P a g e 1 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 MEMCOMments Annual Awards Issue INSIDE Civic Service Award 2 MIRA Award & entry form 3-4 Youth Poster Contest 3 2011 Growth Award 5 Finley Sea Scout Award 5 Very Important Member 6 Doing It Right (DIR) 6 Doing It Right entry form 7 Award Deadlines MIRA Award 15 May 2012 Squadron & District Civic Service Award 1 December 2012 Finley Sea Scout Award 15 December 2012 Doing It Right 15 December 2012 In the world of sales, it is generally believed that it s much easier to keep a customer than to get a new one. In a volunteer organization it is often easier to bring in new people than to keep them. Now why is that? We lure boaters in to our wonderful organization by telling all who will listen that we are a fun, educationally and civic minded group as our triangle logo shows. We need to ask ourselves if we are doing all we can to keep our friends and neighbors enthusiastic about us, USPS! Remember when you invite new people to a social or a rendezvous, nothing beats a smile and a handshake. Get them involved by asking them to bring a dish and ask them to help serve it. If you have a bartender, break the schedule up so that several people can work it. You usually meet just about everybody at the bar. One more small piece of advice, when the weather is nice step back from that computer monitor, call some friends and invite them to go boating. I don t know of anybody that has ever shaken hands with a computer monitor! People are more fun. We can do on-the-water. None of what I ve written is a secret nor are the ideas new. USPS is the best boating organization on the planet and with your help we can keep it there. Share your retention and involvement ideas with our Membership Committee and especially your friends. V/C Louie Ojeda, SN Very Important Member Squadron Administered Squadron & District Growth Award 30 December 2012 Boarman Youth Poster Contest 1 January 2013 Contact us at membership@usps.org The 2011 year-end membership figures indicate that we have made headway with our membership growth programs. Now we are challenged with the task of keeping em not only the newest members, but our mid and long-term members. Your MEMCOM has a slew of resources available. Check out the soon-to-be-revamped committee home page for ideas, copies of presentations, current statistics and contact information. We re here to help you succeed! R/C Mary Paige Abbott, SN Coming together is a beginning; keeping it together is progress; and working together is success. Henry Ford (1863-1947)
P a g e 2 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 2011 District Winner District 5 2011 Squadron Winner Peace River Sail & Power Squadron The 2012 BoatU.S. Distinguished Civic Service Award is designed to award the squadron or district that has the most members involved in their community in the name of USPS. The forms provided are to help break down the categories and to make it easier for the submitter to complete the submission form. 1. The Squadron and District Submission Form is an electronic form that can be adjusted to fit squadron/district needs. The form divides the categories and provides one place to make final entries. This is the only form that may be submitted to the committee other than any additional paperwork describing the events. 2. The Civic Service Award Submission Form Companion Document is an enormous help in completing your submission form. Each category on the submission form is described along with the details of what is expected by the judges. 3. The Civic Service Worksheet is designed to be used for each event where multiple members are involved, primarily in shifts. The worksheet helps provide the detail that is needed to fill in the submission form. It is provided in an effort to help explain this sometimes confusing part of the submission form to complete. 4. Examples of Previous Civic Service Award Submissions can be used to generate ideas of what is a qualifying entry for this award. 5. The Civic Service Award Submission Form, Companion Document, Worksheet and Previous Civic Service Award Submissions can be found by clicking on Awards on the Membership site within the National Website. The squadron and district time frame for this award is from 1 November 2011 thru 31 October 2012. 7. This prestigious award will be presented at the USPS National Annual Meeting at Jacksonville in January 2013. Please read through all documentation located on the website NOW before starting to complete the submission form. This will save submitters time and is a great advantage when collecting information throughout the year. The National Membership Committee encourages all squadrons and districts to participate in this award. BoatU.S. is very generous in providing us with a trophy to the winning squadron and district. Get the recognition your squadron deserves as it becomes more involved in your community! Start tracking your squadron and members civic services today!
