Mark Feist, Leader Member and DIII AVP
The hobby of model aviation and AMA experienced significant growth from 1970 to 1990. From 1990 through 2002, AMA membership moved up and down, but total membership numbers remained about the same overall and across Senior, Adult, and Youth categories; however, since 2002, paid membership has steadily declined due to headwinds from online gaming, Internet culture, the loss of traditional hobby shops, and government overreach. Over that time, model aviation also became more internally focused with less public-facing events, such as mall shows and air shows.
In recent years, AMA has turned its focus to stemming the loss of membership and returning to a growth trajectory. To do this, we needed a plan that encompasses the entire model aviation ecosystem and its interactions within to successfully drive growth. That’s where Membership 360 comes in as a holistic approach to membership retention and growth.
The plan takes a 360-degree view of our hobby and defines activities for the AMA Staff, AMA Districts, Leader Members, and Charter Club Officers and Members.
As a Leader Member, you can help local clubs grow by providing information and guidance on many fronts:
- Reminding clubs what the AMA has to offer. Easy access via the AMA CLUB TOOLKIT.
- Help clubs establish an internet presence using the new AMA Dual Rates partnership (DualRates Clubs) and the Social Media Playbook, the Social Media Guide found in the Tool Kit.
- Encouraging clubs to raise awareness and draw new people into the hobby by hosting an open house, model airshow or a static show. How Do I Host A Club Open House? | AMA Flight School.
- Including displaying models and club information at full-scale airshows, car shows, model train shows, robotics shows, county and regional fairs, etc.
- Helping clubs form partnerships in the community with schools, charities, service clubs, and aviation organizations. A helpful guide can be found here: toolkit-Partnerships-Guidance.pdf.
- Encouraging AMA clubs and members to get youth involved. There are a number of resources in the Tool Kit under ‘Charter Clubs & Flying Sites/Getting Youth Involved,’ and under ‘Education’: Arconic STEAM | AMA Flight School.
- Support the development of training programs and leveraging the Introductory Pilot Program.
- Distribute the AMA value-prop-flyer and club information to local hobby shops and other locations, such as hardware stores, etc.
In April and May, we held two Zoom calls on “6 Ways to Grow Your Club.” These sessions were well attended, and we encourage you to take the time to review the material.
If you have other ideas and/or want to get more involved with marketing and membership growth initiatives, please reach out to me or your District Vice President. My contact information is in the District III column in Model Aviation magazine.