This topic contains 23 replies, has 11 voices, and was last updated by 
awhip80 6 years, 6 months ago.
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From experience I think the BOD usually asks if anybody wants o help at events. I remember big Jim helping make some pancakes at a WB cachebash pancake breakfast. The BOD are usually willing to take help at various activities.
All opinions, comments, and useless drivel I post are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of the WGA BOD.
From experience I think the BOD usually asks if anybody wants o help at events. I remember big Jim helping make some pancakes at a WB cachebash pancake breakfast. The BOD are usually willing to take help at various activities.
I’m tagging onto this from experience as well. WGA doesn’t get a lot of “hey, I’ll help.” Even when they ask. Can the WGA do something different? Honestly, as for me I look for people in the area. Is it wrong? Just asking?
I appreciated Amita’s post on TS.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau
More suggestions:
Geocache Log Photo of the Year – Picture must be from an online geocache log; it makes it more closely tied to geocaching (but no spoilers?)
Geocache Log of the Year – It could make for some fun and interesting reading, and might inspire people to write more creative logsOK let’s try this again. I tried to edit my post a few seconds after I posted it and now it’s gone! Two topics I’ve been pondering, here goes.
In the WGA’s current state, additional fundraising is not necessary, and could compromise future fundraising activities if the need arises. If the membership demands change in a way that the WGA finds a need to spend more money, then more money will have to be raised to support these activities. Keeping unique sources of revenue in our back pocket for times of need is a good idea.
My reservation is; what kind of funds will they bring in if they are offered along side all other memorabilia at the events? Attendees will be purchasing shirts and hats, geocoins and bison tubes; which could surely add up to one’s budgeted event expenditures very quickly. Where will the purchase of the pathtags fit in there? Maybe it would be best to offer these as an online sale during a certain time period, other than to compete for sales along with all the other goodies at the events?
Perhaps I’m thinking in a slightly different way than others regarding pathtags (and geocoins) as a fundraiser. The WGA creates a new pathtag almost every year anyway. This is nothing new. I’m suggesting that in the future, when creating a pathtag, MARKET IT as a both a fundraiser and as a memento (on the FB page, on the WGA website, on the pathtag page). Currently we’re pretty much marketing pathtags as simply a token for whatever year or event it is commemorating. As shown in the examples from previous posts, simply communicate that one of the reasons for the pathtags is to raise funds to support the organization. Perhaps even offer a quantity discount. It could be $3 each, 10 for $25, 20 for $40, or whatever. If communicated as a way of raising funds, I bet a bunch would pony up the money and buy a batch of them, and in turn drop them into caches to help do their part to promote the WGA. It would be a unique way for those especially not on the board to do what they can do to support the WGA. Have you ever bought a fundraiser raffle ticket to support an event or cause? Often they’re sold as $x each or 5 for $x. You buy more that way. And when the raffle is over you discard the tickets, but with extra pathtags that people buy they could be used as swag to put into caches; they even fit into film containers. :-). So I’m not proposing we go out of our way to produce extra pathtags as a fundraiser, instead what I am suggesting is that when we do produce the next pathtag, put on our marketing hats like so many other geocaching associations have done to increase sales and awareness of their organizations, by mentioning it is a way to raise funds for the organization.
Topic #2: Facebook
Social media has been brought up before, even in this year’s Candidates Corner discussions, but not quite focused on the issue of Facebook PAGE versus Facebook GROUP. I’m just throwing it out there for discussion. The WGA currently has a Facebook PAGE, meaning that only the WGA moderators can post a new message. It’s one-way communication, like what a business would have to advertise sales and product information. Others can then respond to the messages, but they cannot start a message or create a photo album at the site. On the other hand, there are Facebook GROUPS, such as Coulee Region Geocachers, Wild Bunch Geocachers, Geocachers Guild, Geocachers in Wisconsin, Fox Valley Geocachers, NE Wisconsin Geocachers, etc. (I might not have their exact names listed). Facebook GROUPS allow members to post and initiate messages. Two-way communication. If the WGA were to have a Facebook group rather than a Facebook page, it could lead to a much higher participation rate. Instead many go to the smaller FB groups where their messages are posted instantly. I wonder if those groups would have ever even come into existence if the WGA had set up a GROUP rather than a PAGE. Just a topic for your consideration.
