changes surfaced by the survey that has been inplemented.

We are getting to a critical point. If we don't soon get things right the Club will cease to exist. I expect it will be replaced with a loosely connected group made up of those Units with the critical mass to go it alone. The others will just wither and go away. No ritual, no perks, personal communication and a real desire the work together. We may end up with the kind of organization many of us want within the Club. Too bad there might be no Club.

We need new ways of thinking. Just because we have fewer members does not mean dues must increase. Maybe we could just cut expenses a bit. Less ambitious events, for example. And do we really need 500 rigs to be at the International three weeks before the rally to prepare for the other 500. Maybe we could save about two weeks rent on the site. Hey, we should at least be able to talk about such things.

I think "our leaders", who we chose, after all, are dedicated, honest and well-meaning. It could just be, though, that all the time they spend working up through the ranks has caused their thinking to be boxed in a bit. Lets help them expand by sharing our ideas with them. Gandi would have said that sooner or later they will have to listen.

[GT1963]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

I saw this post on the WBCCI forum and I wanted to include it here. It was posted by "clubwagon" and he has some good points.

Excellent post....

That "boxing in affect" is very real. You see it in many organzations. In order to follow the rules of the position you are elected to - it is hard to rebel from within. You are basically folded into the "mold". You soon become on the other side of the fence - from one that you want to make a difference to the side where you are constantly pelted from the unruely MOB - yep we could be considered part of the "Mob" here at times too.

The elected ones eventually band together and support each other - and thus the once ideals you had to change the world - are set aside to help a fellow executive get through a tough report or decision yadayada.

I guess my biggest dissapointment is when such effort is given to obtain input from its members - through the survey of 3 years ago now - that very little followup has happened on the points that received a much higher percentage of concern - that the name change and the MOHO issue. This is just irresponsible administration - and somewhere along the line either right the way from the Unit on up to the IBT we have to be accountable for our future actions!

[moosetags]

Clubwagon's assessment of the situation is very incitful and very well put.

[safari57]

Richard,

thanks for posting Clubwagons's comments. Over the many years I've been involved as a car enthusiast I have seen very vibrant car clubs suddenly evaporate because the executive lost touch with the members. No one wanted to offend anyone so rather than challenge decisions or offer suggestions in a constructive manner, they instead just quit participating. One national club in particular was way ahead of it's time initially but then the executive locked into place the thoughts of the couple who founded the club and over a short time the whole world had changed. It's sad to think that this could happen to the WBCCI, or that it become just a tool for promoting the sale of new units as an alternative.

Thanks,
Barry

[GT1963]

RE: Vac/or better still Shari - being made the scape goat for some comments the IBT are a bit defesensive about - hmm might suggest that they just might feel a bit embarrased about their overal actions and what has received such air time.


OMG - Presidents "Your organization and Ours" - what the heck does that say!!!!

VAC is an intra-club and yet the organization within the constitution is run like seperate entities Boards, Budgets etc. - get the organization straight and run these Intraclubs within the wbcci instead of a branch outside of the wbcci.

Emphasize programs - rather than the working committees to the programs like international site committee etc.

Promote more Standing Committees or re-shape the exising Intra-Clubs to meet the growing needs of the membership.

Why would the full timers be dispanding - go figure????

[rickandsandi]

There have been some very good suggestions along the way as to what WBCCI can or should do to bring life and members back into our great club. Each year there are 2,000 more Airstreams put onto the road. Assume half of that number of Airstreams are retired off the road for a whole bunch of different reasons. Then there are those like myself who bring older forgotten Airstreams back from the dead. So just for the sake of argument lets assume (I hate that word) the club has a real potentional of 1,000 new members a year. Of that number let's say 1/3 of them are not within a reasonable distance to a local unit. So not matter what we should have 600 new members joining our club each year. A very conservative numbver to be sure. Now how do we get all those out there who already own Airstreams but don't want to deal with the politics and old ways and may be hearing way too much of the ugly and not enough of the good? As in another world wide non-profit organization I once belonged to, was Chapter President and then State Chairman and was responsible in raising over $3,000,000 in 10 years while increasing state-wide membership by 33 % I can say it was all done at the grass roots level with the local chapters. We can do this! We are doing it in the New England Unit. We have a wonderful mix of long time members and an influx of new members young and old, singles, couples and couples with young children. Each of our rallies provides something for everyone including just hanging around with friends. Please take a moment to see the attached flyer for an October rally. Fun for all. So it is up to us to bring in new members because they can not do from the IBT level. This is our club and I have said it a million times and it is now our turn to show IBT what we do to keep our units growing and active and a fun place to be. They need to look at our sucesses and learn from them!

