Updated ACA website and 5 year plan

[aggie]

If you are a life member you received an invitation to a webinar about the new 5 year plan.  While I find most of it in line with the reason I became a life member I find one aspect both encouraging and distressing.  ACA's plan to go digital.

If you had an account prior to March 1 and purchased digital maps they were recorded in your account and it was easy to update them or transfer them to a new device.  This is no longer the case.  Some of they purchases may have transferred but not all.  It will require a call to ACA to get access (hopefully, but don't hold your breath).  The new plan will reduce the magazine to a quarterly publication with the intent to have it go 100% digital.  Have you tried to find a digital back issue after signing in on the new website.  3 months later and I am unable to obtain a digital back issue like I did before.  I enjoy having a printed copy in my hands.  Digital feels unreal and sterile.  The webinar also touted increased benefits from sponsors.  Where is the link to even see what benefits you enjoy as a member.   Even after signing in you are taken to the same page as non-members and unable to access anything requiring membership.  The web page asks you to join even though I am signed in. The only good going to your info in "My Account" is to see if your name, address, email address, and phone # is correct.  These are just a couple of the issues I've seen with the migration in my account.  I'm sure there are others.   

While I really don't have an issue with ACA going digital I find it concerning they tout it yet they haven't fixed the issues with the migration and there has been no communication about any fixes.  This makes it appear like they are ignoring the problem.  The functionality of the website appears to be no different than it was the day after the migration.  Not sure how this is supposed to make long term members feel they are getting at least a little value for their past contributions.   It seems all the turnover of staff has resulted in hiring people without any connection to the roots or original direction of ACA.  While ACA was never in my estate plan I have taken a very skeptical view of new fundraising appeals. 

[John Nettles]

I have noticed this frequently occurs in older (long-term) organizations.  The "engine" (people) that built and probably is the primary funder of the organization are marginalized to make what for shiny improvements (younger new members).  I totally get the need to always have new blood coming in but I have definitely not agreed with the different direction ACA has overall been going to the extent they are no longer in our family trust beneficiaries upon our death.  While I also understand the desire/need to go digital, it has felt lately the "old" organization is not up to its usual par.  However, as long as they continue to make new routes and maintain the existing routes, I am a happy camper. 

I really wish ACA would make some type of year "State of the Union" report which shows the results of the annual survey, the number of maps (digital and paper) sold for each route, number of riders, etc.  I also think it would be nice if the annual report included more "touring" questions, i.e. have you gone on a tour this past year, what kind (self, group, supported, etc) where, how long, # of partners, lodging preference, "things I wish ACA did", etc.  All we get now is maybe info on where they are going, not the how and why.

Tailwinds, John

[rafisher14]

I agree that ACA feels "different" than several years ago. And the migration to the new web server is still not complete: there are old webpages or "Page not found." I inquired about not being able to fiind a map in my account that I had purchased, and they were not able to get it for me. I find ACA's communication with members has gone downhill and like John, have been considering removing ACA from my estate plans.

[ray b]

I know Scott Adams stepped over the line for many people, but this one from 1996 still hits the spot for many organizations that have hired outside consultants to help with expansion....

[kd_ca]

Could it be that ACA is no longer relevant to the next generation of bike packers / tourers ? Looking at ACA routes vs those from bikepacking.com and those I've met on the road, I get the impression ACA is now primarily for older crowd ??

[John Nettles]

That is possible but it is also possible that your point is more of a gravel vs. paved issue.  Regardless, that issue probably does not matter to the poor website.

[ray b]

...of course, before throwing up our hands, we have to acknowledge that part of the mission that is sometimes hard to find among the plans, is the role of ACA cartographers and route finders/updaters as ambassadors for the rest of us. Prior contact of ACA with small town hotels, churches, restaurants, general stores has made a lot of my rides a lot easier. Their economic impact on the country, and especially rural counties should be emphasized. This is not something other groups that provide routes have done.

Still waiting for the YouTube channel with how-to videos, reviews of Cyclosource offerings, and featured stops on all the routes.

(I'd mention Tick Tock and a few others..., but one of the old guys, who knows only that some of those accounts draw a lot of attention and money.)

[kd_ca]

I really wish ACA would make some type of year "State of the Union" report which shows the results of the annual survey, the number of maps (digital and paper) sold for each route, number of riders, etc.  I also think it would be nice if the annual report included more "touring" questions, i.e. have you gone on a tour this past year, what kind (self, group, supported, etc) where, how long, # of partners, lodging preference, "things I wish ACA did", etc.  All we get now is maybe info on where they are going, not the how and why.

