How can we help improve AANR?

[Bob S.]

This is a spinoff topic from the USA Article (2) topic in the Nudes in the News category.

soundman asked the question How can we help improve AANR? so let's hear some suggestions.

There needs to be more focus on the individual members and less focus on the specific clubs. I understand that the clubs are what make up the AANR identity, but the individuals are the ones with the money to keep both alive.

What is your wishlist to improve the AANR?

Bob S.

[Bob S.]

This is a spinoff topic from the USA Article (2) topic in the Nudes in the News category.

soundman asked the question How can we help improve AANR? so let's hear some suggestions.

There needs to be more focus on the individual members and less focus on the specific clubs. I understand that the clubs are what make up the AANR identity, but the individuals are the ones with the money to keep both alive.

What is your wishlist to improve the AANR?

Bob S.

[Trailscout]

Bob, what can we reasonably expect from AANR? To what extent do they regard their constituency to be the clubs, particularly the larger ones? To what extent does the AANR mission statement go beyond the clubs?

In that previous dialog between Walter and Cyndiann, he blew off her questions completely. For once she was raising legitimate questions and Walter really dropped the ball [ personal flame removed - PD]

This forum topic suggests that AANR needs improvement and I'm not sure that Walter and other AANR folks in leadership even "get" that.

AANR is working with youth and has made some attempt to reach singles, and some effort to advertise, but none of these efforts seem to be nearly enough.

To me, nudism is one of America's best kept secrets and I think that some at AANR want it that way. Maybe some holdover from the early days, when we were persecuted even more than we are now.

AANR resorts have largely been terribly short sighted in their focus on retirees and affluent middle-aged empty-nesters.

Believe it or not, nude recreation is possible outside of resort walls! I'm not sure that that idea has occurred to AANR leaders.

Not only that, nudism is not merely nude recreation. For a lot of us, it is NUDE LIVING!

AANR has member resorts that have a total ban on singles. I can tolerate a gender-balance policy, but a resort that bans singles should not be suffered to remain affiliated with AANR.

Do we know if AANR is even willing to change for the better?

If not, maybe some other organization should rise to take its place.

[MJ_KC]

quote:

Originally posted by Trailscout:
Do we know if AANR is even willing to change for the better?

If not, maybe some other organization should rise to take its place.

It seems that AANR and the clubs are happy with the current policy of exclusion so I see no hope for improvement. I also see no reason to join an organization that does not very actively work to get rid of discriminatory practices.

[Cheri]

This year's AANR convention will be the last as we have known it since the beginning. There will be direct vote by the members beginning in 2006. The conventions will be more of a festival.

To those who might be complaining...when was the last time you read the AANR "Bulletin"? If you are an AANR member, have you volunteered to work on a committee or run for office in your region or at the national level. Did you know there was a message board at the AANR website for members only? The AANR office doesn't make policy, it has been made at the General Assembly and at the regularly scheduled Trustee meetings.

Did you also know that there's a Government Affairs listserv on Yahoo that is run by the GA committee chair? Did you know that the AANR Education Foundation does support just that to the general public? They even helped to fund my annual lectures to sociology classes at a university about 5 or 6 hrs. from my home.

Regards, Cheri

[Walt Iliff]

Hi Folks,

I am not sure how to answer Trailscouts post about me blowing off questions. I don't dispute any of the statistics cited by Cindiann, but I do question where the notion has arisen that AANR has any control over what a private business (ie the resorts, clubs, campgrounds, etc) can and cannot do. Let me give you an example.......let's suppose that I own a gun store and am affiliated with the NRA. I have a shooting range, host competitions, etc....AND I have set a policy that I will only allow people over 30 years old to participate. The NRA cannot tell me how to run my business....they can suggest that I'm being shortsighted, that I'm not looking forward to the future when those 18-30 year olds are now getting their gun stuff from somewhere else....but they just CAN'T dictate to me about how I choose to run my business. I can even require an active NRA membership before allowing anyone to participate.

In much the same way, AANR cannot control the policies of the individual clubs....do you truly believe that the organization WANTS to turn away potential members?? I can assure you that they do not, but other than cajoling, offering statistics about how single members make great additions to the club experience, generally have more disposable income than couples and families, etc, it is up to the individual clubs and resorts to determine their entrance and membership policies.

