District II - 2014/10
Increasing Club Membership
I'm frequently asked how clubs can increase their membership. Almost as often, I'm told by club officers that they've tried various methods with little success. The key to successful club-building efforts is not just the techniques, but understanding that promotional efforts bring incremental, yet significantly important, results.
Promotional Methods
District II clubs are inventive when it comes to promotion, public awareness, and increasing membership. Common methods include:
- Club business cards for members
- Promotional flyers for local coffee shops, libraries, or business bulletin boards
- A regularly updated website
- A presence on Facebook and other social media
- A well-promoted open house at the flying field
- A public fly-in (especially one benefiting charity)
- An external newsletter
External Newsletters
A quarterly external newsletter is a great way of communicating with the general public and reminding people about your club. External newsletters work best when they're targeted toward, and mailed to:
- Elected officials
- Local media
- School administrators and science teachers
- Relevant governmental agencies
- Parks and recreation departments
- Other related clubs (e.g., rockets, model boating, kite flying)
- Nearly any group or individual of significance to your club
These newsletters should also be posted on your organization's website.
External newsletters make an exceptional impact during times of need, such as noise complaints, environmental objections, zoning issues, and other situations where clubs need public support. The time to create an external newsletter is well before a club needs help from its local community.
By informing the public of what a great organization your club is, and the important charitable and social contributions it makes, your club will be ahead of the game. An added bonus is occasionally picking up a new member who learned of your club through the newsletter or by someone who received it. The key to all club outreach efforts is patience and persistence.
EPA John Maggs Memorial Event
On Saturday, August 2, 2014, I had the pleasure of visiting the Electric Powered Aeromodelers (EPA) at the club's John Maggs Memorial event in Scotia, New York. A recipient of an AMA District Service Award, John Maggs was an incredible supporter of model aviation and a benefactor to numerous regional modeling events.
The weather cooperated for the EPA event. Modelers from the Northeast enjoyed a full weekend of flying all types of electric-powered aircraft. In attendance was AMA Hall of Fame member Ted Strader and his family. Ted is a well-known author, designer, kit supplier, and contributor to RC development. It's nice to see three generations of Ted's family participating in model aviation.
Conclusion
Remember, it's not about what we fly, it's about the people and the friends we make!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
