Chief Commander s Representative Reference Guide

Chief Commander s Representative Reference Guide

USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-1 UNITED STATES POWER SQUADRONS Sail and Power Boating CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE

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USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-3 PREFACE This version of the Chief Commander s Representative Reference Guide supersedes all previous editions. It contains detailed guidelines and information for those members assigned by the Chief Commander to represent him at various District and Squadron events. It is important that each representative be familiar with the procedures, programs, duties, methods of operation and timetables contained in this document so that they may effectively represent the Chief Commander and the United States Power Squadrons. The Chief Commander s Representative Reference Guide may be downloaded to a disk and either printed or viewed on-screen; however, it is not indexed on the USPS Operations Manual Website. Topics of interest may be found by using either the Chapter Table of Contents or the Adobe Acrobat Reader search function. Check Appendix A in the Operations Manual for more detailed information on locating information in our suite of manuals. Every effort has been made to ensure that this manual is as current and complete as possible. This manual is sponsored by the USPS Chief Commander and maintained and published by the Operations Manual Committee. Questions concerning the information in this manual may be addressed to either as we will work in concert to resolve those questions. OPERATIONS MANUAL COMMITTEE R/C Tracy Simpson, AP Stf/C Micky McNelis, P Judy Griffing, AP P/R/C Harry Hebb, SN D/Lt/C Kurt W. Mikat, SN P/D/C William Miller, P P/C Anna Morris, JN P/C Joyce Newman, S P/R/C Kent Simpson, AP Words and expressions in this manual that connote gender are to be construed as applying equally to both sexes unless the text implies otherwise. National department heads and committee chairs are encouraged to forward updated information to the Chief Commander or the Operations Manual Committee. Changes relating to policy or procedure must be approved by a department head, if applicable. Comments on perceived errors or omissions and recommendations for future editions are solicited from all readers.

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USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-5 UPDATE LOG The release of the Chief Commander s Representative Guide contains all known updates as of 01/01/15. Any future changes subsequent to this release will be noted in this document on the Update Log page and noted in the manual by the use of a change bar. An example of a change bar is shown to the left of this paragraph. February 2014... Initial Release March 2014... Section R-6 was added Operations Manual Committee We do it Manually

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USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-7 TABLE OF URLS The following Uniform Resource Locators (URL), also known as website addresses, can be used to locate information concerning various membership committees within the United States Power Squadrons Uniform Resource Locator For information on... www.usps.org USPS www.usps.org/national/om Operations Manual www.usps.org/national/membership Membership Committee www.usps.org/national/natsec/forms.html General and Membership Forms www.usps.org/php/membership/login.php New Member Online Processing www.usps.org/x/x.pl/x/x.cgi?treasurer/member/formspolicies.html Dues, Forms and Policies www.usps.org/dues/reports/reports.php Online Dues Collection System Reports www.usps.org/x/x.pl/x/x.cgi?/membership/other%20doucuments/ Awards%20Programs.htm Membership Committee Awards www.usps.org/x/x.pl/x/x.cgi?natsec/officers.html Squadron Officer s Guide

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USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-9 CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVES REFERENCE GUIDE PART ONE - REPORTS [R.1] [R.2] [R.3] Boating Safety Program Visitor $20 New Member Administrative Fee USPS Insurance [R.4] [R.5] [R.6] Annual IRS Reports Vessel Examiner Workshop On The Water Instructor Insurance Charts of the National Organization as well as typical District and Squadron Organizations are located at the end of this of this manual. R.1 Recreational Boating Safety Program Visitor After five years of planning and a couple of false starts the Recreational Boating Safety Program Visitor opportunity for USPS members began in earnest at the 2014 Annual Meeting. This opportunity is being afforded to USPS members by partnering with the Auxiliary. This program was originally conceived by the Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety and is currently administered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary. This partner program will train members to promote safe boating to the recreational boating public through the aid of local businesses, offices and marine dealerships. Any member who completes the training becomes an ambassador of USPS, their squadron and the United States Coast Guard. His ambassador then has the opportunity to provide information to program partners about educational opportunities, safety equipment, safe boat operation, recognizing safety threats to the United States and the benefits of belonging to a premier boating organization. Getting reliable information about individual state and Coast Guard federal safety requirements, navigational rules and safe boating techniques into the hands of boaters is essential to safe boating and is the prime objective of the program. The business partner benefits also in several ways by participating in the program. He enhances the public image and stays up-to-date on the latest boating safety information. In addition, the Program Visitor becomes their go to person to answer his boating safety questions. He can even ask their Program Visitor to provide recreational boating safety training for his employees, which can improve boating safety and even benefit the environment. The group which the program mainly helps is the general boating public. If the program's brochures and safety initiatives can save the life of even one person, time and efforts have been worth it. The business partner can also help advance the goals and objectives of the Power Squadrons while serving as a focal point for recruiting new members. It is important to remember that, as with the Vessel Safety Check Program, USPS, the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Coast Guard are a team in the Program Visitation program. To kick off the program in Jacksonville, Coast Guard Auxiliary members provided training and qualification to members of USPS, who can now go and train other members in their squadrons and districts to qualify for this program. Information and training materials are available by contacting the USPS safety Committee, visiting the USPS Safety Committee website or from your local Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla. You may also contact the Safety Committee for list of squadron members in your area, who may already be qualified and willing to help train interested members. Program materials such as racks and brochures are also in stock and available from USPS headquarters for use by members who completed the training regimen.