As far as working with other nudist organizations in promoting social nudism, I think that (personal opinion) we could ALL do a much better job. The first place to start is to stop denegrating other nudist organizations, INA, NAC, TNS, AANR. AANR has spent thousands of dollars on projects like the Assateague Beach project in Maryland, with an extensive lobbying effort, Governmental Affairs Teams, PR campaign, etc. to have a portion of Assateague Beach set aside for legal nude recreation. There is no club involvement. AANR doesn't receive a penny from individual clubs (other than the initial $100.00 fee to have the club affiliated with AANR, link to their web site, get promotional brochures,etc.) Parenthetically, AANR-east returns the club's $100.00 after three years of membership in good standing. Other regions may do the same, but I don't know. My point is that virtually ALL of AANR's income is a result of dues by individual members. Why then is membership falling? Several reasons. One, as more and more non club venues become available (like beaches) it isn't necessary to belong to a club to experience nude recreation. Two, some clubs and resorts no longer require membership in AANR or TNS to be a member of the individual club. Three, alternative choices are available like membership in TNS or INA. Four, and most frightening, there are those nudists who have become complacent about supporting ANY of the national organizations. They seem to feel that the battle has been won, and supporting AANR, NAC, TNS, INA etc is a waste of money. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the persons using Haulover Beach have no clue how much time, effort, energy and money went into making that a safe venue for nude recreation. Multiply this by hundreds of nude recreation areas around the country, and you have thousands of non affiliated participants.

My point is this....we are ALL of us in this together. I believe it was Ben Franklin who said "We MUST hang together or surely we will hang separately" We just have to stop singling out individuals and nudist organizations for criticism. Can we do a better job? Sure....but within limits. If you don't like the job AANR or TNS is doing....JOIN and volunteer your efforts, but PLEASE don't sit on the sidelines and disparage those who are giving their own time, effort, energy, and money. As the saying goes, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Thanks for listening....sorry this was so long.

Walt Iliff

[Trailscout]

quote:

Originally posted by Walt Iliff:
snip...In much the same way, AANR cannot control the policies of the individual clubs....do you truly believe that the organization WANTS to turn away potential members?? I can assure you that they do not, but other than cajoling, offering statistics about how single members make great additions to the club experience, generally have more disposable income than couples and families, etc, it is up to the individual clubs and resorts to determine their entrance and membership policies.
Walt Iliff

Walt suggested that AANR is not going to turn down a club that applies for membership, but the fact is they do it all the time.

Clothing optional resorts that are adult-oriented resorts are denied membership.

So why does AANR allow a club with a TOTAL BAN on singles to affiliate? Because they want to!

[MJ_KC]

quote:

Originally posted by Trailscout:

quote:

Originally posted by Walt Iliff:
snip...In much the same way, AANR cannot control the policies of the individual clubs....do you truly believe that the organization WANTS to turn away potential members?? I can assure you that they do not, but other than cajoling, offering statistics about how single members make great additions to the club experience, generally have more disposable income than couples and families, etc, it is up to the individual clubs and resorts to determine their entrance and membership policies.
Walt Iliff

Walt suggested that AANR is not going to turn down a club that applies for membership, but the fact is they do it all the time.

Clothing optional resorts that are adult-oriented resorts are denied membership.

So why does AANR allow a club with a TOTAL BAN on singles to affiliate? Because they want to!

Correct. AANR does not see this as a real problem so they do not have a strong incentive to change things.

Walt has clearly indicated that AANR can't help me with my situation, so why would I consider joining an organization that is of no use to me? Doesn't make any sense to me to pay them membership dues and still not be allowed to attend many of the resorts that they are affiliated with.

[PascoDoug]

quote:

Originally posted by Trailscout:
Clothing optional resorts that are adult-oriented resorts are denied membership.

That doesn't seem to be the case with Paradise Lakes, and to a degree, Caliente.

[Trailscout]

quote:

Originally posted by Walt Iliff:
snip...My point is this....we are ALL of us in this together. I believe it was Ben Franklin who said "We MUST hang together or surely we will hang separately" We just have to stop singling out individuals and nudist organizations for criticism. Can we do a better job? Sure....but within limits. If you don't like the job AANR or TNS is doing....JOIN and volunteer your efforts, but PLEASE don't sit on the sidelines and disparage those who are giving their own time, effort, energy, and money. As the saying goes, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

Thanks for listening....sorry this was so long.

Walt Iliff

Sounds like Walter wants us to volunteer to carry out the current AANR agenda, but suggestions for improving AANR are seen as unwelcome disparaging jabs! Maybe the attitude is: leave ideas to the experts, just be a good loyal soldier.

