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Why charter a club?


rcboater

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Looking through the IPMS website, I was trying to find the answers to three basic questions, and came up empty:

1.  How does a club become chartered?

2.  What are the benefits of doing so?

3.  When a new member joins, does the IPMS do anything to let either the individual or local chapter know about each other?  

Now in regards to questions 1and 2, I have to admit I didn’t read the constitution and bylaws - but if that is the only place the answers are posted, then that needs to be fixed, IMO.   

In regards to my third question, I am guessing the answer is “no”.   I realize there may be privacy considerations about sharing the new member’s contact info with local clubs, but maybe there could be a checkbox to let the new member opt-in to share an email address with local clubs. 

Maybe it is posted and I’m looking in the wrong place?

 

-Bill

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1. You become chartered by meeting the requirements through the DLC(director of local chapters). This includes all officers being IPMS members and at least 5 total current IPMS members. You fill out a form and a few and your chartered. I think the charter is for a year.

2. One benefit is that your chapter acquires the national insurance and can get a certificate which covers shows or club meetings if required. It also gives you access to  the regional coordinator to help with things

3. If the member joins the chapter, the fills it out on recharter form. You can also get a list of IPMS members in your area with email addresses to help form or grow. We don't give phone numbers. 

 

Dave

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Thanks, Dave.

I’m guessing that the insurance is probably the primary reason for chartering.  Having that gives the club access to a lot more venues for meetings and contests that might otherwise be unavailable.

The reason I was asking:   I’m also a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA).  Their website has a page with a clear explanation of the requirements, process,  and benefits- I was hoping the IPMS had something similar...

https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/905.pdf

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Stray thought here: Include a current screenshot of this website's Chapter Map with the new member's first Journal, or welcome-packet/letter and in the Society's generic recruiting pitches. A 'big board' showing this at the Nats, etc, might recruit unaffiliated members, or even new national members. A couple of my acquaintances were unaware of IPMS chapters near them, that would likely have motivated them to join earlier.

Also, whenever I moved (usually at the behest of the armed forces), the effort to scope out my new home always included finding the nearest hobby shops & clubs.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 8/10/2019 at 11:18 PM, dmorrissette said:

1. You become chartered by meeting the requirements through the DLC(director of local chapters). This includes all officers being IPMS members and at least 5 total current IPMS members. You fill out a form and a few and your chartered. I think the charter is for a year.

Dave

Following up on this....

How would a prospective group of modelers know this?  

My point is that the AMA makes it easy to find this info out— we don’t.   We shouldn’t make it harder than it needs to be for people to charter a club.

-Bill

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Bill: IPMS does run mostly on the honor system.  The requirement is that ALL officers AND the Chapter Contact MUST be IPMS members. It does NOT say how many officers you have to have nor limit anyone from doing more than one "job" in the club. Thus, if you list a President, who is also the CC; and he/she is an IPMS member; you met those requirements.

The only real "check" that can be run is that the 5 national members you list are indeed current IPMS members and that none of them are in the "list of 5" (being counted) for any other IPMS club besides yours.

Believe me, if you plan to do anything club-wise on public property, it PAYS to be chartered and have the insurance. You cannot get it privately for anywhere near the cost of chartering the club and joining IPMS.

Why else should you charter? To support the ONLY plastic model organization that promotes ANY and EVERY model genre! There are other groups out there that concentrate on armor, or cars, or figures (etc.); but only IPMS encourages model building of any kind AND provides categories in their contests for all those at most of their shows. If you want your club to grow as quickly as possible, then you need to be willing to welcome model builders of all types. Being an IPMS CLUB states right up front that THAT is what you're aiming to do. Hope this helps!

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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Gil,

Thanks for a very well articulated response!   Too bad something like it isn’t posted on the IPMS USA website....!

 

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