OHI Approves Direct Membership Option for Campgrounds – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
On Monday, Jan. 29, OHI’s Board of Directors voted to shift the organization’s business model, offering more member choices for RV parks and campgrounds across the country, according to a release issued late yesterday.
The announcement comes a day after OHI – formerly known as National ARVC – issued a release that “Reaffirms Core Members in New Mission Statement.” After hearing from members that there was concern OHI was moving away from its core constituency — RV parks and campgrounds — the OHI board of directors wanted to clarify that is not the case and did so by amending the OHI mission statement to include specific mention of this most important segment of its membership, according to Thursday’s announcement.
According to the announcement, effective Jan. 1, 2025, the dues collection model for national membership will shift, allowing RV parks and campgrounds to join OHI directly, regardless of geographic location.
These changes are historic. For decades, member campgrounds were spread across the country in partnering and non-partnering states. Members in non-partnering states paid their dues directly to OHI and members in partnering states paid membership dues, which included both state and national dues, directly to state associations. The state association would then send the national portion to OHI.
This also caused confusion with members not clearly knowing which benefits they received from the national level versus benefits received from the state association.
“I’m excited for the RV parks, campgrounds and the entire outdoor hospitality industry,” said Joe Moore, CPO, OHE, chair of the OHI Board of Directors and owner of Moore’s Campground Consulting. “With the approval from the OHI Board of Directors and the support of past OHI chairs, totaling more than 1,000 years of industry experience, we have prepared OHI and its members for the future. OHI is now positioned to grow as the voice of the outdoor hospitality industry, supporting RV parks and campgrounds across the country.”
“This new model streamlines the process and allows RV parks and campgrounds to choose if they want to be members at the national level, the state level, or both. OHI will continue, as it always has, to encourage membership at both the national and state level, because each membership provides different benefits and together make your business more successful,” stated the press release. “The ‘full package’ if you will, of resources, market intelligence and professional development at the national and state level gives you the most opportunities to ensure the most success of your business, and our industry as a whole.”
“The strategy for OHI is to be more member-driven and our focus will be on making OHI a value-driven organization, offering members a great mix of benefits, advocacy and professional development,” said Jeff Hoffman, president of the Ohio Campground Owners Association (OCOA) and owner of Sandusky/Bayshore KOA. “The model OHI had been operating under was not sustainable, but this new model allows for a new freedom of choice for our members.”
Hoffman also serves as treasurer on the OHI Board of Directors.
“I was proud to be invited to the recent OHI board meeting as the board considered a new policy manual for the organization,” explained Kathy Palmeri, OHI’s past chair. “Having worked on a portion of that manual with a task force group that included myself, Al Johnson, Deb Carter, Jeff Hoffman and Bert Davis, I was happy to see the board agree to changes that will make it easier for OHI to manage its membership while still offering great support to state associations and other organizations. It’s a win-win for everyone in the outdoor hospitality industry.”
OHI will continue to support the success of state associations, offering a slate of strategic benefit opportunities to any organizations that share OHI’s dedication to advancing the outdoor hospitality industry. OHI is actively sharing these new opportunities with current partnering state leaders and members, according to the release.
“Members are our most valued asset and OHI exists to serve and support those members across the country today, tomorrow and for years to come,” said Paul Bambei, President and CEO of OHI. “This process started in 2022 after conversations with fellow industry leaders, consultations with association management expert Bob Harris and legal guidance. This shift in our business model was made, in part, to mitigate financial risks as state associations are their own individual 501(c)6 incorporations, with separate reporting requirements to the IRS. Most importantly, we felt our members deserved a choice. We want to be able to prove the value of OHI membership and empower RV park and campground owners and operators to make the choice for themselves.”
If your park is in a current partnering state and you’ve paid your dues for the 2024 calendar year, you are in good standing with your state association and OHI through Dec. 31, 2024. If you’re unsure of your membership status, reach out to the OHI team at [email protected].
