by Bob Collins
Attendees of the EAA Chapter Leadership Academy stay at no cost in the EAA Air Academy Lodge in Oshkosh. Photo: Bob Colliins
(October 25, 2024) It occurred to me about halfway through the two-day EAA Chapter Leadership Academy in Oshkosh October 23-25 that these things must be murder on the chapter leaders back home, what with their attendees coming back with all this enthusiasm and desire to swing into action and all. But I already had enthusiasm and desire, so I didn't really think the EAA's session was going to make much difference. I was wrong. Sorry, Chapter 54 leaders. Brace yourselves!
I’m not the first Chapter 54 member to attend one of these things and I’ve never heard anything but enthusiasm from attendees so perhaps I should’ve expected a caffeine-like injection of ideas. And, really, the whole takeaway from the session can be summed up in EAA Communities Director Charlie Becker’s bottom line: “Do something!”
Even for active chapters like Chapter 54, that’s good advice, especially when one considers Becker’s revelation that about 25 chapters a year fold for one reason or another. Our chapter faces the same problems many others do: an aging population, retaining new members, and having a comprehensive roadmap for the future. Oh, there’s also that ongoing problem of few people willing to serve in a leadership position; that’s significant because 2025 is when we’ll next have the top officers up for election (there is a director election next month).
EAA officials speak to attendees of the EAA Chapter Leadership Academy at the start of the two-day event on October 23, 2024.
The Academy opened on Wednesday night with a social hour at the Air Academy Lodge on the grounds of Oshkosh. Attendees are housed there at no cost (in fact, there’s no cost at all to attend other than the fuel to get there) in a pretty idyllic setting.
Then it was off to the Sonex headquarters on the other side of the field, through the non-existent traffic and every-road-open city that isn’t anything like late July.
Mark Schaible, the president of the company who spoke to Chapter 54 in March 2024, provided a comprehensive tour that really underscored the grassroots nature not only of homebuilders, but homebuilt aircraft companies.
Mark Schaible, the president of Sonex, conducts a tour for EAA Chapter Leadership Academy attendees on October 23, 2024. Photo: Bob Collins
The nuts-and-bolts of the Academy, however, lay in wait, for Thursday was a sun-up-to-sundown, intensive session outside of the free taco lunch and equally free all-you-can-eat lasagna dinner.
THE HALLMARK OF SUCCESSFUL CHAPTERS
The first session – Becker’s – was the roadmap for the entire two days: The Hallmark of Successful Chapters.
1. Strong Leadership – The chapter goes as its leadership goes. “Missionize your chapter,” Becker said. “What sets our chapter apart?” He said it’s vital to create a plan and set goals. But it’s also the responsibility of leaders to identify their own replacements. A nominating committee is essential.
Just standing up before a chapter meeting and asking, “does anyone want to be president?” isn’t going to work. That one hit home. Becker said the process has to be more one-on -one and well in advance.
It occurred to me that part of the process is to encourage members to attend this Academy (the next one is in January) with no pressure or expectation from the rest of us that it would lead an individual to become a chapter leader.
2. Quality Monthly Gatherings – It’s the cornerstone of every chapter and the primary recruitment opportunity. It’s essential to properly greet arriving members and identifying and greeting guests. Becker also said board-type topics should be left to a Board of Directors meeting rather than the membership meeting.
3. Do Something – Activity builds momentum over time.
4. Have a Growth Mindset. Be welcoming. Every guest is a potential new member. The process isn’t over once a person joins our chapter. And let’s be careful about how we greet guests. Rather than say “are you a pilot?”, for example, ask “what brought you here tonight?” The first-year renewal rate for new members is about 50/50. Consider a multi-year membership option at a discount. The goal is to retain 80 percent of new members.
Bottom line: if we’re not growing, we’re dying.
5. Effective Marketing and Communication - It includes passive signage. There’s a chapter that painted its name on the roof of its building so pilots in the pattern can clearly see there’s an EAA chapter down there.
6. Understand Volunteers and How to Recruit Them – Temper your expectations. Although the 80/20 rule applies (80 percent of outcomes come from 20 percent of cause), without that 20 percent, there is no EAA. Don’t expect the same level of commitment from each member. Be flexible. A personal “ask” is always appreciated when looking for volunteers
CHAPTER PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
This was a pretty good dreaming session. What can we do to increase what we do?
