WBCCI's new membership policy?

[Buttercup]

WBCCI Adopting a new membership policy?

Past International President Jim Franklin has come up with a diagnosis and the solution for the WBCCI Membership decline. It appears to be a multi-pronged approach which involves getting rid of members who do not agree with the IBT's vision for the club and bringing the kind of members who do.

Let me start at the beginning.... In public statements Jim has been making in meetings which you can hear for yourself on WBCCI's web site, Jim has stated that it is you and I, the "bloggers" and Airforums members who are single handedly destroying the Club by posting negative comments about the club and the IBT.

Originally Posted by Jim Franklin

"Ah, Jim Franklin, Arizona Unit
I think Mr. Carson has touched upon a problem this club has been struggling with for quite a while.
People on the AirstreamForum, people on the blog - ah, they seem to be unhappy being members.
They have driven away more members than what many of our membership crew have been able to obtain.
And I think that ah, the solutions that region presidents and unit members need to look at - we need to think about ah, quality instead of quantity.
And ah, of course everyone has freedom of speech and we respect that.
But people that continually tear down the club, or attack the executive board and the membership and ah, if they have something constructive to have, ah, to do, I think that the board will certainly listen to it.
But people that are continually tearing down the club and being destructive, and they're unhappy. I think we need to be selective in our memberships and start looking at a way of terminating their membership and let them go find a place that they are happy. "

This is not the first time Jim has suggested that. But now that he has determined that WBCCI's decline is due entirely to people talking down the club, he has a plan to correct the situation - get rid of the dissenters. So, if you are a member and you have been outspoken about the club, it's leadership or past leadership - you should expect the club to let you know that your membership may be revoked. Any comment that disparages the club or it's leadership can now get you into hot water! So for example, you mention that you do not like the club changing it's name or if you suggest that THOR motorhomes are not a good idea for the club - you are in Jim's sights.

Now, with the dissenters gone, what will boost the already sagging membership (not to mention replace all of the members who get kicked out after a review)? Well, Jim has a novel idea - force Airstream to make products that the club desires.

Another problem, the partnership with the Airstream corporation. We need to be focusing on getting them to meet the needs of our club with the products that the club wants. Whether it's Class C, whether it's another Motorhome, whether it's more B-Vans, or whatever. That is the thing that we need to identify, and help the 2020 vision be realized.

And not far behind that I am sure is letting in any product made by parent company THOR.

"Jim Franklin actually approached Wade Thompson Chairman of the parent company (Thor) my boss a year ago and indicated that there was interest on the clubs' part and that was followed up this year by Don Shafer and Jerry in Louisville to see what interest level there would be on Thor's part to provide products within the core that could be accepted into the WBCCI."
- Larry Huttle, Thor/Airstream Representative, WBCCI International Board of Trustees.

If Airstream will not make what the club desires, THOR would be happy to... WAIT! They already do. O.K. so why not just let those products in. And that is in fact what Jim has been working on for a few years and he may not stop until he gets his way.

Later Jim suggests about the bloggers:

Now if you're having problems, if you are suffering thorns and spears on the blog, you have to ask yourself, "Am I involved in this? Do I know who is doing it?" If they are costing the club membership, then you as the leader of your respective region, you need to look in the mirror and say, "am I doing all I can do to help the executive board come to terms, and come to grips with the problems that we are experiencing." Perhaps it might be time to visit restructuring of the club...

It sounds like a which hunt to me. But after hearing that I ask - Jim, have you looked in the mirror on that statement? Have your own actions in the club cost membership? I know the resounding answer to be YES! Your positions on the name change and your past and current efforts on behalf of letting non-Airstream products into the club have caused many to throw their hands up and walk from this club. That being the case, would you yourself perhaps be a candidate for a little "restructuring".

I am sure there are better ways of dealing with a membership decline than to silence or get rid of those who do not share the at times frightening vision the leadership, like Jim Franklin, hold for the WBCCI. It is the dissenters of that vision that I hold as the protection of the very existence of this club.

[RedSHED]

Fascinating.

OTOH, the 2020 report on the WBCCI site offers some hope.