Perhaps I’m thinking in a slightly different way than others regarding pathtags (and geocoins) as a fundraiser. The WGA creates a new pathtag almost every year anyway. This is nothing new. I’m suggesting that in the future, when creating a pathtag, MARKET IT as a both a fundraiser and as a memento (on the FB page, on the WGA website, on the pathtag page). Currently we’re pretty much marketing pathtags as simply a token for whatever year or event it is commemorating. As shown in the examples from previous posts, simply communicate that one of the reasons for the pathtags is to raise funds to support the organization. Perhaps even offer a quantity discount. It could be $3 each, 10 for $25, 20 for $40, or whatever. If communicated as a way of raising funds, I bet a bunch would pony up the money and buy a batch of them, and in turn drop them into caches to help do their part to promote the WGA. It would be a unique way for those especially not on the board to do what they can do to support the WGA. Have you ever bought a fundraiser raffle ticket to support an event or cause? Often they’re sold as $x each or 5 for $x. You buy more that way. And when the raffle is over you discard the tickets, but with extra pathtags that people buy they could be used as swag to put into caches; they even fit into film containers. :-). So I’m not proposing we go out of our way to produce extra pathtags as a fundraiser, instead what I am suggesting is that when we do produce the next pathtag, put on our marketing hats like so many other geocaching associations have done to increase sales and awareness of their organizations, by mentioning it is a way to raise funds for the organization.
To build off of your “raffle ticket” suggestion a bit…How about using WGA customized trackables for a 50/50 type raffle? Each one of them has a unique identifying number and that number could be used to pick winners of a raffle.
So, for example, the WGA was to create some inexpensive travel tags (cachekinz type) at a price about $5/each. If 200 of these trackables were made and sold individually for $20/each, $4000 would be gained. The trackables could also be offered as 3 for $50, but this would reduce the total profit some. Take the cost of production ($1000) from the total, this would leave $3000 to split between the WGA and the holder of the winning trackable.
Of course, a raffle like this could be set up to include a few winners versus just one winner, but either way it is a very simple fundraiser for the WGA. After the drawing, anyone who purchased the customized raffle tags could send them our their journeys or hold on to them for a personal collection.
Couple things that currently come to mind.
1) Would be fun to see a cacher of the month or some other interval. Either nominated/suggested by WGA members or by the BOD or both. Have a list of standard questions to maybe ask them. Why do you cache, how did you pick your caching name, favorite types of caches, etc… Would be fun to learn about other members around the state that I might not run into at events or about those I already do know. Plus could help with below item.
2) Lack of “Fun” blog posts. I know this is based off involvement of the members and I know I’m not one to help. But I remember there being more “fun” blog posts that went beyond the Newsletter(or maybe they showed up in both). Whether it was a learning topic, or someone sharing a trip adventure or something else. Was always fun reading those (and brought me to the website). All the blog post now seem to either be reminders or some other business related, with maybe an external article here and there. But I also know getting newsletter articles can be difficult at times.
Climbing To New Adventures
**The views expressed here are that of myself only and do not necessarily represent that of the WGA board.**
I would like the BODs to discuss having a Topic on the WGA web page that lets the members know week-by-week what the Directors are discussing; from Event planning to expenditures. ONLY on the WGA page…not Face Book! We need members to come back to THIS site for info.
Like the majority of WGA members, I do not go on this website very often. Came on now to vote. Looking at recent discussion, I see Hack1of2 post this, which I agree. The MN Geocaching Association has a lively FB group, with discussion almost every day. Right now, there is so much fragmentation of Wisconsin FB groups, it is hard to communicate across the state. I think Hack is correct. We should consider a WGA open Group than anyone can join. And then advertise it on all of the regional groups, which I think also have their place.
Just my 2 cents.
zuma
Social media has been brought up before, even in this year’s Candidates Corner discussions, but not quite focused on the issue of Facebook PAGE versus Facebook GROUP. I’m just throwing it out there for discussion. The WGA currently has a Facebook PAGE, meaning that only the WGA moderators can post a new message. It’s one-way communication, like what a business would have to advertise sales and product information. Others can then respond to the messages, but they cannot start a message or create a photo album at the site. On the other hand, there are Facebook GROUPS, such as Coulee Region Geocachers, Wild Bunch Geocachers, Geocachers Guild, Geocachers in Wisconsin, Fox Valley Geocachers, NE Wisconsin Geocachers, etc. (I might not have their exact names listed). Facebook GROUPS allow members to post and initiate messages. Two-way communication. If the WGA were to have a Facebook group rather than a Facebook page, it could lead to a much higher participation rate. Instead many go to the smaller FB groups where their messages are posted instantly. I wonder if those groups would have ever even come into existence if the WGA had set up a GROUP rather than a PAGE. Just a topic for your consideration.
I would like the BODs to discuss having a Topic on the WGA web page that lets the members know week-by-week what the Directors are discussing; from Event planning to expenditures. ONLY on the WGA page…not Face Book! We need members to come back to THIS site for info.
I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but this website can be difficult to find information in. There was a brief discussion about committees in one of the recent topics. I asked where to find the information that is suppose to be in the by-laws on committees, but is not found in the information tab of the website. I was directed to find it within the forum posts from years ago. That’s like finding a needle in a haystack for someone that has only been around a few years. And even if you’re a “lifer” on here it would be extremely difficult to try to pull that from one’s memory banks.
Please don’t think this is a post complaining about the website at all, because I enjoy using it, but it is not the most user friendly. And today’s tech world and social networks provide much easier and quicker ways to get the answers one needs.
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