A recent vote of Family Motor Coach Association members of this Cincinnati, Ohio-based international organization for motorhome enthusiasts has resulted in owners of all types of self-contained RVs becoming eligible to join and take advantage of the group’s benefits and services. This broadening membership opens a new chapter in the association’s 54-year history.
“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,” FMCA National President Jon Walker said. “Many of them had 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.