[Lumatic]

FYI
It was the forum that actually played a role in my finally joining WBCCI
(just in case someone is listening)

[Jim Clark]

I am not going to renew my membership, I get no bang for the buck. This is my second year in the club and I have been to one lunch and one rally I met some very nice people but I will use the dues for 3/4 of a tank of gas. It is more of my lifestyle than the club style. Besides who needs additional drama in their life.

[moosetags]

Thanx for the heads-up. I guess that I could be classified as an AIR Forums ringleader and, as such, maybe targeted for elimination by the IBT. That would sadden me greatly, but if I had to choose one, it would be AIR Forums.

It would be a very sad day indeed, if I could be kicked out of the WBCCI for not always agreeing with the club leadership. If I am involuntarily separated from WBCCI, I guarantee that I will not go quietly.

This may not be all bad. The WBCCI could morph into a Thor camper club, and these Forums will remain as the difinative Airstream Club of the future.

Brian

[Buttercup]

I am going to offer my opinion here and I fully expect, knowing the way Jim Franklin and the IBT are dealing with people who disagree with the ideas and positions they take, that I will find a grievance against me and eventually my membership terminated in the club. It's already happening - the club is actively seeking out those who offer a negative opinion of the club and for the first time in 16 years, handling grievances against them. But I do believe that we have a right to express ourselves and if the IBT and Jim do not like it, so be it. I am a member of the club (actually 2 memberships as we pay for separate memberships for each of our trailers) and I am, I believe, a positive contributer to the club as the membership chair of the VAC. As a member of this club, if I am not allowed to share an opinion because it is against the IBT, then why be a member?

My first point is, and Jim if you are reading this please take note, I have no problems with the club itself. It is the leadership of the club that I have problems with. The club in the form of the fellow club members I have met with and have interacted with have been just fine with me. The club is big enough, and has enough activity for all to enjoy, that for the stuff I don't enjoy, I don't have to participate. For the multitudes of things I do like to do within the club I can enjoy and it meets my needs. It is wholly and solely the leadership of the club that I have issues with. And I am not alone in this feeling. Others across the internet - the bloggers - have offered opinions that the leadership of the club is what is running the club into the ground.

A WBCCI member named Roy expressed it best in 2001 with the following:

The overall operation of WBCCI is kind of moribund and needs a good shot of vitality and infusion of fresh ideas on how to do what they do successfully in a more appealing way. I am not being critical but rather trying to be realistic. I am convinced that WBCCI will, in time, rise to the occasion but as it is said "It may get worse before it gets better" We don't seem to appeal to lot of the new Airstream buyers. Airstream still mfg and sells a lot of trailers but a lot of buyers do not join or participate in WBCCI. We also seem to lack appeal to new buyers of used Airstream.

Part of the problem is NOT what we are doing -the club purpose and activities - but the way we go about doing them and particularly the very poor way we are marketing WBCCI.(snip)

That opinion was offered in 2001, long before there was an Airforums or a SaveWally. Since then membership has continued on its decline so I offer that the Airforums and "blogs" like SaveWally are not the cause for dissatisfaction and membership decline in the club. Indeed, the decline has been going on for years and years and is symptom of a leadership that has not modernized its own thinking and methodology towards arresting that drop. Too much time seems to be spent of figuring out which outfits to wear for the officer's inauguration party (which the general membership is not invited to) and ways of bring in non-airstream products into the club.

This year one "blogger", a WBCCI member and active participant in this years International Rally, wrote in his blog the following:

The WBCCI is dying. It has been dying for a few years from what I’ve been able to gather. And the problem? The problem as I see is a stubborn unwillingness to change. Here is a club that started in 1955, named after the founder of Airstream, that is still stuck in the 50’s. Rigid formality, military-fashioned ceremonies, daily and event specific uniforms, a good-ol’-boy political system, zealously patriotic, evangelically overbearingly christian, enough rules to choke a horse, news broadcast on CB radios - not internet, photo prints - not digital, music from the 30’s, and 40’s, and more.

Most people either just go along with the way things are - making lemonade from lemons (a comment given to me) - as though ignoring the serious continued decline in membership doesn’t matter as long as we’re having fun, or quit. There are a few people - very few - that are challenging the system and trying to get voted in, to make some changes that would bring the club into the 21st century and give the member body a voice.

