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It’s usually the last job anyone wants in most organizations, and it’s probably even more true of your local association: Often, nobody wants to be the secretary. That’s too bad, because an effective secretary can make your entire association better and more effective. In virtually every association, secretary is a board position, as well it should be. Although your association secretary performs many vital responsibilities, let’s focus for now on the most fundamental of those responsibilities: meeting minutes. Thorough minutes can assist your board in tracking everything from attendance toRead More

Officials may complain about the number of meetings, the perceived lack of group involvement, the quality of the training, the uniform requirements or even the location and menu items of the end-of-the-season social. Yet there are really only two major hot buttons for the majority of officials. The first is anything having to do with money. The second is the quantity and quality of their assignments. Every association has members who will not always be pleased with one facet or another with the association. That member might be upset withRead More

By Jerry Grunska All association officers should ask themselves a few questions before setting a meeting agenda. Will members feel that vital issues will be aired in the meeting — topics or problems that need to be addressed in an open forum? Are agenda items intended for discussion only, or is closure expected on policy issues? Some issues may include: Should we change our method of assigning officials to games? If so, how? Are we on target with our training methods, or do we need to consider alternate approaches? TheRead More

By Jerry Grunska In the past, Referee magazine featured a review of officials who had at one time committed transgressions of the law. In one case a fellow had served time for a felony (embezzling, all funds were paid back) 16 years in the past, and he couldn’t get reinstated to officiate because the word felony in the state’s bylaws is incontrovertible. If you’re ever convicted of a felony, you’re done. In some sense that eternal condemnation goes against the tenets of our culture, because we say — in abstractRead More

By Tim Sloan Try to imagine how an aircraft carrier would run without a captain and executive officer. Think of all that equipment and those thousands of well-trained personnel running around, performing their assignments without someone to integrate their activities and decide a course of action when things get interesting. Somebody has to be the leader, right? The same thing goes for an officials association. The biggest mistake made is to think that it is a democracy, where every move and decision is made in response to the clear voiceRead More

Various local associations host or sponsor tournaments to benefit charities or raise money for association supplies, speakers or banquets. If done the right way, tournament hosting can bring positive press in the media for your local group and be a tool for recruiting officials. But a tournament can be a lot of work for association leadership and members. You have to be ready come tournament time. In order to host a tournament, your association members must be on board with the idea. It’s going to take a number of volunteersRead More

By Tim Sloan So, you think you have it tough being an association leader. Planning meetings, training and events; keeping up with your own schedule and dealing with all the personalities in your own herd of zebras is enough for most people. But try being a coach or an A.D. They have all your issues — magnified — in addition to the frequent expectation that they produce a winner on a regular basis and teach seven hours a day. They also get to explain to Mom and Dad why SethRead More

There are plenty of people who have great ideas or a wealth of knowledge, but don’t share them with their association because they’re nervous about speaking in public. It can be a “sink or swim” situation; if you can conquer your fear and make just one presentation, you may find you’re better at it than you thought. One thing all good public speakers have in common is confidence. They’ve learned to relax and enjoy the moment. Getting over stage fright doesn’t happen overnight. A good way to start your confidence-buildingRead More

Just as great officials are born with superior skills and instincts, great mentors have certain qualities that make them perfect for the job. Do you have what it takes to be a mentor and don’t even know it? Is someone in your association a mentor in member’s clothing? Consult this list to see if the characteristics fit someone you know. Good mentors are: Officials who are interested in and are willing to help others. Officials who have had positive formal or informal experiences with a mentor tend to be goodRead More

A presentation at an association meeting is a team effort. A good speaker is no good without a good audience, and vice versa. Here are six ways you can be a good audience member. 1. Be on time. For some reason, officials who would never think of showing up late for a game have a more casual attitude about being on time for association meetings. If the speaker is in the middle of a presentation, you will be a distraction and may cause the presenter to lose his or herRead More