Vanguard Letter from the National Commander

[a2capt]

An open letter is issued on the subject? Must be even "bigger" than just what is talked about on the forums here. They don't issue letters for everything...

OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL COMMANDER
CIVIL AIR PATROL
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, ALABAMA 36112-6332


22 April 2010


Dear Civil Air Patrol Members


Over the past four years, Vanguard has improved service to Civil Air Patrol (CAP) members in several critical ways. The company has upgraded their website to make it more user friendly and added new software that offers the ability to track orders from the moment they are placed to the time they leave the shipping department. According to our members, order fulfillment has improved dramatically.


Vanguard is in the unique position to be able to not only offer a vast range of quality products to CAP, but also to contribute financially to a worthwhile volunteer organization. In designing this partnership, an exclusive license agreement was devised to return a percentage of all CAP/Vanguard sales to CAP. These funds are combined with matching CAP funds to upgrade training facilities across the country and to support selected CAP public awareness initiatives.


Does the money really make a difference? Thanks largely to Vanguard royalties, we have a 60-foot rappelling tower, hot showers and a four-wheel drive Bobcat at Hawk Mountain. Vanguard royalties have also contributed to improvements at the Blue Beret training facility at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and helped purchase multiple CAP vehicle wraps. Our partnership with Vanguard provides these multiple important benefits while continuing to fulfill CAP's crucial uniform needs.


Vanguard is constantly working to offer the best service possible to CAP members -- including lowering shipping costs, upgrading customer service and expanding product lines -- with the additional royalties going into CAP. Additionally, Vanguard supports CAP's annual national conference and sets up booths at various wing and region conferences to showcase new products.


A mutually beneficial corporate agreement, partnerships like the CAP/Vanguard Industries affiliation is a win-win scenario. I want to underscore the importance of CAP's partnership with Vanguard. It is only through this exclusive arrangement that CAP chose to create, that we benefit financially as a team.


If you have any questions or concerns, please do not direct them to Vanguard, but instead send them to CAP at comments@capnhq.gov.

                                                         Sincerely


                                                         AMY S. COURTER
                                                         Major General, CAP
                                                         National Commander

I just wish the funding were distributed a little more widely. Perhaps the intend to switch focus, but on the face of it, thats all it looks like they are doing is pouring it into these specific areas.

[peter rabbit]

where is this letter posted?

[Cecil DP]

I received an e-mail broadcasted to all FLWG memberds from Col Moersch, the Wing CC

[Major Lord]

As directed in the letter, I sent the following E-mail a few minutes ago:

comments@capnhq.gov

Thank you very much for outlining the benefits CAP has enjoyed as a result of the exclusivity agreement with Vanguard. Would you be kind enough to release a copy of the actual agreement so that CAP members can have a fuller understanding of how our individually spent dollars are accrued and allocated? Is there a written policy letter or regulation describing how the funds received as a function of this agreement are spent, and any documentation describing specifically how these funds have been spent?

Best regards,

Allen R. Lord

Major Lord

[IceNine]

I don't have a problem with a specific vendor chosen by the organization.  I have very specific and angry feelings about being restricted from purchasing items that are unavailable in their current form from the exclusive vendor.

If Vanguard produced fabric strip name tapes, and quality custom engrave able coins, etc I would have no issues.  But it chaps my backside when they pull vendors that aren't competing because they are producing a unique product.  The more pressing issue here is that instead of partnering with these quality vendors and selling them through the exclusive vendor we are instead ignoring their quality and service, blindly shutting their support of the organization out, and ultimately burning bridges.

I will probably a similar response once I've ironed out the emotion...

[jimmydeanno]

I don't have a problem with a specific vendor chosen by the organization.  I have very specific and angry feelings about being restricted from purchasing items that are unavailable in their current form from the exclusive vendor.

If Vanguard produced fabric strip name tapes, and quality custom engrave able coins, etc I would have no issues.  But it chaps my backside when they pull vendors that aren't competing because they are producing a unique product.  The more pressing issue here is that instead of partnering with these quality vendors and selling them through the exclusive vendor we are instead ignoring their quality and service, blindly shutting their support of the organization out, and ultimately burning bridges.

I will probably a similar response once I've ironed out the emotion...

All the complaining by members about the specific vendor I think can many times be boiled down to what you just said.  Remove the emotion and you'll find most people agree with you.  Heck, I do.

Additionally, if you are looking for CAP "leisure wear" (polo shirts, hats, etc) in a specific color or with a certain logo, etc you're stuck with what Vanguard offers.  Certainly, we've all looked through the selection and have probably not purchased any of it because it doesn't meet modern trends, etc.  Seriously, I'm not going to wear an ultramarine blue button down shirt with pockets that has a huge cessna embroidered on the front.  Ain't gonna happen.

Here's a perfect example:

A very nice hat in quality.  I also like the emblem on the front.  However, I would NEVER purchase this hat because of the horribly looking text on the side of the hat.

Or this:

Again, a high quality fleece jacket but in an awkward color blue and with a hideous logo on it.

YMMV.

[Eclipse]

I've never liked those Cessna shirts, clearly aimed at pilots (and man have they caused mission-wear issues over the years), but the hat is basically a current design.

The trend these days is stuff all over them.

[Mustang]

The fact General Courter's letter gracefully skirts is that these extra revenues are not the product of Vanguard's goodwill, but a contractually mandated royalty fee that is passed onto Vanguard's customers--i.e., the CAP membership.  So whether it's through an extra 6% paid via Vanguard sales or an extra $10 tacked onto membership dues, what's really going on here is a leadership-sanctioned fleecing of the membership.

