Index – SNU Existing - Issues – The Charge – Structure Considerations – Changes – The Proposal - The discussion is underway. Pass your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and critiques to hq (at) SierraNevadaAirstreams.org to join in!

In this document Issues – Source – Symbol – Definition -

WBCCI Membership Issues

Recently, a group of four WBCCI members circulated a “Member's Rights Proposal” advocating the elimination of the affiliate class membership and reducing the status of the Delegates Convention to that of an advisory body. The idea is to increase member responsibilities and move the WBCCI from representative governance to a plebiscite based governance. The proposal was not submitted through the established WBCCI process but rather to the public with the intent to bypass the existing vetting process for major organization changes. The sloganeering and political behavior has created significant divisive and polarizing dialog that nearly obscures the issues at hand.

Behind the democracy and plebiscite philosophies there are other issues. The key ones involve the nature of the Unit in parent organization governance and the utility of non-political memberships. Others involve the voting entity in the club and how it is to be expressed. That, in turn, leads to the definition of membership and the qualifications for membership.

The qualifications issue has been a significant concern since Airstream started producing RV's in a form other than their classic trailer. In the 90's a bylaws change allowed motorhomes. In 2006 another bylaws change accommodated both a question about vintage park model trailers and a new model that was not self contained.

The presumption is that an individual adult owns a single Airstream RV. What happens if an individual has more than one Airstream RV or there is a group that shares ownership of a single Airstream RV? In community property states such as Nevada, an RV acquired by a married couple is the property of both even if only one is the named owner. What happens if such a couple has two RV's? Could they have up to four memberships or just one? A circumstance now exists where it appears that a couple is taking advantage of these ambiguities in order to increase member representation.

Then there is the case of the Washington DC Unit. It is promoted as a means to support WBCCI membership without the financial or participatory obligations normally associated with Unit membership. The locus of the Unit was chosen so that it was appealing to those who did not choose to affix themselves a home location. Recently, in light of the “Member's Rights Proposal” it has chosen to offer itself as an alternative for the Members at Large so they could have political clout. The question here becomes the obligations of membership – that of both the individual and of the Unit.

The source

WBCCI Constitution ARTICLE VI: QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS

Sec. 1 - An adult who owns a hard sided recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. shall be eligible for membership. (6/30/06)

Sec. 2 - Regular Member

A. An applicant for membership, upon written application and the payment of Unit and International dues, shall be a Regular Member of a Unit and the International Club. (6/29/96)

B. Ownership, except as otherwise provided herein, of a recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc., as defined in this Article, and the payment of annual Unit and International dues to a Unit is prerequisite to retaining membership as a Regular Member. (6/29/96)

C. Regular Members, who were in good standing when they sold their recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc., may, upon request, retain their membership as Regular Members, provided such members do not own another brand of recreational vehicle, except such Regular Members may own another brand of recreational vehicle that is parked in a permanent or semi-permanent location to be used by the members as a vacation facility or as a home. (6/29/96)

D. Such Regular Members shall possess all the rights and privileges of the International Club, including the right to retain their membership number, except that those who have relinquished their membership number and are to be reinstated as regular Members in a Unit and the International Club shall be assigned a new membership number by International Headquarters. (6/29/96)

E. A Unit shall not establish other requirements for an applicant to be a member of a Unit. (6/29/96)

Sec. 3 - Member at Large An applicant for membership at large, upon written application to International Headquarters and the payment of International dues and a surcharge, as set by the International Board of Trustees, shall be a Member-at-Large of the International Club. A Member at Large shall possess all the rights and privileges of the club, except the right to vote or hold office in an Intra Club, a Unit, a Region or in the International Club. Ownership of a recreational vehicle as defined in this article and the payment of annual International dues and the surcharge is prerequisite to retaining membership as a Member at Large. (6/29/02)

Sec. 4 Notwithstanding the requirement that ownership of a recreational vehicle, as defined in Section 1 of this Article, is a prerequisite for membership; not more than ten officers and employees of Airstream, Inc. who do not own such a recreational vehicle, may be members at any one time, provided they have the use of such an Airstream, Inc. - owned vehicle in which to participate in International Club activities. (6/30/95)



