You would think that with age would come wisdom, and the realization that it is much better to be thought an idiot than to prove that theory as fact. I guess that just comes with experience, and some luck perhaps??
The local radio club has been struggling for a number of months with a laundry list of issues, the majority of them downright inane. Our club dues are $20 per year per family, and the debate has been raging for months over the question: “Are family members real (voting) members of the club?”
Others seem driven to change the club constitution (for unspecified reasons), and are worried about having enough people show up for a vote (2/3 majority required). Others are fretting that by including family members as “real” members, the club won't have enough members show up at meetings for a quorum so it can conduct business.
During all this, the club has been in a downward spiral. The thought was that the club was going to disband after the February meeting was canceled by weather. My family — including those pesky “family members” KC4CTB and KI4FNT — attended that meeting as a show of support. We wanted to be sure KARS wasn't going to fold – not that month anyway.
For months, many of the club meetings have been arduous and whiney. Isn't ham radio supposed to be fun? I swore that I would never go back to club meetings after last October, when the club approved a motion to deny the club president the right to contact hams on a list of those whose membership expired. I guess they're stuck with me.
The e-mail discussions have continued about the constitution and membership and voting via e-mail. I finally decided to comment on the topic, though I don't expect anyone to agree with any of it. In short, the club needs to blow itself up and start fresh.
Here's what I sent:
Gentlemen,
I've decided to weigh-in on the discussion regarding a variety of the issues regarding KARS. If my suggestions sound absurd, please bear with me.
KARS REVITALIZATION PLAN
STEP 1: SUSPEND THE CLUB CONSTITUTION. Not only suspend it, but shred it, blow it up, destroy it. The club and its members have spent way too much time at meetings and in e-mail in debates related to memberships, quorums, etc. The club constitution has become a major stumbling block for our club's future. Rather than serving as a guiding document, it has become a burden that continues to drag the club down. The only casualty of eliminating the constitution is ARRL club affiliation, and I can say the League would only remove affiliation if we requested it. The club has operated successfully for most of its existence without a constitution. Setting it aside will allow us to return the club's focus to discussing and sharing our enjoyment of all aspects of Amateur Radio.
STEP 2: ELIMINATE CLUB MEMBERSHIP DUES. Open membership of the club to ANY licensed Amateur Radio operator who wishes to join. Instead of annual dues, members will be asked to make annual donations to help defray expenses. Our one recurring expense at the moment is liability insurance. Should the club need to pay for something more substantial, the club can conduct a fund-raiser, or do as has been done before, pass the hat among members to cover the expense. Those who donate to the club would then receive the club newsletter as a tangible benefit. The debate about which members are “real” members, quorums, etc., is a toxic exercise leading us into a downward spiral. The club should be as inclusive, as welcoming as possible to every licensed ham, and even more welcoming to anyone seeking to become licensed. Let's get people to come to the meetings without making them feel obliged to pay dues. Those who wish to support the club can do so on a voluntary basis — and when you think about it, joining the club and paying dues as is done now is a voluntary act anyway.
STEP 3: FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT STUFF. I suggest getting back to basics: Helping support the club newsletter with articles; club meetings that focus on Amateur Radio operating, equipment, and fun stuff. Meetings need to be more about the many enjoyable facets of Amateur Radio and less about club administration. Lengthy debates about the repeater (or other topic) are best done in a committee. Forming committees also get more members involved in being PART of the club rather than “just a member.”
STEP 4: GROW, GROW, GROW THE CLUB. The club's growth and success has historically been tied to the influx of new hams. How about a license class? It doesn't take a teaching degree to conduct a Technician class (I'm proof of that). In my viewpoint, growing the club is paramount, followed closely by making club meetings interesting and entertaining. It's time to dump the 8-week class format too. While the cram-and-exam format is looked down upon, the truth is that few people want to commit to spending an evening a week to get their ticket.
I'm off my soapbox for now. When do we begin?
Perhaps these are just growing pains the club has been experiencing. And maybe I've just become older and grouchier, and less tolerant. I suspect its all of the above, in some degree or another.
Life is too short to sweat the petty things. This is a ham radio club we're talking about. When it no longer becomes fun, it's time to find something else to do with my time.
Perhaps I've reached that point.