ChapterHandbookOrganization

NSS Chapter Handbook, Section 2: Organization

Section 2 of the NationalSpaceSocietyChapterHandbook.

This revision was dated June 2004.

NSS Chapter Handbook, Section 2: Organization

Introduction

Let’s not kid ourselves -- Organization is NOT an exciting, inspirational topic. However, great ideas and unlimited enthusiasm alone will not get humanity into space. We must resign ourselves to the fact that by paying close attention to these dull, time-consuming organizational details, we will put our chapters in a secure position where ALL our efforts will have maximum impact. Of course, if you find that they are consuming so much of your time that your chapter is doing little or no outreach, it is time to reassess. Each of the organization topics covered in this chapter is a tool for helping you to realize our goals, not a goal in and of itself.

First Steps: Where to start

Assuming that you have followed the guides in Section 1, you are now an official NSS chapter with a name and at least three members, and have held one or more meetings. You may assume that you don’t have to worry about organization until your chapter is bigger. That can lead to difficulty later when things are suddenly out of control. So read through this Section and put the appropriate measures into operation as soon as you can. It will save you headaches in the long run!

If your chapter collects dues or has any income, you will have to set up a chapter checking account (see the Finances Section). You will probably want to invest in letterhead and information material, hold different kinds of meetings, start a file of contacts and possibly start a newsletter. Each of these will be covered in detail in various parts of this Section.

Address and phone

Decide whether you will use a member’s address or a post office box for the official chapter address. If possible, choose a relatively permanent address. Some chapters use their president’s address and phone number, others decide not to change their letterheads, etc. after every election. If you affiliate with a local museum, school, etc., you may want to use their mailing address, but make sure your mail will not get misplaced and that you can pick it up frequently.

Try to have one or two numbers that people can reach easily. They do not have to be located at the mailing address. Eventually you may be able to invest in a telephone and answering machine and have a separate line installed in someone’s home or an office. Shop around for the cheapest service: incoming calls-only, if that is available in your area. Usually the installation charge is high, but you may be able to pay in installments. Look into buying your own phone and wiring. If possible, offer an e-mail main contact for your chapter, and establish an e-mail mailing list for your chapter's members to receive meeting reminders, legislative alerts -- even an electronic newsletter.

Affiliation

Some chapters have a formal or informal affiliation with a school, college, museum, planetarium, library or other institution which provides them with a meeting place, audiovisual equipment, publicity and other benefits. If you are considering an official affiliation, talk to the NSS Chapters Coordinator to make sure that it is an arrangement allowed by Society Bylaws, so that no conflicts will arise.

Then balance the pros and cons. A chapter without a good public meeting place is at a real disadvantage. It also improves your credibility to be associated with a recognized community institution.

However, you may have to pay to meet there and the staff may be eager enough for you to do things for them, but be of little help to you. Their rules can be restrictive, and you can get bogged down under yet another layer of administrative details.

In the long run it is usually worth the effort. Wouldn’t it be great to have an NSS chapter at every planetarium and museum of science and technology?

Find out if any of your chapter members or their families are members of a local planetarium, museum, observatory, Discovery Center, etc. Get as much information about them as you can. How are they organized, governed and funded?

If you decide that one institution will best suit your chapter’s needs, you should attend some of their events and possibly become a member. Can you cultivate contacts among the staff? They might be able to tell you much more that you need to know. Do you just need a verbal OK to meet there, or must you meet with the director and/or board or submit an official application? How should the application be written and submitted?

Be careful to present a responsible image of your chapter in all your dealings with the institution. Don’t be too aggressive, but try to pin down the rights and responsibilities of your chapter in its dealings with the institution. It helps if one person on the staff is officially assigned to work with your chapter, to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t develop a good relationship with as many of the staff as possible. Get to know the people in charge of publicity, publications, education programs, exhibits and the building guards (sometimes the most helpful of all). Be alert to opportunities within the institution for conducting lectures or film series, classes, workshops or field trips.

Setting Goals

Brainstorming

It is easy to get so involved in details that we lose track of our ultimate goals. So, before you get started (and regularly thereafter!) take time to get your members together to reassess your chapter’s goals and set priorities.

How do you decide what to do--and in what order--when EVERYTHING seems so important? The first step is to consider every imaginable project that any NSS chapter might ever want to do! The best method of doing this is to consult this Handbook and then have a Brainstorming Session. The following guidelines were published in the HOUSTON L5 newsletter, “The Colonist”:

Brainstorming is an extremely useful technique with a definite set of rules. You need a leader to make the necessary preparations and to keep the session on course.