WBCCI Bylaws ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES

Sec. 1 Membership in the international club, and in any unit thereof, is restricted to adults who qualify in accordance with the requirements of Article VI of the International Constitution. (7/6/92)

Sec. 2 An owner and each co-owner of a recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc., upon becoming a regular member in a unit of the international club, shall be deemed to possess one vote per membership. An affiliate member shall possess all the rights and privileges of a regular member of the unit, except the following: (1/17/97))

A. The right to hold office in the unit; (1/21/94)

B. The right to vote in the selection or election of unit, region or international officers;

C. The right to vote on any amendment to the international or the unit constitution; (1/21/94)

D. The right to vote on the dissolution of the unit, consolidation of the unit with another unit, or themerger of the unit with another unit. (6/23/01)

Sec. 3 To be eligible to serve as an elected officer of an Intra-club, a unit, a region, or international club a person must be a regular member of the international club. (1/17/97)

Sec. 4 - The Board of Trustees shall have authority to award a lifetime membership to a Past President of the international club and said award shall be deemed to include the spouse of such Past President. When such a lifetime membership is awarded, the one time fee, based on the average of the ages of the awardee and spouse in the year of the award in accordance with the established schedule of fees for lifetime international dues shall be transferred from the general fund of the international club to the lifetime membership fund. (1/17/97)

Sec. 5 Members may purchase a lifetime membership by paying the one time fee for lifetime international dues. Such lifetime membership shall apply only to the one or two members named in the original application as recorded at International Headquarters and shall remain valid provided the member or members named therein remain eligible for membership in the international club. Subsequent failure to meet all membership requirements, including, in the case of a regular member, the annual payment of unit dues to a unit and, in the case of a member at large, the annual payment of the established surcharge to International Headquarters, will cause a lifetime member to be delinquent. Delinquent lifetime members shall be transferred to the inactive roll and shall forfeit all rights and privileges of membership in the international club. Delinquent lifetime members shall, upon the correction of any membership deficiency, be returned to the active roll with all the rights and privileges of membership in the international club. (1/17/97)

Sec. 6 No unit shall establish, fix or observe a limit as to the number of its members.

Sec. 7 A unit shall not establish within the unit a class of membership that is not as defined or as listed in the International Constitution, Bylaws or Policy. (1/20/95)

Sec. 8 A unit member may invite a non-member Airstream recreational vehicle owner, as a prospective member, to attend rallies and other activities of the unit. A unit member will not invite the same non- Airstream RV owner(s) to more than one buddy rally per year. (1/17/03)

Sec. 9 Except as authorized by section 12 of this article, only members of the international club traveling in a recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. And their guests, and visitors especially authorized by the Executive Committee of the international club, may be admitted to an Intra-club, a unit, a region, or a national caravan or to an Intra-club, a unit, a region, a special events, a national, or an international rally. However, members of the international club may attend an Intra-club, a unit, a state, a region, a special event, a national, or an international rally without their recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. When it is inconvenient or impossible for them to travel in said recreational vehicle, provided such members do not attend (for the purpose of this section attend is defined as “to be present at any rally activity”) in any other make of recreational vehicle. The requirements of this section shall not be applicable to members of the international club traveling outside the North American continent in caravans organized under the sponsorship of the international relations standing committee. (1/18/02)

Sec.10 Except as authorized by section 12 of this article, a recreational vehicle, that is not manufactured by Airstream, Inc., shall not be admitted to an Intra-club, a unit, a region or national caravan or to an Intra- club, a unit, a state, a region, a special event, a national, or an international rally, except a semi or fully self contained motorized recreational vehicle being used to tow a recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. may be admitted to an Intra-club, a unit, a region or a national caravan or to an Intra- club, a unit, a state, a region, a special event, a national, or an international rally provided such motorized vehicle is used solely for transportation purposes at a caravan or rally parking site. (1/17/03)

Sec 11 A Membership dues of regular members in the international club and in any unit or chartered body thereof shall be paid through a unit whose treasurer shall then forward international dues to International Headquarters as received or monthly. (7/5/96)

