FMCA member benefits

Chapters

Membership in a chapter can greatly enhance an FMCAer’s enjoyment of the association.

FMCA chapters were created to enable members of FMCA to come together to exchange ideas about their motorhome lifestyle and to enjoy one another’s company on a smaller scale. Chapter gatherings are frequently held on weekends, and they are often organized locally, so long trips aren’t necessary to reach them. These chapter rallies take place throughout the year, and, as such, FMCAers have a wide choice of rallies to attend.

Sometimes chapter rallies center around an event that is of interest to the members of that chapter. Such rallies afford FMCAers the opportunity to come together with other members who share their interests, and often to forge long-lasting friendships based on those mutual interests.

One of the greatest benefits of chapter affiliation is the exchange of information that such involvement provides. Those chapters that are based upon a mutual interest or a shared model of coach provide pools of information via the experiences and knowledge of chapter members.

The Family Motor Coach Association recognizes more than 500 chapters across the United States and in Canada. Many of these chapters encompass specific or general geographic regions. Others consist of FMCA members who own a particular brand or model of coach. And still other chapters are based upon some common interest, such as music, amateur radio communication, sports, or coach conversions.

The complete FMCA Chapter Directory is published in the January and August issues of Family Motor Coaching magazine, and chapter information is available online at FMCA.com via the “Chapters” channel.

If you can’t seem to find a chapter that suits your particular interests or that is in your geographic locale, you may wish to charter such a chapter. The FMCA Chapter Services Department at the national office can provide you with a chapter formation kit that includes guidelines for starting a new chapter. A minimum of 20 members is necessary in order to charter an FMCA chapter.

Anyone who would like to start a new chapter but is having problems round-ing up enough FMCAers who share his or her particular area of interest is invited to call on the national office for assistance. The national office will send out a mailing to FMCA members in that member’s target area (be it members with a particular zip code, members who own a certain type of motorhome, etc.) to assist in recruiting new members.

Dates and locations for chapter rallies are published in the Association Calendar that appears in each issue of Family Motor Coaching. Included in each rally listing is a contact person for general or preregistration information. FMCA members are welcome to attend any of the rallies listed within the Association Calendar. An extended listing of chapter rallies (up to a year) also is available online at FMCA.com via the “Event Calendar” channel.

Chapters are reminded to send their rally information to the FMCA national office (use the form that appears online at FMCA.com; forms also are available from the Chapter Services Department at the national office), so that all FMCA members might be made aware of chapter activities.

The Association Calendar, which appears in Family Motor Coaching magazine, also lists upcoming FMCA international conventions and area rallies. FMCA members are invited to look to this listing for information about these upcoming events.

Family Motor Coaching also publishes a column titled “Join A Chapter” in each January, March, June, August, and November issue. This column is intended to help FMCA members who have yet to discover the joys of chapter membership in locating a chapter that might interest them. It also serves as a forum for groups that wish to form a new FMCA chapter but first wish to gauge the interest in such a chapter. Each chapter is entitled to one free ad per year; additional ads may be placed at a cost of 50 cents per word.

Chapter Services Department, (800) 543-3622. E-mail: chapters@fmca.com

FMCA.com Chapters
www.fmca.com/chapters

FMCA.com Event Calendar
www.fmca.com/calendar

FMCA Areas
www.fmca.com/areas