[SMCARA] Re-focus

Sun Mar 22 12:36:14 EDT 2015

I wouldn't say that. 
As far as I know, there has not, as of yet, been a call for nominations. 
--
73 DE KG3BOZ 
Sunday, 22 March 2015, 11:53AM -04:00 from Ken McNeely via SMCARA <smcara at mailman.qth.net>:
>So, if I'm reading this right & we don't change the President clause, we have to people willing to run for President?  Tom (figurehead) & Chris (new guy)?
> "If you don't make changes, you will live your next five years the same as your last five have been"
>     On Sunday, March 22, 2015 7:10 AM, Tom Shelton < gl1800winger at verizon.net > wrote:
> Hi Chris
>Well thought out and well written.  Worth much more than 2 cents...
>Many years ago, I was involved with a military community theatre that was
>supported by morale and welfare funds.  We didn't charge anything for
>tickets to our shows, and it was difficult to fill the seats.  There were
>times when we played to only a few people.  We started charging a small fee
>for tickets (I think it was $2).  Once we started doing that, we were
>playing to sold-out houses.  A little off-topic, but it supports my
>statement that people appreciate things that have a cost.
>The things I suggested were the result of a thought experiment - trying to
>go "outside the box," if you will.  I agree that FD should remain free, but
>it irks me when I see radios going unused and a bunch of people just hanging
>out.  As far as charging for classes - The book costs $25-ish and the test
>fee is $14-ish.  That is $39, leaving $11.  Splitting this 50/50 between
>classroom support and club activities, that's $5.50 to each.  Assuming 20
>students, that a $110 to classroom support and to the club for club
>activities.  Not terribly excessive, I think...
>I do think we need to encourage getting on the air.  Whether in community
>service, rag-chewing, contesting, ARES/RACES/Skywarn, or anything else - so
>things like a pizza party for volunteers or mode/radio presentations would
>be appropriate.  We are an ARRL affiliated club, so encouraging membership
>is a no-brainer.
>And I didn't list a third option that I'd much rather see - that is, I'd
>really love to see a big membership with almost everyone active.  All that
>said, at this time these are only ideas that came from a thought-experiment.
>Nothing is carved in stone and, to cite an old adage, you can lead a horse
>to water, but...
>Given your experience, I'd strongly encourage you to run for a position, or
>at least to head-up an activity or two.
>Tom Shelton, ND3N
>-----Original Message-----
>From: SMCARA [mailto:smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Chris
>Ordiway
>Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2015 12:37 AM
>To: < SMCARA at mailman.qth.net >
>Subject: Re: [SMCARA] Re-focus
>Tom (et alii),
>As one of those reasonably new guys to the club I wanted to toss my 2 cents
>into the ring.
>I spent about 10 years working for an environmental non-profit with a
>struggling membership and lackluster volunteer involvement and just recently
>retired from the Southern Maryland Audubon Society where I spent many years
>as a volunteer on their Board of Directors. My experience in both
>organizations was that there will always be a core of dedicated folks who
>keep things alive and the rest come and go. My observation of SMCARA since
>last summer has been very similar to SMAS and my work with the non-profit;
>and a core of dedicated people can only do so much. If I based a guess on
>meeting attendance and repeater use alone I'd have guessed we only have 30
>or 40 members. It's primarily the same voices and faces on the air and at
>the events. Most people don't want to be involved in club activities and
>operations and there's nothing we can do about it. I say this because I
>strongly caution against the idea that a smaller active membership is better
>than a bigger one that isn't active the way the dedicated core is. If 80% of
>the membership is happy to pay their dues, occasionally pop into a meeting
>and otherwise remain inactive (as far as we
>know) in this hobby then who are we to expect/require/demand more of them?
>We have to take the wide angle approach and invite everyone to the party,
>those that want to be involved will turn up. Usually just about the time
>someone else is finally burned out and needs a break. And is ready to retire
>from the Board of Directors.
>The idea that people will be more involved if we make them "earn" it just
>doesn't work either, they aren't involved for a hundred reasons that have
>nothing to do with ham radio. I've heard that comment, along with the
>no-code and appliance operator cracks, over and over online and it still
>raises my hackles. At 40+ years old I had to work to earn my Tech and
>General tickets and will have to work three times as hard to even hope to
>get my Extra. I also did exactly what the FCC required of me. So the idea
>that the club should add some hurdles to make sure new members pay their
>pound of flesh really bugs me. Frankly, if the club was charging $50 for a
>test last summer I wouldn't be a ham now. Correction. I'd be a ham but I
>would have taken my class and/or test with some other club. Which would be a
>shame because I think it's a great club and I'm glad to be a member. I'm
>also grateful for the free membership, it's a nice gesture of welcome that
>goes a long way to foster a new friendship. Someone who isn't going to renew
>the free year to a paid membership probably wouldn't have paid for a
>membership in the first place. And if the ARRL membership was a forced
>requirement, well...
