When asked about this expansion of the association, FMCA national president Jon Walker said, “This initiative started because FMCA members increasingly were asking the leadership of the organization why owners of other types of RVs were not eligible to join. Many of them have family members or friends they travel with who own fifth-wheel or other travel trailers, and they wanted to be able to welcome them to the FMCA family.
“The time seemed right to take this to the membership for a vote,” Walker said. “We, as leaders of FMCA, discussed that the focus really should be on the RVers, the people who enjoy RV travel, and not the equipment they’ve chosen. Surveys showed that the vast majority of FMCA members have owned a different type of RV at some point. Since the Great Recession, towable RVs have been far outselling motorized RVs, and we believe we have something valuable to offer those owners also.”
While the makeup of RVs owned by the membership will change, some things will not. “FMCA will continue to promote the RV lifestyle and to pursue its core mission of education and information sharing,” Walker said.
“We aren’t going to lessen our focus on motorhomes,” said Chris Smith, FMCA executive director. “We’re just expanding our efforts to owners of other types of RVs and welcoming them into the FMCA family. The association has spent 54 years developing its expertise related to serving the needs of motorhome owners, so that’s not going away. But we’re excited to take what we’ve learned, to broaden our focus, and use what we’ve built to serve the needs and interests of all RV owners.”
The association does not have plans to change its name but instead will do what other organizations have done — AARP, for instance — and focus on the acronym FMCA, which many already use when referring to the group. FMCA will rebrand its monthly magazine, which coincidentally is undergoing a redesign, and title it Family RVing when the new design is unveiled. This new title retains the word “Family” and emphasizes that it is the official publication of a large, active RV family.
FMCA will continue to be unique among the major RV clubs, because it is the only one owned and governed by its membership.
FMCA is an international organization for families who own and enjoy the use of self-contained recreation vehicles (RVs). The association maintains its national headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, and currently has more than 74,000 active member families. FMCA offers its members a number of benefits, including a subscription to its monthly magazine, Family Motor Coaching; a medical emergency and travel assistance program valued at $105 per family; a tire purchasing program; group rates on a roadside assistance program and on RV and auto insurance; discounted rates for RV tours and caravans; and special member rates on mobile hotspot plans. Perhaps the most important benefit of FMCA membership is the camaraderie and friendships that develop among people enjoying the common interest of RV travel.
The organization can be reached at (513) 474-3622 or (800) 543-3622 and on the web at FMCA.com.
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