HEY, DID YOU ASK?

by Kirk “Hardtail” Willard

The other day a few of us bikers were hanging around the shop discussing the importance of being a member of a motorcyclists’ rights organization and why so many riders taking advantage of our significant successes over the years don’t join and become a member the second they learn about us. We quickly arrived at the obvious, for an organization to appeal to a potential member they need to have a clearly stated mission, demonstrate they are effectively carrying out that mission, and there needs to be a way for a member to engage and be involved, we unanimously agreed that was the easy part. Then the discussion was like every other time I have been involved in a membership discussion where at some point we get to imagining what we could accomplish legislatively and education wise if we had more members to carry out the mission and of course followed by a lively debate on how do we get them.

We went around and around about the value of fancy magazines, interactive websites, and prolific social media platforms and while we agreed they certainly allow us to punch above our weight and provide critical information to our members and the general public, our opinion on their value of attracting new members was quite varied.

I listened for a while as I tend to do, and then mentioned that I belong to a significant number of organizations that are purpose built to further a cause or defend and preserve a right. Obviously, a majority of them are motorcyclist based but a good many are not, quick math says about 30 in all. I know for a fact, I never joined any of these organizations because of a magazine, flyer, brochure, website, or social media post. I joined every one of them because someone asked me to, it didn’t hurt that they had a good party to get me on the grounds or a solid elevator speech to get my initial interest to listen, and then maybe look at a brochure long enough to realize it was something I needed to support. Eventually, everyone in the shop admitted it was the same for them. Having recently been the President of a large hunting organization I know firsthand that was the case there, as well. A vast majority of our new members were either from our banquet with members canvassing the crowd for non-members or inviting people from the aisles into our booths for a quick discussion during hunting expo’s.

You and almost everyone else, voluntarily joins organizations quite likely because someone asked you to. I know of one story where a motorcyclist organization member asked another biker about 30 times over several years to join and it always ended with a new and creative excuse, then a new member with a slightly different approach asked once and they joined, we all had a good laugh having witnessed many of these interactions over the years, but the point again is ASK, ASK, and ASK again. Cool thing about it, usually costs nothing or maybe a beer or an Arnold Palmer at most. No excuse really lands with me, either you care enough about the cause and your organization to ask or you do not. Anyone I hang around and ride with I know loves the cause, most pour too much of their free time and money into it and even if they don’t always ask until reminded. I rode with someone that pulled out a brochure at every gas stop, bar stop, food stop, campground stop and asked anyone on a motorcycle if they belonged to our motorcyclist rights organization. Didn’t matter what they rode, where we were, what the weather was, he ASKED them to join. Amazing the number that did.

Consider this your reminder, with all that’s going on in the world, motorcyclists could easily become irrelevant if we let them. ASK.

Hardtail