[QCWA Hotlist] Improving Your QCWA Chapter

[Mark Wintersole]

QCWA Chapter Leadership --

When your membership drops and you’re not attracting new faces, you have to ask yourself “why?”  Is it because my Chapter sits idly watching life pass it by?  Let me give you a few random thoughts from my perspective.

- QCWA membership must be proactive, not reactive.  Do you expect QCWA Headquarters to do things for you all of the time?  Isn’t that why you formed a Chapter and attracted local membership?  Too many folks sit back like little birds waiting to be fed.  This approach results in poor membership retention and a general malaise with respect to participation in local Chapters and their associated activities.

-  Hold regular meetings -- at a time and place where the most members can attend.  The QCWA ByLaws require you to hold at least two meetings per year, but you can have as many more as you wish.  Great locations for meetings include your local library, senior or civic center, and similar free venues.  Find a place that’s big enough (and private enough) to have a program.  You might even want to vary meeting times/dates so that everyone gets a chance to attend at some point.

-  Ensure your meetings have direction and purpose.  Don’t them degenerate into “meet and eat” sessions where everyone just sits around swapping lies and telling war stories.  Invite a guest speaker.  The program doesn’t have to be directly related to ham radio, nor does the speaker have to be a QCWA member.  Some sources of speakers are the National Weather Service, Red Cross, local police/fire department, and even your local ham club.  Your nearest Toastmasters organization is another fine source of speakers – they exist solely to provide public presentations.  The key is to remember that your presentations should be informative and keyed to your local Chapter.  Consider recording them (with permission, of course) and sharing with other Chapters.

- Keep your meetings short.  If your business meeting lasts more than about 15 minutes and your presentation more than 30 minutes, you’ll start to lose folks’ attention.  Remember the old adage: “be bold, be brilliant, be brief, and then be gone.”

- Make sure that all of your meeting attendees feel welcome.  There’s nothing more detrimental to an organization’s future than ignoring the new guy.  He’ll vote with his feet and then not only will you be down a prospective member, you’ll likely have someone bad-mouthing your Chapter because you were too lazy get to bring him into the fold.

- Consider having your Chapter tackle a formal project.  This could be a civic service such as providing communications for a local bike-a-thon, conducting a license class, forming a VE group, or assisting with some facet of public safety (SkyWarn, Adopt-A-Highway, etc).  It doesn’t even have to be related to amateur radio.

- Publicize yourselves!  Make sure the local community...and not just the local ham community...knows that you exist and are active.  Many newspapers would be thrilled to announce your meetings as a free public service...which could lead to more detailed press coverage.  Invite the media to your events.  Don’t forget to send articles to national publications such as the QCWA eJournal, CQ magazine, and QST.  Include “action” pictures whenever possible.

- Keep an active relationship with QCWA Headquarters!  We’re here to help wherever we can.  Fill out your Chapter’s annual report on time.  It’s easily completed online via our website.  If you have problems, call or e-mail us quickly – don’t wait for the situation to resolve itself.  Remember, bad news doesn’t improve with age and there’s a mountain of experience among the Headquarters staff you can draw upon for advice.

- Use the QCWA reflectors to keep your members and other Chapters informed of what’s going on – that’s what they’re there for.

- Consider making presentations at your local ham club meeting.  QCWA members possess a vast wealth of experience that would be welcomed by any club.  Assist in conducting the aforementioned license classes.  Better yet: how many of today’s younger hams have heard of (much less attended) a Royal Order of the Wouff Hong ceremony?  Stage one (with the blessing of the ARRL) at your local club and help stress the importance of good operating.  By the simple fact that you’re a QCWA member, you’re considered a “graybeard” and the younger folks will respect and follow your lead.

- Encourage your members to use the online resources QCWA provides.  Cyberphobia isn’t an acceptable excuse in the 21st century.  Learn to use what’s available.  The eJournal is only published online...and that won’t be changing.  Our website offers a wide variety of materials to help you promote QCWA at hamfests and the like.  You can easily renew your QCWA membership via credit card or PayPal, update your bio, and much much more.

QCWA membership is a living, breathing entity that must be fed and nurtured if it’s expected to thrive.  With your help, we can continue to grow together, improve the QCWA experience, and make a positive impact on our hobby.

73 de W5NZ!

Mark Wintersole
Member, QCWA Board of Directors
Chairman, Chapter & Member Relations Committee