View from HQ by Dave Mathewson, AMA Executive Director
Strength in numbers
“A young man was strolling along a beach and came upon a seal with its flipper caught under a large piece of wood. The young man tried repeatedly to lift the wood off the seal, but to no avail. After a last hearty (but unsuccessful) attempt, the exhausted young man looked up to see three school chums approaching. The three joined him and together they lifted the log enough for the traumatized seal to flee back into the ocean. The four glanced at each other and realized that they had accomplished what none of them could have done alone.”
—Author unknown
How often have you had discussions with your friends about the value of belonging to a membership organization such as AMA? For many of us, the decision comes down to the value proposition. In other words, “What’s in it for me?”
There’s nothing wrong with asking that question. In fact, it’s a great question to ask. If I intend to spend money on something, I want to know that I’m getting in return at least a value that equals my cost—and hopefully much more.
Today it is critically important that associations such as AMA provide a high level of value to their membership. AMA offers dozens of membership benefits. Not every member wants or needs each benefit, but all want or need some of them.
Some of AMA’s most recognizable membership benefits include AMA’s work to allow model aviation to remain free of onerous government regulation; its work as a liaison to other government agencies including the EPA, FCC, and the Department of Homeland Security; AMA’s Disaster Relief Program that has helped dozens of clubs faced with a loss of or damage to their flying sites as the result of natural disasters; and AMA’s Flying Site Development Improvement Grant Program that has helped clubs improve their current facilities or purchase a permanent flying site.
Other benefits include the Take off And Grow (TAG) program that provides assistance to help clubs introduce model aviation to others in their communities; building the club’s credibility with its neighbors; the Legal Defense Fund that provides matching-dollar financial assistance to help clubs overcome the threat of losing flying sites; and subscriptions to either AMA’s flagship publication, Model Aviation, or Park Pilot magazine.
Add to this already impressive list the AMA Charles H. Grant Scholarship program that has awarded nearly $1 million to young members beginning their college careers; AMA’s Education outreach efforts, which provide support to clubs in their work to introduce model aviation to younger members of their communities; a structured system of competition rules and a sanctioning process that helps manage more 2,500 individual club events each year; and that AMA is the only organization in the US that represents model aviation on an international level through our affiliation with the NAA and FAI.
Then add a significant benefit, the one most members think about first when asked about AMA: the liability insurance protection AMA provides to each member. This excess coverage is greater than what most of us individually carry and provides peace of mind for many.
Possibly more important is the primary protection each of our chartered clubs can offer site owners through their AMA affiliation. This benefit has allowed hundreds of clubs access to good flying sites that they might not otherwise have. To complete the list, add the dozens of other benefits too numerous to mention, that are also included with an AMA membership.
What’s missing in this extensive list of benefits may be one of AMA membership’s greatest values, and that is the value of strength in numbers. Just as in the tale at the beginning of this column, individually we can only accomplish so much. However, all working toward a common goal together, we are able to accomplish so much more.
As a single voice, each of us is only so loud. As the collective voice of a membership of nearly 180,000, our voice is much louder and commands more attention.
None of this was more evident than in the success AMA had in working toward the goal of including the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (the AMA amendment) in the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act. This significant accomplishment would not have happened without the support of the AMA membership.
As we continue to advance in our advocacy efforts for model aviation and our membership, there’s little doubt we will again ask for your support. Thank you in advance for your participation when the time comes, thank you for your past efforts, and thank you for being a member of the world’s greatest model aviation association.
See you next time . . .