P a g e 3 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 This prestigious award, given by the Selden family in memory of their father, P/C/C William D. Selden IV, SN, is both a trophy and monetary award. It is presented to three squadrons and one district that meet the following criteria: WHO: A Squadron or District member who has been involved in a program that has helped retain members since June 2011 may submit an entry via the Involvement Chair. This entry must be submitted to the District Membership/Member Involvement Committee prior to the deadline of 15 May 2012. The Membership/Member Involvement Chair then sends all entries to the National Award Chair. WHAT: The entry must describe a program that was devised and utilized to increase Member Involvement/Retention, and that has produced measurable results. Please include an accounting of how your program impacts retention. WHEN: The award will be presented at the USPS Fall 2012 Governing Board in Detroit. WHERE: The Friday afternoon Awards Ceremony. Location to be announced. HOW: Use the form found on page four of this MEMCOMments or the one found on the Membership Website under Awards. Your entry must be received by 15 May 2012 to be included in this year s contest. Squadrons: Submit this form to your District Involvement Chair before 15 May 2012. You may submit as many entries as you want, but the results of each plan must be measurable or demonstrable. Districts: Send all entries to: Stf/C Priscilla B. Clarke, AP, 628 Meadowbrook Drive, No. Tonawanda, NY 14120-1943. Deadline for entries is 30 May 2012. Questions? Call 716-694-4404; or Fax 716-645-6963 or e-mail: pbc@buffalo.edu. WHY: The National MEMCOM accumulates retention and involvement ideas for dissemination to all USPS squadrons. Successful programs deserve recognition and should be shared! Let s Boat Safe and Clean is the 2012 theme! The Youth Poster Contest Awards are donated by P/C Woody Boarman of the Vero Beach Sail and Power Squadron. It has been his wish that this poster contest will further youth appreciation of the water and how safe boating can also be fun boating. The Boarman Youth Poster Contest is open to all children ages 6 14. First place award of $150, second place award of $100 and third place of $75 given in three age groups: 1) 6-8 years, 2) 9-11 years and 3) 12-14 years. Deadline for entries: Districts and squadrons set their own deadlines; inform National by 1 January 2013 of number of entries. National entries must be received by noon, Thursday, 17 January 2013 at the USPS Annual Meeting. If shipped, mark to the ATTENTION: Philip Osborne or Mary Paige Abbott. All information and forms are available from the MEMCOM home page under Awards.
P a g e 4 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 M E M B E R S H I P I N V O L V E M E N T R E T E N T I O N A W A R D ENTRY FORM Squadron: Squadron Membership and/or Involvement Chair Rank Name Grade Mailing Address: Squadron Membership and/or Involvement Chair Phone No. Area Code Number: District Mailing Address Membership and/or Involvement Chair Rank Name Grade District Membership and/or Involvement Chair Phone No. Area Code Number: Describe your program to increase membership involvement/retention: Describe your Action Plan: Measurable Proof that the plan worked: (before and after) Squadrons: Submit this form to your District Involvement Chair before 15 May 2012. You may submit as many entries as you want, but the results of each plan must be measurable or demonstrable. Districts: Send all entries to: Stf/C Priscilla B. Clarke, AP, 628 Meadowbrook Drive, No. Tonawanda, NY 14120-1943. Deadline for entries to National Chair is 30 May 2012. Questions? Call 716-694-4404; or Fax 716-645-6963 or e-mail: pbc@buffalo.edu. Date Rec d. District Date Rec d. National
P a g e 5 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 The 2011 Annual Growth Award featured a new twist which reinforces the importance of our existing members: Retention Rates were factored into the equation. Squadrons that earned the Growth Award Certificate had to show both a retention rate of 87% and an increase in membership. 95 squadrons had at least an 87% retention rate AND exhibited a 1% minimum growth from December 31, 2010, to December 31, 2011. The squadrons were also categorized into four divisions based on 2011 year-end membership totals: Division 4: Fewer than 45 members Division 3: 74-45 Division 2: 75-113 Division 1: Greater than 114 The top three squadrons in each of the four divisions for 2011 are: Division 4: St. Thomas (59%), Anderson (26%), St. Helens Sail (19%) Division 3: Penfield (47%), Tip of the Mitt (45%), Des Moines (26%) Division 2: Palisades (46%), Music City (45%), Westchester Sail (38%) Division 1: Taunton River (35%), Jacksonville Sail (22%), St. Petersburg (19%) Four Districts had positive growth in 2011: District 23 5%, District 22 4%, District 13 3%, and District 17-2%. The 2011 Growth Award information is available on the Membership Committee home page: from the right sidebar, click on 'Statistics and Reports'. The fifth item down is the Growth Award information. Also, the fourth item down contains the month-end membership statistics for squadrons as sorted by District. The 2012 USPS Finley Sea Scout Service Award recognizes members and honorees of the United States Power Squadrons who are also youth or adult Sea Scout leaders. To be awarded, the individual must have provided outstanding civic, educational, and fraternal leadership to both the Sea Scouts and the USPS. This service Award is named for Past Chief Commander Raymond A. Finley, Jr., who became a Sea Scout in 1935. He earned the Quartermaster Award in 1939, which is the highest achievement recognition in Sea Scouting. P/C/C Finley became the first adult recipient of the USPS Sea Scout Service Award at the 2004 USPS Annual Meeting, seventy years after his initial involvement in Sea Scout activities. At each USPS National Meeting, all qualifying recipients will be individually recognized during the Open Administrative Department meeting. A Certificate of Recognition and a USPS Sea Scout Service Award medal will be presented. NOTE: Awardees must be present at a USPS National Meeting in order to be recognized. Once recognized at a USPS National Meeting, similar inperson recognition at the recipient s District Conference and Squadron Change of Watch awards ceremony is strongly recommended. The Application can be found on the MEMCOM website under Awards.
