
                ARRL CLUB PRESIDENT's WORKBOOK

        ****    A Planning Calendar and Guide    ****

                    Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor


      A PUBLICATION OF THE ARRL FIELD SERVICES DEPARTMENT


FSD-600 (4-90)
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE          INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
CHAPTER TWO          THE ARRL CLUB PROGRAM  . . . . . . . . . . 00
CHAPTER THREE        CLUB PROGRAM AND ACTIVITY IDEAS . . . . . .00
CHAPTER FOUR         ADOPT YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL
CHAPTER FIVE         THE AFFILIATED CLUB COORDINATOR  . . . . . 00
CHAPTER SIX          WORKING WITH YOUR MEMBERS  . . . . . . . . 00
CHAPTER SEVEN        ARRL AUDIO/VISUAL PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . 00
CLUB ADDRESSES      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

   The purpose of this book is to help develop the leadership 
skills of one of the key leaders of the ARRL Field Organization 
-- the club president -- by providing club program ideas and a 
planning calendar leading to an active, interesting, productive 
club year.  

   The next few chapters present overviews of the League's 
dynamic club program, the role of the Affiliated Club Coordinator 
and others in the Field Organization/club connection, sources of 
club program activity ideas, and how to work with your club 
members. These chapters are followed by the 1990-91 club 
president's workbook, a set of monthly calendars for the months 
August through June. There are notes with suggestions for 
activities appropriate for each month, and ample space for the 
president's own personal notes.  The blocks for the days are 
large enough for highlighting action items.

   As a club president, you understand the importance of planning 
activities and programs that will not only hold the attention of 
your club members over the course of the year, but will serve to 
attract new members to your club.  You should bear this in mind 
at all times when using this booklet.

   The fact that you are now reading this shows that you are a 
president who really cares about making your club as active, and 
productive as possible.  This book will help convert your dreams 
to reality.

   Good luck, and good planning!

CHAPTER TWO
THE ARRL CLUB PROGRAM

"It shall be the policy of the League to affiliate with itself 
organized, non-commercial Amateur Radio groups or societies of 
kindred aims and purposes with a view to forming a homogeneous 
organization for unity of action in matters affecting amateur 
welfare."

   With these words the ARRL Board of Directors created the basis 
for ARRL affiliated clubs, now numbering almost 2000 strong.  In 
this chapter we'll review the affiliation process, and what 
affiliation means to a club.


Categories of Affiliation

   Four types of clubs can affiliate with the ARRL: Local Amateur 
Radio clubs, regional or national organized Amateur Radio groups, 
local school or youth groups or Amateur Radio groups in homes-
for-the-elderly or disabled, and club councils (clubs of clubs).  
These four types are defined as club categories one, two, three, 
and four, respectively.


Benefits of Affiliation

   In addition to being associated with 2000 like-minded clubs 
with similar goals, being an affiliated club brings your group a 
number of tangible benefits, presented here:

1] FIELD FORUM newsletter, quarterly issues jam packed with         
interesting news and ideas for and about clubs and Amateur Radio 
in general. 

2] ARRL Annual Report.

3] ARRL-sponsored liability and equipment insurance.

4] Referrals of prospective radio amateurs to your club (great for new 
member promotion).

5] ARRL club stationery.

6] $5.00 commission for every new ARRL member recruited by the 
club.

7] Free mailing labels or lists of ARRL members or clubs once a 
year.

8] Free geographical lists of all amateurs in a specific city. 

9] Free films and other audio-visual aids and program materials.

10] Free clip art, great for fleshing out your newsletter.

11] "Join a Radio Club" brochure -- promotes your group to 
amateurs who may want to join you.

12] $2.00 commission for every ARRL membership renewal handled by 
the club.

13] Only affiliated clubs are eligible for participation in the gavel 
competitions in the ARRL DX Contest, the ARRL November Sweepstakes 
and the ARRL VHF Sweepstakes.

14] Affiliated clubs can obtain a complete set of ARRL publications for 
a discount price; good for donating to your local library. 

15] Free lists of other affiliated clubs in your section -- for 
coordinating large-scale events.

16] Use of ARRL logo on newsletters and letterhead. 


How to Affiliate

   To become an affiliated club, your group must meet a few 
requirements:

1] At least 51% of your voting membership must be full or 
associate ARRL members.

2] You must have a club constitution.

3] Your club's goals must not conflict in any way with the goals 
of the ARRL. 

4] At least 51% of the voting membership must be licensed 
amateurs.

   If your group would be a category three (school or youth 
group) club, only one member has to be an ARRL member -- either 
the president, faculty advisor or similar person.  In addition, 
the club name has to indicate that the group is youth or school 
oriented.

   If you are applying for Category Four status, 75% of the clubs 
in your council must be actively affiliated clubs. 

   In your quest for affiliation, you'll have to fill out a few 
forms.  To obtain them, write to:    

                          American Radio Relay League
                          Club Program
                          225 Main Street
                          Newington, CT 06111

   Ask for a "Club Kit."  You will receive ARRL membership forms, 
a sample constitution and everything else you need to get the 
ball rolling. Once HQ receives the completed forms, they are 
checked for completeness, and forwarded to your Division Director 
(listed in the White Pages).

   Your Director, in consultation with your Section Manager and 
Affiliated Club Coordinator, will approve (or disapprove) your 
club's application. At its next regular meeting, the ARRL 
Executive Committee (EC) will approve or disapprove your club's 
affiliation application.  Upon approval by the EC, you'll receive 
a hand-lettered Charter of Affiliation, and will be able to 
request any of the benefits mentioned above.

