2020 Vision
FMCA’s ongoing focus in the new year will be to meet the needs of RV owners and to promote the RV lifestyle.
Chris Smith
Chief Executive Officer
Chris Smith
csmith@fmca.com
As we start the year 2020, it’s exciting to think about what lies in store for FMCA. Some things won’t change as we flip the calendar page over to a new year and a new decade. We at FMCA will continue to focus on being the very best RV owners association on the planet.
We will strive to build and strengthen our community. One way we achieve this is via chapters, the FMCA subgroups organized around particular RV brands, select geographic areas, or special interests. A list of FMCA chapters appears starting on page 148 of this issue of the magazine. If you haven’t yet joined an FMCA chapter, why not make 2020 the year you try chapter membership? You have nothing to lose and so much to gain.
If you need help finding a chapter that suits you, please try the FMCA Chapter Search at FMCA.com/fmca-chapter-search, or contact the Chapter Services staff at the FMCA national office. They’ll gladly help you connect with a chapter that aligns with your interests.
We also will continue to focus on offering the very best benefits and services for RVers. One key benefit that differentiates FMCA from other RV groups is the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program, which is included with your FMCA dues. Signing up for such a program on a standalone basis could cost hundreds of dollars. Details about the FMCAssist program appear starting on page 135 and online at FMCA.com/fmca-assist. Be sure to read the schedule of benefits online so that you know exactly what is and isn’t covered. In brief, the key elements of the program are emergency medical evacuation and repatriation; RV return; and pet and dependent return. Of course, none of us wants to use this program, but any of us could find ourselves in need, regardless of our age or health status. Those who have used it speak highly of the assistance provided. Knowing it’s there provides peace of mind that is priceless.
Don’t confuse FMCAssist with the FMCA Roadside Rescue® program. FMCA Roadside Rescue® is a roadside assistance plan that provides towing, fuel delivery, tire change or mobile tire service, lockout service, and more. FMCA Roadside Rescue® is NOT INCLUDED with your FMCA dues. However, FMCA members receive a great group discount on the plan, currently available for $74 per year. This rate can be locked in for up to three years. To learn more about FMCA Roadside Rescue®, see page 140 of this issue or visit FMCA.com/fmca-rv-roadside-assistance.
Looking for new benefits is an ongoing quest at FMCA. One of the latest additions is the TCS Fuel Discount Card, which offers FMCA members an opportunity to save on diesel fuel at more than 1,100 locations, including TA and Petro, AMBEST, Sapp Bros, Fuel City, and PWI. TCS Fuel Card users can save an average of 34 cents per gallon on diesel fuel at in-network locations (savings can range between 5 cents and 70 cents per gallon). To learn more, visit www.FMCA.com/rv-fuel-discounts.
I don’t have space to review all of the many benefits of belonging to FMCA. A complete Member Benefits Guide starts on page 134 of this issue of the magazine. Please take some time to browse through it. Read the FMCAssist section so that you know what the program covers should the need to use it arise. In addition, check out the article on page 68 by FMCA member George Myers, who shares ways to prepare for a medical emergency and help FMCAssist help you.
Be sure to read the new column we’re starting this month – “Benefits Of Belonging” – wherein we’ll highlight an FMCA benefit and help familiarize members with the value of membership. This month’s column starts on page 10 and focuses on FMCA international conventions and RV expos — in particular, the upcoming 101st convention in Tucson, Arizona.
We’ll also continue to focus on member engagement in 2020. For the past year, you’ve heard and read communications about our goal for FMCA to become more member-driven, which ultimately ensures the organization’s ability to adapt, evolve, and grow long into the future. To help bring definition to that vision, it is important to listen to what our members have to say. We began with the Member Engagement Survey in 2019, which generated more than 2,500 responses from FMCA members. Your ideas, suggestions, and feedback led to identifying several Key Focus Areas that Member Engagement Committee members believe should guide future organizational efforts. The results of the survey and the Key Focus Areas can be found by visiting the Member Engagement page at www.join.fmca.com/member-engagement.
One aspect of our future we have identified as lacking is succession planning, particularly with respect to recruiting and preparing our volunteer leadership. Of critical importance to building a member-driven FMCA is a process for identifying and developing new volunteers who are prepared to assume leadership roles within FMCA as they become available. These types of initiatives will help ensure FMCA has an ongoing pool of experienced and capable members that committees can draw from each year, to provide guidance and create strategies for the Governing Board, national officers, and FMCA staff.
With that goal in mind, we set our sights on the 2019-2020 committee process, which began in earnest following our 100th International Convention in Minot, North Dakota, this past summer. I’m encouraged that more than 100 members expressed their interest and desire to become more involved, but I also believe we can do so much better. That, in essence, is the principal goal for the Member Engagement Committee for the upcoming fiscal year — to encourage more members to raise their hand and indicate a willingness to volunteer for an FMCA committee.
Think about this: With approximately 150,000 individual members in FMCA, if we can get even 1 percent to raise their hand, that results in 1,500 experts from which to choose!
That brings us to today. As you read this, the Member Engagement Committee is working to develop new strategies (and improve existing strategies) and to create goals and objectives for the upcoming year. For those of you who already submitted your information via the Biographical Sketch Survey —www.surveymonkey.com/r/DJ2FVFC — we sincerely thank you, and we hope you won’t be discouraged going forward if you weren’t selected for a committee seat. The unfortunate reality is that not everyone who submits will be selected. However, that doesn’t diminish the value of your voice in any way, and the Member Engagement Committee is working to ensure that doesn’t happen. The committee will be sending periodic communications throughout the year to gather feedback and insights on various topics — membership; events; the magazine; and, of course, ways FMCA can become more member-driven.
We love feedback! It’s how we become better. So, if at any time you have an idea you would like to share, please visit the member engagement page — www.join.fmca.com/member-engagement — and click the Contact Us button. Your time is precious, so we thank you in advance for your help.
Happy New Year, and by all means, enjoy the journey!