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[Fermat]

I'm reading this month's BB.  Specifically the inside front cover.

I want to ask some things.
1) do we have a forecast for the membership curve?
2) at what membership level will the "leadership" begin to consider structural changes?
3) Do we know what the "elasticity of demand" is for dues?  I.E. if we increment dues by $5 will we lose (and/or avoid) 100 members, 500 members, or 1000 members?

Opinions, thoughts?  Other questions?  Please do be respectful and avoid the "do you need a plexiglass naval to see" sorts of things.

[Wheel Interested]

Hi Fermat.  I am afraid I don't have answers to your three questions delightfully wry as they are, but I have gone back to the inside cover of the BB to complete reading and will comment.  I had let off reading meeting with a few disappointing to me comments from the IP.

While I was at first encouraged to see the problem of budget mentioned and ideas explored and discussed there were a couple of assumptions I very much disagree with.

"No organization can cut their way to success; they have to earn it.  We can earn our way to success by retention and recruitment."

This thought has been touted through several administrations without success and even having a negative effect in its pursuit.  The reason I say this is that we need to be cognizant of our limitations to attract many new members and we also have to realize that many older members who make up a great portion of the membership will eventually leave the WBCCI because of inactivity or health issues or perhaps having completed their life as a life long member of the club.  I think we should accept the idea that membership will continue to become smaller.
The second part of why I take exception to the statement quoted is I think it will not be possible to generate enough extra revenue to support the club's spending without radical cuts.  The statement is a frustration to me in not embracing ideas and actions to aggressively save money and make changes to the plans already made to immediately reduce spending in ways that really would save the most amount of money without causing a reduction to prioritized club components.

Reading about the budget conscious headquarters made me appreciate how much is done at headquarters and I hope we are not putting stress in the work place for our full time workers. No salary increases to workers and health insurance decreases seem unwarranted and in nature do not seem matters of excess and their hard work should not be visited upon to help balance the inflated IBT recreational spending.  A single rally, a single part of a rally done without would free up a great deal of money without hardship to the club its members or its workers and not even its leaders with a proper spirit of having fun and seeing what they can actually do without.  Actions need to be taken for the benefit of the entire WBCCI general membership, which is precisely the demographic that needs to be seriously courted to have this club survive and move ahead. 

I am reminded of the BB that told our candidates running from the floor that their position statement could not be printed without charge because of the failing budget.  It is as if we save pennies but waste hundreds of dollars over and over again. Cutting out big ticket amounts such as the IBT rally or some nightly entertainment or appreciation dinners and gifts would save the club a great deal of money and not stop the volunteer leadership from enjoying their positions in the club or from having fun.

The Jackson Center Office cannot take all the cuts; we all need to do our part.

I feel members have been giving more than their fair share in the way of membership costs and rally fees for a long time.  What is this "we?"  Leadership has to tighten its belt and leave off their usual extravagance and galas that have become to represent necessity to them.

We really have only three ways to do it (increase revenues)- increase membership, increase dues, and member donations (not allowed for in the  Blue Book.)

So there you go, right back at square one where we have witnessed the outcome of that thinking year after year.  There wont be enough of an increase to support IBT spending as usual.  Members will be lost or not recruited upon the basis of a dues increase and the failure of the leadership to make a show of good faith and refuse to accept their privilege and perks as were established when the club could afford them and show sensitivity towards members and NOT impose further burden upon those not directly benefited by the vast majority of revenues collected and spent each year.

See you in Gillette

  Probably not at 500 dollars for a rally.Scraping together the dues without an increase will be a struggle for my sixth year if I can swing it.  The ever growing chasm between the high cost of membership and rallies for the general membership and the abundance and excesses of benefits for volunteers and leadership is  spawning increasing discontent.  Offer sites without 30 amp service fees, allow children to attend free, and don't stay a month on the working members dime.

[Pahaska]

Much as I hate to say this, I believe that an attendance disaster at Gillette would possibly get the attention of the hierarchy.  I will not attend, even though I will be a unit president next year and I am broadcasting my feelings to my unit.

The International mold of later attendees paying thru the nose for unnecessary early workers must change in the era of forced 30A parking.  DuQuoin is set in concrete, but that must be the last of the kind.

[65GT]

1) do we have a forecast for the membership curve?

I've asked the question, "Under what circumstances does our leadership see an uptick in membership?"  No answers and to me that means they don't see an uptick, period.  We're just running out the clock, because if you were looking for vision at the top, you'd need binoculars just to find them...

The direct answer is that if they have a forecast positive  membership curve they're not sharing it, and I'd be shocked if they have anything in the way of club modernization that could make that so.  Just look at their modernization of our club forums.  From a site that was refreshingly open to thoughts, ideas, and objections, to one where your post can be deleted, split, moved, and edited for what amounts to a sneeze.  That is if you can even get to the site.  Have some criticism for those in charge?  Well, your IP could be banned from access, or somebody can play head games access with you for MONTHS.

Just look at the new forums and see the over moderation that goes on there. The only thing we continually prove is that leadership is out of touch with today.  Club leadership was notorious for its parking and flag Napoleons (being nice) at International, now, the 21st Century edition has been replaced by the gas chamber, and leadership just sits their either completely ignorant as to what is really going on, or just wants to turn a blind eye.  What a mess and an embarrassment for this club and its members.