   Once your club is affiliated, it stays affiliated.  At the 
beginning of each year HQ sends you an annual report form to fill 
out.  The annual report is our way of keeping your club records 
at HQ up-to-date.  To stay actively affiliated, complete and 
return the annual report form to ARRL Hq.

   Should two years go by without HQ receiving a club 
questionnaire, your club status will be changed to inactive 
status.  If this happens, you can return to active affilated 
status at any time by simply completing an annual report and 
confirming 51% ARRL membership among your voting members.


The Special Service Club Program 

   In addition to regularly-affiliated clubs, a special program 
exists to recognize those groups who do more than the usual for 
their communities and for Amateur Radio.  These well-rounded 
groups are the Special Service Clubs (SSCs). SSCs are the leaders 
in their Amateur Radio communities.  They're the ones with the 
active training classes, the highly-visible publicity program and 
the members who actively pursue technical projects.  In short, 
SSCs are ambitious clubs who scorn the word "complacent."


Why Become an SSC?

   In addition to the benefits regularly-affiliated clubs 
receive, Special Service Clubs get these advantages: 

1] Free, The ARRL Letter, accurate Amateur Radio news, every                 
other week.

2] Free bimonthly lists of new amateurs in their geographical 
areas.

3] Free bimonthly lists of new League members in their 
geographical areas.

4] SSC clip art.

5] Recognition in QST and FIELD FORUM as your club renews or 
becomes an SSC.

6] SSC meeting and contact information is published in the ARRL       
Repeater Directory.

7] SSC patches.


How to Become an SSC

   To become an SSC, your club must be actively affiliated with 
the ARRL, have 51% ARRL membership and fill out a one-page 
application form (obtainable from your Affiliated Club 
Coordinator (ACC)).  Send the completed form to your ACC, who 
will contact you to discuss your club's projects. The name of 
your ACC is available from your Section Manager (see p.8 of any 
current QST. 


The Special Service Club Program -- Additional Thoughts

   Participation in the SSC program means a more ambitious 
program for your club.  By taking an active role within the ARRL 
Field Organization, you will create a stronger, more effective 
Amateur Radio presence in your area.  The SSC program was 
designed to be flexible -- there's room for a host of creative 
ideas, and regardless of your club's size, if the members are 
willing, there's a place for your club.


Role Of The Affiliated Club Coordinator

   Some clubs will find that their present program is adequate 
while others may have to modify theirs slightly.  Regardless of 
the present structure of your club, the Affiliated Club 
Coordinator is the key to your participation.  With your ACC, 
you'll work out a series of programs and develop capabilities 
that cover the major areas a well-rounded Amateur Radio club 
should be involved in.  Your ACC can also answer any questions 
you might have about the program and will be happy to assist you 
in any way possible.

ARRL Field Services Department 

   The Club Program Branch staff in the Field Services Department 
is ready to assist club presidents in any way it can.  FSD 
maintains an extensive database of all actively affiliated clubs, 
and archives of files of clubs dating back decades. A plethora of 
forms, operating aids, brochures, and booklets are available from 
FSD. 

CHAPTER THREE

CLUB PROGRAM AND ACTIVITY IDEAS

   
   As club president, you must always keep your eyes focused on 
the big picture.  You have lots of duties, responsibilities, and 
details to contend with -- lots to keep you busy.  Occasionally, 
the myriad of details can bog you down and steer you and your 
club off course. 

   A truly effective club president is one who keeps the big 
picture clearly in mind and guides his club accordingly. Any plan 
or program decision, big or small, should be made in the context 
of overall club objectives.

   What is the "big picture?"  Well, it can vary depending on the 
nature of the club -- some have narrower purposes than others.  
But, all Amateur Radio clubs can be guided by some basic program 
goals and principles. It's up to the club members and you as to 
what priorities should be set, of course. Here are a few "big 
picture" ideas  you might want to consider when steering your 
club in its plans, programs and activities:

1.  Seek to broaden the Amateur Radio experience and capabilities 
of your members.  By doing this, you will encourage a spirit of 
fraternity and camaraderie among your members.  

2.  Develop your club as a resource to the community. We are, 
after all, the Amateur Radio Service.

3.  Develop your club as a resource to local hams.

4.  Develop your club as an integral part of the Section's Field 
Organization.

   The four "big picture" items above can be addressed in many 
ways. Public relations activities such as Field Day, mall 
displays, and special event stations improve the visibility of 
Amateur Radio, promoting it as a positive force within the 
community. Get involved in local emergency planning.  

   Conduct licensing classes. Conduct "continuing education" or 
"elmering" activities. 

   Promote technical advancement. Encourage members to increase 
personal levels of technical understanding. 

   Promote higher operating standards.  Conduct code proficiency 
seminars. Have guest speakers talk on operating modes such as 
packet radio, satellites, contests, and DXing. 

   Because of the importance of close ties with the ARRL Field 
Organzation, you should encourage members to seek Field 
Organization positions: Official Emergency Station, Official 
Bulletin Station, Official Relay Station, Public Information 
Officer, Official Observer and Assistant Technical Coordinator.  

The Field Organization can help keep you focused on the big 
picture.

   The Club Program Calendar, which comprises the majority of 
this booklet, is constructed with the above in mind.  Although 
we've presented in the calendar a large number of suggestions, 
you are encouraged to develop your own ideas in keeping with your 
own personal big picture.