Page R-10 USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Remember this program affords USPS and Auxiliary members the opportunity to share resources, gain knowledge of each other's organization, make some new friends, have some fun and most importantly promote the boating safety message to the millions of recreational boaters on our waterways. R.2 $20 Administrative Fee for new Primary Members Beginning December 1, 2013 all new primary members are charged a one-time fee of $20 to help cover the headquarters costs involved in setting up the new member. This includes all additional members in the household if that option is chosen. Squadrons will need to collect that fee from new primary members joining directly and will be billed by HQ for that amount along with the national dues. Trial members will be billed when HQ sends out the first dues invoice, about 4 months into their trial membership. Cyber members pay the fee when they join online. If they transfer to a squadron at some point no fee should be collected, it has already been paid. Revision 0... Feb 2014 R.3 USPS Insurance Most all squadron events and activities are covered by our several insurance policies. A new PowerPoint presentation is posted on the Treasurer's website describing the various types of coverage. Not everything is covered however, unusual activities that are outside the normal course of squadron affairs may require a separate policy. If there is a question you can contact our broker, the Gowrie Group, directly or our National Treasurer. Phone numbers and email for both are on the website. Often a certificate of insurance is needed to participate in boat shows and similar activities. That can be obtained easily by filling out the online form, also on the Treasurer's website. Revision 0... Feb 2014 R.4 Districts and Squadrons must file Annual IRS Reports It is extremely important that all districts and squadrons file their IRS Form 990 on time every year. On time means no later than the 15th day of the 5th month after close of your fiscal year. IRS Form 990 (gross receipts were greater than $50,000) IRS Form 990EZ (gross receipts were greater than $50,000) IRS Form 990-N or e-postcard (gross receipts were $50,000 or less) Squadrons and district can lose their tax exempt status automatically if they fail to file for three consecutive years. Be sure also to submit your TR-1 to national HQ by 16 July. (Some have submitted these forms indicating they sent in their IRS reports when they actually have not. Please verify the submissions). R.5 Vessel Examiner Workshop For the last fourteen years the USPS and Coast Guard Auxiliary have been partners in the Vessel Safety Check program. During that period of time boats have changed, regulations have changed,

USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-11 boaters have changed, but the program has remained steady. As a USPS Vessel Examiner you play an important role in helping keep our waterways a safe place for the recreational boater. Your dedication in helping educate the recreational boater in boating safety and ensuring they carry and know how to use the required equipment aboard their vessel is an important responsibility and should not be taken lightly! We appreciate your time and dedication to boating safety. Earlier this month the Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety mandated that all Vessel Examiners, both USPS and Auxiliary, attend a workshop to address these changing trends in the boating industry. This workshop is designed as a refresher for Vessel Examiners, to review current and new requirements and provide practical and relevant knowledge to assist in serving the boating public. The workshop focuses on three areas: Process and Procedures, Conducting the VSC and Paddle Craft and needs to completed by 30 June 2014. The Vessel Safety Check (VSC) program helps to achieve voluntary compliance with federal and state recreational boating safety laws regarding the necessity for safety equipment. It raises boater's awareness of safety issues through one-on-one contact by volunteer Vessel Examiners and it is intended to serve as a prevention through education, outreach and volunteer compliance activity. At this point in time the workshop needs to be completed in a group environment; however the Auxiliary has authorized an online individual workshop and the safety committee will be working to see what method can be used. USPS realizes that members volunteer their time to do examinations, however there is a certain amount of responsibility that goes with the job. The most important of these is to be sure you are trained to the current specifics of the task. Examiners may continue to perform all of the VE duties until the workshop deadline passes and then they may lose their qualification. Training materials, the exam and instructions for this workshop are posted on the USPS Safety Committee Website. Please take the time to update your skills before the start of the busy boating season. R.6 On The Water Instructor Insurance As discussed in the BOD teleconference on 03/11/13, this is the message from Mar Diaz, Gowrie Group Insurance concerning the On The Water Instructor Insurance coverage question: Per your email below, please note that volunteers are covered as insureds under all of the policies that USPS has with Chubb. Volunteers are included under the definition of insured. We understand that you have many, many, many volunteers who work on behalf of your organization. We are covering them for activities while on land, on docks and piers and while on the water. There are two sections of the policy where they may find coverage. The first is under Medical Payments coverage. Each policy has $10,000 of Medical Payments coverage. This is a good will type of coverage whereby if someone is injured, Chubb will pay up to $10,000 for their medical payments. If the volunteer is severely injured (and injuries are over $10,000) he can then put in a suit against United States Power Squadrons for their injuries and the Chubb Policy would respond to their claim. All of the policies have a $1,000,000 per occurrence limit, and then the Umbrella Policy of $14,000,000 comes next. USPS has a total of $15,000,000 for a claim.

