[SMCARA] Re-focus

Sun Mar 22 20:08:37 EDT 2015

I am one-of-those 80% guys Chris so succinctly analyzed  ---  in the "club"
(Association) but in the peripheries. With all of these opinions ---
solutions, dissolutions, more members, less members, dues, no dues, fees,
no fees etc etc it was great pondering/wandering/wondering Thanks!  *All*    My
peripheral analysis:  SMCARA has a now and a future!
   gene guazzo KA3ZZF

On Sun, Mar 22, 2015 at 7:08 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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> > kc3dig at gmail.com
> >
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