Early on in my time at Adventure Cycling, when we were doing some strategic planning, we did a staff-wide review of our assets and liabilities. Chief among the assets was what we now call ?member love,? that beautiful combination of passion, commitment, generosity, and sheer numbers that our members bring to this organization.
We even have members who no longer cycle but still stay connected to the organization out of love for who we are and what we do. Exhibit A: Mary Jane Hoog of Dayton, Ohio. She?s been a member for decades and can no longer ride because of severe arthritis. I didn?t know this when I called her in December as part of a telethon and asked if she?d consider an end-of-year donation. When I heard about her inability to ride, I begged off, until she said so cheerfully, ?I want to give, I?m still a cyclist inside.? Wow, that?s member love.
Mary Jane is an example of why Adventure Cycling continues to be the largest cycling membership organization in North America. At a time when many non-profits are shrinking, Adventure Cycling is growing, breaking the 45,000 mark for the first time (and now at 45,902 members). Our number of Life Members, the people who invest in a ?forever? membership for themselves as well as the long-term future of bicycle travel, has grown to 1,915! Amazingly, between October 1 and January 31, 190 new Life Members joined. Given the substantial expense of joining as a Life Member, we are astounded and humbled by this show of support.
Of course, we don?t take your support for granted. We?re using your member dollars and donations to inspire and empower people and communities to embrace bicycle travel. We?ve expanded our team to create new routes (like the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route and Bicycle Route 66), to accelerate the creation of an official U.S. Bicycle Route System, and improve bicycle travel conditions ? from advocating for a ?safe passage? law in Montana to developing a new partnership with the National Park Service to fighting dangerous chip seal on the Pacific Coast Highway. In a few months, you?ll enjoy an easier to navigate, brand-new website full of bike travel resources, and a re-designed Adventure Cyclist magazine, with the features you love to read ?cover to cover? but with a crisp new design and more content.
We?re also continuing our efforts to come and see you around the U.S. Over the past few months, we?ve held member gatherings in Illinois, Oregon, Iowa, and Arizona. In the next few months, we plan on meeting with members in Washington, Northern California, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to share what?s going on and hear from you.
We also want to hear from you through our annual member surveys. We really value your input on ways we can improve your membership, including which new routes you'd like to see developed, so whenever we send a survey your way, please share your thoughts with us. Even criticisms are almost always an expression of ?member love,? you just want us to do better! Thanks so much for your insights, support, and for making Adventure Cycling one of the best membership organizations anywhere.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2013/02/member-love.html
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