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USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page R-13 CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVES REFERENCE GUIDE PART TWO - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1) Where can I locate information about the USPS? Almost any question can be answered by examining the Operations Manual. The manual may be downloaded from the USPS website at www.usps.org/national/om. Both the entire manual as well as individual chapters may be downloaded. Note as well that the Secretary s, Treasurer s, Membership and Squadron Development Manuals are available in book form with a cover, title page and the like.

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USPS Membership Chief Commander National Flag Lieutenant Aides Chaplains Area Monitors Governing Board Board of Directors Executive Officer Educational Officer Administrative Officer Secretary Treasurer General Committees Standing Committees District Commanders District Educational Officers Leadership Development Heritage and Protocol Budget Officer Cooperative Charting Basic Public Education Membership Information Technology Budget Officer Exec/Admin Dept Committee on Nominations Finance Safety Boat Handling Member Benefits Ship s Store Budget Officer Educ/Secy Dept Committee on Rules Law Environmental Inland/Coastal Navigation Squadron Activities Communications Planning National Meetings Offshore Navigation Squadron Development Operations Manual Marketing and Public Relations Electro- Mechanical Systems Headquarters Government and Partner Relations Homeland Security Legislative Liaison Marine Environment Instructor Development Publications Boat Operator Certification Educational Outreach

District Squadrons District Conference District Commander District Flag Lieutenant Aides Chaplains Merit Marks District Council General Committees Executive Officer Educational Officer Administrative Officer Secretary Treasurer Standing Committees Auditing Squadron Commanders Assistant Educational Officer Assistant Administrative Officer Assistant Secretary Assistant Treasurer Nominating Boat Show Squadron Educational Officers Auxiliary Liaison Computer Systems Budget Educational Fund Planning * Cooperative Charting Educational Committee Boating Activities Editor / Publications Property Finance Rules Public Relations Local Boards Conferences Historian Law Radio Technical Supplemental Programs Member Involvement Roster Personnel Safety Teaching Aids Membership The Ensign Correspondent Vessel Safety Check Operations Training Homeland Security Liaison Squadron Development * Check your district bylaws as Planning Committee may be a Standing Committee Legislative

Squadron Membership Squadron Commander Squadron Flag Lieutenant Aides Merit Marks.. Fleet Captain Executive Committee General Committees Executive Officer Educational Officer Administrative Officer Secretary Treasurer Standing Committees Auditing Boat Show Assistant Educational Officer Assistant Administrative Officer Assistant Secretary Assistant Treasurer Nominating Cooperative Charting Local Board Public Boating Boating Activities Computer Systems Property Officer Budget and Finance Rules Public Relations Local Board Advanced Grades Meetings Editor Housing Radio Technical Local Board Elective Courses Member Involvement Historian Members-at-Large Law Safety Local Board Learning Guides Membership Roster Personnel Vessel Safety Check Local Board Seminars Operations Training Telephone Planning Homeland Security Liaison Teaching Aids The Ensign Correspondent Property Officer Legislative Educational Property Supply Officer

USPS CHIEF COMMANDER S REPRESENTATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE Page RX-1 A Annual IRS Reports R-10 B Boating Safety R-9 C Coast Guard Auxiliary R-9 Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety R-9 E e-postcard R-10 I IRS Form 990 R-10 IRS Form 990EZ R-10 IRS Form 990-N R-10 O On The Water Instructor Insurance R-11 P Program Visitor R-9 U Update Log R-5 USPS Insurance R-10

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