To WBCCI or NOT To WBCCI

[sandlapper]

Love your story, and Fred and Margorie would be happy, too.

You will like it.

John

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by wecoyote

This is shaping up to be quite an adventure. After reading all 12 pages of this thread, we are certianly looking forward to the WBCCI.

Next Friday we will be picking up our first AS (2014 30' Flying Cloud) and have yet a different reason for joining the WBCCI. Looking back at old photographs of my grand parents' AS, we saw they were members. Upon contacting WBCCI membership, we found that thier old number (8356) was available. Come to find out, they were members from 1963 - 1981. So, our joining was purely out of nastalga. We actually joined last Friday once we were notified that our financing was approved - sight unseen.

Neither of us are "formal organization" kind of folks. Though my parents and grandparents were part of the Michigan Travel Trailer Club too, I have very little memory of the group from when I was very young. For the past two seasons we have had another brand travel trailer and are pretty good at camping on our own as we do almost every weekend during the summer season. We joke that we can only set the trailer if it is the two of us. Any other "help" just screws the whole thing up.

So here we are. We are members and have yet to even go to our first luncheon. Due to where we live, we decided to join the Metro Detroit Unit purely out of convenience. If it doesn't work out, there is always the NOVA group that appear to be quite progressive.

We certianly don't fit what we see as the typical WBCCI member profile. Though we have been a couple for several years, we are not married. I have teenage kids that are with us every other weekend. We are not religous (more athiest than anything else) and have no desire to deal with the burden of leadership outside of our jobs. We are very much younger working age and have very limited vacation time to do much other than weekend events.

As with many other things we have tried, we are joining with an open mind and eager to see all that the WBCCI has to offer for when we can participate. If nothing else, we now have Fred and Margorie's old number!

Welcome to WBCCI and the Metro-Detroit Unit. Lorrie and I are also members of the M-D unit (and NOVA) and although I recently retired, we too were working members when we joined.

In fact the Metro-Detroit Unit broke away from the Michigan Unit in 1973 to be more focused on weekend events for younger members, while the Michigan Unit at that time remained more focused on longer events for retirees. It appears that Fred and Marjorie were members of the Metro-Detroit Unit from the start. These days, M-D has a mix of working members and retirees.

As I mentioned in a reply to your post in the private Metro-Detroit forum, there is a unit luncheon this coming Saturday, November 14th in Farmington, MI. Send me an instant message and I can send you the details in case you'd want to come check it out. Or we can exchange phone numbers if you just want to talk.

[wecoyote]

Originally Posted by 66Overlander

It appears that Fred and Marjorie were members of the Metro-Detroit Unit from the start. These days, M-D has a mix of working members and retirees.

It looks like we ran across the right person with you. With you being the historian, it is nice to hear about the history of my grandparents!

We will see you on Saturday at the luncheon. From the e-mail Susan sent yesterday, our packet should arrive by Tuesday so we will even have our badges!

[rjack]

Caravans are great....the camaraderie of AS folks is warm and comfortable....the international and state gatherings have a bit of administrative politicking and vying for committees, but so what? The less attractive parts of the RVing are minimal in ASing. We picked a unit for terrific people, but see them only on caravans. Very small cost for nice returns.

[WGreg]

We have had our AS since early 2006 and considered joining WBCCI on a couple of different occasions. Primarily because of work obligations, we chose not to join. Now that retirement is planned at year's end, we are considering it once again. I'm thinking more available time and an opportunity to meet new folks with at least one similar interest may sway us to join.

[dwightdi]

There are three WBCCI units in Illinois. Go to the WBCCI.org website or the region5.wbcci.net websites and find out which one would fit you needs best. I run the Northern Illinois website and am a past president of Northern. The other two units are a little closer to your home territory. Enjoy your retirement and your Airstream.

[P21932]

Well...I initially joined, not knowing a thing about the club, to find new places to camp. I have now participated in a National (International) Caravan, and a region rally as well as numerous unit rallies and have run about 5 unit rallies. Here is what it comes down to for ME, your experience may well vary. Please note that these are my personal observations, you will have to decide on your own.
I love my unit! That said, I dislike much of what I have experienced during my few experiences with International. Are there too many rules...yes. Is much of the club's culture "stuck in the 1950's"...yes.
I know of an officer who was criticized for wearing a sleveless blouse at a meeting during the international rally (it was a nice blouse and it was over 90 degrees and humid). I met someone who told me that he and his wife joined and went to their first event (not my unit). They brought a bottle of wine with them to dinner (you were supposed to bring your own beverage). He said they were treated like they had broken the law. They never went back.
The international club has its (significant) problems. That said, there are a few Units that are bucking the trend. My unit is one of those. We have members from their 20's to their 90's (one of our 90 year olds was at our last rally with his trailer). We are open and accepting of ALL. We are active and have grown rapidly.
I serve in an official capacity for our unit, but won't do so at any higher level because of the problems I have mentioned and some which would fall outside of the rules for participation in this forum.
So...what should you do? I can recommend going to a meeting, seeing what it is like and going from there. International is starting to at least hear some of these concerns and they can't help but notice the growth of those units that are more progressive contrary (or way in excess, depending on the year) to the overall club's growth or lack thereof. However change at the International level has been glacial in nature. The "establishment" is starting to age out and there is hope. It just will take a while...
Again the above is just my opinion, based on my experiences and some data from the club.
There are good folks everywhere, perhaps you will find some kindred souls in your local unit. Not much to lose by trying, I just want you to go in with your eyes open, and to know things are (albeit slowly) changing. I continue to enjoy being a member of my unit, so I continue to renew my membership.