Regular Meetings

   The meat and potatoes of every club is the club meeting, a 
regular get-together that allows orderly handling of business by 
the majority, problem solving, continuing camaraderie and just 
plain fun. One of the major challenges you will face is keeping 
interest, and thus attendance, high.  It's not easy, but 
developing interest, attendance, and a growing membership through 
good programs and activities at club meetings is perhaps the most 
rewarding part of your job.  Do it with a vengeance.  Here's a 
few things to keep in  mind when planning meetings:

   Meeting Place:  Finding a meeting place is important to ensure 
a high attendance at club meetings.  The meeting place should be 
centrally located, and convenient for the majority of members.  
It should be as permanent as possible so that the club can enjoy 
the continuity of meeting in the same place month after month.  
This is particularly important with the more loosely organized 
clubs as members who have not been to a meeting in a long time 
can still find the proper place.  Good possibilities are local 
schools, banks, libraries, churches and public service 
organizations such as the Red Cross.  The latter is particularly 
good because of the long-standing cooperative agreement between 
the League and the Red Cross.

   The room should be large enough to hold the anticipated 
membership without undue crowding, and plenty of chairs should be 
readily availble.  Hang your club banner or poster in the room. 
Other useful accessories are a table and podium for speakers, and 
facilities for projection of slides and films.  A public address 
system should be avoided if possible; it is usually more trouble 
than it's worth.  

   The meeting room should be kept in excellent condition at all 
times -- particularly if you get the room for free.  The room 
should always be left cleaner than when you arrived.

   Meetings:  Most clubs meet semi-monthly or monthly.  Smaller 
community clubs meet more often because more closely-knit groups 
have more in common and travel distances are more convenient.  In 
large-membership clubs, meetings are held monthly, with perhaps a 
meeting of the Executive Committee (usually the elected officers) 
in between.  The date or day of the meeting should be selected in 
accordance with availability of the maximum number of members.  
If monthly, choose the ordinal day within the month (e.g., third 
Thursday of every month).

   Meetings should be conducted in an orderly, but not too firm, 
fashion.  Roberts Rules of Order take a severe beating in most 
amateur club meetings.  The important thing is to keep control of 
the meeting; if it gets out of hand, chaos results and little or 
nothing is accomplished.  When a member has the floor, don't let 
anyone interrupt him:  if he becomes long-winded and members 
start to get impatient, the chairperson should interrupt.  Don't 
let the meeting get bogged down through lack of procedure, 
either.  The chairperson should be responsible for seeing that 
the meeting is kept orderly and should be permitted to perform 
this function. After opening the meeting, the usual first order 
of business is reading the minutes of the previous meeting and 
amending them or approving them.  Next comes reports from 
officers, including the reading or passing around of 
communications from the secretary.  Following that, committee 
chairpersons make reports, if any.  Old business (unfinished from 
previous meetings) follows; then new business (not brought up at 
a previous meeting).  A skillful chairperson can get through most 
of this quickly to get at the next order of business, the program 
for the evening--and finally adjournment, followed by 
refreshments and ragchewing.  If the program consists of a guest 
speaker, it is courteous to omit as much business from the 
meeting as possible so that he/she will not be detained 
unnecessarily.


Maintaining Interest

   Occasionally, when there is a lot of business to discuss, the 
club can spend a profitable evening without a program, but a club 
that tries to exist for very long this way will find itself 
gradually losing attendance.  It is important to have a program 
of some sort, and preferably one that will be of interest to a 
majority of club members.  A few suggestions follow:
  
1.  Talks by outsiders.  Hams of prominence in their field such 
as the Affiliated Club Coordinator, Section Manager, Section 
Emergency Coordinator,  public service organizers, QSL bureau 
persons, operator specialists, DX visitors, radio engineers, 
telephone and power company engineers, radio station executives 
and other persons who are experts on subjects of interest to club 
members should be invited to talk.  Speakers can appeal to 
interests within the club.  Your section Public Information 
Coordinator maintains an active speakers bureau for club talks.

2.  Talks by club members.  Speakers can cover special radio 
subjects with which they are familiar (may be submitted as a 
paper entered in a club contest).  Have a series of lectures 
covering radio theory for general advancement or to train 
newcomers; cover license examination questions.  Have 
members' demonstrations of home-built gear or net operating and 
message-handling procedure.  Have members speak on contest 
operating. Prizes or convention expense money may be awarded for 
best presentation given each year.  

3.  Open discussion.  Questions proposed by a member and 
discussed by all, each taking a turn or volunteering.  When a 
satisfactory answer has been found another question is proposed.

4.  Initiation ceremony.  Ritual covering serious side of Amateur 
Radio with enough horseplay introduced to make it funny.  Serious 
side should cover the rights of other amateurs on the air.

5.  Movies.  Radio or other engineering subjects.  Local power or 
telephone companies quite frequently have them available for free 
loan.  Entertainment type films may also be rented for a nominal 
fee.  ARRL has a few entertainment-type features available to 
affiliated clubs, in addition to many training films. See Chapter 
Seven.

6.  Discussion of controversial current topics in Amateur Radio, 
giving everyone an opportunity to air his "gripes."  Such 
discussions often attract attendance, but strict control should 
be kept over them by an experienced moderator, lest they result 
in bad feelings.

