The CAL-MOAA Rally 2006 was a fine event poorly attended. Why?

MOAA has something like 25 to 35 thousand members in California. A good number of these individuals are not affiliated with a chapter.

The target for Rally attendance was 500; actual attendance was 50 or so, mainly chapter officers and spouses. I am still convinced the Rally and associated Golf Tournament would have reached or exceeded its attendance goal if every MOAA member in California had been sufficiently informed.

The primary mistake was communications. Few MOAA members knew about the event. Some that did know, didn’t grasp that life, including the life of our MOAA, entails a lot more than business meetings. It is enjoyable to do and see things and frequently more fun to do them with others with a similar heritage.

If I had to do it over again, an enticing invitation should have been sent directly to each and every member. I, now with regret, trusted MOAA National, CAL-MOAA, and the individual chapters would fulfill the communications roll effectively. Big mistake.

To me the MOAA organization is flawed by not assigning each and every member to the chapter in closest proximity to the member. Some chapters are flawed by not being a part of CAL-MOAA. Others are flawed by not effectively passing the word to their membership.

Without effective communications virtually anything is doomed. The Rally is simply an example. In the military, command and control is essential to an operation - no different in the civilian world.

Vr,

Phelps Hobart, Chairman
CAL-MOAA Rally 2006