ECA Membership Suggestions

[nveid]

I've been reading through the forum.. Great stuff, I think ECA is an awesome idea. Definately needs some revamping however.

First off, just a mere seal on your website for membership... Hrm, not that inviting. Just donation spots for non-members? Ok, not so great either. How about a tact at marketing which will appeal better to the average person that would like to appeal to this cause?

I heard shots at NRA membersihp being $35 and other types of membership where people might get a free hat or t-shirt with their membership.. Great idea! Add a bit of marketing to this whole thing. You need multiple level of membership.

1) Merchant Membership(perhaps make fee a formula based upon a certain percentage of their sales profit would equal their level of membership, with of course a higher amount denoting the base $ amount.. Be creative! A flat fee price structure won't attract everyone)
Benefits: Recognized member of the Electronic Cigarettes Assosciation, Vaping to the consumer, and supporter of our legal writes to continue vaping. A seal great, yes, ability to offer discount Consumber Memberships with sales. If enough money could be gained through this process perhaps a testing method of their liquids in comparision to FDA results so that they can throw their own statement on this as well slating they are free of "X". The ECA needs to be the lobbying, spin, and advertising arm of the industry. Suppliers need to treat is as such for it is fed the right fuel it needs it very well keep our industry alive and so that is not a thing of the pass. If the FDA ban does come, if the ECA is funded enough perhaps the ECA will be responsible for bringing us back after the ban happens.

2) Consumer Membership(should be considerably lower than merchant membership, perhaps even only onetime anual payment for Basic membership)
Benefits: Again, a recognized member of ECA. Though being a consumer, consumers may want a little more than just lobbying ability. Perhaps minimum 5% discount on all products of ECA merchant members. That does 2 things, promotes Merchant Members products and makes members more likely to buy from ECA affiliated suppliers and attracts more member donations to the cause. Works for all of us. Give them a card stating they are an ECA member with an id assosciated it that can verify membership as well. People like official things like this as well! Hell, an additional level of money contributed at membership throw in a t-shirt, hat & what not. There are many novelty suppliers that can do this at a very reasonable price to make this profitable for our lobbying cause!

3) International Membership) Based upon level of international membership, china, being the root suppliers should feed into this as well considering the US is a big consumer of their products as well as other manafactures and suppliers over there. They should contribute as well, and ECA should reach out to them so that they fund this project so that the vaporizers may continue coming over here and if a ban does happen in the interim the ECA may strive to continue to fight for the relegalization of them. Other smaller countries, perhaps based upon their economy their fees may need to change to denotate their currency differences.

This is a fight guys, lets treat it as so. We must all help in anyway we can, these are our rights at stake. If any ECA board member wants to contact me. I have plenti other ideas that may definately help out the cause to see that it survives and can rightfully appeal membership to people and go on with the fight.
-- RLB

[nveid]

Just to emphasize the needs for consumber membership.

Say for example basic membership is $35. 1000 esmokers get a membership, thats $35,000 of contributions. Not much but is definately a start. Now lets say they went through their ECA member suppliers and go the discounted $30 which was just as sexy. Thats still $30,000, which they wanted to do cause it appealed to them cause they get an extra 5% off their order, all future orders & what not plus they become an active supporter of the esmoker cause and are on the ECA Mailing List. Or what if they got the Super Membership got the hat and t-shirt too for $100.. Anywho, see where I'm getting at? More attractive membership options are, there more likely the ECA will get the funding it really needs to survive and fight for the cause.

[TheIllustratedMan]

...and a yearly convention! I'd go.

[souporvapor]

Great ideas...
and since Facebook and MySpace are so popular why not offer the 'consumer level' member a 'membership seal' and a link (or short blurb) that can be on their site.

Get the word out ASAP..... hats and t's are great along with cards and take a while to design/produce.

the best might be via http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/eca/eca/www....
don't they call that going viral or something.

ECA - We don't need no stinking tobacco
ECA - Fighting for Your Right To Choose
ECA - Standing up For Your Rights

Yup, it's late
but you get the idea.

BTW - I just put this on my Facebook Page
4 Your Health: E-Cigarettes | Today's TMJ4 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin News, Weather, Sports, WTMJ | Special Assignment

[lvlninety9]

Not that I don't agree with the consumer memberships and such. But my biggest question is this. Why join a group that is supposed to be fighting the good fight for our right to vape that can't address the the current situation properly? A simple statement arguing the facts that we as vapers know to be false shouldn't be responded to by something that is irrelevant. The current FDA study which is garbage to begin with should have had a response from the ECA arguing it's validity with facts. They instead tried to dispute it by saying that it's to narrow but not offering up explanation as to why. That's the equivalent to a child saying you lie like a fly with a booger in your eye. Yes stupid I know. But that's the failure of a response that we get from an organization that so far seems like it can't get it right. Also the last 3 articles which the ECA supposedly contributed to contained about the same content as their faulty statement which simply said "It's to narrow of a study and shouldn't be considered." And then they give no fact or reasoning behind the statement. I for one would never join an association that is that much of a failure. I will also continue an effort to discredit them since they obviously have no clue what they are doing. Until they start to get it right I suggest offering no funds to help. All I ever see is them asking for money and then spitting out garbage in return. The articles and their response to the latest FDA study is proof of that matter.

[LaceyUnderall]

all excellent suggestions and it's funny that they came up today in a thread as this was a topic of discussion just yesterday (amongst many other things obviously).

As the ECA is now 3 whole months old, please bear with the group as much needs to be done. Consumer membership is currently being organized.

I am sure NYCSublimeGirl will stop in here and check this out and as she is the consumer liason, she will definitely take your comments to heart and ensure implementation to some degree.

Thanks to all who support the idea of the ECA. And to those who don't, only time will tell if we can persuade you differently.

[Cori]

I think letting the consumers become part of the ECA is a great idea. There is power in numbers and the extra donations can't hurt. I don't really care so much about the details, I'm sure you guys will come up with something appropriate.

[HopingToQuit]

I am all for a consumer level of ECA membership and probably will support them if it comes together.
I posted a few less than positive responses on how the ECA is currently not meeting my expectations but it is meant as constructive criticism. My hope is that they will see that there those of us that want them to get more forcefull and proactive. I am not privy to what does on in the background and want to believe that its just the fact that they are still just getting there feet under them and will eventualy become a more effective force. The probelm is we don't have the luxury of lots of time to get our message out.

[nycsublimegirl]

The BOD of the ECA has just voted in an associate member level for suppliers to meet the needs of those smaller companies wishing to join $200 app fee and $100 a month due... please contact me asap if you are interested.

[Olio]

The BOD of the ECA has just voted in an associate member level for suppliers to meet the needs of those smaller companies wishing to join $200 app fee and $100 a month due... please contact me asap if you are interested.

Surely you're kidding, right? $35 a YEAR plus you get a free hat or T-shirt, to join an organization that actually has some lobbying power like the NRA....or $1400 a year to join some organization that can't even be more effective than one individual, namely Spikey? I'll pass.