Time Sure Does Fly!

by Dave Twit Linberg

Boy, does time fly. When I joined this organization, Marlene had the bar and we were riders. The Regional Rep at the time, Bill Allen, came into the business and asked if he could have a meeting there. He had no idea what an affect that question would have on my life. That was 35 years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Since 1996, I have seen 5 Executive Directors come and go, have gone through 12 changes in Board of Director’s and we have established a data base of 30,000 riders that either are, or were, members. That’s a lot of people to draw from. I have seen many members come and go and we need to ask ourselves why aren’t most of these people still members? Food for thought. Although I realize that the young riders may be our future, I think we should concentrate on trying to keep our 40-50-60- and 70-year-old members in the fold. Please keep contacting expired members and try to bring them back. You don’t have to be actively riding to still want to protect the right to ride. Remind the expired members that there are future generations of riders coming up and we have to commit to preserve riding freedoms for them, even if we no longer ride ourselves. I leave that charge in your hands…bring back the people that have expired memberships.

There are many incentives we have tried over the years. For example, we offered a Free 3-month trial newsletter subscription/mentorship program for 18 – 30-year old’s. The mentor offers a free 1-year membership to a new member and gets them to renew at the end of the first year. We also at one time, offered a Free Saferider Course. Currently, if you sign up 10 new members, you get your membership for Free. Another accomplishment was our Lifetime Membership program that started under Buck Kitteridge and was processed out of my house. We started with 35 and now have 605 lifetime members. (Sorry, Steve). Offer new incentive suggestions to my successor, and let’s get our memberships on the rise. Legislators tend to listen a little more closely if you have impressive membership numbers behind you.

Remember, that we were the young people once, and generations change. It seems that a lot of this younger generation is looking for instant gratification and some possess the “everybody gets a trophy” mentality, but they do ride, and we do have some things in common. The way to reach them, is the equation we need to solve.

I remember early on, trying to talk a friend into joining ABATE. I was in my 40’s and I mentioned his right to ride without a helmet was because of us. I asked what he would do if the law changed requiring him to use a helmet and he told me “I guess I’ll just have to wear one.” He never did join and still rides without that helmet. Many members say they can’t convince riders to join ABATE because we are too good at what we do. Those people don’t realize what it has taken to continue the fight for our right to ride. I do know that we, as an organization, we need to stop any disagreements among ourselves and if you come up with new ideas, run them by the appropriate committees to try to get your idea implemented. We are, after all, “In this together”.

I can’t count the number of members that have become family since I’ve joined ABATE (and as Marlene often said, we are all slightly dysfunctional). Although I am not going anywhere, my time as your Membership Director is coming to an end. My friend Penny once told me “Our paths would never have crossed if it weren’t for joining ABATE”. Truer words were never spoken, and I think of that phrase often. I also think about the many Brothers and Sisters I have lost throughout the years. To those no longer with me – Ride Free, my friends.

See you on the road and thanks for having me.

Twit