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If your association continually has challenges with budgeting, the best place to look to improve in that area is usually the fundamentals. It only takes a fundamental mishap or two to transform a well-planned and well-formed budget into a complete disaster. Read on for six simple tips that will help you put together a solid association budget: 1. Know why you are budgeting. The reason for budgeting is to help you spend less than what your association is taking in from members and events. It shows your spending weaknesses andRead More

The best board members are invested, passionate and have the best interests of the association or chapter in mind. Giving them the right tools and keeping them engaged will ensure they continue to serve the group well. Here are some suggestions. 1. Become incorporated. The members of a corporation generally are not personally liable for the debts, liabilities or obligations of the corporation. Be careful not to assume that incorporating will automatically absolve members and/or officers in all circumstances. Activities outside of those that further the purposes of the corporationRead More

By Tim Sloan “I quit!” As an association leader, those are two words you usually never want to hear from a member, but exceptions may be warranted. Sometimes it’s great news, but responding by blowing noisemakers, popping party favors or tweeting glad tidings to the executive should never be done; it isn’t dignified. But seriously, it may be fair to say that quitting is almost always a failure on someone’s part. OK, sometimes people leave because they’re moving or have had a life event dictating that they pull back: ButRead More

The retirement of a quality official can be difficult for that individual official and for the association. That’s because when many officials retire, they walk away from the game and the association completely. It doesn’t have to be that way. For the betterment of your group, it’s a good idea to keep quality veterans involved in the association well after their final game on the field, court or ice. There are several ways their involvement can be a positive. 1. Offer feedback at meetings Ask retirees to continue to attendRead More

It used to be officials associations were best served by keeping quiet and giving a “no comment” to any media inquiry. But in today’s world, that just doesn’t work anymore — in fact, that can work against your organization and the officiating industry. It’s important for officiating associations to become more media savvy, even using social media. Here are four initial steps your organization can take: 1. Get Online If your association doesn’t already have a website or social media presence, take steps to change that. A Facebook page canRead More

By Jeffrey Stern Every group has one motor mouth — the guy or gal who just can’t resist commenting on every point, holding side conversations during training talks or bragging about the time they perfectly handled the play in question. Heaven help you if you are burdened with more than one. Chatty Charlie (or Charlotte, as the case may be) needs to be dealt with, but how? You can attempt to embarrass them by halting your presentation and staring at them until they realize they’re on the spot. You canRead More

By Bob Masucci “To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent.” Over the years, there has been a lot of humor shared, such as that quote from Robert Copeland, at the expense of committees. But in all seriousness, committees are essential to the efficient operations of any local officiating associations consisting of more than a handful of members. Depending on your governance structure and your bylaws, committees will usually come in two forms: standing (or permanent) committees defined withinRead More

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld said he read a poll that indicated the average person’s number-one fear was speaking in public. Death was number two on the list. “That means if you were at a funeral,” Seinfeld said, “you’d rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.” Even those who don’t fret over public speaking get nervous now and then. But those fears can be conquered by following a few relatively easy steps. 1. Prepare. You may get away with “winging it” a time or two, but the quality of yourRead More

By Carl Smith What are the benefits of belonging to an officiating association? Is there any advantage to an individual partnering with other officials involved in the same sport? To draw officials to your association or encourage them to participate, it is helpful to understand all the good things about your group. Let’s look at the most significant benefits in detail. 1. Training Associations usually have the advantage of officials with mixed experience levels, from the wily vets to the wide-eyed “novices.” New officials need veteran officials to help themRead More

By Brent Killackey You look out upon those in attendance at your association’s meeting. Where your members used to fill every chair, you notice more and more open seats. Over time, the meeting space that barely met your needs starts to look too big. But that’s not the most pressing concern. That list of games from the schools and sports leagues are getting harder to fill with officials. The schools and leagues are accommodating by moving games to different nights, stacking lower-level games with varsity games or canceling games altogether.Read More