Model Aviation Online - View from HQ (January 2007)

Each year brings
something new to the table.

This will be my last column as acting executive director. It has been a pleasure and a challenge working in this capacity one more time.

    It never ceases to amaze me that after 36 years of service to the Academy, each year brings something new to the table. The sport/hobby is changing so rapidly that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with the new technology, much less stay one step ahead.

By now most members know that a new Executive Director has been selected. If you haven't read about him elsewhere, I will let you know a little about him.

    Jim Cherry comes to AMA from Pensacola, Florida. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position, with 27 years of association experience serving as the head of various chambers of commerce throughout the south. He served as president of the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP) and the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).

    He is a past board member of the National Association of Membership Directors and the Southern Association of Chamber Executives and a former member of the North and South Carolina Association of Chamber Executives.

    Jim is also a current member of the AMA, and I am looking forward to working with him. Let's all give Jim a warm welcome.

I want to thank the clubs that responded to my October 2006 column concerning how new people were treated at a club field. It is good to see that this is not the normal procedure. Clubs are AMA ambassadors to the new people.

    We are developing some programs for clubs to use to introduce new members to the hobby. One program that is out there already is the Buddy-Box Program for new members. In 2006 we introduced the updated version of the Introductory Pilot Program, which allows new members to fly with an instructor for 60 days without joining AMA.

    We still have the 90-day trial membership that has done well in the last several years. Approximately 60% of those trial members have become full AMA members. There are a few more programs in the works for 2007 that we will announce later. I hope your club will take advantage of these and help the membership grow.

Because of a recent column, I received a letter from an individual about how his club has tried to increase its membership. I will not mention names, but I'll relay what type of program they tried.

    "Like many clubs, we are constantly trying to expand our membership and promote our great hobby/sport. We have been trying many different things to increase participation of our members in meetings and overall involvement. One idea we have started this year is a year-end "attendance raffle."

    "Entries for the raffle are only taken from sign-in sheets from that year's meetings, so the more meetings you attend, the greater the chance of winning. This appears to be a good incentive for members to attend meetings on a regular basis.

    "The problem is where to get the raffle prizes. It may be that you go to your local hobby shop(s) because new members benefit the hobby shop along with the club. It may be that you hold a cookout and use the proceeds for purchasing raffle prizes.

    "I am sure some of the club members may have merchandise that they are not planning to use. Go to swap meets where you can pick up some good deals. Another idea would be to purchase a person's AMA membership for the following year or give him or her one year club dues at no charge."

    It sounds as though this is a great incentive to encourage members to attend club meetings or work parties! MA

Safe flying.

Joyce Hager, Acting Executive Director

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