After more than 50 years of existence, it would seem that nudist resorts would not be such a mysterious phenomenon, but to be fair to those who came before, they had to be secretive to survive. In addition, resorts have targeted a specific market, increasingly the affluent seniors. So there was no incentive to blanket the USA with the nudist message. Similar clannishness seems to have occured in Great Britain.

There are resorts in the South and Midwest where young families with children still represent a sizeable percentage of the membership, but Florida has by reputation become a place for middle-aged empty-nesters and retirees. Not sure what the situation is in California.

Perhaps it is the non-landed clubs that are in a position to do the most good to improve public perception of nudism and nude recreation. Some of the nude beaches are in bad need of monitoring by these clubs to augment the work of law enforcement.

Maybe we are wrong to expect a club-focused organization with a limited budget to provide the level of promotion we need for nude living.

NAC and INA are by their very mission statements better equipped to do what is required. I do not fault AANR for that problem.

[Trailscout]

quote:

Originally posted by PascoDoug:

quote:

Originally posted by Trailscout:
Clothing optional resorts that are adult-oriented resorts are denied membership.

That doesn't seem to be the case with Paradise Lakes, and to a degree, Caliente.

I agree Doug, and it seems that these resorts are such cash cows that AANR is willing to allow what they would not tolerate in a smaller resort. This hypocrisy will come back to bite them eventually.

As I see it, if we are ethical but small we can face our critics with a clean conscience and ultimately surpass an AANR that is unethical and larger.

[Buff Man in MI]

I posted something in a diff. topic that applies here as well.

http://clothesfreeforums.com/eve/for...443#5950033443

quote:

Originally posted by Cheri:
This year's AANR convention will be the last as we have known it since the beginning. There will be direct vote by the members beginning in 2006. The conventions will be more of a festival.

unnecessary personal flame removed - PD

The reason it was changed to direct vote was because the delegates were being hand picked by the clubs instead of holding elections and having them voted on by AANR members. IOW, the delegates represented the clubs and not us. It was changed so that we get a direct vote but the clubs now get to openly vote as well. The members are still not in control of AANR.

quote:

To those who might be complaining...when was the last time you read the AANR "Bulletin"? If you are an AANR member, have you volunteered to work on a committee or run for office in your region or at the national level. Did you know there was a message board at the AANR website for members only? The AANR office doesn't make policy, it has been made at the General Assembly and at the regularly scheduled Trustee meetings.

Yep, by the delegates put in there by the clubs.

quote:

Did you also know that there's a Government Affairs listserv on Yahoo that is run by the GA committee chair?

Did you also know they don't allow anyone to comment on anything posted on there anymore? We can only read what AANR hands us. When we tried asking why AANR didn't send someone to talk with Foley here in Florida like ALL the other nudist organizations did they just stopped us from asking. They didn't want anyone else to see that they had done anything wrong.

quote:

Did you know that the AANR Education Foundation does support just that to the general public? They even helped to fund my annual lectures to sociology classes at a university about 5 or 6 hrs. from my home.

One set of lectures at one school. Why haven't they taken the ball and run with it? Made it a nationwide program?

That's just as bad as AANR bragging about buying ONE SINGLE billboard on I-95 to promote themselves....

quote:

Originally posted by Trailscout:

quote:

Originally posted by Walt Iliff:
snip...In much the same way, AANR cannot control the policies of the individual clubs....do you truly believe that the organization WANTS to turn away potential members?? I can assure you that they do not, but other than cajoling, offering statistics about how single members make great additions to the club experience, generally have more disposable income than couples and families, etc, it is up to the individual clubs and resorts to determine their entrance and membership policies.
Walt Iliff

Walt suggested that AANR is not going to turn down a club that applies for membership, but the fact is they do it all the time.

Clothing optional resorts that are adult-oriented resorts are denied membership.

So why does AANR allow a club with a TOTAL BAN on singles to affiliate? Because they want to!

It's because the clubs don't want it and the clubs run AANR.

quote:

Originally posted by Bob S.:
This is a spinoff topic from the USA Article (2) topic in the Nudes in the News category.

soundman asked the question How can we help improve AANR? so let's hear some suggestions.

There needs to be more focus on the individual members and less focus on the specific clubs. I understand that the clubs are what make up the AANR identity, but the individuals are the ones with the money to keep both alive.

What is your wishlist to improve the AANR?

Bob S.

Bob it appears this website is still not mature enough to handle such a conversation. There is very little contructive criticism and a lot of "let's hide it under the rug" and "lets flame people".

I suggest you try posting this someplace else where you will get real answers. It ain't gonna happen here.