[apolaroid]

Hmmm, I thought this was going to be fun. We acquired our two Airstreams because of needing short-term housing after hurricane Ivan. The plus side of this was finally getting an Airstream (I fell in awe of them as a small child). After the practical use of what the Airstreams were bought for, there is the fun part. Well I thought there was a fun part until I started seeing all the threads on politics. Please do not get me wrong, I understand the need to gather and set up some simple guidelines and rules for putting so many people together, get real even when Moses came down from the mountain he only brought 10 Commandments and that was from a higher source than any level of the WBCCI. I plan on keeping at least one of my Airstreams for enjoyment of the simple life when I step away from home. I attended my very first and only rally (due to limited time with life’s other callings) a few months back. It was the Vintage Airstream Rally held at the Pensacola unit. Everyone was welcoming and the event was so much fun. My plan had been to try and join and attend the rally held in Perry until I started reading about how complex the whole event was going to be. I thought this was going to be about a simple life way of enjoying something with others who held a common interest. As someone who has not joined any club yet (soon to change by joining Pensacola if they will have me), keep things simple. If more than a small percent of time is geared toward obsessing over too many rules, I will just take my Flying Cloud solo. Simple rules should guide these events, such as respecting others around you, safe set up, clean up during and at the end of your stay, and reasonable fees to cover the operating cost of the location used. Does it really matter that much what the order your flags are placed? A focus needs to be placed on what we all have in common and grow from that point. The reason I plan to join my local unit was they made the event enjoyable. We ate a few meals together, I learned some things about Airstream care, and it was laidback and relaxed. Where some time was used for business, the event was more about enjoyment than politics. I left the rally thinking what an awesome group of people and looking forward to joining the club as a member and attending future events held by them. I am a single father with custody of 3 teenage sons taking the Airstreams out is supposed to be about bonding with each other in a relaxed and laidback environment. Beyond the simple needs of some structure and order is the WBCCI turning into a retirement community of ridged rules or does it follow the free spirit concept of the open road and endless adventures of people open to new ideas and ways to continue the journey started by Wally. So as someone who is not a member of the WBCCI I suggest the following: Keep it simple, use common sense, and make new friends.

[63air]

I belong to both the WBCCI and VAC as an MAL but will probably not renew due to a number of issues that are a problem to me and I am sure others that drop out. I offer the following suggestions:

I pay the dues (extra in fact as an MAL) so I should get a vote. Easily accomplished via the web or if by mail, include the ballots in the Blue Beret.

Update the look and content of the Blue Beret. Too much of it is devoted to politics and the whose who in officers. Airstream Life might serve as an example of what is appealing.

More short weekend events that involve active participation; biking , hiking, kayaking , baby boomers don't like to sit.

Lighten up. Is it really that important how you display your flags (other than the US) or what size your bulletin board display is or what color of shirt and tie you have. Formality does not appeal to younger people

[GT1963]

Originally Posted by 63air

....Is it really that important how you display your flags (other than the US) .....

... and other countries too as long as it is not upside down

[GT1963]

I know 63 Airs - your just ticked that I got WBCCI #1963.....

Seriously It is ashame that you will not be renewing hope you change your mind.

It is quite wrong that the MAL's don't have a vote!!! But there are more and more units now that are taking in the "Unitless" entities that enable them to cast their vote.

What happens to those who have no unit even close to them within a couple of hour drive to the events.

I know in my former unit - 3 of the 4 available events were pretty much either a good 5 hour drive or not on a great weekend and since there was only 4 to choose form you were pretty limited.

Smaller events and more frequent like in the States where there are several Units would make a lot more sense. Maybe there is a trend out there that unhappy members are coming from large 50+ regimented units??? And just want to get involved in a nice comfortable size unit that is not 800 miles away????