The IMBA Way

[Loren]

What I'm questioning is the basic premise that I had that chapter membership will automatically increase because IMBA members in the area become our members.

Following the IMBA membership site pattern, if we're listed as something like:

Brighton (Potawatomi)
Cadillac (Northern)
Detroit (Metro North)
Detroit (Metro South)
Flint (Holly/Flint)
Grand Rapids (Western)
Kalamazoo (Southwest)
Lansing (Mid-State)
Midland (Northeast)
I don't have a local chapter or my chapter is not listed

I can easily see newcomers saying "Huh. Rochester isn't listed - I guess I should chose the last entry...". That's fine today - we'd just assign them to Metro North based on their address. But I'm wondering if those $ are lost in the IMBA model.

I think what this means is that today, we market MMBA, and the chapter membership falls out of that. In an IMBA world, we'd have to market our individual chapters.

[dirt]

What I'm questioning is the basic premise that I had that chapter membership will automatically increase because IMBA members in the area become our members.

Following the IMBA membership site pattern, if we're listed as something like:

Brighton (Potawatomi)
Cadillac (Northern)
Detroit (Metro North)
Detroit (Metro South)
Flint (Holly/Flint)
Grand Rapids (Western)
Kalamazoo (Southwest)
Lansing (Mid-State)
Midland (Northeast)
I don't have a local chapter or my chapter is not listed

I can easily see newcomers saying "Huh. Rochester isn't listed - I guess I should chose the last entry...". That's fine today - we'd just assign them to Metro North based on their address. But I'm wondering if those $ are lost in the IMBA model.

I think what this means is that today, we market MMBA, and the chapter membership falls out of that. In an IMBA world, we'd have to market our individual chapters.

When a chapter transitions, the chapter will set boundaries based on ZIP codes. Any existing IMBA members in that area will be pulled into the chapter, and become chapter members. After, each chapter will have it's own membership landing page. i.e., if they follow a link for IMBA membership off the chapters page, they will automatically be signed up for that chapter. (Like the MORC landing page, which is the page you are directed to when you choose to join on the MORC page https://www.imba.com/civicrm/contribute ... et=1&id=13)

Only people who are directly going to the IMBA page will be given choices of chapters. Historically, people joining the MMBA who don't select a chapter aren't associated with a chapter. Mike has recently started to work thru these members and assigning them chapters, based on location, but that's not be the model for most of the MMBA's history. (Looking at the membership report, a year ago, there were 90 unassigned MMBA members.)

[Loren]

Okay, that makes sense. So perhaps the MMBA site membership links could point to a page to select a chapter and then forward to the chapter-specific landing page, resolving my concern.

SORBA didn't do that. The SORBA membership page jumps directly to the generic IMBA page, and hence you have pleas posted like this:

As a new BOD member getting up to speed with the system, I find that specifying a particular chapter when you join or renew, really does matter! Your affiliated chapter will retain a direct 40% of your membership fee for use on their local trails or member perks! As I understand it, if you chose to be an 'At-Large' member, fully 100% of your membership fee stays with the IMBA/SORBA 'General Fund' in COLORADO! Some of that money comes back to us in many forms, like travel expenses for IMBA trail crews, represention on the various land-use political levels, and local support but that amount is very random, not specific. As a bonus, now your chapter gets the specific 40% PLUS the random amount! Also, a portion of your membership fee can be written-off as a charitable contribution when you file your tax return as IMBA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

So, please chose a local chapter that you'd like to support whenever you get the chance. Even if your current membership doesn't renew for months, you have the ability to make a change by going online and updating your membership profile at http://www.imba.com/membership/login-instructions

Now, enough of the bean-counter stuff...ride your bike and support a chapter!

[c0nsumer]

Okay, that makes sense. So perhaps the MMBA site membership links could point to a page to select a chapter and then forward to the chapter-specific landing page, resolving my concern.

SORBA didn't do that. The SORBA membership page jumps directly to the generic IMBA page, and hence you have pleas posted like this:

As a new BOD member getting up to speed with the system, I find that specifying a particular chapter when you join or renew, really does matter! Your affiliated chapter will retain a direct 40% of your membership fee for use on their local trails or member perks! As I understand it, if you chose to be an 'At-Large' member, fully 100% of your membership fee stays with the IMBA/SORBA 'General Fund' in COLORADO! Some of that money comes back to us in many forms, like travel expenses for IMBA trail crews, represention on the various land-use political levels, and local support but that amount is very random, not specific. As a bonus, now your chapter gets the specific 40% PLUS the random amount! Also, a portion of your membership fee can be written-off as a charitable contribution when you file your tax return as IMBA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

So, please chose a local chapter that you'd like to support whenever you get the chance. Even if your current membership doesn't renew for months, you have the ability to make a change by going online and updating your membership profile at http://www.imba.com/membership/login-instructions

Now, enough of the bean-counter stuff...ride your bike and support a chapter!

This would not be hard to do.