You will need a large preprinted set of rules, a chalkboard--the bigger the better--and lots of chalk, paper and pencils for a least three people. (Editor’s note: You can also use a large pad & easel or even the back of a long strip of used computer paper hung up so that everyone can see the ideas being recorded.) Most important of all, have a topic. The topic may be obvious, but make sure it is decided upon in advance.

Before the meeting, arrange seating where everyone can see both you and the chalkboard. Assign three or more people to write on the board. Tell them to write only what you tell them, where you tell them.

A written project proposal may seem like a bureaucratic waste of time, especially for small projects. However, it is the only way that projects can be evaluated and priorities set. A long-term bonus for the chapter is clear, detailed records of projects from their inception.

Not every proposal will have to be an elaborate, multi-page document, but it should follow a set format. The format outlined in this section is designed to help you think out what your project idea will involve. By clarifying your idea, your officers or members will be better able to make a reasonable, informed decision about it.

A good proposal will answer the questions: Who, What, Why, How Much (money and time), and When.

It should include:

Who is submitting the proposal?
A description of the project
Explanation of how this will further your chapter’s goals
When, including starting and ending dates
Special materials, equipment needed
How much it will cost and estimated income (if any)
Estimate of the time required, recruitment suggestions, volunteers
Critical tasks-what will determine if the project is a success or failure?

Once you provide this information, your project is no longer a vague idea that “sounds good”, but a well-thought-out proposal that can result in informed decision-making.

* * * * *

SAMPLE PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR STARTING “CAMPUS NSS” CHAPTER

SUBMITTED BY: Sue and John Member, 555-1000

WHAT: While talking to people at CITY NSS’s information table during Campus Astronomy Day, our members found some interest in starting an NSS chapter on campus. The project proposed is to help manage and run an organizational meeting on campus and provide a speaker.

WHY: This project will further one of the goals that we set at our last council meeting: to help start other chapters in our area. Campus is a good place to start since we have already made some contacts there. Because the location is nearby, our two chapters will be able to help each other, share resources and hold joint activities. We will have access to complimentary resources.

WHEN: The project will start with a work session on campus and end two weeks later with the meeting.

HOW: Ed Student has volunteered to schedule a room, arrange for a slide projector and screen and introduce a speaker. Professor Smith has said that she will act as faculty advisor. Our chapter president has agreed to give a short talk and slide show. At least two other members should come to help set up and help run the meeting. We will need to teach Ed (and any volunteers he recruits) how to make a master for a poster, write PSAs for the campus radio station and press releases for the campus newspaper and run the meeting. We will have to take the posters to be printed and get them to Ed.

MATERIALS: Supplies for making a poster master (from our chapter work box) Handouts, posters, etc., for an information table at the meeting (loan from our chapter for the meeting)

EXPENSES: Refreshments including cups, etc. - $10 Name tags and index cards - $3 Photocopying press releases & PSA’s & printing posters - $9 Postage - $0 (use campus mail) NSS brochures and left-over newsletters - $3 TOTAL - $26

INCOME: Ed - $10, Professor Smith - $10, Donation cup by refreshments - $?

TIME NEEDED: 1. Work session on campus three weeks before meeting -- 3 people for 2 hours. 2. Printing pick up and delivery --1 person for 1 hour. 3. Campus arrangements -- PSAs, posters, arrange for room and projector--6 hours. 4. Meeting -- 4 people for 4 hours. TOTAL -- 29 hours

WHO: Ed Student -- 2 hours for work session, 6 hours for campus arrangements (friends will help put up posters) and 4 hours meeting (12 hours) Sue and John Member -- 2 hours each for work session, 1 hour printing, can’t attend meeting (5 hours) Chapter president: 4 hours for meeting (4) Need: 2 members to help set up and run meeting for 4 hours (8 hours)

CRITICAL TASKS: Confirming dates, room PSAs & press releases delivered on time Effective postering Our members must bring materials for work session and meeting

* * * * *

Feasibility studies

This is a method for analyzing a project’s benefits vs. its cost and time requirements. It helps a chapter decide if it is possible or desirable to undertake a particular project.

Depending on the complexity of the project, a feasibility study can range from a quick mental assessment that is included in the project proposal to a separate, detailed paper with comparative cost, resource, time and benefits analyses. Keep in mind your chapter’s goals. How will each project help achieve these goals? Which will contribute to more than one goal or reinforce each other?

For example, a decision to place an exhibit in City Hall, using existing display boards may be made based on the project proposal. However, if another exhibit requiring the same material were possible at the same time, a more elaborate analysis of relative benefits would be necessary.

