Aviation Words — Missionize

August 2019 - This may not be an aviation word, but it's vital to the survival of your EAA chapter. I heard it used on EAA's The Green Dot podcast (I highly recommend these fascinating interviews with aviation legends).

Is your chapter struggling to raise funds? Does your pancake breakfast barely break even? How about if you could get people to "dig deep" when they come to chapter events? The key is to have a mission. Not just presenting a speaker at the monthly meeting, or having a social gathering around the barbecue just to eat another burger, but something meaningful — a mission.

If you have a targeted plan for a special investment or award, you'll find your members are much more likely to be generous. Sending one of your young members to EAA's Air Academy, buying a new barbecue, investing in tools for your chapter, and many other ideas can change the flow of funds into your chapter coffers.

Don't forget to thank your members and give them frequent updates on your efforts. It doesn't always have to be the same old team that thinks of a goal. Try interesting some of your newer members in taking it on. They'll have fun doing it. Maybe you can put out a general question to your membership about what they think would be a great project. Look for consensus in your membership so it becomes their goal.

Having chapter meetings focused on actions, rather than talking, is very important to keep the energy up. So why not bring this up at your next chapter meeting? Make missionizing a key part of who you are as a chapter.