Chapter Recognition - 10 Part Series to Improve Your Chapter

November 2019 - This year marks EAA’s rollout of the Chapter Recognition program, designed to help chapters improve the experience for their local members and to recognize our many outstanding chapters. Chapter Recognition is based on 10 criteria, including how many of those criteria a chapter meets. .

The 10 criteria are as follows. Each month, EAA will highlight one of the criteria and show your chapter how to take advantage of a potential new opportunity.

1. Current chapter leaders who have attended chapter leadership training.
2. The chapter membership is growing or holding steady.
3. The chapter offers an EAA IMC or VMC Club.
4. The chapter participates in the Young Eagles or Flying Start program.
5. The chapter has an EAA-approved flight advisor or technical counselor.
6. The chapter partakes in the annual EAA Chapter Survey.
7. Chapter leaders regularly read EAA's ChapterGram.
8. The chapter has used a ChapterBlast or ordered promotional materials.
9. The chapter hosts at least two public events per year.
10. The chapter owns or leases a facility.

November's Criterion — The Chapter Owns or Leases a Facility

Having a chapter home is the 10th and final way to help take an EAA chapter up and over the top as high-achieving. Having space to host presentations, meetings, build sessions, youth activities, potluck dinners, etc. is a fantastic asset to any chapter.

These locations can help instill a sense of pride, often present new opportunities to members, and can create revenue via space rental. Additionally, the work necessary to having a chapter home speaks volumes about a chapter. The fundraising, planning, and strategic thinking needed to establish a permanent home is something that cannot be easily achieved, so it usually takes a very focused chapter to acquire a home.

EAA understands that not all chapters have the opportunity to own a facility or piece of land. Therefore, chapters do not necessarily need to own their own facility; they can also rent or lease space. Furthermore, EAA also knows that even leasing or renting a chapter space can be nearly impossible. This is why the gold level for chapter recognition only asks chapters to reach nine out of the 10 criteria, because EAA feels every chapter should have the opportunity to become a gold level chapter!

How does a chapter earn the point for owning or leasing a chapter facility? The answer is quite simple: insurance! If a chapter states on the annual renewal form that they need insurance for an owned or leased facility, then they will earn this point for chapter recognition.

Sometimes chapters will say, "But we have a monthly meeting space offered to us that we don't need to purchase insurance for. We should still earn the chapter facility point." A chapter needs to purchase the facility liability insurance from EAA if they own a facility, or have 24/7 access for 30 consecutive days or longer. There is a difference between an airport meeting room opened for a chapter on a monthly basis, versus a club house/hangar rented by the chapter to which it has continuous access. Having consistent access to a space that is leased allows chapters to host more in-house programs and can provide more value for chapter members.

This month concludes EAA's overview of the 10 Chapter Recognition program criteria. Hopefully your chapter sees the value in these and has been working throughout 2019 to earn a slot among the bronze, silver, and gold chapters! 2019 ranks will be announced in January 2020.

To learn more about the program, please visit EAA.org/ChapterRecognition.