Nominations due for AMA president and Districts I, V, and IX
AMA Foundation You Can’t Take It With You
Money Matters A Smooth Landing Starts with Solid Records
Obtaining Tax-Exempt Status for Your Club
Nominations for AMA president and vice presidents in Districts I, V, and IX are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of Model Aeronautics by June 19, 2025. Any AMA Adult member may submit a nomination. All nominations must be electronically submitted to AMA Headquarters via email to Katie Perry at katiep@modelaircraft.org.
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 president or 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 Katie Perry at [765] 287-1256, ext. 203.)
A letter of acceptance from the nominee must be submitted by July 4, 2025, 15 days prior to the published nominating committee meeting. A résumé of professional qualifications and model aviation experience from the nominee must be on file at AMA Headquarters by July 9, 2025, 10 days prior to the published Nominating Committee 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 nominations must be received at AMA Headquarters thirty (30) days prior to the convening of the Nominating Committee Meeting. All information must be submitted by electronic means.
(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.
Candidate Acceptance:
All correspondence must be submitted electronically to AMA Headquarters Muncie, Indiana. Failure to meet all requirements will disqualify said nominee.
(a) A letter of acceptance by the candidate must be electronically submitted 15 days prior to the meeting.
(b) Along with a résumé of professional qualifications and model aviation experience, résumé should include, but not be limited to, the below areas of consideration. Information must be received at AMA Headquarters 10 days prior to the Nominating Committee. Campaign statements will not be read by any person until it is determined who will be placed on the ballot.
1. Management experience.
2. Financial background.
3. Insurance employment and/or expertise.
4. Legal background.
5. 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.
6. 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.
As I mentioned in previous “Money Matters” articles, club recordkeeping can be a challenge for club members who have volunteered to take over as new club officers. I have often heard firsthand that club records have not been accessible, current, complete, accurate, or relevant.
Accessibility challenges arise when the prior record custodian disappears or abandons their position. I often recommend that small organizations keep financial and other important records on the premises when possible. Most RC clubs have a local flying field that contains a storage shed for yard tools and hardware. A fireproof safe can be used to store important club record retentions.
Important club financial records and organization documents that someone maintains somewhere away from the flying site are often not current. Late record filings and scattered documents occur too often, and prior club leaders sometimes move on with important club records in their possession. Club officers should at least meet annually to determine where current important records are located and check that core documents—Articles of Incorporation, bylaws, IRS determination letters, and financial statements—are complete. These files might have missing pages, so it’s important for club officers to take an annual inventory to ensure that all pages and sub-parts are included.
Accuracy of financial records and reporting is important. Someone should periodically check that tax ID numbers, contact information, and the club’s name are stated correctly on any bank statements, utility bills, IRS filings, and other local business/tax filings. Making sure that current contact information is correct will prevent utility service interruptions, property tax liens, or the loss of IRS non-profit determination.
Relevance challenges occur when recordkeeping, important business activities, financial transactions, and other club operations are comingled with non-club entities or individuals. Oftentimes, I have seen club banking activities under a particular member’s name and tax ID. There might also be banking activities comingled with someone’s personal bank account. Websites and social media for the club might also be established with an individual club member. It is important to establish all and any club business under its own span of control, authority, and ownership.
Some of you with an information technology background might recognize the above concepts as data integrity, which is defined as accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and relevance. These concepts are fundamental internal control measures that will assist future club officers and ensure future club viability. If you are a new club officer who has encountered data integrity challenges in the club’s record or business management, now could be an opportunity to, over the course of a year, pick away at any gaps and help make certain that any future club officer handoffs have a smooth landing.
A little bit of ongoing housekeeping in the records management area does not require a lot of effort, and in the long run, it is very beneficial for new club officers who are taking over operations. Club officer handoffs will be easier and less intimidating for those younger members who are looking to pursue some leadership experience.
