By Stewart W. Price, President of the National Motorists Association
At our strategy conference in October at the NMA home office in Waunakee, we asked ourselves a key question:
In what ways does the NMA need to change to meet future challenges and grow?
The resounding response from our Board of Directors: “We absolutely must increase awareness of the NMA.”
The NMA believes that if we are going to increase our influence in the world of irrational transportation legislation and onerous traffic enforcement, we need more clout, more credibility, and just more gumption. If we aspire to become a household name for drivers’ rights, the most respected source for engineering-based research, or the go-to opinion leaders for oppositional views, we need more ammunition.
That’s where communication comes in.
Up to this point, the National Motorists Association has spent considerable time producing stories, articles, and blogs mainly intended to keep you, our valued members, informed of the issues that rule the day. This is important and we will continue to do so.
What we are lacking, however, is more targeted “market-facing” communications that can drive home our point of view, attract new members, and compel others to join in the fight.
I’m pleased to announce that the NMA Board of Directors has authorized me to hire four new, full-time employees. With more dedicated staffers, we can open more channels to get our message out. We have a great story to tell and it’s time to ready ourselves to spread the word.
Of particular note, we will be bringing someone aboard to set public policy, develop relationships with even more journalists, act as a key liaison to our lobbyist in Washington D.C., and most importantly influence the news in a proactive way. We need to be more active on social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and others. We need to use these channels to reach younger audiences.
As your new president, I will continue to talk with members just like you. I am awed by the passion and commitment to protecting the rights of drivers. We have activists and other dedicated advocates. We have subject matter experts. We have those who give their hard-earned money to fund our mission.
The National Motorists Association is not a building or a place; it’s not a small band of people on a payroll. We are an organization represented by drivers in all 50 states as well as several foreign countries.
Even so, we need more horsepower where the rubber hits the road. In the coming days and weeks, expect to hear more from me about how we, the NMA, can leverage our collective power.
I am excited to be just one of many driving this change.