Beth Ashby Moderator Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 There are what seems like hundreds of clubs out there, each with a different number of members, rules and sites... therefore, how do you run it? Thanks to Keith Evans 3 for this one... hows your club run? Does it work in its current format? Would you recommend this format to others if they were looking to start a club? Discuss here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Hooper Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 Our own club is owned by one man. He rents the field in his own name, and the rest of us pay him to fly there. He's appointed two lieutenants who make sure it all runs smoothly. They get free membership in return. There is no committee, or constitution, but we do have a yearly meeting to pay our subs, and raise to any issues we have. It all works pretty well in practice. I've been a member for 10 years, and I'm more than happy for things to continue just as they are! tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 We have a elected committee - of which I have the "pleasure" of being a member at present! Generally it runs pretty well I think, you might say "well he would say that wouldn't he, him being on the committee"! For the record I'm the treasurer and membership secretary - that is always a combined post in our club. The committee is elected each year. Current members stand down, but can state that they are prepared to "do another year". TBH there are very rarely any volunteers other than them! I get the distinct impression that most of our members are happy to just fly and leave others to worry about running the place - which is done with a pretty light hand to be fair. So I suppose they believe; it ain't broke, it ain't causing me any problems so why can't we just go on as we are! If a committee member does decide to stand down its usually a source of major panic to find another idiot, sorry er...I mean,...volunteer, to take their place! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanN Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 We're very lucky By elected committee, and a genuinely cracking good job they do too - although the situation is pretty much as described by BEB above. On the odd occasion that an elected member stands down and the call goes out for new blood then the dust trail can be seen for miles around In fairness, what generally happens is that the remaining committe members then get "inventive", candidates are found, and they too do cracking jobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 A quick question for those that manage well without a committee. I'd say 80% of the work done by our committee is organising events for the club; Scale Day, the Fun Fly, indoor flying, annual Hot Pot supper, Prize Night etc. Most of the rest is things like; doing everyone's BMFA return and keeping the membership list up to date and buying replacement Gazebos for events etc. The last bit is "representing the club" with any external bodies like, in our case, the park authorities and the council, negoiating and paying the lease etc. So if there is no committee how do you decide who does all this? I'm just curious! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 We have an elected committee and a good bunch of folk who turn out for events, we've had a good year John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 We have about 30 members, 6 committee members. We have around 6 monthly club meetings over the winter. About 12 members turn up. All attending are free to raise matters and concerns and then those present will vote if a proposal is tabled. Works well. There are some lively debates sometimes! The next meeting is this Friday 13th....don't forget Flight1 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Miller Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 WE have a secretary who does the paperwork and deals with the land owner. Organisation is by discussion on the flying field or by phone. The secretary gets some help from the chairman which is more of an honorary position. Secretary change is when the current secretary has had enough. Anyone is welcome to say that they want to be secretary in which case there would be a vote. AS we are a very low key club with very limited membership we do not organise events. It works and we are all happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken anderson. Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 our club...has aprox 129 members----- not long ago we had 160+ and like most we have an elected committee which members have a chance to change every 12 months..its our agm next Thursday.....we struggle to form a committee sometimes and its the usual willing horse's who get the posts........our membership is a cross section of abilities from raw starters to national/international comp participants.....and we cover most (not all)aspects of the sport...our site is council owned recreation land which we share with others and have done so since the 1960's...paying the council a sum to have a license to fly radio models...minimal rules(safety orientated)....and a happy set of lad's(most). ken anderson...ne....1 chairman of BVRMC dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I'm currently a member of two clubs, which are beautifully run, with the minimum of fuss, by long term elected committees in the usual mode of a small number of folks who make things work by their efforts and have a very light hand on the tiller. It makes for a very low stress flying environment and I'm very grateful for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I'm seeing lots of similarities between my club and BEB, Ken and IanN's descriptions. I know I perform a very similar rôle to BEB's at my club - I'm the treasurer, and whilst we don't officially have a membership secretary it's part of my job to do all the membership stuff too. So yes, like the majority, we have an elected committee. I can see though that the other methods can have their place - mainly with smaller clubs/groups as described by some of the others above. Our committee members stand for two years at a time, with half the committee offering themselves for re-election every year at the AGM. Even with 240 members we're not exactly inundated with volunteers to stand for committee posts - members' shoelaces, or that odd stain on the ceiling, seem to suddenly require close examination when nominations are called for at the AGM! Apart from adding one post to the committee, and a change of chairman when the founder chairman moved away from the area, we have the same committee that was in place when the club was founded 10 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 Our AGM is on 16th Nov,we have a new venue booked for it so there'll be new ceilings/floors to view regardless of who gets elected it'll be much the same group that get things done, one or two of our new lads have got stuck in doing work/instructing etc which is good. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erfolg Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 In most respects we are a typical club, Chairman, Treasurer and a Secretary. I am the secretary. Perhaps unlike many clubs we are in essence two clubs, a RC Thermal & Electric Club and a FF Club. The FF club has its own Chairman and its own subs. We both exist as two eternities from the BMFA perspective. You may ask why? Partially historic, at one time the RC side flew the BARCS League and had issues with the BMFA rules regarding competitions and membership. Where as the FF flew BMFA competitions. This changed when all of us stopped competing other than a couple of members and then the BMFA had a accommodation. The other aspect is for the FF modellers, or RC field is to small for them, at half the area of LLF that was proposed. The FF section fly on a NT House Park with an arrangement with a local club, where the owner of the historic house stipulated that the park could be used by modellers under certain conditions and rules. Simple but complicated. We do from time to time consider reforming as one club, although field charges do complicate matters. Non the less I think it will happen, as both parts unfortunately loose members as they mature. The club is run by all the members with a balanced guiding hand from the chairman and the common sense of the Treasurer as to what we can really afford etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tee Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 We're a typical club of approx 100 members. Committee lead who stand down and are then usually relected. We have had a new chairman this year who is trying to get the club to try new things with suprising success. I joined the committee some seven years ago as a general member and now find myself as the BMFA contact,Vice Chairman and "social" organiser - only two a year luckily. We have a work party each Easter when there is no flying but it is mainly the committee that turn up. We have had several extra work parties this year to lay and roll road scalpings to repair our access track which have been well attended by members. General field maintainance /mowing is done by the same regular 4/5 comittee members as we are all retired which I would imagine applies to most clubs. I think we are a pretty typical club. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucksboy Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 We're 100 members and have an elected Committee and a modified BMFA Constitution. The Constitution is to protect the Club from a rogue committee (the most extreme example would be for the Committee to wind the Club up and pocket the cash, we can't do that now, anything left goes to a nominated charity) We have a newsletter, monthly meetings where we organise something, work parties to keep the field in good condition and summer BBQ's. Half the Club pay their subscriptions and rarely, if ever, fly or attend any social event but they subsidise me doing it so I can't complain. We have a written set of rules to ensure safety and to keep noise complaints to a minimum but the most effective is the 'naughty chair'. An empty chair left out and as you carry your plane back to the pits you are called to explain any breach of the rules, this light hearted approach deals with 95% of all infringements and brings it home to all that we have the rules for a reason, safety and noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I am Secretary for SCRCS (South Cheshire) - the full committee is elected every year at the AGM - we have about 70 members and our AGM is normally very well supported. We have a Website, email list, sensible rules without and unnecessary restrictions etc. A well maintained flying field with no real time restrictions either A great club. Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 I see 4% have a Dictatorship...expected a higher number John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Hooper Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator on 07/11/2015 22:44:42: A quick question for those that manage well without a committee. I'd say 80% of the work done by our committee is organising events for the club; Scale Day, the Fun Fly, indoor flying, annual Hot Pot supper, Prize Night etc. Most of the rest is things like; doing everyone's BMFA return and keeping the membership list up to date and buying replacement Gazebos for events etc. The last bit is "representing the club" with any external bodies like, in our case, the park authorities and the council, negoiating and paying the lease etc. So if there is no committee how do you decide who does all this? I'm just curious! BEB We don't have any events - simple as that! The negotiations with the landowner are the prerogative of our dictator, whilst he delegates the BMFA affiliation and grass cutting to the lieutenants. Our £60 annual fee includes free tea/coffee and gas heating in the clubhouse. BMFA is extra, either through the club or individually sorted. As an aside, my previous club was ostensibly run by an elected committee, but in reality was at the mercy of the Chairman and Treasurer, who turned out to have an agenda all of their own. Note, I said 'previous' club, OK? tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Member Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 [This posting has been removed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterF Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Elected committee of which I am Secretary, 4 years now and probably be voted back next month at the AGM. we had a 3 year max term up to end 2014 but it did not help to get people to not look at the floor and ceiling at AGMs. It all seems to work OK but some people do take things too seriously for a hobby. We have BMFA inspired constitution as has been said to guard against rogue committee but also troublesome members. Over the years we have had people more interested in arguing at club meetings rather than actually flying. We used to have monthly club nights often with guest speakers or demos / how to sessions, but over past 5 to 10 years these are less well attended. One reason for this is people sharing info, guidance etc. less in the club and more in on line forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Like most of the other posts my club has an elected committee of which i'm one. We have 84 members of all abilities and 8 committee posts. As with most clubs we probably only ever see 30 of the 84 and struggle to get all 8 positions filled as most people just want to turn up and fly. We have monthly events between March and September where the same 18 or so people turn up and monthly meetings where the same 15 turn up (unless theres food). I think the membership are happy with the way the club is run which is with a light touch, far lighter than a few years ago until the membership decided they wanted a new chairman. I'd be interested to know how many clubs have club meetings. We have tried to arrange speakers etc but they are not very well attended. We have a christmas quiz and buffet which is well attended and a buffet at the AGM which is well attended but other than that attendence is generally low , probablly around 20 people but varies with the weather. CB Edited By ChrisB on 11/11/2015 19:22:44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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