I didn’t really understand, for example, what the VMC Club that EAA offers is all about. I thought it was just a group of members that go fly VFR together. That’s not it. It’s a monthly session to provide information to help pilots fly safer with materials for a program provided by EAA that presents real-life scenarios.
This sounds like something we can integrate into our Saturday Morning Coffee and Wings seminar, which is currently regularly attended by three or four members. The materials are pretty well locked down on the EAA website, I found, and the email address they provided for additional information bounced back. But I’ll continue to pursue it.
Other ideas included a tool crib (we’re working on that), and the Young Eagles Workshop. For $35, the chapter would get a 10-pack of materials to be used. I believe we’ve done this in the past, but it was during my extended layoff from Chapter 54.
Still, it got me thinking about not only an additional Young Eagles function, but also providing a “day camp” (over a week or once a week over 5 weeks) with material supplied by Oshkosh. The demand for the Air Academy is proof of need. And parents would be willing to pay for a summer activity of four hours or so during the summer.
John Egan, EAA’s head of its Chapters Department, also discussed the Adirondack Chair Program in which chapters build and decorate (do we have any artistically gifted members?) an Adirondack chair that is placed outside the Blue Barn at Oshkosh each year. Plus, there’s also the “direction sign” that chapters provide.
Of special note, however, was the Pancake Breakfast Lottery, which comes in March. Each day during AirVenture, a chapter staffs the Camp Scholler breakfast tent and provides the workers with EAA providing the ingredients. We’ve so far not won that lottery but we need to keep trying; chapters make over $5,000. Imagine the programs we could provide for that.
And finally, there’s group camping, which Chapter 54 has used the last few years. EAA stakes out six spaces for camping as a chapter. You need to pay for about two weeks of camping but you can divide that among members.
See more information here.
Chris Henry, the EAA Aviation Museum program coordinator, discusses the Mustang XP during a tour for EAA Chapter Leadership Academy attendees on October 24, 2024.
TAXES
Patti Arthur, the general counsel of the Ray Foundation provided this session, which confirmed to me just how good our treasurers have been an ensuring we’re complying with the proper laws to maintain our very important 501 (c ) (3) tax status. There are a few chapters who’ve lost this status by not complying with the proper paperwork.
FUNDRAISING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
The session provided several options for fundraising and also stressed the importance of planning and establishing goals and a budget before the fiscal year starts.
Among the salient points and suggestions:
Raffles. Raffles are OK under the laws. Sweepstakes are not.
An aviation day camp
Hosting the Tri-motor (it requires a hangar with a 75’ door)
Online silent auction
Fundraising at Culver’s – They have Scoopie Nights in which chapters can get a share of proceeds for sales over a certain number of ours. We should investigate this.
In terms of management, everybody in a chapter has a responsibility to know where the money goes. Chapters should provide a P&L (profit and loss) statement a couple of times a year (but not every month).
Chapters should have a budget in place to properly predict income and expenses.
In terms of best practices, chapters should be sure bank statements are accessible and viewed. All expenses should be pre-approved and reimbursement should require a receipt. And it was suggested another chapter members besides the treasurer review the books periodically.
Among other suggestions: have multiple sources of income, missionize requests for more money, and be sure to file Form 990 each year.
The Wright Flyer, as seen during a tour of the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh on October 24, 2024
CHAPTER INSURANCE POLICY
This was really a good discussion, led by John Egan, who cautioned chapter leaders to always ask the most important five-word question: “What Could Go Wrong?”.
The bottom line is while our insurance policy from EAA covers our liability, we have to indicate our use explicitly: monthly meetings, Saturday open house, Young Eagles, pancake breakfasts.
Chapter 54 needs to be the sole organizer of any event. No co-sponsors. And it must be made clear on marketing materials where the “line in the sand is.” Otherwise, if something goes wrong at a Chapter 54 function in which we’re not directly involved, we would still be liable.
The chapter policy is an aviation activities policy only. There is no coverage for things like kiddie rides at a fly-in, or a bouncing house etc.
I came away from this session with a question about the use of the Civil Air Patrol at our pancake breakfast last August. Would Chapter 54 be protected if something happened to a CAP member? Would we be liable for an action of a CAP member?
