Promoting CAP and thinking outside the Box

[Platelet]

As some of you may know, Karen Johnson is among many other things a blogger on the current fashion craze of "boxes", don't know what that is about, read her blog.

She is also a new CAP member and a retired USAF NCO, yes she is all that and more.

Well when our own fashion reviewer received a slightly different box in the mail...well she did what came naturally and posted a review. I invite you all to enjoy this one and encourage you to share it with others. This may be a great way to generate interest in CAP.

http://unpackthebox.blogspot.com/2013/07/civil-air-patrol-box.html


040- ALL THE WAY!

Timo Johnson

[MacGruff]

It's interesting for me to see her writeup. I joined in April and about a week ago got a similar box in the mail. Mine had the binder and inside the binder were four pages of information.

Nothing else.

Huh?

[MSG Mac]

National announced several weeks agothat in a cost cutting measure the Senior Member books would no longer be provided to new members. You (or your unit) are now expected to download the materials. It did lower the cost for new members from $70 to $60.

[Walkman]

To bad for the newbies, I dig my binder.

[Майор Хаткевич]

To bad for the newbies, I dig my binder.

They get the binder, just nothing else.

WIWAC, I got the crappy 3" Ring Binder that was NOT a zipper/cloth mix, but a plastic one that fell apart within a year. (It also came with pretty much 3" worth of all types of regulations, pamphlets, etc. Going to CDs, I believe is when cadets stopped reading regs...because they weren't right there next to the leadership materials).

When I rolled over to SM, I never got a SM binder either, so I've only held other people's pretty binders, and have been sans my own since 2005.

[MacGruff]

National announced several weeks agothat in a cost cutting measure the Senior Member books would no longer be provided to new members. You (or your unit) are now expected to download the materials. It did lower the cost for new members from $70 to $60.

I saw that announcement and those changes took effect on July 15th.

[Eclipse]

"Subscription boxes"?

[Critical AOA]

I have never heard of her or a fashion craze of boxes. 

[NIN]

I think subscription boxes are sort of a cross between "beer of the month club" and "grab bags".

ETA: with less beer, I mean.

[The Infamous Meerkat]

Less beer???     

[NIN]

Less beer???     

well, you know...

[Patterson]

So the printed material inside the "new Senior Member" binders cost $10.00??  I see Vanguard sells similar binders for $25.00, the supplier of the binder lists the base price online at $19.90. I have averaged the nationwide USPS costs to $9.50 shipping from Alabama.

So a new Senior joins, pays the $60.00 and immediately $30.00 gos toward the Binder/shipping.  Am I missing what's economical about this?!?

These are expenses that should be cut entirely!  Each and every Squadron has a laptop and all laptops after 2005 have the ability to burn CDs. Time to stop sending Binders (which I rarely see Seniors use anyway) and pass more savings onto the membership!

In fact, there are no holes in the new Cadet Texts, thus cut that binder expense out as well!  Going one further, combining all six aerospace modules into one single book should save cash as well.

Those that have no knowledge of business seem to be running the business of CAP!

Must we really give "stuff" to the new member?  I say let the new member have the option of opting out of receiving "physical stuff"!!

[NIN]

Don't assume that the price Vanguard sells *anything* for is the price that CAP pays for things via their own vendors.

When CAP orders 1000 (round guesstimate number, its likely more!) binders from Joe's Custom Binders and Snappy Rulers, they might pay, say, $5 each for those.

Vanguard can *also* order those same binders from Joe's Custom Binders and Snappy Rulers for resale, but their price structure is likely to be different.  Especially since a) its from a 3rd party and not of their own manufacture; and b) they probably sell far less binders than CAP would mail out, by a large factor, so they order far less.

So maybe Vanguard winds up ordering 100 binders, and they get them for $10 each.  Then they mark it up 100+%. Because thats how they make money.  So the custom binder that CAP just paid $5 for is now $25 via Vanguard.

Sounds like a quick way to make some dough on forgetful members.