7.  Contests of various kinds within the club can attract 
attendance and interest.  A few examples:  

o Code speed contest, where there are enough good c.w. ops in the 
club to make it interesting--have several categories of 
experience level.  

o Diagram drawing.  

o Jumbled word--use radio or electrical terms, with prizes of 
some kind of recognition to the first one to unscramble the word.  

o Checker or chess tournaments can feature an after-the-meeting 
get-together if enough of the members are interested--not only 
Amateur Radio activities need be considered.  If prizes are given 
it is advisable to place restrictions on how often an individual 
can win a prize so that everyone gets an equal chance.

8.  ARRL Night.  If possible, a visitor or visitors from the ARRL 
"official family" or the headquarters staff can spearhead such a 
program.  Members of affiliated clubs will have many questions 
about the League, and there is always a certain amount of 
misinformation to be clarified.  The club might profitably spend 
one program a year in reviewing its commitment to amateurs in 
general through ARRL affiliation--the reasons for it, the 
benefits derived, the objectives and principles of ARRL to which 
the club subscribes.

9.  Visitors Night.  An evening once or twice annually devoted to 
specially-invited visitors (membership prospects especially) can 
serve as mutual introduction between club members and other local 
hams and non-hams.  

     As an adjunct to meeting programs, there are a number of 
other continuing programs which the club can sponsor for the 
benefit of some or all the membership, such as:

o Code practice and/or technical training program.  This feature 
is best presented before the meeting.  Those members or others 
interested should show up a half hour or hour earlier than the 
meeting.  The instructor should be chosen from the regular 
membership.  A nominal charge may be made, but it is best to 
avoid this if possible, except possibly to non-members.  Charts 
may be posted on the bulletin board showing trainee progress--a 
sort of "Honor Roll" or "Dean's List."  

o Reading of all W1AW bulletins at the meetings.  Some clubs 
appoint a member to monitor W1AW just prior to or during meetings 
and report any special bulletins at club meetings.  The W1AW cw 
bulletin is at 8 P.M. in the eastern time zone, earlier in the 
western time zones, so this is feasible in most cases.

o Visitors should be asked to say a few words after they have 
been formally introduced to the club by the presiding officer or 
the person who invited them.

o Some members enjoy the after-the-meeting talk sessions more 
than the meetings themselves.  Time should be allowed for them, 
so that personal conversations are kept out of the main meeting.  
If the meeting begins at 8 P.M. it should be over by 9, leaving 
some time for chitchat over coffee and doughnuts.  Even if there 
is a speaker, some thought should be given to keeping the formal 
part of the meeting down to an hour and a half.  Most hams are 
natural-born gabbers and the "hamfest" atmosphere may attract 
them as much as any other feature.

o Station visiting after the meeting may be in order, providing 
it does not break up too late.  The names and calls of those 
members' stations open for visitors can be included in the 
meeting notice or during the meeting.  This can go a long way 
toward keeping members interested in coming to meetings; that is, 
if a member has been "backsliding," asking his permission to open 
his station to visitors may bring him back to meetings.  If the 
club shows an interest in the member, chances are good the member 
will show an interest in the club.

o Refreshments are a "must" at club meetings.  Most clubs provide 
coffee and doughnuts, for which members throw in perhaps fifteen 
cents for each doughnut consumed (with guests and visitors being 
served free, of course).  

o Non-ham spouses should not be neglected at club meetings.  Some 
clubs have auxiliaries that arrange club picnics and dinners, to 
entertain visiting guest speakers, and more.  Spouses can also be 
included in the regular club activities, and they make excellent 
candidates for the license classes.


ARRL Special Service Club Manual

   The club president's bible is the ARRL Special Service Club 
Manual.  Although tailored to meet the needs of growing Special 
Service Clubs, the book is an excellent reference and source of 
program ideas for all club presidents.  The book contains 
specific activity ideas, major program development suggestions, 
special articles authored by experts in the field on how to be 
effective in special areas, and appropriate QST reprints showing 
successful club efforts.

   Contact your Affiliated Club Coordinator for information on 
how to get your copy.


Other Sources of Club Program Ideas

* The Club Spectrum column in QST showcases successful club 
programs and projects.  Use their stories as models for your own 
club's activities.

* Section Manager (see page 8 of any recent QST for his or her 
address and phone number).  The SM will likely have a fountain of 
ideas for your club.

* Affiliated Club Coordinator.  Contact your SM for the name of 
your ACC.  The Affiliated Club Coordinator is an expert in club 
activities with experience in working with successful clubs. 

* FIELD FORUM newsletter, published by the ARRL Field Services 
Department, contains stories of successful club projects from 
around the country.

* Public Information Coordinator. Your Section's PIC maintains a 
speaker bureau of available speakers for your club talks.

* See Chapter Seven  for a list of entertainment and 
training videotapes. 

CHAPTER FOUR

Adopt Your Local School!

   No news to anybody is the fact that the future of Amateur 
Radio hinges upon getting new, young amateurs into the fold now. 
Only by  meeting this need will we be ensuring a sound, secure 
future for our service.
   The question is, how do we unlock the door to youth? There are 
many keys,  but a major one is the local school, full of young, 
bright students eager for new challenges.  School clubs are  
primary vehicles for introducing these young people to Amateur 
Radio.  
   Numbers of active, affiliated school clubs have dropped 
precipitously in recent years, down to the 132 mark, and it is 
time to take fast, effective action to reverse the trend, and 
start growth again. The League's Board of Directors took the 
following action:

      "VOTED that the ARRL Board establish the goal to 
      double the number of ARRL-affiliated Amateur Radio 
      Clubs already existing in schools during the next 
      three years and that staff members develop a plan to 
      reach this goal  by the end of 1991." -- Minute 76, 
      1988 Second Meeting.

