By Chuck Woodbury
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
We received dozens of letters after my proposal last week of a national association for RVers, which I suggest be called the American Association of RV Owners. We already have the domain, AARVO.org, which will serve as its online home
If you are interested in staying informed about the progress of AARVO, click here to receive occasional email updates about its progress.
We at RVtravel.com can’t do enough on our own to improve the many currently unserved needs of RVers. There is no national association today representing you and me, and it’s critical that one be established. We’ll do our best to get it started.
The RV industry is still celebrating the closing this month of Greg Gerber’s RV Daily Report, which, because of its honest reporting, lost nearly all its advertising after RV industry leaders pulled their support in protest. We at RVtravel.com already feel that pressure. We’ll plow on thanks to our members, who already provide approximately one-third of what we need to operate. Advertising is important to us, but not critical. Click here if you would like to help empower us with a contribution.
The time has certainly come for this organization to be founded! Count me in to help if I can.
It would be easy to get a million members. Negotiate discounts with large campground chains, Harvest Host, theme parks, Escapees and Passport, fuel suppliers, propane suppliers, tire suppliers — and make them REAL discounts not like FMCA and GoodSam. I’d buy a $50 membership to save $200 on tires any day of the week.
As a long time member of FMCA (the only major non-profit RV club operated for the benefit of it’s members) I wonder why you feel there’s a need for another similar group? Would it be non-profit or is someone going to own it like Good Sam and Escapees?
Most RVers don’t own motor coaches or want to read about them.
FMCA is not just for motor coach owners anymore! Anyone with an RV may join.
What! Speak for yourself. I’ve owned 2 Motor coaches. May own one again. Always interested in any RV.
Good Sam is more about making money from RVers, rather than helping them out… and the Escapees is more of a social group than an advocacy group. It depends on how an organization is filed with the IRS, especially if they are tax-free nonprofits: 501(c)3’s, for example, are not permitted by law to engage in lobbying or otherwise participate in political advocacy. So sometimes an organization might WANT to help, but can’t by law.