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« on: Today at 11:30:08 am »
Dear Adventure Cycling board members and past leaders,
The single most important goal in the coming 6 months is to reach out to former members.
Although the disagreements of the past year may appear to be a net negative, the vote against the sale and the recognition by the board that they have been off course may yet be a positive factor in regaining past members. Regaining half the lost members - if possible - would largely offset the income from the sale of the headquarters building.
However, there also has to be a willingness to listen. I believe that ACA’s leadership has been in an echo chamber for the past 5 years. That’s easy to do in this electronic age because we can seek out confirming views and block any opposing ones.The echo chamber is part and parcel of our media. Also, when most people leave, they simply leave without saying. Very few take the time to share the reasons for their departure. But remember, the largest pool of potential members is the 32,000 people who have left ACA over the past 5 years.
That leads to the second goal - an effective survey of current and as many past members as possible. That is increasingly hard to do. Most people ignore the constant bombardment of surveys. Even the New York Times surveys rarely have a response rate larger than 1%-2%. I have a background in surveying. I no longer am startled when clients want specific results. Which underscores a reason for nonresponse - that it is useless to try to respond and be heard. To have an effective survey, past and present members need to be convinced that their views - and not just their money - matter.
Whether or not the survey is done in house or by consultants is debatable. Given the very specific nature of bicycle touring and the likelihood that survey consultants may not have the knowledge to ask the right questions in the right manner, it may be preferable to do the survey internally. It can be designed as both a short and longer survey depending on the time and interest of the respondent. Also, it can be either anonymous or with contact information. But most importantly - - now is the time to do a survey.
The third goal is far more difficult. Bicycling is in serious decline in the United States. A recent Atlantic article pointed out that childhood bicycling has dropped 50% in the past 25 years, frequent riding even more. For boomers, the bicycle racks at school were full, 6 or 8 racks overflowing. Now, there is a single rack with 2 or 3 bikes. People are unlikely to go bike touring if they have never even ridden to school or the store. Gravel bikepacking may appeal to the dramatically reduced population of riders, but young adults with little experience riding will most likely prefer pavement - empty pavement - but pavement. It’s a both/and proposition. Gravel and pavement.
The opportunities presented now will be short-lived. It will be tough. It will require a significant change in approach. Be it can be done.
Sincerely,
John Egan, Buffalo, Wyoming
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