208 MODEL AVIATION
I’VE JUST SPENT the weekend locked
up in a cold, windowless room in a
nondescript hotel, discussing some
important topics with members of the
Executive Council (EC) and the AMA
staff. Our objective was simple: spend
some time thinking about the issues
facing our sport, what we currently offer
our members, and where we need to be
going as an organization to do the job
they expect.
I didn’t particularly enjoy the cold
room, but the discussions were
enlightening and will serve as a platform
for changes and improved membership
services and growth. In the business and
association world, this kind of event is
known as a strategic-planning meeting.
That’s a fancy term for long-range
planning.
Some companies spend years and
millions of dollars preparing for such a
meeting, and the outcome can be
extremely important to that
organization. It may mean a new product
and/or direction for the company, the
commitment of resources, and much
hard work ahead. We didn’t have the
luxury of committing that kind of time
or money to this effort, but the outcome
was no less important to us.
Before I go any further, let’s admit
that while the idea of strategic planning
is fundamentally a good one, there is
often a big gap between the promise and
the reality of planning. As several of the
meeting participants noted, there are a
number of strategic plans gathering dust
on executives’ shelves, and AMA is no
exception.
One of the first things I did while
preparing for this new meeting was to
review our last effort. The good news is
that we did accomplish some of the
major goals laid out by the EC at the
strategic-planning meeting in 1998. The
not-so-good news is that our focus on
these goals was not as sharp and
consistent as it should have been. Most
planning experts will tell you that this is
not uncommon and that we are not alone
in this experience.
One of the issues that came through
clearly in our discussions was something
called “the value proposition.” That is a
fancy way of saying, “What do our
members get out of their relationship
with AMA?”
For those of us on the staff, wrapped
up in the day-to-day job of serving our
members, such a question is nothing less
than heresy. What do you mean, “What
do the members get out of joining our
association?”
If you dare, ask that question of the
staff on the 800 lines who are busily
answering member questions; to those
producing our magazine, editing our rule
book or sanctioning events; or those
preserving the history and heritage of
our sport. You are likely to get a look of
disbelief and then a strong argument
defending what they do.
But the truth is, we need to ask
ourselves this fundamental question
more often. What are we providing to
our members, and have the
circumstances that created the program
changed so much that it no longer
represents a real value to the members?
That simple question will drive our
assessment of current programs and will,
slowly but surely, steer us toward future
programs that add value to your
membership in AMA.
Not every program represents the
same value to each member, and that’s
okay. The value proposition doesn’t
Don Koranda Executive Director
View from HQ
mean everyone will get the same value
from a program or service. A new RC
pilot is likely to find more value in a
magazine article that helps him or her
develop new flying skills, whereas a more
experienced pilot may assign a higher
value to an article on building techniques.
Some members will look to our Web site
as a valuable tool, and others may not
want anything to do with computers, Web
sites, or the Internet.
The point is that the value proposition
differs from program to program and
service to service. It is different for each
member, and the staff’s job is to make
sure that each program or service
provides a benefit that makes membership
in the association worthwhile.
Reviewing all of our programs and
determining their value will be no small
feat for the staff. There are many factors
to consider. What value should we assign
an insurance program designed to protect
you in case of an accident? Does a
program that funds air-show teams really
add value to your membership? Are there
programs we need to drop or modify to
improve the value proposition? How do
all of these programs support AMA’s
membership goals? Do we have enough
information about the goals and
objectives of each program, and how do
we measure the results?
We may not have all the answers to
these questions, but one thing is clear: our
members expect value for their dues
money, and we had better provide it.
Thinking strategically is an important
task of the EC. That is why they were
elected and, from my viewpoint, that is
what they did at this meeting. The task of
reviewing these programs is in the staff’s
hands. It’s their job to give meaning to
the fancy phrase “the value proposition”
and to make sure you get real value for
your membership dues. MA
The value proposition:
getting real value for
your membership.
Safe flying.
Don Koranda
Executive Director
[email protected]
04sig7.QXD 2/25/05 8:42 am Page 208
Edition: Model Aviation - 2005/04
Page Numbers: 208