The IBT has in fact noticed the drop in membership, participation, and
volunteerism. Unfortunately they've adapted as their battle-cry (used by
redcoats everywhere) that the decline is due to:
1) Younger generations are not joiners.
2) Our elder members are dying off.
They seem to ignore the fact that we capture nearly 1,000 NEW members every
year. We should be growing leaps and bounds. What we need to know is how
many 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th year members choose not to renew and why. The
answers to WHY and addressing those reasons is not only the key to club
growth through retaining members but the key to everything else that should
be good in this club. As a business whose only source of income is selling
and renewing memberships it's DECADES worth of leaders that have let this
club down.
You either enable headquarters to get a handle on the non-renewals and
reverse the trend, or you watch the club die. They're doing an excellent
job at the latter.
We should send those that can no longer participate membership kits so that
when they sell their trailer the new owner can find us immediately. We
should offer elder members that can no longer participate to list their
trailers that are for sale at WBCCI.org.
I'm not knocking the military -- who could -- purely the backbone of this
country with members and families that make great personal sacrifices of all
kinds...
BUT... Why we allow the face of a camping club to dawn military style
berets (agreeing Wally never wore these this way) and grown men dawning the
same green, red, blue, and yellow jackets, white dress shirts, red ties, in
a pre-planned unison, looking like some freaky Jimmy Jones Amway convention
is beyond me. The full page leader's photo in Wanderlust must have left
thousands of Airstream owning WBCCI potentials running for the hills. Who
ever bought an Airstream because they wanted to go camping and look like
some hallucinogenic 4th dimension in Alice in Wonderland? I saw a picture
of a bunch of campers on one of the unit websites with a few formally
dressed redcoats in the woods and all I could think of was a Twighlight Zone
episode for if it weren't a Twilight Zone episode then surely somebody needs
to call the police.
The face of the WBCCI should be couples and families camping, having a great
time -- laughing, smiling, preferably with kids running (not walking)
through the photo.
I remember walking through Salem last year, my first exposure to real live
people dressed in uniform and couldn't help but think how bizarre this all
is. In the 50's all the camping clubs did this stuff and while trailers
from the 50's are treasure to many I'll bet nobody is holding onto WBCCI
uniforms from the 50's in the very same way women no longer wear lace
bordered aprons.
I'm happy to report that Jerry Collins asked if anyone wanted to remove
their beret indoors during the meeting that they should. That he was raised
(as I) to remove your hat indoors. I believe everyone followed suit...
The Delegate pool had a growing contingent of Delegates that did not wear
the uniform. I think that caught IP Shafer by surprise as he thought mere
members were taking to the microphone when it was supposed to be Delegates
only (and it was).
I hope that every time you ask yourself "why?" you should renew you think
of Don Shafer's Silent Majority (the ones that just kicked the crap out of
the IBT SOB fiasco) -- the rest of us that also scratch our heads in
disbelief. That's at least 61% of the club that gets it -- well at least
61% of the club that got a chance to vote -- we've just got to be a little
more patient until the old guard cycles out. Six new IBT members this year
-- wouldn't it be nice if they at least 'got it'?
I also hope you think the VAC, while as individuals we're no better than any
other individual family or member, at least there's a much higher percentage
of us that truly do 'get it.' It's the fun, the laughter, the friendships
(oh and the Airstreams too!). :^) I've yet to see a circumstance where
somebody had to go check a rule at a weekend rally for the purposes of
camping. Who knows if you could ever find it anyway -- the constitution --
the bylaws -- the unwritten rules...
Leo
> Sure is a lot of energy being expended on vitriol when it could as much
> be spend enjoying a breeze somewhere. Has the IBT not noticed the
> falling International participation? Has the IBT not realized its easier
> to drop the renewal notice in the garbage than to write the check and
> reenlist? Though as retired military the IBT seems to enjoy promulgating
> and enforcing rules and regulations. So how come none of them can wear a
> beret the way Wally did? Is there no set of regulations on the proper
> wearing of the beret, I'm sure the Army has one that could be adopted.
> Having been an involuntary member of the Army, I ask myself each BB and
> each renewal, "Why?"
>
> So what is the penalty for breaking the dress code at a rally?
> Isolation? Expulsion? Since shedding my Army green and stopping
> testifying in trials, I've avoided fitting all dress codes and avoiding
> suits and ties is fundamental.