Dear members and Onewheel community,

This season has been the calm before the storm for IOWA. The shiny new logo you see above (created by Float365) isn’t all that’s new. We know we’ve been quiet–too quiet–but we’ve been far from idle, and we have so much to share with you! 

Introducing the New Board of Directors

First, we have several new faces on our board of directors, as well as new leadership. This checks off one of the boxes on our list of 2022 goals: to grow our board membership!

Our team now includes: Aaron Alexander (Vice President), Vitto Campuzano (founding member and Treasurer), Fabio Costa (Europe liaison), Troy Hendrick (legal expert), Cauri Jaye (founding member), Noah Priest-Goodsett (legal expert), Amanda Thompson (President and blog manager), and Chris Unger (Secretary and social media).

Welcome to our new directors, and thank you all for being part of our mission to legitimize and advocate for the sport of Onewheel! We do have one vacant seat on the board of directors, so please contact hello@theiowa.org if you’d like to get involved.

New Membership Model

Second, in service of our goal to grow IOWA’s general membership, we’re introducing a new membership model that we think will work better for many of you. But before we get into that, we want to take a moment to address some questions and concerns that some of you have recently raised regarding our membership structure. 

Why does IOWA charge money to join?

IOWA is a 501c7 tax-exempt organization. This categorizes us as a social or recreational club and comes with a set of rules we must follow. For example, a 501c7 doesn’t have to be charitable, but it must be non-profitable and serve a social or recreational purpose. 

The biggie? IOWA must support itself primarily through “dues, fees, charges, or other funds paid by members.” As a 501c7, we can only accept limited donations or investments totaling no more than 35% of our total income. This is why we charge a membership fee. It’s how we keep the lights on and the Onewheels charged, which of course is a priority for all of us!

To become a 501c3 and do away with membership fees, IOWA would have to meet additional requirements for international sporting associations, such as providing training facilities and equipment for members. 

We would love to do this someday. Until we get there, 501c7 is the appropriate designation for IOWA, and we must build our organization within that framework.

Where Does My Money Go?

IOWA keeps detailed records of our income and spending. Over the last 24 months, our main expenses have been contract services related to creating and maintaining the website, blog, and ranking system. The more we grow our membership, the more we will be able to direct those funds outward to support our mission. 

IOWA and the IRS

You can view our 501c7 determination letter and tax history from 2019 through the present on the IRS website. Simply search by organization name (International One Wheel Association) and enter Medley, FL as the location.

More Membership Options

We know that our current membership fee of $88 per year can be a little steep for some people. On the flip side, others have told us they wish they could give more. That’s why we’re introducing three membership tiers, along with the option to pay monthly or annually depending on your budget. 

For you extra-generous folks, we did add a “Donate” button in case you want to support IOWA’s mission with a one-time donation. We will, of course, keep a close eye on donations to make sure we don’t exceed the IRS limit.

Member Perks

For the price of a decent latte (and considerably less than that, in this economy), members on the first tier enjoy vendor discounts and access to exclusive content. Each of the higher tiers will come with its own collection of benefits and perks, which we will detail in our next update–our way of saying thanks for your support!

Exclusive Member Content

Going forward, the IOWA blog will become “Members Only.” You can still view previous posts to get a taste of what we have to offer. Check out our latest content below, and sign up now to avoid missing our upcoming content, including Race for the Rail coverage and a deep dive on VESC innovations!

Update on IOWA’s 2022 Goals

Ranking System Nearly Complete

It was one of IOWA’s primary goals this year to create a comprehensive system for ranking the world’s most competitive riders, and we are so, so close to delivering it! Platform development is complete. We have collected data from all major Onewheel races from 2020 to the present. And, we’ve enlisted a data scientist to implement his algorithm on our platform.

Our next steps will be to fine-tune the system as a board and solicit additional feedback from members. We are also looking for data from events that did not receive a Onewheel Racing League sanction, such as Wheel Fun Weekend, Northwest Electric Fest, etc. Contact hello@theiowa.org if you’d like to help with either of these directives!

Trails Etc.

As for our other 2022 goals, they have been on the back burner while we took care of some critical housekeeping, but those initiatives are still simmering! We are continuing to gather resources that trail riders can share with their local trail associations, parks leadership, and law enforcement to ensure access and inclusion. We still aim to deliver this Trail Advocacy Resource Kit as a first step by the end of the year, with a big vision for trail advocacy in 2023 and beyond!

Thanks for staying with us! Every member matters, and we need your support now more than ever.

Sincerely,
The IOWA Board of Directors