President’s Perspective - 2003/02
Dave Brown, AMA president
Plan now for that emergency you hope will never occur.
For those who think that the voice of reason falls on silent ears, this should be alarming. Anytime an organization like AMA raises its dues or changes its revenue stream, the president of the organization will receive correspondence objecting to the changes. That's just a reality. The resistance to the change usually revolves around some variation of "I can't afford it," "You should just cut expenses," or "Someone else should shoulder a bigger part of the load." Ironically, in the correspondence I received, many referred to the cost of everything spiraling upward, and because of that they believe dues should not be increased. I guess people don't realize that those increases in costs apply to organizations as well as individuals.
Others chronicled the history of dues through the years. I assume this was to show how "this" increase is unfair or out of line. That same history shows just the opposite to be the case. Dues have increased roughly 5% per year for a long time. That isn't bad if you consider the average rise in cost of most insurance coverages. Compared with the ongoing increases in medical coverage, a 5% increase per year is a bargain.
Okay, nothing alarming so far—just the president trying to explain an unpopular increase in dues. What's the big deal?
Well, one of those myriad complaints caught my eye and revealed that we had made a mistake in imposing one part of the new dues structure for the 2003 renewals.
Part of the overall adjustment to the dues structure was the compromise in which all of the "free" (earned) memberships we award—for Contest Directors (CDs), officers, and other organizational volunteers—would be reduced to a 50% credit. We knew this would raise objections among some members and be applauded by others; that's why it is a compromise.
The objection to this, which several letters pointed out, was that they "earned" those "free" memberships when the rules said they got a full membership. In other words, someone who served as a Contest Director (CD) at an event last summer did so under the understanding that he or she would receive a full membership, and this new rule was being applied retroactively.
It was a point well made. At the October Executive Council meeting we changed the dues structure by delaying the implementation of the 50% credit until the 2004 renewal.
The discussions were interesting. Some thought we could simply rescind that change and reconsider it later, but that would leave us in the same situation if we were to vote it back in. Obviously some had second thoughts about the 50% plan—more than just the implementation date—and others wanted to hold firm and not adjust the original effective date. We may reconsider the entire subject at an upcoming meeting.
The discussions brought up a few interesting perspectives. Probably the most significant question was, "Who do the Contest Directors serve and benefit?" The CDs were the major subject of conversation, and that is a good question. Years ago most events were different in nature—and I don't mean just the gradual change of emphasis from competitive events to fly-ins. The reason many events are held has changed, perhaps not entirely but still significantly. I'll go back to when I was a kid (in the dark ages!) and a member of the Brockton Aeromodelers. We would do many things to raise funds to hold a contest. The main difference was that we raised money to run the events, as opposed to raising money by running the events. Today, most events are held with the idea of creating income for the club. That isn't the only reason the events are held—and probably not the primary reason—but in most cases it is a goal. In those situations the question of whom the work of the CDs benefits is not easily answered. Many say the CDs work on behalf of AMA, and AMA benefits most from the CDs' work. Others say that they work on behalf of the club, and the club benefits most. I think they serve the aeromodelers, and the aeromodelers benefit most from this work.
However, the same can be said of many people working within the system so we can enjoy our sport. The list of volunteers is long:
- Club officers, who work long and hard.
- Instructors, who form our greatest incentive to new members.
- Groundskeepers and people who maintain facilities.
- Board members and committee members, who spend hours working on your behalf.
- Volunteers who build equipment, such as impound boards.
To single out the CDs and a few other positions to compensate with free AMA memberships is inherently unfair to all the others who serve aeromodelers.
How does a CD serve AMA in a way that deserves a free membership, and yet the instructors, who form our greatest incentive to new members, don't? How about the club officers? What about the people who built the impound board?
As you can see, this isn't an easy line to draw. I'll admit that traditionally we have done this, but sometimes tradition contradicts reason as the environment in which the tradition is exercised evolves.
Winter is upon us, and the winter meetings are the most difficult for which to come up with programs. Why not devote a meeting to a discussion of how to enhance safety at your facility? Don't just look at the flying; look at the clubhouse, the parking lot, the entrance road, the pits, etc. A brainstorming session at a club meeting could bring about many good safety enhancements.
If you have a large club, try breaking into smaller groups to discuss where your club site could be made safer. Don't just think about avoiding incidents, although that is important. Give some thought to how to react if an accident happens.
Consider these questions and actions:
- Can any member contact emergency services quickly?
- Can any member describe the site's location sufficiently for help to find you?
- Could you direct a life flight aircraft crewmember to your site quickly? (Hint: posting the latitude and longitude of the site could save precious minutes.)
- Where is the nearest hospital?
- Does the local fire squad know where you are?
There is a saying that "safety is no accident," and it is true. Plan now for that emergency you hope will never occur. The alternative to being prepared could jeopardize lives.
'Til next month.
Dave Brown AMA president dbrown@dbproducts.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