B. Renewal dues of regular members and the renewal dues and the established surcharge of members at large shall be paid after July 1 for the subsequent calendar year. When dues are not received at International Headquarters by November 30, a member may not be listed in the directory for the following year. (7/5/96)

C. Membership of regular members in the international club, and in any unit or chartered body thereof, shall be terminated on December 31 if dues are not paid and receipted by the unit treasurer on or before December 31. Any membership so terminated may be reinstated anytime within the succeeding 12 months by payment of unit and international dues to a unit for the current year anytime between January 1 and June 30, and/or for the current year and the subsequent year if payment made on or after July 1 of the current year. (7/5/96)

D. Membership of a member at large in the international club shall be terminated on December 31 if international dues and the established surcharge are not received at International Headquarters on or before December 31. The membership of a member at large so terminated may be reinstated any time within the succeeding twelve months by the payment of international dues and the established surcharge for the current year any time between January 1 and June 30 and/or for the current year and the subsequent year if payment is made on or after July 1 of the current year. (7/5/95)

E. New members are adults who qualify for membership in the international club pursuant to the provisions of Article VI of the international constitution and such adults have not been members of the international club in the twelve (12) months immediately prior to the date of application for membership. (1/17/97)



Policies

Membership - International dues shall not be transferred from one unit to another during the current dues paying year, except as follows: (1/17/92)

  • A. The membership rights of original signers of a request for a provisional charter shall be transferred to the new unit. (1/17/92)

  • B. In the case of the dissolution of a unit, membership rights shall be transferred to a unit of the member’s choice. In case of co-ownership of a recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. only those co-owners each paying International and Unit/MAL dues shall have all the rights and privileges of an International Club member. A co-owner is defined as one of two WBCCI members that own a single Airstream Recreational Vehicle. Existing co-owners with more than two memberships on June 25, 2005, are not subject to this provision as long as they maintain continuous membership in WBCCI. (1/13/06)

International Dues - International dues are established by the Board of Trustees upon an annual budget review, are payable in US currency only and members will be notified of the amount prior to July 1 each year through a notice published in the BLUE BERET. (1/29/93)

  • A. International dues of Regular Members shall be $55.00 per calendar year (US funds). (1/14/05)

  • B. International dues of new Regular Members joining between January 1 and June 30 shall be $55.00 (US Funds) for the remainder of that current calendar year. (1/14/05)

  • C. International dues for new regular members joining between July 1 and December 31 shall be $55.00 (US Funds) for the remainder of that calendar year and the following calendar year. (1/14/05)

  • D. International dues for Members at Large shall be $55.00 (US funds) plus the established surcharge (as set by the International Board of Trustees) per calendar year. (1/14/05)

  • E. International dues for new Members at Large joining between January 1 and June 30 shall be $55.00 (US funds) plus the established surcharge (as set by the International Board of Trustees) for the remainder of that calendar year. (1/14/05)

  • F. International dues for new Members at Large joining between July 1 and December 31 shall be $55.00 (US funds) plus the established surcharge (as set by the International Board of Trustees) for the remainder of the calendar year and the following calendar year. (1/14/05)

DEFINITIONS OF MEMBER

Regular Member - An adult who owns a fully self contained and hard sided recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. and who has submitted a written application for membership and such adult pays International and Unit dues to a Unit of the International Club. Regular members who have sold their recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. may, upon request, retain their membership as Regular Members in a Unit and the International Club pursuant to the provisions of Sec. 2 ARTICLE VI of the International Constitution. Such Regular Members shall possess all the rights and privileges of the International Club, including full voting rights in all elections and on all questions. (7/5/96)

Affiliate Member - A Regular member in good standing in one Unit and who applies to and is accepted as a member by another Unit and such member pays only Unit dues to said Unit. (1/17/97)

Lifetime Member - A Regular member or a Member at Large who has purchased a Lifetime membership by paying the established one-time fee for Lifetime International dues. (7/5/96)

Member at Large - An adult who owns a fully self contained and hard sided recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc. and such adult has submitted a written application for membership as a Member at Large to International Headquarters and upon payment of International dues and the established surcharge shall be a Member at Large in the International Club. (7/5/95)

