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Posted On April 10, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

Wrapping Up, Then Starting Anew

By Jeffrey Stern Just as the meteorological seasons change, so too do the local association seasons drift from one to another. Wrapping up the sport meetings for one year in a high-quality way is important, as is setting the stage for next year’s meetings. As the training officer for your group, it’s important to know that the members are getting what they need. Formally or informally, it’s a good idea to ask the members what worked best in the meetings from the soon-to-be-completed season. Were they excited about a guestRead More

Posted On March 7, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

How to Reach Out to Schools and Teams

Communication is one of the most important aspects of officiating. But it doesn’t begin and end with communicating with players and coaches during games. Sharing information away from the field or court can go a long way in improving understanding between coaches, players, fans and officials. An informational meeting before the season gives an association an opportunity to explain why officials do what they do. Determine which group you want to address. Perhaps it’s the coaches of the schools your association services. It could be the local booster club. OrRead More

Posted On March 7, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

True Leadership

By Raymond Bass As a retired management consultant at the corporate level, it is my experience that leadership is the single most important factor in any successful organization. Like it or not, it all goes back to the people in charge. At the high school, college or pro level, when a team is consistently at the bottom, it is usually the coach/leader who is replaced, not the team. I have always been tough on leaders because they set the tone and example for the members, establish the organizational priorities andRead More

Posted On February 13, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

What Officials Expect From Assigners

By Tim Sloan An assigner I work with was telling me about a great idea he heard during his annual meeting with his league’s basketball coaches. They wanted him to assign crews of officials to each day of the schedule but wait until the actual week of the games to tell them which one they would work. That way, the coaches could look over the list of officials for a given night and come up with who would work what game based on the importance of the game, the crew’sRead More

Posted On February 12, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

The Next Step: How to Retain New Members

While it’s a good thing to have officials associations experience membership growth, it’s equally important to know what to do with those new members. Because eventually they may land new full-time jobs or possibly decide that officiating is not what they thought it would be. As is the case with all new members, the association’s goal should be to deliver proper training so that the new officials are put on the right games and the mission of the association — serving the schools properly — is not harmed. With thatRead More

Posted On January 12, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

Stand Together for an Issue

By Jerry Grunska A while back a large city assigned football officials individually each year. There were no set crews. Coaches from about a half dozen high school conferences in the community and suburbs got together in spring for a large-scale “draft.” As a result officials were likely to work any position: umpire one night, referee the next afternoon. To be sure, there were advantages to the system. Officials got to meet a lot of association members (there was just a lone organization). Officials were conscientious about trying to performRead More

Posted On January 12, 2018By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

How to Reward Your Members

Officials certainly don’t receive the accolades that players and coaches get for their achievements, and that’s OK. But officials deserve acknowledgement for their achievements and recognition for their tremendous service. Officials associations can provide that for their officials. Offering awards and recognitions can help officials feel appreciated and motivated. Psychic-income is never a bad thing. In order to reward officials, you need to determine for what you’re going to award them. An awards’ committee, criteria, the actual hardware and a time to recognize the honorees are also important. Step 1Read More

Posted On December 12, 2017By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

How to Cope When a Guest Speaker Doesn’t Show

Booking a great guest speaker can result in a well-attended association meeting. You likely will book the speaker well in advance of your meeting, so it’s important to confirm the details of the event with your guest speaker the week of the meeting to make sure he or she has the needed directions and information. Even when you book and confirm the speaker, there are times when you’ll have to deal with a no-show. Even though it is not your fault if a speaker doesn’t come, you need to haveRead More

Posted On December 12, 2017By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

Five Keys to Doing Quality Game Reports

Most officials associations spend the training portion of their meetings going over rules or mechanics that are important for the season. However, one topic that should definitely be a training session is writing game reports. The documentation of what happened after an ejection or other significant event is often used by state office leaders and school administrations to not only determine what happened (since they most likely weren’t in attendance at the game) but what to do next, be it a suspension or more to the offending party. What couldRead More

Posted On November 17, 2017By NASO Association AdvantageIn Click Newsletter

How to Develop an Association Budget

Does your association develop a budget each year? It’s an essential part of running a successful officials association. Whether you’re setting up a budget for the first time or looking for some suggestions on doing it the right way, it all starts with gathering the numbers. The first step in preparing a budget is to compare the current year’s budget to actual results to gain an overall understanding of the finances of the association. If no budget was prepared in previous years, then a good starting point would be toRead More
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