Sierra Nevada Airstreams -|- Sierra Nevada Unit

Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States in a recreational vehicle.

Sierra Nevada Unit, Wally Byam Caravan Club International

Operational Notes

The following are concepts by which the Sierra Nevada Unit operates. They provide the basis for the decisions and actions of the SNU.

SNU and it's relationship to commercial enterprises

Commercial Considerations – When considering any sort of interaction with commercial enterprises the SNU must keep in mind its own identity, charter, mission and goals. Types of commercial interactions include sponsorships, donations. and program development.

Overview - When there is a lot of enthusiasm, sometimes folks will get so focused on what they want to do that they don't consider implications or appearances or side effects. The higher the enthusiam, the more careful the organization needs to be. It is one thing to have a lot of ideas, another to execute them, and yet another to make sure they get done right.

Individual vs Unit: The only persons who take on, convey, or imply endorsement or authority or delegation of the unit should be those who have received that endorsement, authority, or delegation by proper action of the unit as documented in organization records. Such endorsement, authority, or delegation should be clearly defined in scope and purpose and have a clear link with organization goals and membership preferences. This is a matter of making it clear that the SNU is a subsidary of WBCCI and not connected in any way to any other organization.

Nonprofit status: The SNU is a part of the WBCCI, not incorporated or organized as a separate entity, and must adhere to the charter, bylaws, and policies of that organization. Usually the state (of Ohio in this case) nonprofit corporation law and US IRS regulation (that provides tax exempt status) have rather onerous requirements separating what they consider appropriate not for profit activity and for profit activity. This is a matter of making sure that SNU does not appear to engage in activity for the gain of any particular individual or other corporation or business than itself or WBCCI.

Commercial engagement: The SNU should not give away its image, credibility, authority, or resources unless that expenditure is closely related to its purpose and mission or it receives something of equivalent value in return. This is a matter of making sure that the SNU does what is says it exists to do and is truthful in that manner. Note: Article XIII in the WBCCI Blue Book Bylaws addresses in detail, the use of the club name an emblem and should be referred to in any consideration relating to the use of the Unit or the WBBCI name and emblem.

Considerations

There are a number of issues currently pending, some appropriate for the WBCCI as a whole to consider, that we need to consider.

• The SNU (and WBCCI) don't exist to solicit members. They do need members in order to carry out their goals and purpose, yes, but any effort to gain new members should not loose sight of the fact that recruitment is, in itself, not a primary purpose of the organization.
• Raising funds for the Unit is also a necessity but only to support the mission and purpose. It is not why SNU exists.
• Raising funds for a charity gets a bit closer to why SNU and WBCCI exist. But, again, it is not the primary purpose of the WBCCI. Instead it is a part of being a friendly neighbor thing.

All of this gets into making sure that SNU looks and acts according to why it exists as described and stated in its organization documents.

back to main page – operational notes

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