From The Helm: PLANS FOR NEW INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM TO BE PRESENTED AT MEMBERS MEETING IN ANNAPOLIS

By Jonathan Banks

Visualize a boat show 365 days a year where our industry members can interact with thousands of sailors, offer special deals and get feedback on new products ....this is part of the vision for an individual membership category that Sail America is planning to introduce.

For the past several months Sail America’s board of directors and a volunteer committee have developed proposals for a brand new individual membership program to support Sail America’s mission to grow sailing. The plan is to launch an all-new individual membership category for sailors. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage a proactive relationship between the industry, the sailing consumer and the sailing community, including yacht clubs, community sailing centers, sailing schools, and allied sailing or boating organizations, etc.

We believe this broader membership direction will allow us to create a closer relationship between end users of sailing products and services and the industry that serves this audience. The addition of an individual membership category will help promote the sailing lifestyle and further build upon the community of passionate sailors. We believe there will be substantial short and long-range benefits to both our industry members and consumers.

Our current industry members will benefit from a closer relationship with the sailing consumer, including access to a database of sailing enthusiasts, stronger traffic at boat shows, greater visibility on the Sail America website, and unique promotional opportunities.

Individual members will enjoy access to special deals and “industry insider” benefits, and will be part of a broader community that shares common interests and passions.

In the near future, we will provide more details of this important new membership initiative. I simply wanted to share the great news that your association has been working feverishly behind the scenes for quite some time to explore exciting new opportunities for our industry and the sailing community we all serve.

We will provide an overview at the Members Meeting in Annapolis and look forward to getting your input and feedback. We’ll also keep you abreast of the latest developments in upcoming editions of Sail America News!

Executive Director, Sail America

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