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UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY North American Safe Boating Campaign Report Winter District 8CR Conference, 2006
There are almost always some changes to report at the start of the new year, and 2006 is no exception. While the theme for the NASBC will remain “Boat Smart. Boat Safe. Wear it!”, the biggest change this year is that the Safe Boating Council will not send out ordering packets by mail this year. That’s a pretty big change for those of us that have been around for a while. All materials ordering will be handled on the NASBC website, www.safeboatingcampaign.org. This change is, not surprisingly, to save money, and I have been expecting it for several years. In fact, just so I could be ahead of the game I ordered our flotillas materials online last year. I was impressed…it went off without a hitch (it is an easy-to-use website) and the materials got here faster than they ever have in the past. Unfortunately, I checked the website for the 2006 campaign as I write this report and the site is still under construction as of late January. I suspect they will have it up and running very soon, however.
The biggest potential problems I see that this creates are (1) Not everyone has access to computers and/or some don’t feel “safe” ordering online and (2) not receiving packets by mail means there is no “reminder” to order materials. As for the first problem, if the NSBW and/or PA officer doesn’t have a computer or doesn’t like to order online, odds are someone in your flotilla will. As for the second problem, I will try to remind the PA/NSBW officers by mid-march to order materials. If you order by late March, there will be absolutely no problem in getting the materials to your flotilla in due time.
The dates for the 2006 campaign will be May 20-26. Remember, now is the time to be planning for the event…BEFORE things get busy once the weather warms up. We had some really creative campaigns for 2005, and four flotillas will receive the 8CR NASBC Award for their work. There were some more reports that came really close to winning this year. If your flotilla did not win and you are wondering why, please encourage your NSBW liaisons and their committees to look closely at the scoring criteria I will send out soon. The scoring criteria has not changed in four years, and if you worked hard but didn’t win I’d try to pay close attention to what we are looking at when grading.
I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts again this year. Remember, if you want to see what a winning report looks like, or if you need ideas or suggestions for your campaign, I am just an e-mail or call away and I would be happy to help. Best of luck!
UPDATE 3/17/2006
I have not been able to contact the flotilla PA/NSBW officers directly due to the fact I cannot obtain your e-mail addresses yet. Please let this serve as your reminder that you need to order your campaign materials by the end of March. Visit www.safeboatingcampaign.org and visit the “Campaign Resources” tab to order your materials. Remember the Safe Boating Council WILL NOT send campaign packets to you this year…and there will be no reminder to order….YOU MUST REMEMBER TO ORDER ONLINE. I can assure you it is a well-designed website and the ordering is quick and painless…and you receive your materials faster than ever before (I tried it myself last year in anticipation of this happening at some point).
Again, good luck with your campaigns and I look forward to speaking with you directly soon.
Ward McFarland, NSBW 8CR |
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