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Author Topic: How to ruin your club  (Read 1697 times)

VE3WGO

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2022, 08:55:30 AM »

If you read the first paragraph of W5OT's OP, you can see many of the ingredients of a successful club (of any hobby I believe)...  a good, diverse set of activities and interests that cater to many types of members who share a main common interest.

It's not easy to keep multiple activities ongoing (meeting presentations, repeater management, field day, hamfest, digital nodes, contesting, public demos, etc), so the executive needs to plan and delegate for club members to own something and organize it.

As soon as a hobby club starts narrowing its field of interest and activity, or prioritizing just one thing, it can expect to narrow its membership too.

73, Ed
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AC7CW

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2022, 01:57:13 PM »

Most volunteer things are almost doomed from the start. The personality type that dominates the ham hobby escalates downturns. If we promoted leaders with high social skills and low self-assessed superiority rather than the opposite we might do quite well
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Novice 1958, 20WPM Extra now... (and get off my lawn)

KE7FD

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #17 on: July 17, 2022, 02:57:43 PM »

The club I belong to was originally built from the ashes of another club. I don't know the history of that dissolution as it was before my time. The club now however has been around for quite a long time and probably seven or eight years ago we formed a 501(c)(3) organization which has some rules that actually helps us in many ways. Yes, there are some tax advantages when it comes to fundraising etc, but how this pertains to the discussion at hand is no one person or committee is allowed to make decisions under the law. Meticulous meeting minutes have to be taken, published, and items are brought up and voted on. If the majority doesn't accept it then it is not passed. We need to not operate our clubs as if they are free wheeling but rather as the organizations that they are. Even large families when they hold reunions may come up with a committee but because of the family ties they tend to be a bit better organized. The underlining importance here however is again the requirement that nothing is done by committee. We have committees, but they will only make recommendations and things get done after it is voted on at our meetings.

I think the bigger issue wasn't brought up, is the longevity of clubs in this particular hobby. Perhaps this is true with many if not most other hobbies out there, which is the younger generation is so distracted by social media they take very little interest in this technology which they view as antiquated. We need to do a better job at showcasing and openly involving younger visitors who may wander in. If you, right now, are a member of a club somewhere and you reflect on the median age of that organization or club, is it getting older? If so, it doesn't really matter if the club becomes a 501(c)(3) organization because the club simply will not exist in a few years. It might be best to form a real organization and is governed not by committees but by rules and begin to bring in younger hams so that we can lower the median age of our membership ranks. As that happens and younger hams raise items that they would like to see done like anything else it will be voted on. This hobby needs to stop being an old man's club but rather something for everyone.

GL,

Glen
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AC7CW

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #18 on: July 17, 2022, 03:12:02 PM »

The club I belong to was originally built from the ashes of another club. I don't know the history of that dissolution as it was before my time. The club now however has been around for quite a long time and probably seven or eight years ago we formed a 501(c)(3) organization which has some rules that actually helps us in many ways. Yes, there are some tax advantages when it comes to fundraising etc, but how this pertains to the discussion at hand is no one person or committee is allowed to make decisions under the law. Meticulous meeting minutes have to be taken, published, and items are brought up and voted on. If the majority doesn't accept it then it is not passed. We need to not operate our clubs as if they are free wheeling but rather as the organizations that they are. Even large families when they hold reunions may come up with a committee but because of the family ties they tend to be a bit better organized. The underlining importance here however is again the requirement that nothing is done by committee. We have committees, but they will only make recommendations and things get done after it is voted on at our meetings.

I think the bigger issue wasn't brought up, is the longevity of clubs in this particular hobby. Perhaps this is true with many if not most other hobbies out there, which is the younger generation is so distracted by social media they take very little interest in this technology which they view as antiquated. We need to do a better job at showcasing and openly involving younger visitors who may wander in. If you, right now, are a member of a club somewhere and you reflect on the median age of that organization or club, is it getting older? If so, it doesn't really matter if the club becomes a 501(c)(3) organization because the club simply will not exist in a few years. It might be best to form a real organization and is governed not by committees but by rules and begin to bring in younger hams so that we can lower the median age of our membership ranks. As that happens and younger hams raise items that they would like to see done like anything else it will be voted on. This hobby needs to stop being an old man's club but rather something for everyone.

