Club Suggestions to Benefit Everyone

by Dave Mathewson, AMA President

I hope all of you newly elected club presidents are getting settled in to your first terms. For those of you starting another year as a club leader, I hope things are going well for you also.

I had an interesting E-mail exchange recently with a relatively new member who was just getting involved in model aviation. This was an older gentleman who, throughout his life, had been involved in several different associations as well as belonging to a number of different clubs. Almost all of these groups were outside of the aeromodeling discipline.

When he decided he wanted to give model aviation a try he, like many of us when we started, sought out a local club, one that would provide him with a place to fly, offer the camaraderie of others who share similar interests, and probably most importantly, would be a resource for help and expertise that he could take advantage of to allow him to become a successful modeler.

The results of his search were so surprising that he decided to write. As he visited various clubs and met their members, he found the environment he was experiencing was different than what he was accustomed to.

He was used to club meetings that had large member turnouts, notable guest speakers, programs of interest to the members, and some even had monthly dinner meetings where club business was conducted. He was used to club events in which the vast majority of the membership participated. All of these activities led to, in his eyes, a greater level of interest and member involvement in the club.

Giving this some thought, I think I can understand what this member was saying.

Quite often I’ve had club officers ask what they can do to increase attendance and involvement not only at their general meetings, but also with the various other activities and events the club holds throughout the year. I think it’s safe to say that most club officers want their clubs to be active and successful and are always looking for new ways to accomplish this.

I also know there are a number of clubs out there that have been very successful in generating a level of enthusiasm in their members. It makes them want to be a big part of the club and not only take part in many of the club functions, but play a role in organizing those functions.

I see an opportunity here where maybe we can help each other by sharing some ideas. It’s probably safe to say that almost all of our clubs have found, over the years, one or two things they do that have made their club a better organization. Why not drop me an E-mail at dmathewson@mindspring.com and share those ideas?

I’ll use some of them in future columns in the AMA Insider so that what’s worked for you can be shared with all of our other chartered clubs. It’d be a great way to help give another club that could use it a needed shot in the arm. Q