[switz]

We joined when I got the serial number of the trailer we ordered in October of 2012. We selected a local unit at random.Things happened during the year and we hardly got to use the trailer. I heard nothing from the unit until the renewal notice came out the following fall.

We heard of another unit and visited one of their rallies without the trailer as it was tied up at the dealership (long story) and liked the folks. We went to our first event in October 2013 at the Albuquerque Ballon Festival and met lots of great fellow Airstreamers. Many shared their experiences and we learned a lot.

We changed our membership to the other unit and started going to their events. We are hoping to enjoy more of those local unit events in the future.

We did the International in Farmington and were neutral in the experience. We probably would not go to another one unless it were relatively local.

I am glad that there are folks that want to be officers at the region and international level. For us, the local unit is where the fun is.

I had all the formality stuff I ever wanted in the military and have no interest in the WBCCI region or international politics.

We are signed up for the WBCCI Alaska Caravan in 2016 and will learn if we would like to do the caravan thing again.

[PKI]

Quote - I know of an officer who was criticized for wearing a sleveless blouse at a meeting --snip -- I met someone who told me -- snip -- They brought a bottle of wine with them to dinner -- snip -- were treated like they had broken the law. Unquote

What are the rules/laws of WBCCI International?

[xrvr]

Go to their website.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by PKI

What are the rules/laws of WBCCI International?

The so-called "Blue Book" which consists of the Constitution and Bylaws. Available for download from the WBCCI website in PDF format. Updated annually to reflect changes made at the International Rally.

Each Unit is supposed to have its own Constitution as well, which is updated every five years, and which is supposed to be made available to all Unit members. Sometimes the Unit Constitution is made available as a single hard-copy brought to the meetings, sometimes as an electronic file sent out to all members. Depends on the Unit.

Meetings are all supposed to be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.

Change occurs with glacial slowness partly because WBCCI is not a democracy. It is a registered non-profit organization, and anyone in business knows that consistency is an important trait for any corporate entity. Change does happen, but it happens in small increments, and it's not because of who is in office. It's due to the rank-and-file members who file motions to have the Constitution and bylaws changed, and who take the time to work out the consequences and costs of those changes and can present their case well enough to get the members— and therefore their Unit delegates— to vote in favor.

Change happens from the bottom in WBCCI, not from the top, so if there's something you don't like about the way the club is run, do your research, come up with an alternative that 's better, and file a motion. Said motion will work its way up the pipe, and will get voted on. If the membership thinks it's a good idea and instructs their delegates to vote affirmative, the change will happen, regardless of what the club's officers personally think about it. Even the International President is still a member of a Unit, and within his Unit he has exactly one vote, just like the rest of us.

But don't ever think that the International Officers are the source of change in the club, or that they're opposed to change. They run the club, but it is the delegates voting— as directed by the members of their Units— on motions submitted by ordinary members, who actually effect change.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by PKI

Quote - I know of an officer who was criticized for wearing a sleveless blouse at a meeting --snip -- I met someone who told me -- snip -- They brought a bottle of wine with them to dinner -- snip -- were treated like they had broken the law. Unquote

What are the rules/laws of WBCCI International?

The quotes you snipped have nothing to do with the written rules of the club. We all know that there are folks from time to time that say things that because of their position may be interpreted as rules, or even some that try to use their position to put forth their personal desires making them appear as rules.

I have no idea if either of these scenarios apply in this case because I was not there, but one should not convict an entire organization because of the actions of one or a few. No organization, especially not a volunteer run organization can control the actions of all its members.

Try to see the bigger picture and take the good with the bad. We all have different experiences and different preferences and beliefs. We will not all ever agree on everything.

Many of us enjoy much about the club without having to like everything about it or even like every member. You are always bound to like some folks better than others. Best to try it a few times for yourself than to make decisions based upon a few comments on a forum.