I came to have the experience and see for myself what the WBCCI was all about. I came to play music, learn about playing in a band, and have some fun drumming. And I did that! I came to determine if this is a club that I should renew my membership in every year. That... I have not determined. One minute I’m convinced that I never want anything to do with this antiquated, politically right-wing, and religiously stunted organization, then I think about the cool people and groups that are challenging the status quo, bucking the strict rules, and how much I identify with their diverse and inclusive attitude. So, I’ll have to mull this whole thing over.

That observation to me reflects the inability of the leadership to grow with the demographic shift of the club's membership base. It is not the same club now as it was 30 years ago when many of the leadership first joined up. The VAC intraclub is bucking the trend of membership decline in the WBCCI, but every year I can tell you for a fact that we lose members because they just don't see the WBCCI of value. However, many of these folks who leave stay on as a subscriber of the newsletter because they want to be a part of that tradition and fun the VAC represents. This past year alone I had to remove 25 people from our membership roster because they didn't renew in WBCCI.

It is my humble opinion with respect to the opinions of Jim Franklin that it is not the Airforums members or the bloggers who are causing the decline in membership for WBCCI. Rather, it is folks like us who would love to see the club thrive and grow. And if our thoughts were actually acted on and adopted, we might just see that happen.

It is my impression based on Jim Franklins comments that he views the members who disagree with the leadership of the club as lemons who are souring potential members causing them not to join up. The problem is that Jim is brutally unaware as to the reasons why the potential members are not joining. Additionally, it is the very leadership, personified in the opinions of Jim Franklin, who can not find a way to turn lemons into lemonade, by listening to us and acting on the desires we, the Airforum members and bloggers, have expressed.

Where are MY membership dollars going? Well, part goes towards the leadership's travel expenses. With all the traveling around they do, what are they doing to boost membership? What do these trips do to keep the membership numbers going up. Little as far as I can see. How many new members have they brought in in all the places they go? Could this money be better spent in other areas like marketing for the club?

Jim Franklin is free to offer his opinion and has done so for all to hear. It is my true hope that Jim's opinions do not reflect the opinions and desires of the IBT as a whole. I think that the IBT will let the membership know if it feels the same way as Jim based on it's response to the grievances Jim has started to file against the members of the WBCCI who have courageously voiced their opinions in the hopes of a newer and more invigorated club.

A direct question to Jim would be this - Jim, Besides filing grievances against the members who do not share your destructive vision for this club, what are YOU doing to boost the membership? Throw out your name change and all the efforts you are putting in towards bringing non-Airstream products into the club. What other tricks have you got under your hat that will boost the club membership. Wait! Don't answer - I am almost too afraid to hear the response.

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

It's already happening - the club is actively seeking out those who offer a negative opinion of the club and for the first time in 16 years, handling grievances against them.

This comes as news to me. Can you tell me against whom grievances have been filed, or tell me where to find out?

[ibgl6]

I have owned my A/S for about 2 years. I have not joined the WBCCI basically because of the price. I however am a Life Member of the Good Sams Club and a member of there Stand By Sams group since 1998. At a cost of approx. 350.00 at that time. I have not been to any of there rally's but I have seen the price is about the same and it does look like it is geared toward the older crowd but the do have alot of stuff going on. I am in favor of tradition as far as holding meetings using Roberts Rules of Order ect. But I think it would be in the best interest of all to try to cater to the family and younger groups because I think that is the ones that will be leading the way in the future. Plan rally's in areas of interest to the majority of folks have a diverse schedule of activity's (no ozzy osborne, or lawerance welk types) But possibly some light rock and country ect.. About me I am married in late forty's with no children. And most of this stuff would be interesting to me....SAM

[streamer23]

Originally Posted by RedSHED

Fascinating.

OTOH, the 2020 report on the WBCCI site offers some hope.

