Sierra Nevada AirstreamsSierra 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.

Membership Dues

Note: Some of these reports may no longer be available on the web. Although this section is deep linked and not easily accessible through web searching, some reports were deleted as an additional precaution to protect member information. They are still available upon request by any SNU board member.

SNU history and information related to membership (public)

Recruitment, and even more important, retention of members is crucial to the growth and wellbeing of the SNU. One of the most important parts of both recruitment and retention is communication. This is why, when it comes to recruiting members we have developed some specific materials to not only welcome participation but to provide potential members with key information regarding the SNU so that they will feel at home rather than feel like they have walked into an alien and closed environment. See the link below for SNU recruitment materials.

When it comes to retention, communication also plays a crucial role. It is critical to always treat members, no matter how long they have participated, as new members. By this I mean always be welcoming and encouraging. It means that just because someone has been a member for several years doesn't mean you no longer have to remind them of things like renewing their membership or what the schedule is for upcoming rallies. It means you always have to appreciate their participation and contributions no matter how seemingly insignificant or infrequent. Most of all you have to remember to thank them for whatever contributions they make to the SNU whether it is dues, participation in rallies, serving on the board, or contributing in a variety of other ways.

What makes both recruitment and retention successful is communicating in a variety of ways over time. This is why when it comes to annual dues, we remind people in person at rallies, we publish information in each issue of the newsletter from July through at least October, and we send out individual letters. In addition we send an email to those not yet renewed by November. This redundancy makes it more likely that members will have gotten the message one way or another.

The snail mail dues reminder letter plays a vital role in communications. Letters are more personal than email. Often they are more likely to be noticed than just another email. Sending a snail mail letter provides an opportunity to promote the SNU. The letters are used to remind people of ways they can support the Unit, things the Unit has accomplished, things that are being planned, as well as seek their input and ideas. A copy of the membership application/renewal form is sent with the dues reminder letters. Also a one page copy of the upcoming year rally schedule is included. This is part of the promotion effort. It is hoped that by seeing what is being planned, this will be an additional incentive to renew or join the SNU. To keep costs to a minimum, the dues reminder letter and rally schedule are usually mailed out with the August newsletter. Including a personal note on the letter, even if it is a simple “Hope to see you at a rally soon”, is another way of letting people know that it is the person the SNU cares about not just their money. That personal touch has paid off in a variety of ways. From a return note with dues payment saying thanks for staying in touch to actually encouraging participation in SNU events.

The dues thank you letters provide another opportunity to promote the SNU as well as thanking people for their continuing support of the Unit. The current year WBCCI membership card is mailed out with this letter.

Here are the letters used for 2013 dues solicitations and thank yous.

2013 current membership as of September 2012

Sample 2013 dues reminder letter

Sample 2013 dues reminder for those whose membership had lapsed for 2012

Sample 2013 Affiliate member dues reminder letter

Sample 2013 dues thank you letter

Sample Affiliate 2011 dues thank you letter



SNU Recruitment materials





Sierra Nevada Airstreams home page -|- Destinations -|- Memories -|- Owner's Guide -|- Community -|- Commerce -|- WBCCI Sierra Nevada Unit home page -|- Zephyrs weblog for the RV enthusiast -|- Whispers weblog of touchy subjects -|- Our tip jar- support this website




TechComm Labs (tm)
copyright 2005 Leipper Management Group. All rights reserved Please address comments or questions to webmaster@leipper.org Last updated 09/15/2012
supporting and using open software
Sierra Nevada Airstreams - photograph policy -