My commander just mentioned to the squadron that The Volunteer magazine is moving to an "every three months" publication schedule versus bi-monthly. (essentially quarterly).
Anybody else heard this? I would have expected the PA mavens here would have been all over news of this sort.
That could be what the Exec Director was talking about when he was discussing "economizing." Think of all the time they'll save on doctored photos. >:D
Then lower the membership dues ;D
Quote from: Strick on March 20, 2009, 01:14:57 AM
Then lower the membership dues ;D
Yeah, right. That should happen sometime around the 30th of February.
If its true it will be a disappointment.
Why not just stop printing and mailing it and email a link to the high-res PDF to all members?
That's how I read it anyway - by the time it comes out in hard copy all I do with it is pull the address label and
drop it in the waiting area on the pile of all the others...
Why not must make an "annual report to members" without the words "Civil Air Patrol" anywhere on the cover, just like what we sent to Congress?
:D Sorry, cheap shot. *sarcasm mode now OFF*
Quote from: es_g0d on March 20, 2009, 08:44:47 AM
Why not must make an "annual report to members" without the words "Civil Air Patrol" anywhere on the cover, just like what we sent to Congress?
:D Sorry, cheap shot. *sarcasm mode now OFF*
For that one I owe you a drink ;D , I wish they would bring back the news paper . I dont care for the magazine. It seems like they dont report on the little guy.
The CAP Volunteer Magazine is switching to an every 3 month schedule. This is due to increased costs of production (paper, ink, distribution, etc...)
However be on the look out for a new e-newsletter to hit the streets soon. It will have many of the features that the old CAP News had.
More info soon.
Going from 6 issues to 4 issues per year will save us about $40k. Enhancing the on-line addition of CAP news on-line will cost us $0.
It was either this or getting rid of a couple of NCSA's. Hopefully, when the economy picks up a bit, our membership numbers will increase and life will be easier.
BTW, national hasn't increased dues in quite some time; thanks to wise investment management and, some wonderful donors, like the AFA and Evergreen, which help keep things moving along.
Even though I prefer the old CAP News over the Volunteer, if it made life easier, better or more productive/lucrative, I'd subscribe to the Volunteer for monthly issues.
$29.99 a year, no problem. I'd pay it.
I like the e-news method. Although, I still like being able to sit and flip through a magazine. Its hard to keep my laptop on the back of the toilet!
Quote from: Flying Pig on March 20, 2009, 02:43:14 PM
I like the e-news method. Although, I still like being able to sit and flip through a magazine. Its hard to keep my laptop on the back of the toilet!
If they'd "beef up" the production & distribution of the e-newsletter, that would be fantastic. If it was a true "e-newsletter" instead of just random fluff, and it came on a regular basis once a month, I'd take that with a quarterly mag...
I'd take an e-newsletter over the magazine any day.
Since the mag is going quarterly, steer it toward an external public affairs piece and push to get it out of our bathroom read piles and into the hands of local, non-CAP folks. Shouldn't be that hard to tell the membership to hand this mag to someone you know that isn't in CAP, drop it in a waiting room or drop it off at a local school. Throw a few recruiting ads into the mag and we have a dynamic recruiting tool that is more interesting to read and gives a potential member a better idea of what we do.
I actually prefer the printed newletter over the web because if something happens to the site and you don't have a back up or the link is broke, you can't access it.
Also not all our members have internet which means if it goes to all digital not all the members would be getting it.
Since they are planning on going to 1 every four months it better be thicker or don't even bother print it.
Quote from: FW on March 20, 2009, 02:06:45 PM
Hopefully, when the economy picks up a bit, our membership numbers will increase and life will be easier.
I'm willing to be the magazine will stay as a quarterly, even after this "crisis" is over and membership numbers pick up.
Also, dues will not go down, then, either.
Quote from: Gunner C on March 20, 2009, 12:53:40 AM
That could be what the Exec Director was talking about when he was discussing "economizing." Think of all the time they'll save on doctored photos. >:D
I'm glad i'm not the only one that noticed it.....Darn photo is in the annual report to congress as well.
I removed my subscription because we get multiple copies to the same household otherwise. I wonder how many families get 2+ copies because their entire family is at the same address.
Either way, there is very little in there that actually interests me. I don't find the format very appealing either.
E-Newsletter might spark my interest. I don't need the paper version. Send it to the airport.
Quote from: CadetProgramGuy on March 22, 2009, 09:44:02 AM
Quote from: Gunner C on March 20, 2009, 12:53:40 AM
That could be what the Exec Director was talking about when he was discussing "economizing." Think of all the time they'll save on doctored photos. >:D
I'm glad i'm not the only one that noticed it.....Darn photo is in the annual report to congress as well.
I was pretty sure that picture of the C182 over the Capitol was bogus when you couldn't see the SAM right behind it. NOTHING gets that close to the Capitol anymore. It would have been a smoking heap of aluminum long before that. ;D
It's hard to believe that they'd put a picture like that on the front page - it's tanamount to a lie IMO. It says bad things about our leadership.
Quote from: Eclipse on March 20, 2009, 05:31:44 AM
Why not just stop printing and mailing it and email a link to the high-res PDF to all members?
Because "the members" aren't its only intended audience.
According to this month's PAO Update from HQ/PA, "Beginning in May, NHQ/PA is altering publication of the Civil Air Patrol Volunteer magazine for the remainder of 2009. For the rest of this year, we will be publishing a May-June-July issue in mid-May, an August-September-October issue in mid-August and a November-December issue in mid-November."
So even if this publication schedule change is due to budget considerations, it is only for the rest of this year at this time and there is no official decision announced yet regarding next and future years.
In the meantime, it is a fine publication that beautifully conveys the image of a successful organization to its many, many readers. It makes me proud to be a member of CAP!