P a g e 6 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 The first VIM pins were provided to each District Commander shortly after the 2011 Annual Meeting for distribution to the squadrons in their District. It was interesting to see and hear the comments and conversations generated by the many members wearing their pins at the 2012 meeting in Jacksonville. The most commonly heard quotes were that s an interesting pin why did you get the pin what does the pin stand for and... where s the rest of the star. Since so many members did not recognize the pins, and we know that we had many new members last year, it seems we need to make the squadrons and members aware of this program to recognize Very Important Members. The Very Important Member program was implemented to help squadrons recognize those members who help recruit and retain new members. When a member is responsible for enrolling a new member (generally not those having a students sign an application form at graduation), the VIM pin shown with this article is awarded indicating that the member has performed a very important task in helping USPS and the squadron grow. Note that one corner of the star is missing. When that new member remains for their second year, a dangle containing the completion of the star is then awarded. The best part of this program is that the program is implemented at the squadron level. The squadron determines which member deserves a pin and when and how it is awarded. No paperwork needs to be sent to District or National as they do not track the pins or the members who receive them. We look forward to seeing many more members with their VIM pins at the 2013 USPS Annual Meeting! IDEA: Get your Vessel Safety Examiners involved; they interact with the boating public! This award is presented to all squadrons who are Doing It Right. Two questions come immediately to mind - How can the National Membership Committee know what is Right? and How can a squadron know if it is doing things Right? Over the years the United States Power Squadron has developed a questionnaire of what healthy squadrons do to ensure their existence from year to year. This list was used by the National Membership Committee (MEMCOM) as the basis for developing the questionnaire for the Doing It Right Award. MEMCOM recognizes that sometimes a squadron may be doing many things Right yet struggle with declining membership and/or public boating course attendance. The 26 questions were designed to give a squadron a New Course to Chart, new ideas to try and to ultimately recognize the squadrons that are trying to Do It Right. Review the questionnaire on page 7, which is the list of what a squadron can do to evaluate its performance. If a squadron answers yes to 16 questions in 2011, 18 in 2012, and 21 in 2013 then a DIR symbol will be approved for placement on their newsletter and website to announce to all squadrons that they are DOING IT RIGHT. Also, Districts will be allowed to place the Doing It Right Award symbol on their website and newsletter if all of their squadrons complete and submit the questionnaire. Start it right by doing it right.now!
P a g e 7 M EMC OMme nt s A nnua l A wa rds I s s ue V o l u m e 2 I s s u e 1 DOING IT RIGHT 2012 AWARD WORKSHEET Squadron District Did your squadron: Yes No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Have a recruiting program? Have a 50% retention rate of new members from your ABC3 Class(es) or seminars? Use a renewal program? Have a new member orientation program? Employ a phone committee or email list to contact members about events? Employ a public class team concept that included P/R, Education, & Membership in the planning? Publicize your class in print media or by personal appearances? Teach at least two ABCClasses? Teach at least four seminars? Teach at least one ABC Class with table proctors? Teach at least four courses for your squadron members? Average 10 VSCs per Vessel Examiner? Have a program or public acknowledgment for National Safe Boating Week or its equivalent? Have an active Cooperative Charting program? Participate in a boat show booth? Hold at least two on-the-water activities? Hold informal social events (picnics, dinners, etc.)?. Hold General Meetings regularly? Frequently have guest speakers at General Meetings? Have an up-to-date website? Publish a newsletter regularly? Have at least three members of your bridge attend a Leadership or Operations Training workshop? Attend your District Spring Conference with 80% of your delegates? Attend your District Fall Conference with 80% of your delegates? Submit a MIRA Entry or Civic Service Entry? (Please fill in number if applicable.) Have another activity that should be considered for credit? Please explain on the back side or another sheet of paper. Email or mail this award to Stf/C Sandra Krupa by 15 December 2012. Email - kruof2@tampabay.rr.com, Mail - 8950 Park Blvd #305, Seminole, FL 33777.