   With new growth of school clubs and ARRL affiliation comes new 
opportunities for getting students into Amateur Radio.  
   As a League affiliated club, ARRL needs you to do your part in 
promoting school club activity in your area. How to start?
   Start with existing school clubs.  There could be many school 
clubs in your area. Some are active, but unaffiliated. Others are 
affiliated, but inactive (they haven't filed an annual club 
report in a few years.) Still others are inactive and 
unaffiliated.  Getting the "actives" affiliated is easy: all the 
club has to do is fill out a few forms.  
     Activation of "inactives" will take a little more work 
involving locating the right faculty member, or volunteer from 
your club to do the job, and then getting them to file an 
activity report  with HQ.  Lists of inactive clubs in your area 
are available from HQ.
   Finding clubs will take some detective work.  Go to your local 
schools to find existing school clubs.  Offer to help club 
sponsors with plans and programs.  Ask them to join in your own 
club's activities such as mall displays, message centers, 
communications events, Field Days and so on. Explain the benefits 
of active League affiliation, and help them complete the 
affiliation and activation forms. In other words, be a big 
brother.  You'll probably find that your association with a 
school club will result in a rebirth of interest within your own 
club, too! 

Starting from Scratch

   Of course, there will be many schools that  do not presently 
have a school Amateur Radio club.  In these instances, you will 
have to start from scratch.  To plant the seeds for a new club, 
try to find an insider, an amateur working within the school 
administration or faculty, to champion your cause.  Tell him that 
you're ready, willing and able to set up demonstrations for 
students, provide equipment loans for a school station, and even 
sign on as official sponsor of the club.  Tell him that 
interested students can join your Novice classes, or better yet, 
offer to hold Novice classes on campus during or after school 
hours. Provide League video tapes as programs for science 
classes.
   There is a host of things you can do to get a club started in 
your local school.  Once formed, in cooperation with your ACC, 
help them prepare and file their ARRL affiliation application.  
Once affiliated, you can count the creation of the club as one 
more good deed done for your community's youth, and for Amateur 
Radio's future.

CHAPTER FIVE

THE AFFILIATED CLUB COORDINATOR -- YOUR LOCAL RESOURCE

   The core of Amateur Radio's strength lies in an efficient, 
well-organized Field Organization.  It would be impossible for 
one ARRL HQ staff unit to coordinate all the activities of nearly 
1,900 actively affiliated clubs, 245 of which are Special Service 
Clubs.  This is why the Section Manager of each ARRL section 
appoints an Affiliated Club Coordinator to handle your questions 
and concerns.  The ACC is your primary source of assistance. 

   Work on establishing an ongoing relationship with your ACC.  
They are volunteers just like your club who have volunteered to 
take on the challenge and commitment of a strong club presence in 
the section. You can help an ACC help you by following a few easy 
steps: (1) Ensure that your club's annual report form is 
completed and sent to him in a timely manner; (2) If a problem 
occurs within the club, notify him immediately so that he or she 
can prepare to be of assistance; (3) Send a copy of your club's 
newsletter to your ACC.  He or she enjoys keeping up on your 
latest club news; and (4) Inform the ACC concerning any change in 
club officers.  

   Communicating well takes effort and commitment; sometimes we 
need to relearn this important art.  It seems that we all should 
be expert  communicators in this mass media dominated society, 
but while we have become consumers of television, newspapers, and 
radios, our inter-personal communications skills grow rusty.  
Most problems stem from misperceptions brought about by not 
communicating well, or not communicating at all.  Take advantage 
of this important field communications resource at your 
fingertips: The Affiliated Club Coordinator.  

Official ACC Job Description

   The ACC is the primary contact and resource person for each 
Amateur Radio club in the section, specializing in motivating, 
providing assistance and coordinating joint activities of radio 
clubs.  The ACC is appointed by, and reports to, the Section 
Manager.  Duties and qualifications of the ACC include the 
following:

1. Volunteer a great deal of time in getting to know the Amateur 
Radio clubs' members and officers person to person in his 
section. Learn their needs, strengths and interests and work with 
them to make clubs effective resources in their communities and 
more enjoyable for their members.

2.  Encourage affiliated clubs in the section to become more 
active and, if the club is already healthy and effective, to 
apply as a Special Service Club (SSC).

3.  Supply interested clubs with SSC application forms.

4.  Assist clubs in completing SSC application forms, if 
requested.

5.  Help clubs establish workable programs to use as SSCs.

6.  Approve SSC application forms and pass them to the SM.

7.  Work with other section leadership officials (Section 
Emergency Coordinator, Public Information Coordinator, Technical 
Coordinator, State Government Liaison, etc.) to insure that clubs 
are involved in the mainstream of ARRL Field Organization 
activities.

8.  Encourage new clubs to become ARRL affiliated.

9. Ensure that annual progress reports (updated officers, liaison 
mailing addresses etc.) are forthcoming from all affiliated 
clubs.  

