By:

Bo Budinger (WA1QYM)President: PART of Westford

Growing Your Local Club

Purpose of this talk: To provide insights into how to grow your club ie: how to make it more successful and how to recruit new members

Background of the Speaker:President of PART the Police Amateur Radio Team

of Westford, MassachusettsOne of the Original founders of PART in 1975Licensed since 1968

Growing Your Local Club

PART of Westford

ARRL Special Service Club

General ham radio club with an emergency communications tradition

We participate in a full spectrum of ham radio related activities

What do hams want from a radio club ?

A source of technical information about their hobby

A support group for ham related problems A place to have fun A social connection A way of using their communications skills

What do hams want

from a local club? (My View)

Monthly Meetings Communications Social Events Club Structure Special Operating Events Support from the ARRL

How to make your club more successful(areas that will be discussed)

Maintain regular meetings Have a firm agenda for each meeting Interact with the audience Minimize the business component Have a good speaker or activity for

each meeting Take a casual approach*

Monthly Meetings

Taking a Casual Approach

PART Field Day 2008

Field Day 2008:The Unofficial Story

by Rick Green (W1RAG)caught napping at Field Day 2007

PART Field Day 2008

Steve, WA1KBE, Trying to Serve as World’s 1st Human Dummy Load

PART Field Day 2008

Dick Wonders Why He Agreed to Help Allison Construct A Space Invaders Shield

Speakers from within the club itselfother clubsARRL BoxboroARRL EMA Speakers List

Video’s and CD’sARRL Video and MultimediaNorthern California DX Foundation

Show and Tell Construction Projects Fox Hunt

Monthly Meetings(Main Event)

Rich (AB1HD) On PSK31

Allison(KB1GMX)

Mike Keller (W1BNC), chief engineer at WCVB Television presented an overview of Digital Television technology.

John Vogel (N1PGA) presented an introduction to Contesting

Dave Berstein (AA6YQ) presented an overview of the DX Lab Suite software.

Les Peters (N1SV) talked about the Art of QSLing

PART Member Scott (NE1RD) talked about his DXpedition to Montserrat

Miles Mann (WF1F) spoke about Amateur Radio/SSTV on the International Space Station.

Some previous PART Meeting Speakers

Web Page (http://www.wb1gof.org)

Vital as a source of club informationHas to be kept current

E-Mail ReflectorHow PART members stay in touch

Weekly NetKeeps local hams informed

NewsletterDoes not have to be “every month”

Club Communications

Social Events

(meets a real need)

Christmas Party

Field Day

Breakfasts

PresidentHas to focus on the large picture

Other Elected Officialsgood counselors

Appointed Positionswebmaster, photographer, Field Day chairman, quartermaster, raffle chairman etc.Good source of future club officers

Club Structure

Bob N1RXVPART Photographer

Steve N1BDAField Day Chairman

Awards and Certificates

Club Gear

Club Structure

PART Presidents Award Tom (AG1I)

Coffee Mugs, Hats, T Shirts, Jackets, Bumper Stickers etc

Field Day

Communications Support for parades etc

Special Events Station K1P (look for us next spring)

Field Trips

Special Operating Events

Changed our emphasis

Initiated Tool Box Talks

Become an affiliated club or even better a Special Service Club

Use your Section Affiliated Club Coordinator and Section Manager

Draw on support from ARRL Headquarters

Support from the ARRL

The computer software and hardware community Sons, daughters and relatives of existing hams

Former hams who get back into the hobby

My experience has been that new members come mainly from:

Brent (KB1LQD) and Bryce (KB1LQC)sons of John (KB1MGI)

Kimberly (KB1PZG)daughter of Andy (KB1OIQ)

How to Recruit New Members

Publicize your clubs existenceWithin the ham radio communityWithin the overall community

Support Ham radio Classes and VE Sessions Work with local schools

How to Recruit New Members

Andy (KB1OIQ) and Kimberly (K1PZG)Prepare to march in Westford’s Apple Blossom Parade

ConclusionsYou can “Grow your Local Club” if you meet the needs of your local ham

radio community

Provide a place to disseminate technical information Provide a support group for ham related problems Establish a place to have fun Create an atmosphere for social connections Foster the use of communications skills Focus on the recruitment of new members

Growing Your Local Club