Family Motor Coach Association
Encyclopedia
The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) is an international organization
of families who own and enjoy the recreational use of motorhome
s. Since 1963 FMCA has issued more than 390,000 memberships to families who look to the association as their source of information about all facets of motorhome ownership and travel. FMCA is a member-owned association that maintains its headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio
, USA and employs a full-time office staff. FMCA is governed by volunteer officers who are elected from within the ranks of the association.
, Maine
, USA to socialize and become acquainted with other "house car" owners. They decided to form a motor coach owners' common interest group. A monument to commemorate the founding was dedicated at the school on July 4 1994.
— a self-propelled, completely self-contained vehicle that contains all the conveniences of a home, including cooking, sleeping, and permanent sanitary facilities and in which the driver’s area is accessible in a walking position from the living quarters. These can be original-manufacture motorhomes, such as those made by Winnebago Industries
, or conversions from other types of vehicle, of which buses are the most common.
FMCA has more than 120,000 member families who hail from every state of U.S.A as well as Canada
, Mexico
, Great Britain
, and beyond. FMCA also has 2,500 commercial members — dealers, suppliers, manufacturers, campgrounds, service facilities and other firms servicing the motorhome owner or the motorhome industry.
Most members are only occasional users, while others live in their coaches full-time.
FMCA holds two international motorhome conventions each year, at various locations in the United States. Motorhome manufacturers, dealers and RV suppliers display their latest products. The events take place over a four-day period and can attract 3,000 to 5,000 motor coaches.
International organization
An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...
of families who own and enjoy the recreational use of motorhome
Motorhome
A motorhome is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle or RV which offers living accommodation combined with a vehicle engine. The term motorhome is most commonly used in the UK, US, and Canada.-Features:...
s. Since 1963 FMCA has issued more than 390,000 memberships to families who look to the association as their source of information about all facets of motorhome ownership and travel. FMCA is a member-owned association that maintains its headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, USA and employs a full-time office staff. FMCA is governed by volunteer officers who are elected from within the ranks of the association.
Formation
On July 20 1963, 26 families met at the Good Will-Hinckley School in HinckleyHinckley
Hinckley is a town in southwest Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 43,246 . It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, USA to socialize and become acquainted with other "house car" owners. They decided to form a motor coach owners' common interest group. A monument to commemorate the founding was dedicated at the school on July 4 1994.
Membership
Membership in FMCA is contingent upon ownership of a motorhomeMotorhome
A motorhome is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle or RV which offers living accommodation combined with a vehicle engine. The term motorhome is most commonly used in the UK, US, and Canada.-Features:...
— a self-propelled, completely self-contained vehicle that contains all the conveniences of a home, including cooking, sleeping, and permanent sanitary facilities and in which the driver’s area is accessible in a walking position from the living quarters. These can be original-manufacture motorhomes, such as those made by Winnebago Industries
Winnebago Industries
Winnebago Industries Inc., , is a manufacturer of motor homes, a type of recreational vehicle or RV, in the United States. It is based in Forest City, Iowa.-Corporate history:...
, or conversions from other types of vehicle, of which buses are the most common.
FMCA has more than 120,000 member families who hail from every state of U.S.A as well as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and beyond. FMCA also has 2,500 commercial members — dealers, suppliers, manufacturers, campgrounds, service facilities and other firms servicing the motorhome owner or the motorhome industry.
Most members are only occasional users, while others live in their coaches full-time.
Code of Ethics
Every member of FMCA agrees to follow the Association’s Code of Ethics, which requires members to comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the ownership and use of family motor coaches. The Code of Ethics also calls for members to be "good neighbors, careful and responsible coach owners and operators, and good citizens of our communities."Purpose
The purpose of FMCA is to organize social activities, exchange motorhome information, and supply benefits made possible, in part, by collective purchasing. The group publishes Family Motor Coaching, a monthly magazine. It provides news concerning motorhome technology, the RV industry and the association. However, perhaps the most important FMCA member benefits are the fun and camaraderie shared by people who enjoy the common interest of motorhome travel. The Association is rich in the tradition of members extending hands of genuine friendship to one another. FMCA members can be identified by the FMCA “goose egg," or membership emblem, displayed on their motorhome. This oval plate, embossed with the family's membership number, opens the door for many friendly encounters while traveling.Chapters and conventions
FMCA encourages the development of local, regional and specialty chapters. These chapters — FMCA has approximately 500 of them — organize events of particular interest to their members, including numerous rallies throughout the year. Regional rallies, composed of several chapters from a geographic area, also are held annually. Many FMCA chapters cover specific or general geographic areas. Others are dedicated to a motorhome brand, a hobby or a special interest. Special-interest chapters include golf, crafts, amateur radio, single RVers and handicapped RVers.FMCA holds two international motorhome conventions each year, at various locations in the United States. Motorhome manufacturers, dealers and RV suppliers display their latest products. The events take place over a four-day period and can attract 3,000 to 5,000 motor coaches.