Letter to Renee Moore

Below is an email I sent to Renee Moore regarding the advertising and promotion of CASI. I'll let everyone know if I get a response :)


Hi Renee,

I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent letters, responses, and opinions (mine included!) regarding promotion of CASI and the TICC winner. I’m not in marketing and I certainly don’t have the savvy that Jim Ezell or a few other cooks have when it comes to promoting our organization. However, I do run a business and I understand the dilemma so many businesses have when it comes to deciding when it does and does not make sense to spend money. I am always the last one on board when it comes to spending money. I have, in the past few years, reluctantly agreed to make purchases that were somewhat painful at the time, but have paid off in spades for our business. I would hope that CASI could somehow compromise on how it spends its money in an effort to give more tools to Jim and other cooks interested in promoting and advertising CASI.



Please forgive me if any of my suggestions are redundant or already in place so to speak. One of the first things that came to mind over the past week has been a budget review – not just by the board, but by the GP’s. Rather than looking at what is spent after the fact, why couldn’t the finance committee work together to draft a proposed budget for the year in order to look at what is being spent, how it’s being spent and what opportunities might be there in order to spend the money in a way that is beneficial to all of the needs of CASI – including advertising. The advertising issue is never going to go away and unless CASI promotes itself 365 days a year, instead of the weeks following TICC and with a champion to help, we’re never going to consistently gain any ground when it comes to increasing membership and sponsorship. As wonderful as Jim is at what he does, his hands are tied by the very organization he is trying to sell. In my opinion, CASI cannot continue to ask its members and sponsors to bear the burden of financing our hobby unless the organization itself is willing to spend money to help its cause as well.



Another idea I had concerns the membership cards and Terlingua Trails. What real purpose do our membership cards serve? They seem to be a needless expense. Yes, it may not be a large expense; but after awhile, small dollars add up. I view the Trails the same way. Why, in this day and age, do we continue to communicate with all of our membership via print? CASI could save so much money by allowing the members to choose how they receive their Trails. I am aware that there are a lot of people without internet access and those who still like to receive it via the USPS. Still, why can’t CASI poll the membership and ask if they are willing to give up a membership card and a paper version of the Trails. I know money could be saved and spent in other areas of need.



My last suggestion regards an actual PR/Advertising position for CASI. I don’t believe it needs or even has to be a board member. We have so many talented people in our organization. Why can’t we have one person with a team of volunteers to advertise CASI? I don’t know if it needs to be a paid position, but why not offer a paid membership to CASI for a year? What about an expense reimbursement for their time and materials to promote and advertise CASI? I know it will cost money, but how much money is CASI making by remaining stagnant and not really committed to innovating and advertising its brand?



I hope you will look upon this email as suggestive rather than critical. I feel that the BOD needs to reach out to the members and capitalize on so many of us willing to volunteer our time and talents to make CASI a strong and viable organization. If CASI wants to just be a group of people that cook chili and raise money for charity as a benefit, then it needs to get that point across to the membership and stop with all pomp and circumstance of being something that we really aren’t. If CASI wants to be viewed as a large, charitable organization committed to its members, charities, and sponsors, then CASI is going to have to step up their game in order to get the name recognition needed in order to bring in more people to support CASI and cook chili for CASI.



Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you at the Great Peppers Meeting in a few weeks.