10. Novice Class license; ARRL membership required.

                   (ACC certificate graphic here)

CHAPTER SIX

WORKING WITH YOUR MEMBERS

   Members are the lifeblood of your club.  They are difficult to 
find, more difficult to keep, and at times, difficult to work 
with.  Members come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, sizes, 
backgrounds, skills, experience, and levels of motivations.  They 
have their own reason for participating and their own specific 
needs which must be met if they are to continue to be members.  
Their needs, abilities, and accomplishments determine the 
ultimate success or failure of your club activities. Your task, 
as president, is to discover and meet their needs while guiding 
them in the best use of their abilities, thus helping them to 
achieve significant accomplishments through their club.


Who are Members?

   Members are individuals who are willing to work with others to 
perform a necessary activity. They are human beings with human 
needs, goals, attitudes, abilities, strengths and weaknesses.  
Since members will be the basic resource that you will be using, 
it will be to your advantage to get to know each of them as well 
as possible.

   Generally, members will do precisely what they want to do -- 
no more -- no less.  It is up to you to convince them that the 
project you have selected for them is both needed and 
appropriate.  Having their own likes and dislikes, it may be 
necessary to talk some members into some assignments which are 
important though unpopular.

   Members must be convinced that what you are asking them to do 
is really needed.  They don't like to be underutilized, and tend 
to disappear when kept cooling their heels for a significant 
length of time.  They will work for long hours under the worst 
conditions as long as they can see the need for it.  Most will do 
anything you ask as long as they're treated properly.  If you 
mistreat or abuse them, they may not volunteer their help again.
   

Why They Joined Your Club

   It would be physically impossible to discuss in this booklet 
every possible reason why people join groups. Generally speaking, 
members join to satisfy a personal need.

   Some members join to become a member of a group.  Some join to 
become a "big wheel". Some join simply because you asked the 
right question at the right time and at the right place, and have 
the dynamic club program to back it up.

   Find out why your members joined your club. You've got to find 
out what their needs are before you can attempt to satisfy them. 

   In short, the best way to find out why your members joined is 
to ask them!


What Members Expect From You

   Your members have a right to expect courteous, considerate, 
fair and impartial treatment from you.  Courtesy is always in 
order; rudeness will cost you dearly.  In addition to learning 
and compensating for their weaknesses and being tolerant of their 
faults, you must also consider their feelings.  Don't forget that 
you are taking precious time from their families.  They also have 
the right to expect you to make a reasonable effort to learn and 
apply the skills and techniques of management.  You will be 
expected to make mistakes, admit them openly, and learn from them 
as you grow into your new role.  You will also be expected to 
keep them informed as to what is happening and why.

   Unfortunately, some members will expect much more of you than 
they have a right to expect, and often more than you can do.  
They may expect you to change situations over which you have no 
control, force other volunteers to change their habits, provide 
them with privileged treatment or status, fire a useful assistant 
because they happen to dislike him, and other equally 
inappropriate actions.  In short, they will tend to forget that 
you deserve the same treatment from them that they expect from 
you.

   Each member has different job demands and family requirements, 
as well as other outside interests.  This affects the level of 
commitment they are able to make. Some join your group and are 
never heard from again. Others will join and not find time for 
training, but will come out for activities. The rest will be 
willing to take different amounts of training, and their 
availability for service will change as their situations and 
interests change.  Human traits are cyclic in nature and 
volunteers are no exception.  Further, very few will be willing 
to take sufficient training to be able to lead, and even less 
will be willing to do the extra work.  Remember that members are 
individuals and should be treated as such.


The Cadre Concept

   The "cadre concept" recognizes the variations in willingness 
to prepare for special activities and allows you to mitigate the 
problem by using a small, highly-trained and motivated group who 
will provide direction by example.  The concept is simple -- you 
provide as much training to each member as he is willing to 
accept and absorb.  Those who take the most training will usually 
be willing to assist you with the job of organizing the rest.  
They become the cadre of leaders -- the nucleus of your activity 
group.

   This concept works simply because it takes maximum advantage 
of the fact that people are going to do exactly what they want to 
do.  It operates on the assumption that no member is worthless, 
that one day you may need all the volunteers you can get, and, 
finally, that you may have some claim on an amateur who carries a 
membership card for your group, while you have no claim on one 
who does not.


Keeping Your Members

   Keeping your members is a function of two things: one, you 
must have a slate of dynamic club activities, programs and 
meetings  scheduled for the year to generate interest, and two, 
you must treat them right. The first is addressed in the 
remainder of this workbook.  The second is worth a look here.
   Your members will stay members of your club if you make a 
dedicated effort to ensure that:

   a)  Your management process is tailored specifically to the 
needs of your club and the individuals who comprise it.  
Obviously your members have skills which they are bringing to 
your group,  but increasing those skills and educating your 
members in new skills will probably keep them interested.

   b)  You provide timely information to your members.  Keep them 
informed of activities as a group.  Don't tell one or two members 
and expect the rest to find out "on their own."

   c)  You should be someone your members can turn to for 
assistance on group-related matters.

   d)  You should realize that, although some members may feel 
secure being given one responsibility and keeping that 
responsibility during their tenure with your group, some members 
may enjoy being given different assignments.  Those members who 
request different challenges may be your best vice presidents.

   e)  You may wish to implement your own system of showing 
appreciation, recognition and rewarding of members for their     
services.  Awarding certificates or having special occasions such 
as dinners are excellent means to reward your ARES members for a 
job well done.
   

Suggested  Management Approaches

   First, most members don't respond well to orders.  They will 
honor requests, particularly if you have time to include 
information on the need for that request.  