>I've only experienced one Field Day so far but I can say, without a doubt,
>that it was the encouragement I needed to finally jump into amateur radio.
>It was fun, it was free, everyone was nice, they put me to work entering
>data and offered to let me get on the air. I stuck around until midnight and
>decided to sign up for the summer classes based on my experience that day. I
>think it's a reasonable guess that if we polled a random group of non-hams
>that many think this is a hobby for old white guys with disposable income
>who sit and talk about the weather on their expensive radios. We all know
>that both the demographic and the purpose of amateur radio is so much more
>than that but it wouldn't take much in the way of pay-to-play requirements
>to make us look like stuffy elitists. And that's no way to encourage the
>curious to check us out.
>I absolutely agree that it would be great to get the new hams active and on
>the air, if that's their goal, and that we should do more activities that
>catch the attention of the community. I really appreciated the CW class you
>did last year and would like to see more activities like it. I also think we
>should have an Education/Outreach person or committee so we can get more
>face time with kids who are being encouraged (bombarded?) to get into STEM
>related fields. I know Dan does this to some degree but I don't know whether
>it's a club thing or just because he loves to talk about technology and
>electronics. I think the club is already great but can see the potential for
>growth and I'm happy to share some ideas and thoughts I have with whoever
>the President is.
>Chris Ordiway - KC3DIG
>PS: I'm sorry if I offended any of the old white guys with disposable
>income, I hope to be one too someday! LOL
>On Sat, Mar 21, 2015 at 10:36 AM, Tom Shelton < gl1800winger at verizon.net >
>wrote:
>> During the discussion on by-laws, I mentioned that I would step-up for
>> the position of president, but that I would just be a figure-head.
>>
>>
>>
>> Anyone who knows me knows that that comment was hyperbole and that I
>> just can't help myself from being involved.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dan and I continued the discussion off the reflector, and here are a
>> few excerpts - In short, my hats in the ring.
>>
>>
>>
>> As President, I would focus on getting our new hams active and on the air.
>> Meetings would feature different modes and how they're used, different
>> entry level equipment available - with demonstrations and hand's on
>> play time - different antennas from home-brew to commercially
>> available with pros and con - how to set-up your home or mobile
>> station.  I'd like to see more community support and would ask the
>> club to sponsor a pizza party (or other social get-together) for
>> volunteers - and their families - after each community support event.
>> I'd also pump up the Elmer program in the club.
>>
>>
>>
>> I also have a few ideas on why the new people aren't active:
>>
>>
>>
>> Because the FCC made it much easier to get a license, people don't
>> have to earn it (at least without as much effort as before) and if you
>> give something to someone then they don't appreciate it as much.  Step
>> 1.  Stop giving free membership to people who take the class and pass
>> the test (same for radios, but as I understand it, that's gone away).
>> Step 2.  Charge for the classes (I don't think that $50 is out of the
>> question - include study book and test fees and split additional funds
>> over the cost of the book/test between club activities and class room
>> support).  On a side note - I really prefer the ARRL study guide over
>> the W5YI guide.
>>
>>
>>
>> Right now (IMHO) the new hams see the club as a social organization,
>> so I would want to re-focus it towards being a General Ham Group.  For
>> example - Field Day should focus more on operating than on dinner,
>> testing, side meetings, etc.  The site I operated from last year cost
>> me $60 to operate there - but I and one other guy made over 1,000
>> contacts just on 75M phone (over 13,000 for the whole site, with over 800
>just on the GOTA station).
>> Give people a choice - if they provide a radio or antenna or other
>> equipment, or do set-up/tear-down, then they can operate and come to
>> dinner
>> - if they don't, then they'll be a cost associated ($10?).  No test
>> session at FD - but certainly have a GOTA station going.  Just going
>> to back to people appreciating things more if it costs them something.
>>
>>
>>
>> Make ARRL membership mandatory.  Well -  at least strongly encourage it.
>> Maybe at every meeting have the ARRL members stand up to be recognized.
>> Perhaps give a discount to the annual SMCARA dues for ARRL members ($5
>> off???).  Have ARRL member only activities.
>>
>>
>>
>> I'd rather have a lower number of members who are active than a huge
>> number who are there for the parties, but inactive otherwise.
>>
>>
>>
>> I know some (or all) of these will be unpopular with some (or most)
>> people
>> -
>> but let's open a dialogue and discuss it.  Share your thoughts, step
>> up and volunteer for a position or to sponsor an activity.
>>
>>
>>
>> Tom Shelton, ND3N
>>
>> Ham Radio, Motorcycling, and a Loving Wife who lets me play with both
>>
>> What more could a man need
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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