At this point I feel that the 2020 committee should be given some time to see if any of their objectives are realized.In reading the report on the WBCCI website,I am hopeful that this time will be different.
I find Mr Franklin's comments unproductive and they remind me of the actions of a wounded animal that is trying to protect their territory...at any costs.
Despite the actions of some members of the IBT,I will remain positive and give the committee a chance to make a difference.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by moosetags

Thanx for the heads-up. I guess that I could be classified as an AIR Forums ringleader and, as such, maybe targeted for elimination by the IBT. That would sadden me greatly, but if I had to choose one, it would be AIR Forums.

It would be a very sad day indeed, if I could be kicked out of the WBCCI for not always agreeing with the club leadership. If I am involuntarily separated from WBCCI, I guarantee that I will not go quietly.

This may not be all bad. The WBCCI could morph into a Thor camper club, and these Forums will remain as the difinative Airstream Club of the future.

Brian

We had allowed our membership to lapse over the past couple of years, for obvious reasons. We were planning to renew our membership next year, but from what I see, we may not be allowed back in for the same reason. We'll probably still try to renew, but I'm certainly not going to fight to join a club that doesn't want me back.

[muddy_hollow]

How about those who want to allow Thor products in a club or run a brown shirts organization leave and start their own official Thor club. Leave the shambles of a WBCCI to folks who aren't pleased with how it's being run. If you they think it's broken, ditch it now and cut your loss. If it's that bad, it wil clearly fail and they can say they told us so

Good gosh, it's just camping!

My Nam is Mud

[bryanl]

interesting comparing the quotations to the perceptions.

I think a bit better reading skills would help considerably in evaluating the allegations made.

[airedale]

I think that the leadership is just scared to hear what the members of the club have to say. They may not agree with it, but just because members have diffrent ideas and opinions makes them a target to be kicked out it shocking to me, and I really have a sour taste in my mouth now!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by moosetags

The WBCCI could morph into a Thor camper club, and these Forums will remain as the difinative Airstream Club of the future.

Brian

We enjoy ALL aspects of the Forums,

for us it IS the definitive Airstream community.

We HELP each other.

Is it sometimes confrontational?, sure it is, big deal, how else can we

learn anything?

I truly believe this Forum has helped more Newbies than any other AS

community. Expand the base...thats what it's all about, thats what good

for everyone.

IMHO

[Buttercup]

Thanks for the Liepper whack - my reading and auditory skills are just fine. I think that just about any reasonable person reading or listening to Jim's comments would interpret "I think we need to be selective in our memberships and start looking at a way of terminating their membership..." as meaning that Jim is thinking of ways of terminating memberships in the club.
I have no doubt that you derive from Jim's comments some completely other meaning. Rather than take a whack at me, why not share your interpretation of the public statements Jim made. That might be illuminating you your statement about my reading skills...

Originally Posted by Leipper

I think a bit better reading skills would help considerably in evaluating the allegations made.

[Zeppelinium]

Let me say right out front, I'm not a member of the Four Corners Unit. That being said...

I was in on the discussions when the 4CU was proposed. I like their point of view--it was an effort to get away from the formality of the WBCCI Boy Scout mentality--uniforms, oaths, etc. If the WBCCI was more like the 4CU, I'd rejoin.

I also like the Vintage Club. But, like the 4CU, they are chartered under the WBCCI, obstensibly for the insurance coverage offered under the corporate WBCCI unbrella. I find this very unfortunate.

We, the enthusiastic, could do more if we banded together. I'm not proposing a coup, but I would put forth the example of the 4CU maintenance rally last month down in Albuquerque. Ken and his team did an outstanding job of getting talent to show up and even let non-members participate. I think it revealed a strength in the SW that could be a potential basis for revamping the WBCCI--young leaders, a focus on technical help and social fun, low dues, and a minimum of formality. I'm sure this kind of enthusiasm for aluminum and rivets exists across the country (have we annexed Canada, yet?).

Zep

[PeeWee]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

WBCCI Adopting a new membership policy?

Past International President Jim Franklin has come up with a diagnosis and the solution for the WBCCI Membership decline. It appears to be a multi-pronged approach which involves getting rid of members who do not agree with the IBT's vision for the club and bringing the kind of members who do.