[PKI]

AV and Pro - thanks for the info. Bluebook is not downloading for me. I'll try again later. Pat

[PKI]

Originally Posted by 66Overlander

The quotes you snipped have nothing to do with the written rules of the club. --- snip --- Best to try it a few times for yourself than to make decisions based upon a few comments on a forum.

Decision made. Joined - BYCCI #14711. Certainly understand the points offered. Intent is to understand the organization and the mores in play. Thanks for the help. Pat

[wkerfoot]

Congratulations, if you are in So Cal stop by and visit an El Camino Real Unit rally.

Bill

Originally Posted by PKI

Decision made. Joined - BYCCI #14711. Certainly understand the points offered. Intent is to understand the organization and the mores in play. Thanks for the help. Pat

[NHAir]

Wow! This is a fascinating thread! I joined WBCCI a few months ago as an RV newbie and an Airstream wannabe. I was so very excited to receive my official number (3264). It marked an important milestone in my journey. Shortly after that I received a warm welcome from the New England Unit (NEU) with a goody bag of additional member materials.

I knew I would need to learn a lot prior to purchasing my Airstream in order to be a safe and responsible travel trailer owner. It is said, “We all need a village” to be good at what we do. Quickly, I learned the NEU is chock full of wonderful members who embrace the “pay forward” approach to sharing their knowledge. Seemed as though every day I was obtaining more and more great ideas. Although I knew my lack of an Airstream would inhibit my joining in on caravans and rallies, I was OK with that since I thought it might be acceptable to drop by some day with a six pack of beer and a bottle of wine to just say hello and thank them all for their kindness. After all, I owe two members beer for sharing their checklists.

What I did not realize at the time was how I had inadvertently stepped in a pile of poop. See the WBCCI bylaws are very clear. You need to own an Airstream in order to join WBCCI and a local unit. The WBCCI corporate office was very clear in stating in an email to me, “Our club’s bylaws state very clearly to qualify as a member of the WBCCI is an adult who owns a hard sided recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream.” They had made an error in processing my application. I could see the humor in feeling like, “Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies arrives at WBCCI”! Currently, I am returning all member materials and looking forward to the day when I am a proud Airstreamer.

I guess in closing I have two messages to the gentle readers of this thread.
1. Please understand the bylaw requirement since it is important to WBCCI.
2. Give your local unit a try and you might just discover a group of warm and gracious members who are eager for your membership.

Warren

[blkmagikca]

Originally Posted by NHAir

What I did not realize at the time was how I had inadvertently stepped in a pile of poop. See the WBCCI bylaws are very clear. You need to own an Airstream in order to join WBCCI and a local unit. The WBCCI corporate office was very clear in stating in an email to me, “Our club’s bylaws state very clearly to qualify as a member of the WBCCI is an adult who owns a hard sided recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream.” They had made an error in processing my application. I could see the humor in feeling like, “Jed Clampett from The Beverly Hillbillies arrives at WBCCI”! Currently, I am returning all member materials and looking forward to the day when I am a proud Airstreamer.

I guess in closing I have two messages to the gentle readers of this thread.
1. Please understand the bylaw requirement since it is important to WBCCI.
2. Give your local unit a try and you might just discover a group of warm and gracious members who are eager for your membership.

Warren

Precisely why I dropped out of the WBCCI. One cannot respect an organization that does not properly follow their own bylaws. Even when confronted with their errors, they blithely continue on.

[NHAir]

Perhaps as an “epilogue” on my posting above, I honestly do not know if I will “rejoin” WBCCI when the time comes. I hope so, due to all the kind members I began to converse with via their Facebook page. I am a real dog lover and that unit has many dog lovers as well. Hey, what is not to like in that group!

I believe we all try to look at the big picture and decide for ourselves whether or not our inclusion in a group is a good fit. Give it a try or perhaps a retry!

By the way, I decided the best approach was to just step aside and seek a refund to my $85.00 dues payment. However, I was informed they would only reimburse me $65.00. Too bad, so sad!

Warren

[DanB]

Originally Posted by blkmagikca

Precisely why I dropped out of the WBCCI. One cannot respect an organization that does not properly follow their own bylaws. Even when confronted with their errors, they blithely continue on.

OK, exactly where did they not follow their own bylaws? They made an error
and corrected the situation.

"blithely"? I had to google that! Yea, they didn't do that either.

As far as the refund, the $65 was the international dues. The remainder is the unit dues. I bet that would be refunded as well if you contact them.

Also, I'm betting absolutely no one would mind if you dropped in on a rally and sat by the campfire to talk. Especially if you bring the 6 pack!

I hope when you find your Airstream, you will join up.

[SteveSueMac]

Warren - I'm in the NEU - we've talked and shared dog pics on the NEU FB page - just show up! You're looking for an Airstream and what better way to learn than to hang around with Aluminuts?

The rest is just paperwork. 😄