Evolution
Money Matters by Keith Sessions, Chief Financial Officer
Welcome to spring. Well, at least I hope so.
Every year I get to take a break from the Midwest winter and head to Southern California for AMA Expo West. It was great to see so many AMA members, and of course the new products were interesting, too.
Attendance seemed to be down this year. I can remember going to RC trade shows 15 years ago and not being able to walk the aisles because of the crowds.
In those days, you had to come to trade shows to see what was new, or to have conversations with the manufacturer. If you did not go, you were forced to wait a couple of months before the magazines were published to find out about new products.
Today, the new items are posted on forums, social media, company websites, and emailed to the consumer before the trade show even opens. The decline in trade show attendance is expected with today’s technology. There are always a few who like to talk or see the latest and greatest in person, but many are okay with staying home and receiving the information electronically.
As with RC trade shows, everything evolves. Organizations must be willing to adapt and evolve as well or they will cease to exist.
While at AMA Expo West in Ontario, California, the AMA Executive Council held its quarterly meeting. We spent several hours revisiting our strategic plan, which we also worked on last year.
Strategic plans are never finished. We simply keep looking at how to improve. The brain-storming session had many conversations about how to provide greater benefits to members, how to attract new members, and how to engage and retain our youth members. It is important to continue to evaluate what and how we do things.
How many clubs have gone through this same process? I encourage all of you to work on a long-term strategic plan.
At a series of club meetings, go through a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis. Honest discussion will help you devise your best plan. Sometimes a perceived strength—such as “we are a very close group”—can uncover a weakness. We come off as distant or elitist to visitors.
Ray Kroc, credited with building the McDonald’s fast food operation, used to say, “When you are green you are growing. When you are ripe, you start to rot.” Part of any plan for success has to focus on how to grow.
Along with that, you should take a long look at how relevant are you to your local community. This could mean that you raise money for charity. It could also mean that you create an economic impact through the events you host. Making sure your community leaders know about the work you do will pay off in the long run.
A club with noise complaints has a problem. A club that raises $20,000 for a local homeless shelter and brings in more than $50,000 in money spent on hotel rooms, food, and supplies by visitors to the community, that has also received noise complaints, is much more likely to get help finding a solution to those complaints.
I hope your spring flying goes well and I look forward to seeing you at the field.
Nominations due for AMA executive vice president and vice presidents in Districts III, VII, and XI
Nominations for the office of AMA executive vice president and vice presidents in Districts III, VII, and XI are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of Model Aeronautics June 15, 2017. Any AMA Open Member may submit a nomination.
To be eligible to discharge the duties of AMA vice president, a nominee must be a Leader Member of the AMA and must reside in the district.
To be eligible to discharge the duties of AMA executive vice president, a nominee must be a Leader Member of the AMA and must previously have served as a member of the Executive Council or associate vice president or as a Contest Board member for at least one (1) year.
(Nominees and nominators will be notified by HQ confirming receipt of nomination. If confirmation is not received within two weeks after you have sent your document, contact Joyce Hager at [765] 287-1256, extension 200.)
A letter of acceptance and a résumé of professional qualifications and model aviation experience from the nominee must be on file at AMA Headquarters by June 30, 2017, 15 days prior to the published meeting.
Nominating Procedure Document
Relating to Article IX
Candidate Guidelines:
(a) No person may nominate himself/herself for office.
(b) No person shall simultaneously hold two positions on the Executive Council. In the event a person holding an office is elected or selected to a second position on the Executive Council, that person must choose which of the two positions he/she will continue, such decision to be made within 48 hours of the announcement of the selection, or else the person so affected will be deemed to have selected to remain in the first office held.
(c) Incumbent is automatically placed on the ballot, provided that he/she has been properly nominated and accepted, except that a 3/4 vote against may withhold the incumbent’s name from the ballot (see Bylaws, Article IX, Section 2).
(d) All nomination letters must be received at AMA Headquarters thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the Nominating Committee Meeting. If received by electronic mail or fax, it must be received by close of business that day (AMA Headquarters, Muncie IN).
(e) Candidate must be a legal resident of the district in which the election is being held; this does not apply to the office of the President or Executive Vice President.
(f) Candidate must be a current AMA member with Leader Member status (other qualifications apply to the office of the President and Executive Vice President, Article IX, section 3).
(g) No person elected to and serving as an active member of the Executive Council shall be paid for any regular column or article in Model Aviation magazine. Exception may be made for such articles as the coverage of special events provided prior arrangement was made for said article. Articles and columns printed in the “AMA News” section are not paid contributions. No paid columns may be submitted after the individual has been placed on the ballot.
It is strongly recommended that nominations be mailed by certified mail, receipt requested.
Candidate Acceptance:
(a) A letter of acceptance by the candidate must be on file at AMA Headquarters 15 days prior to the meeting; if by electronic mail or fax it must be received by close of that business day at AMA Headquarters, Muncie IN.
(b) Along with a résumé of professional qualifications and model aviation experience, your résumé should include, but not be limited to, the following areas of consideration, also due 15 days prior to the meeting.
(Note: Campaign Statements to be delivered to AMA Headquarters 10 days prior to the Nominating Committee meeting in a sealed envelope. Those not nominated will have their statements returned unopened. Campaign Statements will remain sealed until after the Nominating Committee has deliberated and determined the candidates.)
- Management experience.
- Financial background.
- Insurance employment and/or expertise.
- Legal background.
- Technical background, including areas of aeronautics, electronics (especially in radio frequency propagation and usage), acoustics (as related to noise studies and analysis), and other areas of engineering.
- Aeromodeling background must be noted. The individual will be required, if elected to national office, to deal with questions related to all areas of aeromodeling and should have a broad-based background.
It is strongly recommended that these documents be mailed certified, receipt requested.
