View From HQ - 2011/11
We've all heard the question: "When a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it; did it make a sound?" The logical answer would be "yes."
I recently spoke with another association leader who put a spin on that question. He asked, "If an association offers value to its members and the members do not take advantage, did the association deliver value?" He felt most would answer that question "no." His reasoning centered on value proposition. Today it is critically important that associations such as AMA provide a high level of value to their membership.
Often when AMA members are asked about what they receive from their membership, they are at a loss for a good answer. This is typical of most membership organizations. In AMA's case, insurance is usually given as a reason for belonging. Members sometimes have a hard time articulating other reasons, although most know there are many.
When former members are asked why they chose not to renew their membership, they provide a number of answers. They've left model aviation; they don't fly enough to maintain their membership; what AMA offers is no longer relevant to them; or dues are too high. Except for possibly leaving model aviation, all of these reasons can be narrowed down to "not enough perceived value."
The majority of AMA's members can be broken down into two categories. Those in the first category will continue to belong to AMA no matter what. Many have been modelers for decades and AMA members for nearly as long. They know the organization and believe in it because they've lived it. They know firsthand how their AMA membership has enhanced their ability to enjoy model aviation.
The second group is more challenging. These people are generally willing to join an organization if they believe that the value they receive from membership is equal to or greater than the cost of dues. They are typically younger, have busy lives, and their available recreation time is limited. They see association membership as an investment and want to see a return on that investment.
And then there is a contingent of model aviation enthusiasts who choose to enjoy the hobby outside the umbrella of AMA.
Membership benefits
How do we solve what, for some, might be a perception issue? One solution might be to help members determine the real value of their AMA membership.
AMA offers dozens of membership benefits. Not every member wants or needs each benefit, but all want or need some of them. Make a list of all AMA membership benefits. Some of the most recognizable include:
- AMA's work to allow model aviation to remain free of overly onerous government regulation.
- Its work as a liaison to other government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the FCC, and the Department of Homeland Security.
- The Disaster Relief Program that has helped dozens of clubs faced with loss or damage to their flying sites as the result of natural disasters.
- The Flying Site Assistance Grant Program that has helped clubs improve their current facilities or purchase a permanent flying site.
- The Take Off and Grow (TAG) Program that provides financial 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.
- Subscriptions to either AMA's flagship publication, Model Aviation, or Park Pilot magazines.
- The Charles H. Grant Scholarship Program that has awarded nearly $800,000 to young members beginning their college careers.
- AMA's education outreach efforts, which provide support to clubs in their effort to introduce model aviation to younger members of their communities.
- A structured system of competition rules and a sanctioning process that helps manage more than 2,500 individual club events each year.
AMA is the only organization in the United States that represents model aviation on an international level through our affiliation with the National Aeronautic Association and the 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 for members is well above 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 as a result of their AMA affiliation. This benefit has allowed hundreds of clubs access to good flying sites that they might not otherwise have.
Added to these benefits are dozens of others—too many to mention—that are also included with an AMA membership.
Assessing your membership value
Now that you've compiled your list of AMA benefits, place a dollar value next to each item that would equal the value of this benefit to you. Values will be different for every member. Some feel certain benefits have no value to them, while others may place a high value on that same benefit.
After you've assigned values, go back and add the numbers. If the number is greater than the cost of your dues, membership in AMA is a good value for you. I truly believe most will find that AMA membership is a great value.
See you next time...
Dave Mathewson AMA Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
