Membership Director

by Bill Roberge

Officer’s Training will soon be here – starting on February 10^th. The officers of ABATE of WI will be working together to prepare for the upcoming year. One of the things on the agenda this year that I am looking forward to are guest speaker talks, one of which will be Rocky, the MRF lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

Regional Reps will be receiving a packet containing materials to take back to their region – Homework from me.

Inside the packets will be a current membership list and an expired membership list for their respective regions. The homework is to work the expired list and bring some members back to us. The packet will also contain a form you can use to recruit new members, or as we refer to it, an example of an elevator speech. You usually only have a few minutes to get your point across and keep someone’s attention, as though you were in an elevator with them for a short period of time, ergo an “Elevator Speech.”

Last year, thanks to one of our Board Member Bronson Smith, we started a membership contest. The contest ends at Officer’s Training this year and the winner of the contest will be drawn on Saturday night. If you remember, Bronson donated $250 as the prize, all you had to do was recruit 15 members during the course of the year and your name will go into the drawing. Good luck to all and we’ll soon see who the winner is.

One of the things I want to talk about at Officer’s Training is why people give up their ABATE membership. One of the things I hear over and over again is “I don’t ride anymore” whether it be due to age or health issues. I think this an issue we can definitely work on. All of us want to be going down the road with the wind in our hair, then we start discovering the hair is gone and with it maybe the bike. We have to make sure these people know there are still many reasons to continue their membership in ABATE. Freedom is at the top of my list. That doesn’t stop when you stop riding. The many friends you have made over the years is another one, and having ABATE Acres at your fingertips for camping or events like the Summer Hummer is another. There are all kinds of regional events and fun to take part in. Yes, we need younger members to take over for those of us that are aging, but let’s make sure we respect and take advantage of the members that made ABATE what is today. My point is to let people know when they decide to stop being a member, there are many reasons to keep going. Sell ABATE for what it is and what it will be. All members need to be a part of it and committed.

I will see you on the road or on the bus. I will never stop fighting for the freedom to ride.

Bill