By Jenifer Schnettler | ACI President | BRN 151
And now….. Breaking News! | Issue 2
Hello Friends!
As I promised, here are the up-to-the-minute summaries of our recent Strategy Session and Caravan Committee Meetings. I am so proud of the dedication of your IBT, and in the words of EC member Ken Johansen, “This is the most dynamic and engaged IBT I’ve seen in the 27 years I’ve been in this Club!” Ken’s right!
What an incredible week we had, and we are all excited to keep our forward momentum as a true team.
Day 1
The first thing we did was review the strategic objectives outlined at the 2024 Strategic Session, and it was a bit surprising and quite encouraging to see how many goals we had accomplished. EC Member Millie O’Donnell did a fantastic job as our moderator, guiding us through a full schedule evaluating both past and current topics for discussion.
Between the development of the ACI Member App (with our deepest gratitude to International Secretary Kendall Felder), completion of the new club HQ, the alignment of the three financial reserve accounts, reduction of the mortgage on 707 E. Pike St (our new HQ) and launching the Archival Storage of our club’s 70 years of historical documents (our heartfelt thanks to Region 6 President David Gulley and Mary Gulley, as well as Historical Standing Committee Chair Joe Peplinski and Lorrie Robertson), we have put quite a dent in our past wish-list. There are ongoing goals such as comprehensive training programs we need to develop for volunteers at all club levels, expansion of marketing and social media utilization, and as always – bolstering membership retention and recruitment. We will continue to chase these goals, and add a few more as discussed below.
Speaking of membership, we looked at ways that ALL members can feel included in everything our club offers. Do “Members at Large” receive as much information from newsletters as possible? Do members perceive a divide among the categories defined in our governing documents for those members joining local clubs versus those choosing to remain “at large”? Can we do better? Is it simply an issue of a name change? We need to explore this topic further.
We had a lively conversation about social media. Our current global psyche seems to tolerate a much more aggressive and even contentious environment, and it seems that social media can become a platform of divisive discourse rather than civil discussion. Is there a middle ground we can seek on our own ACI discussion page? We don’t have an answer. Our collective wish is to encourage everyone to honor Wally’s Creed by treating everyone with the respect and dignity each of us would like to be afforded. Can a body legislate kindness? Oh, that we could! We can only try to be the example of what friends seek… camaraderie with integrity and friendship extended to all members.
The final topic of the first day was a very deep dive into the financial health of our club. We enjoyed 109 pages of comparative reports and charts, tables, and graphs that explained where our finances are currently at, a 10-year look back, and a projection of 5 years forward. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that we are stronger than most realized… the assets of our club have significantly increased in the past 5 years, and we can expect to continue that trend into the next 5 years. Why?
A huge increase in membership, some really carefully managed reserve-fund allocations, one big fat increase in real-estate value (which has doubled in equity with the recent building improvements and mortgage pay-down), and reduced general expenditures previously incurred with credit card fees (a previous cost to the club of close to $70,000 annually). All of these factors have contributed to the cessation of the past downward financial trend, and we now see a significantly more robust picture.
Day 2
The second day began with a discussion of cyber safety, and it was sure eye-opening how vulnerable we all are when we use free email platforms. The importance of using a secure email address to reduce (nothing can completely eliminate) susceptibility to phishing, hacks, hijacking, etc. of our communications was presented in (scary!) detail by Interim Technical Director Marc Nijdam, an expert in this field. No question, our IBT recognizes the need to shift away from personal “.com” type emails to our “airstreamclub.org” address. We will be looking to provide all club officers at every level with this platform soon, to protect data of both our club and the officers engaged in running things.
Our corporate attorney led a discussion on confidentiality and conflict of interest statements, a typical requirement of Boards of Trustees for both profit and non-profit organizations. We shared a good dialogue on the importance of any governing board defining the parameters of transparency versus protected information. The take-away was a greater understanding of what types of information a board is typically bound to hold private, such as proprietary research and development projects, negotiations in partnerships or contractual agreements, grievance issues, personnel issues, and sometimes items still in developmental stages. Additionally, a board may receive privileged information typically not provided to the public as in the case of criminal or legal actions still pending. The added commitment to confidentiality demonstrated with signing a Confidentiality Statement allows a greater level of trust for members serving on large boards. This topic, too, will be further discussed.
The morning session wrapped up with an outstanding presentation by our International Parliamentarian Lori Grassi as she walked us through an exercise of How to Write a Motion. EC member James Schaal suggested the topic for our example “motion,” and we all gained both a greater appreciation for the work our Parliamentarian provides, as well as the nuts and bolts that lead to a completed motion. I can’t exactly promise we can fly solo just yet, but Parliamentarian Grassi took the mystery out of the process.
Speaking of EC member Schaal, James took us on a field trip over to the old HQ, which will be our new Member Clubhouse and Historical Center & Educational Library. We saw the new floor plans for renovating both parts of the old building, and walked the grounds to have everyone see the updates planned for our ACI Campus. Additionally, EC member Schaal shared the latest breaking news… the collaboration of ACI with Jackson Center Days and a club rally focused on leadership training for local and intraclub officers. As we develop that more, we will fill in the details! Another fun member benefit, and truly an opportunity for greater education for our volunteer leaders.