I talked to John afterwards and while he said, “we’re not going to leave you hanging?”, it was very clearly he had legitimate concerns about the arrangement and said we really need to call the EAA’s Risk Management Division and talk about it. Moreover, we need to make clear when we submit the breakfast (or any other event) for coverage, that we make clear what we’re doing with regards to use of outside organizations.
“And then you’re going to get a call,” he said.
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Tom Charpentier, EAA’s Government Affairs Representative, outlined his department’s efforts and much of the discussion focused on MOSAIC the redefinition of sport pilot and light sport aircraft based on stall speeds. Currently, the FAA is setting the stall speed at 50; the EAA is proposing 58. The projected date for the final rule is May 2025 but with a new administration coming in, things tend to stop. He thinks AirVenture 2025 is the more likely target.
ROSTER MANAGEMENT
Serna Brouillette, EAA’s Chapter Field Representative, conducted an extensive overview of the EAA Roster Management tool, which Chapter 54 uses. Only a few people have access to edit it (btw, we really should input photos for everyone and then issue a directory) but many can view it to look up members at roster.eaachapters.org.
YOUNG EAGLES
Obviously, this is one of Chapter 54’s strengths but there was advice that I took to heart, chiefly, “don’t just fly them, set them up for success.” Leif’s “What’s Next?” program at the chapter house got a shoutout from the chapter president of the new New Richmond chapter, for example.
The chapter gets Young Eagles credits for each Young Eagle flown. They could then be used for reimbursement of ID gear, safety equipment, IT infrastructure (iPad, for example), and youth programs.
In 2023, for example, Chapter 54 earned $995 in credits, which were used for Air Academy scholarships. Because of weather cancellations, we won’t have a much when the 2024 tally is announced in February.
One idea that was provided: The Oshkosh chapter uses restaurant pagers (example) to call the next YE coming up in line rather than shouting through the crowd for that person. Once the check-in is provided, the parents get a restaurant pager and when their turn is up, the pager goes off and they report.
This could allow us to expand offerings at the Chapter House (see: “set them up for success”) without negatively impacting the event.
And, finally, the old Young Eagles registration site (YEDay.org) shuts down on January 1, 2025.
The new site has an interesting feature that restricts multiple flights. Chapter 54, for example, allows Young Eagles who’ve already flown to fly each month, which is fine. But what if repeat Young Eagles take all the reserved spots?
This function allows a chapter to set aside X number of slots for young people who haven’t flown before. What should that percentage of slots be? Good question. The Oshkosh chapter is still wrestling with that and figuring out whether repeat flyers are more likely to “stick” then a “first timer.”
The new Young Eagles site goes live on December 17, 2024.
The Lark of Duluth, as seen during a tour of the EAA Aviation Museum in Oshkosh on October 24, 2024
RESOURCES FOR CHAPTERS
There was just a LOT of good information here that’s available online for us:
A 25 percent discount on 2025 calendars
Chapter gear, including tablecloths and runners (we should buy these)
Chapter Advisory Council (one spot is coming open. Anybody?)
The Chapter Awards – Nominations open in March. We should make sure Chapter 54 is properly represented in nominations.
Name tags
Vista Print discounts
Program brochures
Closed Facebook Group for Chapter leaders
Office Depot discount
EAA Trial memberships.
Chris Gauger, EAA Chapters Field Representative, conducts a seminar on online presence for EAA Chapters during the EAA Chapter Leadership Academy on October 25, 2024.
ONLINE
I didn’t take notes on this presentation by Chris Gauger, a Chapter Field Representative, but don’t read anything into that. It was a really good presentation on creating and maintaining an online presence.
DEALING WITH THE MEDIA
Similarly, I didn’t take notes on this session for similar reasons. I spent 45 years as “the media.” I was impressed that Dick Knapinski didn’t set up a “media are enemies” narrative, which too many leaders do. During it, I was thinking about how good Gregg Adler was at handling the media after the crash that took the lives of Pat Moore and Mitch Zahler in March.
Knapinski provided guidelines for answering questions after such an event and urged the chapter to have someone responsible for crisis communication.
WRAPPING UP
The two-day event ended the way it started, with Charlie Becker provided a wrap up message.
- If you ain’t growing, you’re dying.
- These are the good old days in aviation
- First impressions matter
- Food breaks down social barriers
- Say “thank you”
- Create a nominating committee. “Get the right people on the bus.”
The next session of the Chapter Leadership Academy is January 25-26, 2024. Sign up here. What do you have to lose?