[Walkman]

So the printed material inside the "new Senior Member" binders cost $10.00??  I see Vanguard sells similar binders for $25.00, the supplier of the binder lists the base price online at $19.90. I have averaged the nationwide USPS costs to $9.50 shipping from Alabama.

So a new Senior joins, pays the $60.00 and immediately $30.00 gos toward the Binder/shipping.  Am I missing what's economical about this?!?

These are expenses that should be cut entirely!  Each and every Squadron has a laptop and all laptops after 2005 have the ability to burn CDs. Time to stop sending Binders (which I rarely see Seniors use anyway) and pass more savings onto the membership!

In fact, there are no holes in the new Cadet Texts, thus cut that binder expense out as well!  Going one further, combining all six aerospace modules into one single book should save cash as well.

Those that have no knowledge of business seem to be running the business of CAP!

Must we really give "stuff" to the new member?  I say let the new member have the option of opting out of receiving "physical stuff"!!

I'm not entirely in disagreement with you. Things could certainly me done more efficiently in this day, and I'm always for moving more money to direct support for our 3 missions. That being said, I don't know about you, but when I was a new SM, getting the binder in the mail was really cool. Since the only thing that ever comes to my mailbox anymore is bills, getting a package is always exciting. It made it a little more real for some reason.

The binder contents certainly needed updating though. I messed up my first blues shirt because the uniform guide in the binder still showed wing patches on the sleeve. They had all the ICLs on the CD, but being a newb, I didn't know to look.

I wonder how many SMs really use the binder as well. I see some here and there, but what I'm seeing more of are SMs with tablets.

[Eclipse]

A "new member information and materials" section of eServices would force people to log in there when
they get their membership card, and also allow for ease of update when the materials change.

[NIN]

Binders weren't sent to newbie SMs when I transitioned from the cadet program.

When I un-retired, I got a binder.

I felt like this a little:

The new phonebook is here (The Jerk)

[jimmydeanno]

I think that our new members need to get -something- other than just an ID card in the mail.  Even an AARP membership offers a free gym bag.  That something is what makes the membership -real- to many people, especially cadets. 

Maybe the seniors get an embroidered polo shirt with their membership, with the polo uniform sheet, and instructions on how to log into e-services, which would then have some sort of welcome video, some modules to complete, etc.

When you renew, we could have a different CAP kitch item each year.  Coffee mug, binder, briefcase, notepad, window sticker, etc.  Sure, its a gimmick, but people like getting -stuff-.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Actually on to something. What if the first layer of eservices was JUST the initial stuff they MUST complete? Think of how much easier it would get. No more searching out the tests. There is a checklist and you go in order. Once fully completed the full menu opens up.

[Jaison009]

I think that our new members need to get -something- other than just an ID card in the mail.  Even an AARP membership offers a free gym bag.  That something is what makes the membership -real- to many people, especially cadets. 

Maybe the seniors get an embroidered polo shirt with their membership, with the polo uniform sheet, and instructions on how to log into e-services, which would then have some sort of welcome video, some modules to complete, etc.

When you renew, we could have a different CAP kitch item each year.  Coffee mug, binder, briefcase, notepad, window sticker, etc.  Sure, its a gimmick, but people like getting -stuff-.

How about a screened/embroidered polo without a pocket on it?

[jimmydeanno]

I think that our new members need to get -something- other than just an ID card in the mail.  Even an AARP membership offers a free gym bag.  That something is what makes the membership -real- to many people, especially cadets. 

Maybe the seniors get an embroidered polo shirt with their membership, with the polo uniform sheet, and instructions on how to log into e-services, which would then have some sort of welcome video, some modules to complete, etc.

When you renew, we could have a different CAP kitch item each year.  Coffee mug, binder, briefcase, notepad, window sticker, etc.  Sure, its a gimmick, but people like getting -stuff-.

How about a screened/embroidered polo without a pocket on it?

I'd love for the cigarette pocket to go away.  However, it should be whatever the current uniform item is.