Personally, I find statements like "It is only through this exclusive arrangement that CAP chose to create, that we benefit financially as a team." offensive. CAP should be negotiating deals to offer REQUIRED UNIFORM ITEMS at the LOWEST POSSIBLE COST to the member. That the proceeds go to worthwhile CAP programs (debatable) does not change the fact that these funds are coming from one place and one place only: the membership's pockets.

[Eclipse]

I would say its more of a member-subsidy / payback, similar to a credit card rewards program,  then a "fleecing" - if anyone asked me, I would be spending the money elsewhere, probably on encampment scholarships and the like, but no one asked.  It might be nice to have members / activities / wings, etc., submit grant proposals and maybe even have them voted on nationally.

I would imagine the people at HMRS and NBB are pretty happy with how things have worked out so far.

[Major Lord]

I am concerned that not only are these funds that CAP receives in royalties spent on things we are just now hearing about, we are apparently offering "matching" funds to reinforce the monies received in royalties. Effectively, all these funds come from member dues, unless the Air Force is chipping in.....

Major Lord

[AirAux]

I would think that we would get a good return with the Blue Beret funds as it seems to be one of the highest exposure advertizing we have.  It's a great mission with a chance to expose untold numbers of aviation people to the professionalism and dedication of CAP.  The cadets do a great job..

[A.Member]

I don't have a problem with a specific vendor chosen by the organization.  I have very specific and angry feelings about being restricted from purchasing items that are unavailable in their current form from the exclusive vendor.

^  This...

It might be nice to have members...submit grant proposals and maybe even have them voted on nationally.

and ^ this...

sum up the issue rather nicely for me. 

I'd even suggest that the royalties are simply redistributed back to Wings as percentage based on their membership.

I will try to get off a brief e-mail shortly.

[tdepp]

^"The Letter" is The Perfect CAPTalk Storm: Hatred of Vanguard coupled with a discussion of uniforms, grumbling that God forbid anyone in CAP ever have to pay one dime extra for anything to support the organization, to our leadership has sold us out. 

This has to be some sort of Superfecta that even CAPTalk rarely achieves.   

Now, if we could only figure out a way to add in Chaplains and members being allowed to conceal carry guns while in uniform, Gen. John Curry would return from Air Force Heaven and have a day of CAP reckoning, separating the AF-style uniform wearers from the fat and fuzzies.

[JC004]

The hot showers are not motivating me to buy from Vanguard.

They still screw us by not offering stuff we want and the agreement makes it so others can't either.  Awesome.

[Senior]

I have had a nagging feeling about paying Vanguard for stuff, and then they send a portion of our money back to National.  Why don't
they tack on 5-10 dollars to membership dues and cut out Vanguard as the middleman?   

[Rotorhead]

Thanks largely to Vanguard royalties, we have a 60-foot rappelling tower, hot showers and a four-wheel drive Bobcat at Hawk Mountain. Vanguard royalties have also contributed to improvements at the Blue Beret training facility at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and helped purchase multiple CAP vehicle wraps.

None of which benefit me or my Wing.

Saying this has the exactly the opposite effect of what was intended, at least in my case.

[vmstan]

I don't have a problem with a specific vendor chosen by the organization.  I have very specific and angry feelings about being restricted from purchasing items that are unavailable in their current form from the exclusive vendor.

If Vanguard produced fabric strip name tapes, and quality custom engrave able coins, etc I would have no issues.  But it chaps my backside when they pull vendors that aren't competing because they are producing a unique product.  The more pressing issue here is that instead of partnering with these quality vendors and selling them through the exclusive vendor we are instead ignoring their quality and service, blindly shutting their support of the organization out, and ultimately burning bridges.

I will probably a similar response once I've ironed out the emotion...

All the complaining by members about the specific vendor I think can many times be boiled down to what you just said.  Remove the emotion and you'll find most people agree with you.  Heck, I do.

Additionally, if you are looking for CAP "leisure wear" (polo shirts, hats, etc) in a specific color or with a certain logo, etc you're stuck with what Vanguard offers.  Certainly, we've all looked through the selection and have probably not purchased any of it because it doesn't meet modern trends, etc.  Seriously, I'm not going to wear an ultramarine blue button down shirt with pockets that has a huge cessna embroidered on the front.  Ain't gonna happen.

Here's a perfect example:
A very nice hat in quality.  I also like the emblem on the front.  However, I would NEVER purchase this hat because of the horribly looking text on the side of the hat.

Or this:
Again, a high quality fleece jacket but in an awkward color blue and with a hideous logo on it.

YMMV.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who say those two items and thought the exact same thing. I'd buy the hat in a heartbeat if it didn't have the crap on the sides. If the fleece and other clothes had just a CAP/USAFAux logo on it I'd own 5 and wear them all the time. But not how it looks now.

[RiverAux]

I'm a little surprised that NHQ felt the need to issue a letter like this.  I can't help but think it is in response to frequent CAPTalk posts on the issue. 

[vmstan]

Among other places. The "official" Facebook page had a lot of traffic about it too. It's also been the topic of discussion at just about every CAP function I've been to since that happened. I'm sure they are getting a lot of heat about it.

[Eclipse]

The "official" Facebook page had a lot of traffic about it too.

CAP has an "Official" Facebook page?

Does it have twinkly glitter letters and a Farmville account, too?