Tailwinds, John

Couldn't agree more.  If one wants to be supported in this day & age, one has to demonstrate the necessity. 

On a separate note, last year I used ACA maps (android) for Western Express and parts of the mid-west.  I found ACA maps lacking on locations for restocking (grocery stores) and shelter (camping, churches).  Warmshowers and asking locals was more helpful, to me.

[rafisher14]

I agree that ACA needs to do more to recruit new members, but focusing exclusively on the young will not accomplish this. Workshops to get high school and college students interested in bikepacking/touring will not get new members - they will not join ACA (yet). ACA should do more to get the 50+ demographic interested in touring - it is this group that has the time/money to do the Guided Experiences that ACA offers. Maybe workshops targeted to this group, including introductions to gravel riding.

[John Nettles]

I agree that ACA needs to do more to recruit new members, but focusing exclusively on the young will not accomplish this. Workshops to get high school and college students interested in bikepacking/touring will not get new members - they will not join ACA (yet). ACA should do more to get the 50+ demographic interested in touring - it is this group that has the time/money to do the Guided Experiences that ACA offers. Maybe workshops targeted to this group, including introductions to gravel riding.

Pearson100,

I agree and disagree.  It has been repeatedly shown that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. In ACA, I would guess that the 80% of non-corporate donations (not membership dues) come from the 50+ crowd, probably because they have more disposable income.  Whether the 50+ crowd is 20% or 30%, I strongly agree ACA should not alienate the "20%" for the economic engine sputters.

However, I disagree that we should not ignore the high school and college students because there always needs to be an effort to get new blood in, whether it is ACA, new employees at Microsoft when older ones retire, a church, or really any group or organization otherwise the group will eventually die off as members leave.

My personal believe / wish is that ACA would only concentrate on doing what it has historically done best, i.e. make/improve bicycle touring routes (paved, easy gravel like Katy Trail), and gravel) as others are already out there that do cycling advocacy.

Sure, a sub-component of that could be to advocate for better policies like a national "no turn away policy" at publically owned campgrounds; provide input on rumble strips; 3-foot passing, etc. that help TOURING cyclists.  I even have no qualms if they offered a scholarship to ALL people under 23 years old (not just the LBGT group) as a way to get new riders to touring.  Heck, years ago, our family Trust was willing to set up a separate perpetual Trust where $5,000 a year could be used for this purpose but they declined to name it after one the Trust's benefactors (my FIL who toured for 70+ years) so we declined to do it. 

In the way back machine, ACA's tours were much more basic affairs than today's guided van-supported inn to inn tours.  A lot of the original years' group tours cost about double you could do the same tour solo (with half going towards future route development).  For whatever reason, people today prefer the more supported tours. 

I actually think gravel tours are fine but also believe that if the USA had Europe's cycling infrastructure (paths, lanes, routes, attitude toward cyclists, easy camping, etc.), then I think a lot of those gravel people would start to utilize paved touring much much more.

[ray b]

As always, John, you hit it on the nose.
I'll admit, I haven't spent the money on an ACA tour since 2013 - just too expensive compared to solo trips.

I'm a life member to support the younger crowd.

For example, ACA ran a subsidized 40th anniversary Bikecentennial Trans-Am group tours for riders under age 30 y. Great idea, and one of my sons took advantage of the opportunity.

We all know that a couple months in the saddle has more impact on folks under age 25 y than us old veterans.  Watching that was worth a substantial donation from one of the 20%.

[John Nettles]

We all know that a couple months in the saddle has more impact on folks under age 25 y than us old veterans.

So so true.  While I had done numerous 3-7 day group tours with the local bike club for about 3 years prior, my first "real" tour was when I was 16.  It a month long tour across Iowa (1980 Ragbrai) followed by a independent tour up to Minneapolis, visited relatives, then back down to La Crosse, WI, to start SAAGRAW (the Milwaukee Sentinel newspaper's ride across Wisconsin).  Took about a month and was with one other rider mostly but not always as he got called back to work for a few days).  It forever changed my life.  As I have aged, I have lost some of the "wonderment" of touring but still think it is a fantastic way to open the eyes of people.

[David W Pratt]

One way to recruit younger members might be to develop a Gap Year Tour.  It has become more common for graduating high school seniors to defer attendance at college for a gap year. Who wouldn't have benefitted from being a year more mature when he or she went away to college? Whatever one's upbringing, a year riding a bike around the US would be an eye opener, and a lifetime memory.  Maybe couple it with a fund raising challenge.  Surely the clever minds at ACA could make it feasible without taking all the adventure out of it.