17.3.02022

Post photo: Sülmerstraße | © Shutterstock

Table of Contents

association work

The trip to Stuttgart was worth it, because everyone involved can be satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. Our associations, not just all clubs, have been facing a turning point for some time now, and those responsible have to react in order not to fall behind.

Members today need different offerings than they did a few decades ago. Above all, however, they expect more and more voluntary associations and clubs — i.e. other voluntarily active members (!) — to restructure the offer in such a way that the clubs and associations react very flexibly to the current needs of (potential) members and thus start a campaign overnight or offer a very specific series of events.

And all clubs or associations that will not be able to do this in the future will find themselves in increasingly difficult waters. Unless they have a unique selling proposition that can only be obtained there and is always in demand - then they can stay afloat in the future.

This is where our association could fully exploit its advantages by developing a wide variety of "out of the box" events and formats and having them available locally worldwide, in order to then offer them as needed in the shortest possible time and anywhere in the entire association or even as a campaign can kick off. The corresponding coordination work is worthwhile. And the many volunteers and honorary professionals on site will certainly be happy if "their offer" is not only accepted locally, but then multiplied in the entire association and then asked again and again - a kind of sustainability, so to speak.

Fifth Column

It took a while, but since today at the latest, the Fifth Column in Europe and especially here in Germany is once again pulling out all the stops. Victor Orban is there, next to Gerhard Schroeder and comrades, rather one of the more well-known Putin understanders: “We have to stay out of this war.” But a party book general, some of whom are still well-known, also hints that one needs to have more and a better understanding of the anti-democrats in all countries.

In addition, I can hardly process the e-mails that try to explain to me that NATO has always been an aggressive alliance that has been responsible for all war crimes in the world for decades. I no longer read the e-mails that absolutely want to explain to me that the Bundeswehr is to blame for everything because our soldiers — we remember: “civilian failures and potential murderers” — are constantly and always throwing taxpayers’ money out the window .

And our own deserters and shirkers are now getting out of hand, defaming any citizen willing to do their duty as cannon fodder and glorifying every Ukrainian deserter as the new messiah.

Should our soldiers start to ask themselves whether it is still worth defending Germany bravely, they would have my full understanding. From my own experience, I can only advise the younger comrades to check the brake hoses and wheel nuts before each trip and to have suitable extinguishing agents ready, because "our peace movement" will certainly be on the road again soon.

knowledge satellites

A new sow is being driven through the city once again, so-called knowledge satellites are intended to increase the attractiveness of the pedestrian zone. It would be much more attractive for the vast majority of city visitors if it was halfway adequate public toilets would exist.

But there are probably no grants and sponsors for such mundane matters. Profits could even be made with such things, because the ancient Romans already knew "pecunia non olet" (Vespasian).

But our administration and marketing professionals know us from Heilbronn much better than I do, and so I'm already looking forward to observing the queues in front of the knowledge satellites. I bet most of these interested people will ask for a loo there.

And so we can soon hear mothers saying to their children: "Hold on a little longer, the next knowledge satellite is just around the corner!" And maybe then the heaps and heaps in the hallways will decrease again?

A message from Arnold Schwarzenegger