Activity Equals Success
Serena Kamps | EAA Lifetime 1011028
February 15, 2022– In this article series, we will be looking at the best practices we see the most successful chapters consistently engaging in.
When you think about what makes a chapter successful, what comes to your mind? Lots of members? Good leaders? Diverse programming? While these things are very important and will be covered in future articles, there is one simple thing your chapter can begin working on today that will make a substantial difference. It won’t happen overnight but as your chapter consistently follows this simple rule, you’ll begin to see the impact it can make.
What am I talking about? Very simply put, “Do something…anything!” An active chapter is a healthy and growing chapter. How do we know this? Based on data from our annual Chapter Member Survey, 28 percent of members would recommend their chapter because of “lots of activity” while 42 percent of members indicated they would not recommend their chapter because of a “lack of activity.”
Although your chapter already presumably meets once a month, simply adding one more activity each month goes a long way. If that seems like too much, start by adding one every other month. Start small with activities that are easy to put on and grow from there. Interest among members and potential members will grow along with your ideas.
So what kind of activities could your chapter do? The possibilities are endless. Here are a few ideas to get your wheels turning:
- Field trip to an aviation museum
- Cookout at the airport
- Fly-outs/Fly-ins
- Member aviation milestone celebrations
- Fly-out camping trips
- ATC tower visits
- Builder tour
- Aviation movie night
- Navigation challenges
Although many of these do require some prior planning, some can be scheduled on relatively short notice and sometimes the nearly spontaneous gatherings at the airport end up being the most fun!
Activity in your chapter has so many benefits. It keeps your current chapter members engaged, attracts new members, and provides more opportunities for participation for all. EAA’s mission is to “grow participation in aviation by promoting The Spirit of Aviation.” Chapters help us accomplish this by sharing that spirit in their local communities. What better way to accomplish this than by being a hub for aviation activity at their airport?