GL,

Glen

Very good info
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Novice 1958, 20WPM Extra now... (and get off my lawn)

WW5F

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #19 on: July 17, 2022, 04:39:24 PM »

Without good leadership, a ham club is doomed these days.

I was a student of leadership for many years (in the U.S. Air Force), and I'm pretty sure I could step into the president's slot of a failing club today and get things back up and running.

I did it back in the early 80s.  (Keesler AFB Amateur Radio Club, K5TYP, membership increased from 12 to 80 in one year.)  It's about promoting what interests your members.  It's about giving them the authority and recognition of stepping up and becoming leaders themselves.  And most importantly, it's about squashing the naysayers.

But I don't know why I'd want to do that these days.  It would be work without pay.  My interests in ham radio are no where near the interests of the brand new ham of today.
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KC3TEC

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #20 on: November 09, 2022, 06:17:01 AM »

Sadly this holds true for a lot of different organizations. Things are running just fine and a select group who thinks they know what's better for everyone else steps in. I seen this first hand in a local radio club as well as a sportsman's club. I belong to neither now.  Its happening in quite famous national organizations currently too.  Its just sad.
And its not just clubs!
Volunteer fire departments experience the same issues.
Because the executive positions are elected ones many people vie for those positions when they are not qualified and for other reasons unfit to hold those positions of power.
And its these vipers that often breed contention, tend to be disruptive ( like internet trolls) they entertain themselves on the strife they create.

But it honestly is amusing and satisfying when their idiot decisions come back and bite them in the @$$.
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KF4HR

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #21 on: November 09, 2022, 07:50:23 AM »

Reference the COVID situation, with over 1 million dead from COVID in the US, and the US still loosing ~300 people per day, it's perfectly understandable why ZOOM was suggested.

Sounds like what you initially had was a Democratic style management and now have an Authoritarian style management.  Your elections are your opportunity to make changes.  And of course you could always do some research and find a club that better suits your needs and/or approval.

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WA7BJV

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #22 on: November 09, 2022, 03:20:08 PM »

You don't have to buy a camera and microphone to do Zoom.  Modern computers already have them.  We have meetings on Zoom and in person.  Zoom allows people who don't drive at night or live far away an opportunity to be part of the club.  We also use many (but not all) Yaesu repeaters.  The DR-2X allows both analog and fusion.  All of our nets are on analog but fusion is there for those who want it.  The FCC exams have questions on digital and it is a big part of modern radio.  It is good to learn something about it.  It is odd that committees are allowed to make the decisions.  Most clubs have committees that render an opinion which is then voted on by the whole membership.
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KC3TEC

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Re: How to ruin your club
« Reply #23 on: November 16, 2022, 11:24:37 AM »

Equipment aside, while many clubs are open to new members, not many stay if there is strife or drama.

They generally are interested and want to learn more.

In house politics is a touchy situation.
And bickering, or trashing someone else is not congenial to a club function.
The meetings are there to bring all its members up to date on activities and conditions and to vote on matters as needed whether approved or vetoed.

Decisions cannot just favor a few at the expense of the rest, that fosters division and rapidly deteriorates things.

Rules for the club must be followed by all and no one is exempt from them or the concequences for breaking them.
( that is one topic ive seen way too often)

Holding office is not about power ( as many people tend to think it is)
Holding office is about stepping up to the responsibility of the office and all the duty it entails.
Quite often its a thankless task, and you put a target on you back for all the mud others will fling at you. :-\

Anyway im sorry if i sounded preachy
But what causes the clubs and organizations to fail tends to sour an attitude a bit.
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