On Monday, Jan. 29, OHI (Outdoor Hospitality Industry)’s board of directors voted to shift the organization’s business model, offering more member choice for RV parks and campgrounds across the country.
Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the dues collection model for national membership will shift, allowing RV parks and campgrounds to join OHI directly, regardless of geographic location.
“These changes are historic. For decades, member campgrounds were spread across the country in partnering and non-partnering states. Members in non-partnering states paid their dues directly to OHI, and members in partnering states paid membership dues, which included both state and national dues, directly to state associations. The state association would then send the national portion to OHI,” the organization said.
This caused confusion with members not clearly knowing which benefits they received from the national level versus benefits received from the state association.
“I’m excited for the RV parks, campgrounds and the entire outdoor hospitality industry,” says Joe Moore, chair of the OHI Board of Directors and owner of Moore’s Campground Consulting. “With the approval from the OHI Board of Directors and the support of past OHI Chairs, totaling more than 1,000 years of industry experience, we have prepared OHI and its members for the future. OHI is now positioned to grow as the voice of the outdoor hospitality industry, supporting RV parks and campgrounds across the country.”
The new model streamlines the process and allows RV parks and campgrounds to choose if they want to be members at the national level, the state level or both. OHI said it will continue, as it always has, to encourage membership at both the national and state level, because each membership provides different benefits and together makes a business more successful.
“The ‘full package’ if you will, of resources, market intelligence and professional development at the national and state level give you the most opportunities to ensure the most success of your business, and our industry as a whole,” OHI said.
“The strategy for OHI is to be more member-driven, and our focus will be on making OHI a value-driven organization, offering members a great mix of benefits, advocacy and professional development,” says Jeff Hoffman, president of the Ohio Campground Owners Association (OCOA) and owner of Sandusky/Bayshore KOA. “The model OHI had been operating under was not sustainable, but this new model allows for a new freedom of choice for our members.”
Hoffman also serves as treasurer on the OHI Board of Directors.
OHI said it will continue to support the success of state associations, offering a slate of strategic benefit opportunities to any organizations that share OHI’s dedication to advancing the outdoor hospitality industry. OHI is actively sharing these new opportunities with current partnering state leaders and members.
“Members are our most valued asset, and OHI exists to serve and support those members across the country today, tomorrow and for years to come,” says Paul Bambei, president and CEO of OHI. “This process started in 2022 after conversations with fellow industry leaders, consultations with association management expert Bob Harris, and legal guidance. This shift in our business model was made, in part, to mitigate financial risks as state associations are their own individual 501(c)6 incorporations, with separate reporting requirements to the IRS. Most importantly, we felt our members deserved a choice. We want to be able to prove the value of OHI membership and empower RV park and campground owners and operators to make the choice for themselves.”
If your park is in a current partnering state, and you’ve paid your dues for the 2024 calendar year, you are in good standing with your state association and OHI through Dec. 31, 2024. If you’re unsure of your membership status, reach out to the OHI team at ohi-membership@ohi.org.