The afternoon continued with discussions from Interim Technical Director Marc Nijdam and International Secretary Kendall Felder on our club’s need for upgraded technology systems. We haven’t had an update since 2018, and as I’m sure you all recognize, that was back when pterodactyls pecked out information on stone tablets! We are quite behind the times as far as our website, data collection and our ability to integrate information to allow members to see in real-time exactly what events they have signed up and paid for. Knowing just what we need requires a crystal ball, and without that we need to rely on the expertise of Marc and Kendall who both have intimate knowledge of the products and systems for data management. Fortunately, our International Finance Director Alan Rabb has been proactive in dedicating a Technology Reserve Fund in our club’s assets, and we will be utilizing this account as we look to improve our programs.
The second day wrapped up with a discussion of emergency safety protocols at all club events. ACI Past International President Mona Watts provided us with perspectives and suggestions to improve protocols allowing quicker access to emergency contact information, increasing awareness of the safety steps already in place at events, and encouraging greater member engagement in supporting each other in any form of emergency. Some tangible suggestions were explored, and we are anticipating the implementation of some of these ideas asap.
Final Day
On the final day we looked to define the steps we would like to take next, assigning short-term and long-term goals. We recognized that training needs to take a front seat, along with updating our website with an eye to future technology needs. Addressing the need for greater cybersecurity with our emails and data storage will remain a top priority. We will be developing a clear and comprehensive program for improving outreach and relationships with all external parties that support the ACI. We need to take a critical look at the relevance of existing Standing Committees that aren’t staffed or currently functioning to determine if these should be redesigned or resigned. And finally, we will be looking to improve every avenue of communication we provide our membership.
Standing Chair of Caravan Committee George Beckwith presented us with an overview and discussion on the status of the Caravan Program. He highlighted what a wonderful member benefit this is to our club, and the opportunities we have to improve administrative aspects of the program that will benefit our membership. We discussed some of the problems we have encountered, and what we hope to aim for in the future. A comprehensive discussion was scheduled for the next day and our review of this Standing Committee’s evaluations is forthcoming.
The Strategy Session ended with a tour of the Airstream, Inc. factory and a wonderful talk from Airstream, Inc. CMO Mollie Hansen, COO Bryan Melton, and DOCI Kala Horvitz. They shared market projections, trend analysis, and a sneak peek at a few products coming soon. Their enthusiasm for their product and our club was exciting, and we felt renewed pride in our collaboration celebrating all that is Airstream.
Caravan Update
Finally, I will share what our Caravan meeting discussed. There have been so many comments from members and caravan leaders with misinformation that we are ending the program, that we are outsourcing all caravans to third-party purveyors, or any number of rumors. What I will tell you is this: We have NO PLANS to change how caravan leaders actually lead the caravans. Our discussions on Friday, Nov. 7 all centered on improved opportunities we can bring to the program for updating administrative responsibilities.
I am going to ask you to imagine this future scenario: When a caravan opens up for registration, all members will register directly through the ACI website on a first-come basis, similar to buying a concert ticket on Ticketmaster. The deposit will then be paid by those assigned to the initial open spots into the Caravan Account, in a manner similar to how International Rally fees are collected by HQ now. A wait list will be created for potential open spots that inevitably occur. All members will be able to see their status on their member portal to let them know exactly what rallies or caravans they are signed up for, any payments made and what payments may be due (and when that money is due), and if on a wait list, where they stand and just what the position means (for example, you are 10th on the wait list, with a suggestion that you stand a 50% chance of being assigned to the event). The goal is for your registration, fees, forms and placement from wait lists to all be handled centrally with eliminating one of the biggest impediments to those hoping to lead caravans or rallies now or in the future – the burden of assembling the final attendance through our current wait list process and needing to be responsible for collecting and managing huge sums of money on behalf of the caravanners.
Our future scenario would then create a “Caravan Box” with the goal being that a caravan leader is handed a box right before their caravan begins. Included within is the finalized caravanners list, all attendees’ necessary forms completed, monies available per budget, permits aligned, schedule prepared, any pre-payments made, and final cost- accounting forms included. What the caravan leader also receives will be a payment platform. We do not yet know what products we can negotiate from our banks, but it would resemble (in some format) a credit/debit card. The current system relies on individual checking accounts for each separate caravan – an antiquated product in this technology age. Cash is available in any currency from certain debit cards, and most locations accept credit cards. The simplification of accounting would be well worth exploring – both for leaders as well as back-end tax prep and accounting perspectives. This would allow caravan leaders to focus on doing what they most love… lead the caravan!
Caravan Goals
Developing this simplified system will require time and research… it cannot happen with the snap of our fingers. The team looking into this promises to explore the most efficient and member-focused format we can provide, with a critical eye on responsible cost assessment. What’s the goal here? We aim to expand opportunities to allow as many members as possible to enjoy this incredible program, and to do that, we must make the process more streamlined and more appealing to those wanting to commit to leading as well as those excited to explore this core program of WBCCI.
In a nutshell, there are only 5 things we are looking to improve: making registration opportunities open to all members equally, centralizing payment collection to alleviate leader burden, create a consistent and secure caravan-cost disbursement platform (credit or debit card product), allow wait-list transparency in real time, and simplify the cost reporting/accounting process which in turn simplifies the tax reporting processes. If we can address these five issues, we anticipate a wonderful improvement for greater ease, transparency, and access for our membership.
OK, if you have managed to slog through this huge to-do list, congratulations! Our job is to roll up our sleeves and get to work, so stay tuned with my updates, and as always, let me hear from you!
Jenny Schnettler
ACI International President
