WGA Promotion: Part 2

[cheezehead]

Every year the question is asked on how to promote the WGA. Every year answers are given, but very little done after the elections. So here are my questions.-

What kind of plans do you have to promote the WGA to the ” Nether Regions ” of Wisconsin? (The Western & North Western parts of the state)

Once you promote the WGA to those regions, how do would you get those that live in the Hudson, Superior, Hurley and Rhinelander areas involved with the WGA?

[JimandLinda]

Yes, HCH, I was waiting for that question!

I belong to 2 other Associations. One is extremely active up north, because it involves snow. Therefore, more northern Wisconsin members. The other Association is statewide, and is based on agriculture, so there is more membership base in the central and southern part of the state.

Both Associations are extremely active; one in winter and one the year round. Both associations fluctuate on membership, irregardless of promotional efforts on Membership committees or “membership drives”.
We see the most growth spurts through one-to-one contacts. Both groups continue to thrive and have been around awhile. The ag-based group for over 100 years; the snow-based group for about 45 years.

Although these 2 groups vary immensely, they have one thing in common: MEMBERSHIP FEES! They both produce a hardcopy publication to keep members informed, as well as a website for the surfing members.

And both groups operate on a state and district level, as the needs are varied in different parts of the state, along with varying population bases. They have district events and State events.

And each county/district is responsible for their own memberships! The state body monitors the membership of each area and helps with late membership enrollments.

Bottom line: Geocachers, in their goegraphic areas, should be responsible for promoting membership in their geographic area, supported by the WGA and it’s website! (There is a Membership Committee that still tosses around ideas)

The membership, not the BOD, is the best media for membership growth, whether it’s the fantastic woods of the north or the urban areas of SE Wisconsin. Each area promotes itself with great geocaches and soon-to-be active members.

As long as this is a non-fee paying Association, their needs to be promotion for membership by the members from within, as well as continued promotion of the WGA website for state info.

Once we have more members in the “Nether Regions” of Wisconsin, I would get them involved by asking them for input on caching in their geographic area. And they can say “YES” or “NO” as to the level of involvement that they are comfortable with.

[guidetoo]

its a personal thing if some one wishes to promote .We agree that some one living in this region knows best what logistics and promotions are needed .
If it was me what we would do is increase the size of WGA board making sure that persons living in this area would have input on the board. also if a event was or is going to be held .We would welcome persons living in that area be in on the success of the event. Using the resources at hand We would give this region a place to provide input. we would make contact with this region asking for their input. Most of all the questions would be asked what can or what can we do to be of assistance in promotion . At the same time saying these tools are here for you. Another idea would be to use the cache of the mouth to promote caches found in this region of Wisconsin . Most of all a plan would be created that would be workable visible do able that would shape the future as well

[Team Black-Cat]

Since I disagree with, and take a certain amount of exception to your premise that “very little done after the elections”, I will just say that Northern and North Western Wisconsin are not “special” in this respect, and shouldn’t be singled out for special treatment.

The WGA is NOT simply the nine people voted on to the Board of Directors. The WGA made up of all the members. Most of the promotion of the organization is done by members. The “tools” to promote the WGA are available to anyone. This website is as easy to find in Hurley as it is in Green Bay. The oppertunity to get involved has been presented. There is no way to “get people involved” if they simply have no interest in being involved.

That being said, there are several WGA members from “up north” that are quite involved in the WGA. Please don’t mistake involvement in the WGA with forum post counts.

As for events, it has been suggested that a regional WGA event could be hosted in your area, but the offer was scoffed at.

Just for the record, I lobbied very hard during my term to have the Spring Picnic event held at Amnicon Fall, Copper Falls or Pattison. So much so that I may have alienated a friend in the process.

I’m sorry that you feel that the WGA Board of Directors is doing so little, but I respectfully disagree.

[labrat_wr]

Man, I am really wishing we lived in Rhode Island or other New England state so it would only take an hour to go border to border but the fact is that there is a fair amount of distance from our Wisconsin Southern to Northern border and that distance does tend to interfere with the WGA’s ability to please everyone.
Some had mentioned regionalizing representation on the WGA BOD. Interesting proposition but one that appears to me that would be impossible to institute. Just looking at the current 9 candidates home locations you find that we lack in Northern and Western and even Southwestern representation. Wild Rose, Wausau, Rosendale, Greenville, Sheboygan, Pulaski (wherever that is), Milwaukee, Madison, and Waukesha; still a very Central to Southeastern group of candidates (not that it couldn’t change as there are still a couple days left for nominations.)

as mentioned by a fellow candidate, the WGA is not the Nine people serving on the Board of Directors, It is the Membership. There are many opportunities to get involved with or without having a regional representative on the board. Certainly there is a need to elect those whom the membership feels are going to serve the membership and obviously with more candidates than positions available, there will be those who will need to wait another year to run again. Remember that geocaching is a hobby and the WGA does not charge membership fees. Therefore the BOD and the members need to work together to make things successful. There are givers and takers out there and there should be some balance.

So, to at least comment on the question at hand, the promotion of the WGA in these regions may lay with the members in those regions but they would have support through the WGA. How involved these regions would be depends on how willing those folks may be to devote time to the WGA.

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[Averith]

In a perfect world WGA membership would be evenly spread throughout the state, with all areas having a roughly equal number of members. This is of course not the case, just as the population of Wisconsin is centered mostly in the SE part of the state it only follows that the majority of geocachers and therefore WGA members will be located in these areas of the state.

Promotion of the WGA in the far flung areas of the state is something best done by the people who live there and who understand those areas of the state. The WGA as an organization can help with resources perhaps but the ground work really needs to be carried out by someone on the ground in the those areas.

[uws22]

to me the WGA should be promoting geocaching throughout the state. border to border. The idea of the WGA seems to have become “promote geocaching where there is people,” yet everyone talks about how their favorite cache is one that is very scenic and/or requires a decent walk/hike.
Even with all this talk of our favorites, we still have events to cater to a select group.

I believe promotion in the other regions of the state starts with events in those regions. not just on the extreme borders. people have shown they will travel for these events, so let’s quit using that as an excuse. if you need proof, the Great Northwoods gathering. nearly 1/3 are traveling nearly 3 hours for this event. you want another? West Bend. Just because all the same people won’t make it, doesn’t mean it’s not worth our time. When I hosted the LCG Event a few years ago in the Dells, almost none of the people who actually said they were coming showed up, yet we still had over 30 people attend. My point is, just because they aren’t members of the WGA doesn’t mean they won’t come.

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