club membership application

No, we only do it when you join and then we strive mightily to keep our membership database up to date. We lost a member in January and his daughter finally told us when we began to dun him for his club renewal in July.

| We started requiring a membership application be filled out before | you get a club card this year. Many hours of trying to track down | club members that we didn't have a phone number for, AMA number, | current address, or whatever has made this nessasary. Do any of the | clubs you guys belong to have this requirement? Thanks Eddie | Fulmer, President WAAM (West Alabama Aero Modelers)

I think most do (at least the formal clubs, anyways.) Mine (HCAM) certainly does.

They also require that you give them a photocopy of your AMA card, to prove that you're a member (mostly because of the insurance, of course.)

Porta-Potti Pilots requires all of that info.

We have all members (new and old) fill out an application form each year. As club secretary, I designed a new from last year that makes record keeping a snap. Each entry on the form appears in the same order that it will appear in our roster. There are boxes for each letter/number to be written (encourages clearly PRINTED information). We ask the usual name/address stuff, and Xmtr freqs. and email addresses as well. With folks changing modes of communication these days it is a good idea to keep current on cell phones, email, etc. We also include AMA numbers and the members status (Novice, Pilot, Instructor). The back side includes an agreement for the member to sign that documents his/her willingness to follow AMA rules, club rules and our safety rules. This agreement is renewed each year.

I type the info into a table using Microsoft Word. It is easy to change the info each year this way. There are spaces for club officers to verify AMA membership and payment of dues. I make up a graph of the freqs. to help members choose a less used xmtr. channel when buying new equipment.

Tom

members that we

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Most clubs only require you to fill out an application once. However, your idea is a good one. As you state; many people move, change phone numbers, change, add, or delete e-Mail contacts, etc. Keeping the database current is always a good thing. Dr.1 Driver "There's a Hun in the sun!"

Absolutely, and have had for as long as the club has been in existence.

We get the name, all phone numbers, email address, their AMA number, the frequencies that the member has radios on, and even have them sign a "release" that holds the club and it's officers blameless for careless acts that cause damage by the member.

MJC

We changed our membership application a couple of years ago. Like a lot of clubs, we are in a situation where 90% of the work is done by 20% of the membership. (85 to 90 member club, 15 to 25 members attend meetings and show up for work parties or just help with field maintenance.) but everybody pays the same dues. (100.00 initiation fee, 50.00 per year) One new member, when asked to help out with field maintenance, stated that there was nothing in the membership application concerning work, and since he paid his dues, he felt that that was his only obligation. He was, of course, right. So, we added a line on the membership application that says something like: "Membership in this club is dependent on paying dues, helping with field maintenance and helping with revenue generation events that the club hosts." This has helped a little in getting the work load redistributed, at least when we ask someone to help, he can't say he wasn't warned. We still find that the same 20% do 90% of the work, though.

One very large club in Florida has a likewise large annual contest, and everyone is required to work X number of hours. They have the option of substituting X number of dollars for the hours of work. I'm sure there are members who don't like that, but it's a democratic club and that's how it works. They enforce it, and it's effective. (PS: not my club, also in Florida; in my club, 10% do 90% of the work, which is the normal American ratio.)

My club (280 members) for years has required a new application with renewal each year. It helps keep up with address changes, phone number changes, new zip codes, etc. We have no trouble doing this, and it helps.

we started doing that last year, there was some balking at the idea in the end everyone filled out a new application it is a good idea to do this ch