April Propwash 2018 web.pub

During the months of November and December of 2016, 233 members renewed. During those same months of this past year, only 127 members renewed. However there was no e-mail reminder sent out this past November for 2018. Members were figuring out on their own how to log in using their e-mail address and password to renew membership. Moving into December the member count in 2016 for the 2017 year went to 498 members after a reminder e-mail to renew was sent out. This past December, the member count went up to 419. Not quite the same but catching up. However again, no e-mail to renew was sent out. January 1, 2018 came along and the first e-mail reminder to renew NAMBA membership was sent out to those who had not renewed for 2018. Last year the member count was 803. This year at the end of January the count went to 976. The system works and members are embracing it. We are adding features all the time. Some of the ideas we have come up with, and some are from feedback from the membership. The three options of payment, Mail a Check, Credit Card over the Telephone and PayPal are now available in response to membership suggestions. Some members have asked why this year we are asking you to REVIEW your personal information. There are two reasons. If members move, they dont think of updating their NAMBA profile like they would their bank or utilities information. The other reason is when we rolled over the old system to the new portal, there were no dates of birth. We need that date to differentiate juniors from adults and maybe we would like to send you a birthday wish. When it asks you to REVIEW, you need to do so and put in your date of birth and update profile or you will click on request payment all day long and nothing will happen to the page you are viewing. Please remember. Once you are in the system, you are there for life. You do not want to add or create a new membership or you will have two profiles. If you have changed your e-mail address and can not log in, please contact the NAMBA office. Site Insurances. Site insurances work the same as memberships. Once they are in the system, they stay there. If you want to secure site insurance, ask yourself two questions. Was it insured last year? If so, an application does not need to be filled out. Secondly, is it located in my Membership Portal? If not, that is because some one else paid for it last year and it is pointed to them in their membership portal. Just contact the NAMBA office and it can be pointed to you and will be there waiting for you with your NAMBA membership. The same would also apply to registering clubs. The uniqueness to all of this is that we are making everything more intuitive for the member and also satisfying the insurances companies requirements when they come to my house and audit NAMBA records each year. We all need to encourage new members to all aspects of NAMBA; Combat, FE, Gas, and Nitro. Not all members want to compete. But everyone who wants to run a radio controlled boat should take a close look at NAMBA. We offer excellent liability insurance in the case that a model boat runs out of control and actually hurts a spectator. NAMBA offers a number of clubs across North America to support newcomers. The NAMBA web page will be used to promote membership growth and to promote boating activities in support of the Districts. As we work to encourage new members, we will continue to look at better ways to support the membership in general. And, the best support for all of us is the District Director. Work with your District Director to support local events, whether they are races, work weekends, or a social get together. Volunteer to help. Working together provides better results. I plan to attend races in different districts over the next few years. I hope to see you at one of them. Updates From The Secretary From Al Waters NAMBA Executive Secretary A couple of years have gone by since the introduction of the NAMBA Membership Portal and as with most things in life, there will always be some resistance to change. However, I must say that the NAMBA membership has really embraced what it can do and that showed during the recent elections and renewing of NAMBA memberships for 2018. First the elections. The membership portal has the ability to send out a secure auto e-mail to the entire membership or to just members of certain districts. And without spamming. Although District Directors have not yet taken the opportunity to utilize the endless possibilities provided, they are available if they so desire. Just notify the NAMBA office and you will be on your way. In the last election, there were members running for the office of President, Vice President, and in some of the odd numbered districts, District Directors. There was a secure auto e-mail foopah the first day of voting. In my particular case, I received three e-mail notifications to vote online because I also had someone running for district director. If you had no district director running for office in your odd numbered district, you would have received two e-mails. One for a presidential election and one for a vice presidential election. Even numbered districts received just two notifications. This also led to me getting telephone calls on why there was no District Director to vote on in some odd numbered districts. My only answer was that no one ran so the current District Director automatically rolled over in to the new year. In any case, we had that foopah taken care of the first day. Better to be notified three times rather than none at all. In the Presidential election two years prior, when paper and online voting were being accepted, 18% of the NAMBA membership voted. In this past election when voting was accepted by online only (as per NAMBA rules) with regular secure e-mail voting reminders, video resumes, written resumes submitted by those running for offices, and add that district directors were reaching out to their membership to get out and vote, 48% participation was the end result which is off the charts. The system is working and is very successful. Now the portal and its success in renewing NAMBA memberships. In 2016, a secure auto e-mail was sent out the first week of November to renew memberships as that is when the renewing for 2017 began. PROPWASH Page 2 April 2018