Recruitment idea: at 4 years 10 months of inactivity...

[Holding Pattern]

... Contact the member and offer to send them their personal file instead of destroying it.

This gives us a legitimate non-pushy reason to talk to inactive members about CAP, and it could result in a significant conversion of cadet members to senior members. Finding contact data these days in cases of moves is also much easier.

Thoughts?

[Eclipse]

If they are still a member at 4 years and 10 months, they aren't "inactive" (even if they never show up).

Inactive records retention only applies to former members.

With that said, no one should be in active status for 4 years and 10 months, but NHQ still allows it.

[Holding Pattern]

I used poor wording.

A member stops paying cap for 4 years and 10 months. We reach out at that point.

[Eclipse]

I used poor wording.

A member stops paying cap for 4 years and 10 months. We reach out at that point.

The regulations require they be destroyed.  There is no mechanism for returning the originals to the
former member and doing so would be a violation of 39-2.

[PHall]

I used poor wording.

A member stops paying cap for 4 years and 10 months. We reach out at that point.

You actually have a "good" current address on former members?  Impressive!

[Holding Pattern]

I used poor wording.

A member stops paying cap for 4 years and 10 months. We reach out at that point.

The regulations require they be destroyed.  There is no mechanism for returning the originals to the
former member and doing so would be a violation of 39-2.

Ok, then send them a copy as you destroy the original.

[DoubleSecret]

... Contact the member and offer to send them their personal file instead of destroying it.

This gives us a legitimate non-pushy reason to talk to inactive members about CAP, and it could result in a significant conversion of cadet members to senior members. Finding contact data these days in cases of moves is also much easier.

Thoughts?

I like and encourage the initiative and nontraditional thinking. 

I also respectfully question the use of time and resources to call/copy/send files to people who are at the half-decade point of not caring about CAP.  That energy might be better spent on maintaining our paying members.

The approach sounds roughly akin to cold-calling your ex-girlfriend who dumped you five years ago and saying "I've got this old list of stuff we did together," and offering to send it to her in hopes that she'll get back together with you.  She, like the hypothetical former member, has likely moved on.

[Capt Thompson]

Starfleet seems to have gone through the same thing I went through......returning member with a long period between service. More than 5 years (3 years?) = records being destroyed = no record left of any accomplishments = start over from scratch. It sucks, but that's how it is.

I think a lot of members don't think about making copies of their records when they leave, and many think that all the old files are stored away somewhere at NHQ or Wing for eternity, so it's a surprise when you come back and find the records you hoped would still be sitting in a file cabinet were shredded a few years back.

[Eclipse]

Ok, then send them a copy as you destroy the original.

A: Why?

B: Based on what allowance by which regulation. The regulation indicates "destroy".  That is a clear directive.
If you're overly concerned about the member having a copy, there's no reason to wait 5 years to do it.

Beyond that, these are people who have chosen to disassociate from CAP, in most cases permanently,
and who either already had copies of their file, made a copy of their file upon leaving, or didn't care enough
about CAP to bother when they left.

[Eclipse]

Starfleet seems to have gone through the same thing I went through......returning member with a long period between service. More than 5 years (3 years?) = records being destroyed = no record left of any accomplishments = start over from scratch. It sucks, but that's how it is.

Few, if any, accomplishments of import to a returning member with that much absence, would be in the file to begin with, and a member has
a level of responsibility to keep the things they feel are important.

Also, now that the vast majority of duty assignments and training are in eServices (with decs soon to follow), the electronic record will be there if they ever return.
If, for example, a member receives a decoration that they don't think is important enough to keep in their own files after they leave,
it certainly isn't CAP's issue to consider it important. 

[Private Investigator]

..returning member with a long period between service.

I had a member who left CAP in the early 1950s and wanted to come back as a Lt Col after a 30+ years absence (for the grandkids). He had a letter from a Sheriff addressing him as a Major, CAP so we reinstated him as a Major. A year later he wanted Lt Col.