Back
in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying , “Every man
owes part of his time and money to the business or industry in which is
engaged. No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an
organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere.”

As
I’ve discovered, in searching for the exact wording of that quote,
associations from every corner of every industry have become fond of
using this quote as a promotional tool. Or maybe “as leverage” is a
better way to put it.

It’s as though they believe that if they
print this quote, members will line up to support their association out
of some sort of moral duty. And so they saturate their marketing
materials with it. On brochures. On websites. On letters to members and
prospective members. Everywhere you look, they’re leveraging the echo of
those 100-year-old words.

Let me tell you something: 1908 was a
long time ago. This type of thinking was common back then, and it was
fueled by a generation or two that set the tone for industry expansion
in the United States. It’s a belief that held true to form during the
Baby Boomer generation. But it’s now becoming a part of history.

Gen
Xers and the Millenials, the Gen Y generation, approach their industry
participation differently.  They want to know “what’s in it for me?”
They’re skeptical of sales pitches. They’re skeptical of the old ways of
doing business. And their involvement in associations is waning.

Bottom
line is that while we here at the MRAA believe in the mantra that we
should support our industry, this association will never operate out of
an expectation for support. We will operate in a manner that every
business should operate in: We will earn your business.

If you
were at this past week’s MDCE, you will have heard the keynote
presentation that was given about the attitudes of the different
generations in the market place. None of them are the wrong attitudes;
they’re just different attitudes. And we will cater to each of them.

You
also heard, if you were at MDCE, that your Marine Retailers Association
is expanding its list of benefits and opportunities in an effort to
demonstrate greater value out of your membership. You’ll see much more
of that in the coming days, weeks and months.

Stay tuned.