Break down each project into component tasks. Then analyze each task for: cost, time requirements, resources (both manpower and materials) and benefits/impact. Decide which tasks you can do, based on existing resources and experience. Which are contingent on outside factors, such as the availability of NASA models? Which are dependent on uncertainties such as funds raised or weather?

Once this information is assembled, you will have a clear benefit-to-cost picture for each project. Now decisions can be made.

Task trees

The project proposal and feasibility study for an approved project can be used to make a task tree. First find out what tasks can be done at the same time. Then determine which of these parallel tasks must be completed in order for the next task to be done. See the Sample Task Tree in the Resource Section. The numbers in circles are the deadline dates for the tasks described to the left of them.

Make sure a specific person is in charge of each task and responsible for meeting the deadline. If a task is too large for one person, divide it into more manageable tasks. Don’t clutter the tree chart with all the details of a task. They can be further outlined on a separate sheet; for example, a list of possible speakers to contact, in preferred order with addresses and phone numbers. A large task in a major project, such as the exhibit included on the sample task tree, might even have its own task tree. Once the task tree is made, everyone involved in the project should get a copy.

Deadlines

Projects should be fully defined and not be open-ended, or they may drag on indefinitely.

Proposals for major projects should include:

a) The date the committee or working group is established and who is on it. b) Specific details of goals and responsibilities. c) Source(s) of input and date by which all input should be received by all committee members. d) Date by which project outline is to be submitted to chapter Board. e) Date by which all input will be responded to and first draft of the project will be presented. f) Date by which reviews of first draft must be submitted to Board and, who will review. g) Date project will be finished.

Records

Keep a copy of project proposals, feasibility studies, task trees and notes taken during a project for your chapter’s records. A report about the project should be written soon after it is completed while the details are still clear. Be sure to include what went wrong as well as what worked well, and recommendations for similar projects. This file will be a valuable source of information that can be called upon years after the project was done.

Emergency decisions

Be careful! It may be better to pass up an opportunity than commit your chapter to a poorly thought out project. However, you may want to decide on a set procedure for the occasional small project that pops up or the inevitable emergency decision must be made.

Even if an officer gives approval over the phone, the member submitting the idea should mail a written proposal as soon as possible. If the officer does not think an immediate decision is necessary, it should be referred to the next council meeting.

Tools

Membership lists

Whether you keep your membership information on file cards or computer disks, you will need a master list of complete information. From this you can make phone/e-mail lists, phone/e-mail trees, mailing labels, expiration notices, determine voting eligibility, make a file of past members, etc.

There are two basic rules governing your mailing list:

Rule #1: Keep it current-and DATE all lists

Rule #2: Keep it confidential! Your master list contains information about your members that they may not want widely circulated.

When in doubt, ask permission to included unlisted or business numbers on phone lists, for example. Your chapter may decide to notify members about non-NSS events and resources through your newsletter, but never “lend” your membership list to someone else.

A master list should include:

NAME: Get all names if a family membership

ADDRESS: Include ZIP codes (+4) too

PHONE NUMBER(S): Note if it is unlisted. Do they prefer you use their home or business number, or are there special hours to call or not to call?

E-MAIL ADDRESS(ES): make sure they’re current and reliable; people nowadays switch accounts

EXPIRATION DATE: of membership

JOINED: Date; Regular, Family, Student or Corporate membership?; Special circumstances (example: Saw display at Astronomy Day ’02, or read about your chapter in a newspaper interview)

SPECIAL INTERESTS: (Space station, Asteroid resources, Model building, Willing to organize a student space art contest)

SKILLS: (Can type; Has an Athlon 4 laptop computer with WiFi capability; Carpenter, Graphic artist)

NOTES: (Bill’s dentist; Wife’s name is Joanne; son Mark (9/72) sometimes needs a ride to meetings; daughter, Elizabeth (4/79))

Membership cards

These are important if you hold a chapter activity someplace where your members must identify themselves (you may also have to leave a list at the entrance). The card can have the chapter name and address, logo, other art or slogan, and blanks for name, expiration date and signature of the member or authorizing officer.

Local contact file

This is one of the most useful resources your chapter will have, and it costs little more than some ongoing effort by your members. The more who contribute, the more useful the list will be.

You probably want to have a portable file or list, even if you are computerized, so everyone can contribute to and use the chapter contact file. See “Community Space Survey” in the “Projects” Section for ideas about the individuals and organizations you can include. Find out if a comprehensive list of community organizations is kept by your area’s library, Chamber of Commerce website, mayor's office, Volunteer Center or government agencies. This can be a useful source of contacts and publicity channels for your chapter. Be sure to date all entries so they can be updated when needed.