Let me start at the beginning.... In public statements Jim has been making in meetings which you can hear for yourself on WBCCI's web site, Jim has stated that it is you and I, the "bloggers" and Airforums members who are single handedly destroying the Club by posting negative comments about the club and the IBT.


This is not the first time Jim has suggested that. But now that he has determined that WBCCI's decline is due entirely to people talking down the club, he has a plan to correct the situation - get rid of the dissenters. So, if you are a member and you have been outspoken about the club, it's leadership or past leadership - you should expect the club to let you know that your membership may be revoked. Any comment that disparages the club or it's leadership can now get you into hot water! So for example, you mention that you do not like the club changing it's name or if you suggest that THOR motorhomes are not a good idea for the club - you are in Jim's sights.

Now, with the dissenters gone, what will boost the already sagging membership (not to mention replace all of the members who get kicked out after a review)? Well, Jim has a novel idea - force Airstream to make products that the club desires.


And not far behind that I am sure is letting in any product made by parent company THOR.


If Airstream will not make what the club desires, THOR would be happy to... WAIT! They already do. O.K. so why not just let those products in. And that is in fact what Jim has been working on for a few years and he may not stop until he gets his way.

Later Jim suggests about the bloggers:

It sounds like a which hunt to me. But after hearing that I ask - Jim, have you looked in the mirror on that statement? Have your own actions in the club cost membership? I know the resounding answer to be YES! Your positions on the name change and your past and current efforts on behalf of letting non-Airstream products into the club have caused many to throw their hands up and walk from this club. That being the case, would you yourself perhaps be a candidate for a little "restructuring".

I am sure there are better ways of dealing with a membership decline than to silence or get rid of those who do not share the at times frightening vision the leadership, like Jim Franklin, hold for the WBCCI. It is the dissenters of that vision that I hold as the protection of the very existence of this club.

Not on the subject but here is a soul mate to your "pet" of choice. This is the Naga, I have had him since I worked at Airstream in the 60's.

[bryanl]

"This comes as news to me." - a lot of the news isn't - its fantasizing based on cynicism and paranoia, I think.

"run a brown shirts organization" [-- Godwin appears?]

"I think that the leadership is just scared" - predicting others' motivations or emotions is a risky endeavor. Better to stick to your own and be self aware.

"confrontational ... how else can we learn anything?" - by listening carefully, avoiding divisiveness, avoiding bigotry, and making sure we really understand each other. Making those with differing opinions an evil group or criminalizing those who do not agree does not help anyone.

"I was in on the discussions when the 4CU was proposed. I like their point of view" - I think you missed the original stimulus and pegged instead a take-over that I think was done via convenience.

There is much to observe. Of course we want to believe our perceptions are completely in line with reality and that our skills are superb. There is a name for this when it goes a bit over the top and it is a reminder that sometimes a bit of humility can serve us well.

[overlander63]

As always when subjects like axles, tires, or the WBCCI come up, I would like to remind everyone to consider what the discussion would look like to a visitor to our forum, and comport ourselves in a reasonable manner, without stooping to personal shots, and our opinions of their psyche.

[05ModPod]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

FYI
It was the forum that actually played a role in my finally joining WBCCI
(just in case someone is listening)

Hey me too - But it was the Club and it's beaurocracy and lack of small intimate units in my province that made me decide to lapse both of my WBCCI memberships!!

Guess they still don't know how to get the stats and facts right.

However I do think that the report from the 2020 committee was the most foresight I have read in a very long time.

I just about chocked - when I read they were doing a "Survey" almost stopped reading on the spot - but then saw that the carried on to analyze what had been started in 2004 - the year we joined - heck that is 4 years ago and this club is still analyzing - what big spinning wheel -

just exactly how we feel with our vintage projects right now - and all we really want to do is get out and camp!!!!!

We don't need to spend $75.00 to do that - and now when your health goes to the toilet - the big red numbers don't mean diddley poop in the big scheme of things.......

We will join again when we see the value for us to join. Cause we love airstreams and love the people we meet whether they have a Red number or a blue number or not.....

Have faith folks things will change as the population changes it just takes time - like generations of time.......

Ditch the politics and go and have some fun in life for heavens sake - Life is too bloody SHORT!!!