   Second, if you desire their loyalty, you must be prepared to 
give them yours.  The responsibility for your group's success or 
failure lies with you.  Your loyalty must remain steadfast.

   Third, do not criticize a member in public unless you 
absolutely must.  People will respond better to criticism in 
private.  Remember that their pride and dignity are at stake.  If 
you must criticize a  member in public, or in private, make it 
brief, make it positive if possible, and don't criticize the 
member personally -- direct your criticism toward the person's 
actions.

   Fourth, recognize that factions and cliques will develop 
within your club as they do with any other group.  You must not 
become identified with any subgroup within your unit.  Your 
impartiality will be questioned at times when it seems to members 
that you "always give Bill the best job."

   Fifth, when a member of your group complains about another 
member's lack of knowledge or operating skills, keep in mind that 
some people simply learn quicker than others.  In an emergency, 
you'll still want the member who is learning.  You may wish to 
handle a problem such as this by asking the member who is upset 
to develop some suggestions in that area.  Stress that his 
efforts will increase the effectiveness of the club.

   Sixth, never discuss a member's weaknesses, faults or 
limitations on the air or in public.  If someone complains to you 
publicly about another member, handle the situation as 
diplomatically as possible.  If the conflict can be resolved by 
having the two members talk to each other, follow that route.  If 
not, offer to discuss the problem privately.  Your responsibility 
is to solve the problem -- not to take sides.

   Lastly, when you find that a member is causing more harm than 
good to your unit, it is important that you are diplomatic in 
your actions while keeping the effectiveness of your unit as your 
primary consideration.

Summary

   Working with your members is the most critical aspect of your 
job and will call for the most time and effort on your part.  To 
work effectively with members, you must first understand them and 
use that understanding to motivate them to do the job.

   When you're leading your members you should not try to be "all 
things to all people."  You must be a diplomat, a leader, a 
friend, an expert in your field, and an excellent listener.  You 
probably won't be able to please all of the members in your group 
all of the time. However, you should attempt to please them 
whenever possible for the good of the unit.  Strive to "lead" 
your club, not simply "manage" it.

                      (Club Corner reprint)

CHAPTER SEVEN 

AUDIO/VISUAL PROGRAMS CATALOG
           
   The ARRL Audio/Visual Programs are available to instructors 
teaching Amateur Radio License Classes, Members and ARRL 
Affiliated Clubs.
   Programs consist of video cassettes.  Use is FREE, the only cost 
being return postage.  Bookings are on a first come, first served basis. 
Programs may not be shown for financial gain.

Borrowers must agree to:
1) Make requests at least one month in       6) Rewind all videotapes.
   advance on Form CT-20. Use program                             
   number to indicate your selection         
   (e.g. VT-45). For videotapes, in-         7) Return the program to ARRL  
   dicate the format of tape needed:            with shipping charges paid.  
   "U" for U-Matic, "V" for VHS.                Please ship via UPS or     
   (e.g., VT-5-V)                               insure the  package.  If 
                                                shipping UPS, please retain
                                                receipt  with  shipping 
2) Use a street address for delivery            number in case the 
   label  so  that  we may use UPS to           package must be traced.        
   deliver.                                     

3) Request only one selection per month.     8) RETURN WITHIN 48 HOURS AFTER
   The  large demand for programs makes         SHOWING  DATE.  Any  change 
   this necessary so that everyone gets         must be cleared with the 
   a chance for a selection.                    ARRL A/V Librarian in 
                                                advance of return shipping
4) List two or three alternate choices          time. Failure to return 
   and/or dates on each CT-20.                  promptly means you've upset
                                                some other club or class 
5) When returning the program,                  program.
   include a note of any repairs that 
   need to be made.                               


                              VIDEO CASSETTES

VT-1--OSCAR and the Ham. (29 min.          VT-10 -- FCC Tutorial: Limitation
VHS, color) Narration                      of RF Propagation (2 hours, 
provided by Jean Sheppard, K2ORS.          color, VHS)
Portrays a classroom demonstration         
of the OSCAR  Satellite using              VT-11 --FCC Tutorial: 
actual two-way conversations               Communications Satellites:
through the satellite to demon-            Achievements, Trends and Projections
strate the principles of orbital           (1 hour 15 min., color, U-Matic, VHS)                               U-Matic, VHS)                       
mechanics, Doppler shift,                  
telemetry and Faraday rotation.            VT-12 -- FCC Tutorial: Biological
                                           Effects of Radio Frequencies and
VT-2 -- Field Day Fever. (25 min.,         Microwaves. (1 hour 3 min., B & W,
color, U-Matic, VHS) A look at the         U-Matic, VHS)
"why" of Field Day.                                                       
                                           VT-13 -- FCC Tutorial: Potential Use
VT-3 -- ATV (20 min, color, U-Matic, VHS)  of Spread Spectrum Techniques in Non
A look at applications for Amateur         Government Applications. (1 hour 15 
Television and SSTV.                       min., B & W, VHS)                                      
                                                                  
VT-4 -- AMSAT Slide Show with Narra-       VT-14 -- FCC Tutorial: Computer        
tion. (15 Min., color, U-Matic, VHS)       Protocol. (1 hour 8 min.,B & W, 
The building and launch of OSCAR 9         VHS)                                  
Phase III A. (second half is silent)                       
                                           VT-15 -- FCC Tutorial: Fiber
                                           Optics. (1 hour 5 min.,B & W,
                                           VHS)
                               