Letterhead

With computers, it is now very easy to create your own letterhead. Having a Letterhead will give you an official look -- not only for chapter correspondence, but also for Public Service Announcements and other publicity releases.

Consider if you want to include optional information that will outdate your letterhead, such as a list of officers or board members. Double check the information that you submit to headquarters for errors and omissions.

Usable letterhead can be made cheaply using a computer word processor and a photocopy machine. Follow the rules in “Photocopying” (next) for best results. It should include your chapter’s official name, address and a logo, art or motto that identifies it with space. A phone number, e-mail contact or chapter website address is optional. One effective format has the chapter name and address on the top and “A Chapter of the National Space Society” and/or “Creating a Spacefaring Civilization” at the bottom.

Your officers should decide who is authorized to use the letterhead and establish clear guidelines for when and how it can be used in order to protect the chapter.

Photocopying

This is one of the most useful tools your chapter has. You can make newsletter masters, publicity releases, posters, membership lists and mailing labels, but unless one or more of your members has access to free photocopying, it can get very expensive. Even then, make sure your member will not get in trouble for unauthorized use. Members won’t mind paying for a few copies themselves, but will resent spending too much, too often. Look carefully at what you are copying. It may be cheaper to have large amounts of an item like chapter information sheets printed. But there are some purposes for which photocopying are ideal.

Posters/flyers

Even novices can produce effective posters and similar items with a little practice. If you do not have access to a computer, the following guidelines will help you to make the most of this resource:

• Use black ink, never colored inks or pencil • Use white paper • Avoid large dark areas • Use rubber cement for paste-up to avoid wrinkling. If some gets on your working area, wait until dry & rub it off, or your copy will look messy • Tape all paper edges on paste-ups with “white tape” (correction/cover-up tape), or lines will show on the photocopy • If lines appear on a copy, check the original, covering any blemishes or cover marks on bad copy with white-out liquid and recopy • Leave wide margins • Keep your original clean • Pencil shading will not copy • Some black & white photos will copy • Remember that a photocopy of an original always gives better results than copying a copy • Keep your masters for reuse and reference • If the original has staple or notebook holes, cover by taping a piece of while paper over them or they will COPY • Always make a copy of your master before leaving it at the printer in case it gets lost

Look for print shops that offer reductions and color photocopies. The most common reductions are 78% and 67%. Consider making copies “2-up” (2 of the same document on a page, side by side) this is great for handbills and flyers and small posters as the paper copies can be cut in half, rendering 2 flyers, etc. for the price of 1 copy.

Color photocopies can be made from color photos or slides. At a little more than one dollar each, they are cheaper than 8 x 10 color prints and can provide illustrations of NSS concepts that are often difficult to find. While they are not actual photo-type reproductions, they have an interesting quality of their own. Black and white copies can also be made on color copiers. These are as high quality as the color copies and often cost less than the color copies. This is excellent for Black and white photos.

Find out if the store will photocopy onto special stock, such as heavy paper for certificates or stick-on address labels. You can also photocopy onto acetate sheets for use on an overhead projector, for 50 cents to a dollar a sheet for black and white and a bit over $2 for color.

Posters

Personal Computers are excellent for generating posters and flyers (small posters, usually the size of a letter page). Posters can be generated using a variety of software applications. These include word processors such as MS Word or WordPerfect or specialized layout programs like Quark, PageMaker, or Powerpoint. For output it is generally most efficient, price-wise, to print a master copy on a laser printer and then make mass copies using a photocopier. Many copy shops have oversize copiers available to enlarge your letter-sized computer print outs to poster size. Up to 3’ width is usually available, in both black and white and color, often priced by the square foot.

Rub-on letters can also be used to make effective posters, but it takes a lot of time and care. Don’t try to center your copy as you rub the letters on. Concentrate on getting the rows straight and spaces even, and then cut the strips of lettering out and center on a white sheet of paper for paste-up.

Always use a ruler and square for paste-up. Your eyes can be fooled by the edges of the paper pieces, but they will not show on the copy and uneven lines will be much more obvious.

To save time when producing posters, you may want to make a standard one (chapter name, meeting place, art, etc.). Then you can paste on a new strip of paper with the date and program topic and photocopy it. Pick a standard style of lettering that is attractive and easy to read. Then you can make a file of words you use frequently for posters and newsletters: months, days of the week, “Free!!,” “Free with museum admission,” “NASA films for the whole family,” “Space,” etc.

You may also want to invest in a striping pen or striping tape that can be found at artist’s supply stores.

