Chapter Recognition Program Coming in 2019

January 2019 - EAA staff in Oshkosh, with support from the volunteer EAA Chapter Advisory Council (CAC) team members continue to develop new chapter programs and offerings to help chapters to support and engage their members. These offerings include Flying Start, the Chapter Launch Kit, as well as many other helpful resources. The teams are in the process of developing a program to help highlight successful chapters and celebrate the impact EAA chapters are making on aviation.

In early 2019, EAA will be rolling out the Chapter Recognition Program. This program is designed to help chapters improve the experience for their local members, and to recognize our many outstanding chapters. More information on this program will be announced in early 2019, and reading this article will give your chapter a head start in understanding the Chapter Recognition Program.

EAA will be offering 10 different data points, which are known to correlate with high-performing chapters. Chapters will not need to match with each data point to be recognized as a high-performing chapter as healthy chapters come in many forms. The 10 data points EAA will be using for the Chapter Recognition Program are as follows.

1. Have any of the current chapter leaders attended a chapter leadership training session?
2. In the past 12 months, has your chapter membership been growing, staying steady, or shrinking?
3. Does your chapter offer pilot proficiency programs — IMC Club or VMC Club?
4. Does your chapter engage with the Young Eagles or Flying Start programs?
5. Does you chapter have an EAA-approved flight advisor or technical counselor on hand to assist members who are building and flying their own aircraft?
6. Do your chapter members engage in EAA’s annual chapter member survey and did your leaders review the results?
7. Do your chapter leaders regularly read EAA’s chapter e-newsletter ChapterGram?
8. Has your chapter used a ChapterBlast email promotion or ordered promotional materials?
9. Does your chapter host at least two public events each year?
10. Does your chapter have its own facility to host presentations, meetings, or build sessions?

Throughout all of 2019, EAA will highlight one of these criteria each month through the EAA ChapterGram e-newsletter to help chapters reach the highest chapter recognition level possible and learn why these 10 criteria were chosen.