                                           VT-16 -- Loaded Antenna. (50 min.,
                                           color, U-Matic, VHS)
VT-6   -- FCC   Tutorial:   Digital 
Speech. (1 hour 19 min., color,            VT-17 -- Low Definition Television.
UMatic, VHS)                              (30 min., color, U-Matic, VHS)                                                      
                                             
VT-7 -- FCC  Tutorial:  Digital:  A        VT-18 -- History of Microprocessors.
Revolution in Television. (80 min.         (60 min., color, U-Matic, VHS)
color, U-Matic, VHS)
                                           VT-19 -- Microprocessors. (60 min.,
VT-8 -- FCC Tutorial: High Definition      color, U-Matic, VHS)
Television. (1 hour 20 min., color, 
VHS)                                       VT-20 -- Wire Antennas. (30 min.,
                                           B & W, U-Matic, VHS)
VT-9 -- FCC Tutorial: Mobile Digital 
Communications.  (1  hour  15  min.,       VT-21 -- ATV in Great Britain. (30
color, VHS)                                min., color, U-Matic, VHS)

VT-22 -- ATV in Australia, 1980-81 (30                                     
min., color, VHS)                                      
 
VT-23 -- Signal to Noise Story. (30 min.   VT-32 -- Northern Lights. (27 min.,
color, VHS)                                color, U-Matic, VHS)

                                           VT-33 -- Astronaut Owen Garriott, 
                                           W5LFL, at Foothills College 
                                           (60 min., color, VHS)
VT-25 -- FCC Tutorial: Amateur Radio 
Technology (72 min., B & W, U-Matic,       VT-34 -- Terrible Tuesday, Tornado
VHS)                                       Safety from the National Weather
                                           Service. (23 min., color, VHS)
VT-26-S -- At Any Moment...Amateur Radio     
and Disaster Preparedness. (11 min.,       VT-35 -- Hurricane, courtesy of
color, VHS) (NonAmateur Audience)         National Weather Service. (28 1/2 
                                           min., color, VHS)                      

VT-26-L -- At Any Moment...Amateur Radio   VT-36 -- SAREX Shuttle Mission
and Disaster Preparedness. (14 min.,       51F (18 1/2 min., color, VHS, 
color, VHS) (For Amateur Audience)         U-Matic)
 
VT-27 -- Bob Swanlund, W0/WYX, Squaw       VT-37 -- Packet Radio primer
Mountain, Colorado. (13 min., color,         (30 min., color, U-Matic, VHS)
VHS)

VT-28 -- All China Amateur Radio Direction   VT-38 -- Surviving The Cold
Finding Competition. (30 min., color, VHS)   (17 min., color, VHS, Red 
                                             Cross film)


                                             VT-40 -- New World Of Amateur Radio
                                             (1987, 28 1/2 min., color VHS,
                                             U-Matic, fast-paced 
                                             introduction to Amateur Radio)
VT-30 -- Amateur Radio's Newest Frontier
(28 min., color, U-Matic, VHS) Footage of
the astronauts and Shuttle flight STS-9


VT-50 -- What Are Those Crazy Sounding 
Signals (20 min, color VHS) Introduction 
to packet radio.

VT-51 -- Hamming It Up With Coastal 
Amateur Radio Society (7 min, color VHS) 
A fun look at an active club's 
activities.

VT-52 Disaster Drill: The Big One (25 
min, color VHS) Hams involved in a fast-
paced earthquake drill.

VT-53 -- This Is ATV (30 min, color VHS) 
How-to on amateur television.

VT-54 Passport To Opportunity -- IEEE 
(30 min, color VHS) Why hands-on 
science, like Amateur Radio, should be 
in schools.

VT-55 Maritime Electronics Training 
School (10 min, color VHS) Maritime 
electronics technicians.

VT-56 Making Contacts, Making Friends 
(25 min, color VHS) Some personal 
stories from the Courage HANDI-HAM 
System.

VT-57 -- GPHRC Satellite Communications 
(11 min, color U-Matic, VHS) Watch 
excited young hams grow and learn with 
the assistance of an adult radio club.

VT-58 -- Field Day (20 min, color VHS) A 
fun look at Field Day.

VT-59 -- Correction of Interference to 
TV Due to Saturation of RF Circuitry (18 
min, color VHS) The FCC gives an 
understanding of some of the easier RFI 
cures.

For a list of DXpedition videos, write 
to: J. Clarke, WB6ZUC, 207 Evergreen, 
Kentfield, CA 94904.


1990-1991 WORKBOOK

   The following pages contain planning calendars for the club 
year August 1990 through July 1991.  There are copious notes on 
significant operating events, conventions, and ideas for club 
activities including meetings, special events, licensing classes, 
youth group demonstrations, mall displays, message centers, and 
more, keyed to the appropriate month.
   
   There is ample room for your own notes for planning monthly 
meetings, and other activities.  The day blocks in each calendar 
are large enough to write in action items with referrals to the 
notes.
   
   The key to an effective, dynamic, growing club, is proper 
planning of stimulating club activities.  We hope this calendar 
will help you in your planning to make your club one of the 
very finest in the section!


Feedback

   The Field Services Department publishes the annual Club 
President's Workbook each summer.  We welcome your suggestions 
for additions for next year's edition.  Send your comments to 
ARRL HQ,  Field Services Department, 225 Main Street, Newington, 
CT 06111. Thank you.

*eof