2) at what membership level will the "leadership" begin to consider structural changes?

Just look at that Oct '09 Prez Corner.  Where in there does it even mention that the structure of our BLOATED leadership is being given serious consideration?  We're FIVE years behind that curve.  What you get instead is "If cost cuts and reductions are not enough to balance the budget, the next step will be to increase our revenues.  Blah, blah, blah -- get more members to support THEIR reimbursements (Yeah, right), increase dues (go ahead, I dare you), and member donations (well it must be postmortem because otherwise you'd have to have your head examined based on what they've done to this club).

I don't even know that the club can sell life membership's with our financial future on the wall, dripping on the carpet -- you could wind up buying a 5-10 year membership.  Who is crazy enough to pour a grand into a 5-10 year membership?

3) Do we know what the "elasticity of demand" is for dues?  I.E. if we increment dues by $5 will we lose (and/or avoid) 100 members, 500 members, or 1000 members?

First off it was mention during the Madison meetings that $5 won't cut it.  $10 doesn't even cut it.

Try it this way...  *IF* 7500 members was our break even point, and it's not a bad guess to start, then:

6600 members produced a $40K operational loss (never mind the ~$60K last years IP may have tossed out the window)

7500 - 6600 = 900 one year drop.  40,000deficit/900members = $44/member.  Again, just an assumption -- could be wrong -- but let's use that until we get better intel (oh, don't make me laugh!)

This year we're projected to lose $82K.  Where does that come from?  What if we're forecast to lose another 600 members come June?  Not unheard of, we lost FIVE units last year for starters, so...

$44*1500members = $66K.  Not $82K, but we're in the neighborhood at least...

Let's go back to 6600 members at $55 a pop.  There was a lot of talk that even $10 wouldn't get us out of the woods, but let's run it...

6600 members at $65 a pop is still just an additional $10/per so $66.6K in increased renewals.  We're still UNDER that $82K nut. Let's try $15/per.  That's an additional $99.9K in revenue, which gets us beyond that $82K, but how many will balk at say $70 for International combined with say $15 for Unit, $85 to belong to this club.

How many units are already talking about $55 to International is just too much considering what their local unit can operate on?  They're right -- there's zero justification to send $70 to International - ZERO.  In the real world (if we could exit Pleasantville for a moment), even with our new low membership numbers (new low on the way down, not the way up), what could possibly justify anything more than ~$35 - $40 to International?  It's an RV Club.  I can join Good Sams for $12 and do anything I want with them, although it's all SOBS (chilly draft  ).  The Good Sams model works -- giving volunteers $125K in reimbursements annually does not.

How many more members will you lose with a $15 increase?  Where is the last straw?  When do entire units say 'screw you' and exit?  What happens when 3-4 units say 'screw you' and exit?  what happens when those units decide to band and start something new?  Don't think its impossible, or unlikely, the sentiment is out there, and its not just amongst the younger crowd.  There are LOTS of mere members shaking their heads over what we're not getting from leadership -- and that's leadership.

What needs to happen, until some group of leaders can come forward and modernize this group of 50's impersonators, Pleasantville, ALL reimbursements at the International level have to STOP.  Then reorganize, to a mere committee of ~8 or so (including all the traditional leadership titles), but do it at the Region Presidents level, where each and everyone at that table REPRESENTS MEMBERS.  The EC7 represents NO ONE.

Then, based on PROFITABILITY and GROWTH reinstate some minimal travel reimbursements for those that truly do the time, on their dime.  But not until.  A 1st past IP has had SEVEN YEARS with his HANDS in the pie, and if in seven years they can't move this club in the direction of growth and profitability, park 'em in the green section.  Put 'em back with their unit friends where they belong.  No more GOLD Row (recently revised to ROYAL BLUE Row) for them...

Sorry if I went on, but I haven't posted in a while...   

[ByamCaravanner]

How many more members will you lose with a $15 increase?  Where is the last straw?  When do entire units say 'screw you' and exit?  What happens when 3-4 units say 'screw you' and exit?  what happens when those units decide to band and start something new?  Don't think its impossible, or unlikely, the sentiment is out there, and its not just amongst the younger crowd.

Absolutely! There are a number of progressive units out there that include folks of all ages with the common goal of getting out and having fun. I won't name them, but they are geographically diverse and very active. It would be an easy task to reconstitute into a new entity should the appropriate catalyst occur... such as a large dues increase and/or an empty bank account.

[Wheel Interested]

The units should keep the WBCCI name and heritage and claim club status.  After all it is the membership that has had to fight to keep the club's integrity.  What care does leadship have of the name or brand of the club that pays them to assemble with their friends?  It's all about friends, period.  They came right out and told us that, along with digs about trying to rein in the "quality" members.  Hey what's 500 dollars worth of member do for you?   Maybe dues increases will price out the riffraff. Remember to charge for kids...  Why leave the fate of WBCCI in the hands of renegade leadership? In fact it is they who have digressed from purpose and could be left behind for failure to represent the general membership.  Getting back to a raise of hands as Wally would have the club tabulated, the units members outnumber the leadership and volunteers. Our Leadership at this point seems like a tether and a tax collector.  It certainly is blind deaf and mute to the majority of members.  The WBCCI forum is the most obvious display of old fashioned propaganda that we actually have working against the club... and that is their idea to get new and younger members to join?  So since that won't work, empty your pockets  for shake down!