Former Members - Former members, no longer living the RV lifestyle, may subscribe to unit newsletters (at the unit’s option) but shall not be considered WBCCI members and shall not be listed among other members in the unit directory. Former members may be listed in a separate section of the unit directory dedicated to “Former Members”. (1/17/03)


The Airstream as a symbol and the WBCCI mission

One important facet of the WBCCI membership qualifications is the Airstream RV. In the past this has meant the iconic aluminum semi-monocoque trailer. As Airstream has experimented with other styles and types of RV's, WBCCI has been challenged to keep pace. The result has created a diffusion of the WBCCI identity and that, in turn, may have contributed to the forming of the vintage and classic intra-clubs. Another factor that has also begun to appear is membership based on the icon and not on the purposes of the club.

What this does is to create a conflict between the identity of the club and its purpose. What you do and what you do it with are both principle components of an overall identity.

Suggestions for improvement

Policy: define RV number as separate from member number. Identify the member number as the default primary RV number. Allow for the assignment of additional RV numbers to other qualified RV's owned by the member.

Bylaws (IV.2) - “An owner and each co-owner of a recreational vehicle manufactured by Airstream, Inc., upon becoming a regular member in a unit of the international club, shall be deemed to possess one vote per membership.” needs clarification. Perhaps to “A voting membership is that Regular Member or collection of Regular Members living in one household and primarily sharing in the use of a qualifying RV who shall express only one vote in WBCCI affairs or those of its Units.”

Policy: Ownership of a qualifying RV shall be demonstrated by submission of a copy of that vehicle's valid registration in the state of residence.



How do you define a Member?

(from the Dear Association Leader weblog)

One of the defining characteristics of a non government organization is that it chooses its members and its members choose to belong to the organization. Members can choose not to belong and organizations can choose to exclude those it does not choose to bestow membership on whom it pleases. What this means is that membership is a contract, and agreement, between the individual and the organization. As such, it needs to be carefully defined so that the possibility of misunderstanding between the member and the organization is as small as possible.

The organization may have classes of membership. These may run from an acknowledgment of support for the organization or its mission to provision for participation in some organization activities to a range of memberships providing for levels of participation in the organization. Each such class of membership an organization supports needs to have the qualifications for that class clearly defined and the rights, obligations, and duties of members in that class clearly described.

Rights of members

Part of the quid pro quo of membership is the collection of rights the member receives for joining the organization. Some of these rights could include

-> Participation in the proceedings of the organization – make motions, speak on issues, vote

-> Hold office in the organization

-> Participate in events and activities

-> The opportunity to contribute skills, knowledge, and experience for the betterment of the organization

-> Expect effective and appropriate communications within all aspects of the organization

Duties and obligations of members

What the organization expects when it bestows a membership is that the member will further the goals, mission, and health of the organization. Some of the duties and obligations could include expecting the member to

-> Meet membership qualification requirements

-> Abide by the rules, customs, ethics, and manners of the organization

-> Support the organization by participation in its affairs

-> Become familiar with the governing documents of the organization including the mission, bylaws, and operational policies.

Common types of membership

Some of the names used to identify membership classes could include

-> honorary – to recognize a someone who contributes funds or prestige or other benefit upon the organization.

-> associate – to recognize someone with the label of member who doesn't otherwise participate.

-> affiliate – to provide for participation in events and activities but not the business of the organization.

-> limited member – able to participate in all except a few business activities

-> full member – able to participate in the organization at all levels.

-> student or youth member

-> corporate member – a business or other organization that provides financial support but is not a voting or participating member

The type of membership, the rights and the duties and obligations of membership must be tailored to the specific organization. The focus of membership should be on assisting the organization to achieve it's mission. That mission will determine what types of member categories are needed. It will provide the basis for developing the relationship between the members and the organization.

For an organization to develop and maintain a viable and active membership it must understand it's need for membership and the functions or roles members play in the organization. It must be able to clearly define the types of membership and understand how each membership category relates to the others and how that membership will support the mission of the organization. The membership structure of an organization must be solid enough to carry out the functions of the organization without uncertainty, ambiguity or constant revision. On the other hand, the membership structure should be flexible enough to adapt over time and meet the needs of a continually developing organization while adhering to the basic principles established when the membership structure was created.