10 Reasons To Join an RC Club
Spring is here, and you want to get outside and shake off the COVID fog; why don’t you join an RC Club?
Here are ten reasons why it makes sense:
The camaraderie of like-minded hobbyists. - Regardless of your level of commitment or time for the hobby, joining a club gets you the camaraderie of other flyers. Just the ability to interact with other like-minded pilots, being outside, enjoying others, and growing in the hobby. What could be better?
Learn from Others – I know our club has designated beginner nights where experienced pilots come out and help newer members or those interested in the hobby. The ability to Buddy-Box with an experienced pilot allows you to grow in confidence and reduce the worry of crashing that brand new plane.
There is something called latent learning, where you learn from watching others and can put that knowledge and skill to good use. Don’t discount the learning you get from watching others fly, asking questions, and getting those little tips that will significantly improve your flying.
You get to fly on a designated RC field. - Typically, the field is Academy of Model Aeronautics (“AMA”) https://www.modelaircraft.org/ certified and insured, has a designated runway (paved or grass), and the fields have areas to work and prep your planes. It beats flying at the local park out of the back of your car, worrying about the families playing, people walking…
Fun Flies – Fun Flys are events typically around a theme (warbirds, 3d planes, a give holidays) where the club shows up, and they have food and fly—a great way to meet fellow club members, learn and see the latest planes.
Insurance As a member of AMA, you and your fellow pilots are covered by AMA insurance. As of 2021, the current coverage is:
Liability Coverage for the Operation of Model Aircraft, Boats, Cars, and Rockets
$2,500,000 Comprehensive General Liability Protection for model activities for members, clubs, site owners, and sponsors
$25,000 Accident/Medical Coverage for members
$10,000 Maximum Accidental Death Coverage for members
$1,000 Fire, Theft, and Vandalism Coverage for members
Try before you buy – Unless you benefit from a local, well-stocked hobby shop, you are relegated to looking at planes, tools, etc., online. Wouldn’t it be great to see that plane in person? Someone at the club may already have it.
We all crash. I don’t know how many times I’m at the field and need a small part or tool, and someone has one. That can be the difference between flying and packing up to go home. The ability to share tools, repair and maintenance insights is fantastic.
Many clubs and fields are multi-discipline - (RC airplanes, Helicopters, and RC cars). Wouldn’t it be great to have all those facilities? The wind kicks up, and you can switch to cars. You might be interested in exploring helicopters, and you can walk over to the helli section and ask questions.
Charge me up, baby – most fields have a charging station. You need power to fly. Unless you stay up all night charging your batteries, the ability to charge while you fly will keep you in the air for much longer. And you don’t have batteries stored a full power which isn’t good for them.
One person’s discards are another’s Treasures - Ability to buy, swap planes, transmitters, etc. Wouldn’t you rather get a used plane or piece of gear from someone you know? Exactly!
I hope this helps, so get out there and find an RC Club to join. What are some benefits you see from your club?
Add them in the comments below.
10 Qualities of a Great Club Treasurer
So, you volunteered to become the treasurer for your RC club or other organization? Being a financial person in your “day-job” helps but isn’t necessary to be a great club treasurer.
Other than being willing to do it, here are ten characteristics that make an excellent treasurer:
1. Good custodian – you have the aptitude and temperament to take care of things. You are the custodian of the Club’s finances. This includes expenditures, revenue, and in most cases, any tax reporting. Being a good custodian means respecting the importance of the Club’s finances and take care to manage them properly.
2. Transparency – Transparency builds trust and proper internal controls. It would help if you were comfortable putting your work out for all to see. Only through independent review and scrutiny can everyone trust what you are doing. It would be best if you had the self-confidence to display your work. Comfort with reporting, explaining, and documenting what you are doing is key to transparency.
3. Detail-oriented – Money and expenses require a detailed focus to be adequately managed. Are you a detail-oriented person, or do you like the big picture? You will most likely be doing all the work, so you need to be comfortable. Remember, a club is not a big for-profit organization; there is probably no PeopleSoft, Oracle, or Workday! It is just you and either Excel, Numbers, or a rudimentary product.
The detail-oriented focus extends to understanding the Club’s bylaws and rules. You are probably an executive officer of the Club, so this will go beyond accounting and finances.
4. Good communicator – Along with transparency – you need to explain financial concepts to non-finance people. There will be skeptical club members that either don’t understand the finances or don’t have complete trust in you. Being an effective communicator is a required skill.
5. Able to Support the Club’s leadership – you are an executive member of the Club, so you need to be able to advise and consult the Club’s leadership on what can be afforded, what can’t, what you are spending money on, and how fundraising is going. That’s probably obvious even to brand-new treasurers. But there is a second treasurer duty that’s almost as important as the first: You must provide financial information to support decision making.
6. Understand cash flow statement – There is typically no accrual accounting – it is all about what came into the bank account and what went out. Club accounting is all about cash flow reporting.
7. Trust but verify – you are friends with the club members, but you need to ensure that basic fiducial rules are followed – basic receipt/documentation requirements for everyone – consistency will help build trust and take the friendship card out of it.
8. Honest - Critical as club members know you and probably already trust you – see #7 above – this is a fine line.
9. Ideally, a finance or accounting background – not needed but helps. Even effectively managing your own personal or family finances will be beneficial.
10. Flexible – This is not a major corporation, so you need to be flexible with the membership – Clubs are organized around a common interest, and accounting and finances are not the main focus of the Club. There are typically no stockholders, strict forecasts, so when the Club membership wants to do something, you need to pivot and move into #5 above.
You should feel good about serving the Club. Many clubs’ successes result from the diverse members contributing their varied talents.
Be mindful of these ten key attributes, and you are on the way to being a great club treasurer.