In some cases posters can be very effective, especially on campus or if you have a definite audience that you are targeting. Photocopying a dozen or so to put around the building in which you are having a program doesn’t cost much. But weigh the expense of printing 100 posters against the number of people who are likely to see it, and compare this to the number reached by a free Public Service Announcement on a radio or TV station.

Your chapter may need some basic direction signs, especially if your meeting place changes or is difficult to find. LOTS of signs with arrows directing people to the parking area and your meeting room can make a big difference in attendance. Outdoor signs can be stenciled with waterproof paint on a thin sheet of particle board. Indoor signs can use commercial stick-on letters or ones made from adhesive paper. Keep the signs simple: “Free Space Presentation” with a big arrow works well.

Chapter seal

Some chapters have had an embosser made so they can put their chapter seal on certificates and other chapter documents. For an investment of about $25 you can get a two inch diameter “pocket embosser” that is a permanent chapter resource. It can even be used to identify your library items with the chapter’s seal.

You can cut-and-paste a master for an award certificate and have it photocopied onto heavy ivory paper for about ten cents a sheet. Add a gold paper stick-on seal that can be bought in stationery and school supply stores for about another ten cents each. Emboss the sticker with your chapter seal and you have an attractive award or recognition certificate for a fraction of the cost of an engraved plaque ($15 to $25). If a member has a calligraphy pen and practices a little, you can hand letter the recipient’s name on the certificate.

The format that chapters have used has “(Name) Chapter of the National Space Society” around the outside of the seal and “Promoting Space Development” on the inside. Designs increase the cost considerably. Look in your Yellow Pages under “rubber stamps” or “office supplies” to find a company that makes embossers. If you can’t find a local source, refer to the Resource Section where one that takes mail orders is listed. There is also a sample design that you can photocopy and send in with your order. It is a good idea to also include a drawing of your design exactly the way you want it to appear on your seal.

A two-inch diameter seal is a useful size and costs only a few dollars more than a one and one-half inch seal. “Pocket seals” can only be used a few inches from the edge of an item. “Long reach” seals can also be ordered that allow you more freedom, but at twice the cost. The chapter secretary should probably have custody of the seal and be responsible for insuring its proper use.

Rubber stamps

Another item that can be used for years is a rubber stamp with your chapter’s name and address. By stamping NSS brochures, you are certain of receiving a rebate when local people join NSS. It further insures that those interested in contacting your chapter know how to do so. The stamp can also be used to identify chapter property.

If a newsletter issue has an uneven number of pages, you can save the cost of printing the chapter return address on the otherwise blank side. (This won’t satisfy bulk mail regulations.) Stamp envelopes for correspondence, too, unless you can afford to have them printed. You may want to have other stamps, such as one with chapter name, address AND phone number, ‘Complimentary Copy’ for free newsletters, etc.

Computers and desktop publishing

There are many ways to put members’ home or office computers to work for your chapter. They can be used for membership, publicity and contact files, and to print mailing labels from them, phone lists, newsletter copy, correspondence, and to store and organize all kinds of data and information for educational and organizational needs.

Word processing software -- Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect being the two most popular word processors -- can be a great help to everyone who writes for your chapter. It can store correspondence, newsletter text and other writing projects on disk. Corrections and additions can be easily made, and useful sections can be “cut and pasted” into new documents -- all without time-consuming retyping. Images and graphics can even be “imported” into your word processing files to enhance your product. Spell checking programs are available for all current word processing programs.

For large, complicated projects such as letterhead, newsletters, flyers and brochures, specialized layout software is available. Some popular software for this purpose includes PageMaker and Microsoft Publisher. The programs allow you great control over layout, color and graphics to produce professional-quality materials.

If you don’t have access to a printer -- black and white or color -- many copy shops and some public libraries, will allow you use their hardware usually charging on a by-the-page basis. This way a “master copy” can be generated and then duplicated using less expensive photocopying techniques.

A database program -- Filemaker Pro or Microsoft Access -- is useful for membership lists and contact files. It can be set up so that the name is followed by an identification code on the mailing label. For members, this is the expiration date of their membership, so they can check when they have to renew their membership. Media can be given a “PR” code, and those receiving complimentary copies are identified with something like “Sample.” This code can be used when you don’t want to print labels for the entire list. The system can be used to sort a list according to zip codes as called for by bulk mailing regulations.

Mailing labels can be bought “one up”-- that is, in strips that are a single label wide. These will fit on smaller printers and can be easily printed from a data base file disk. They are cheapest when bought in bulk; or, perhaps a large user will donate some to your chapter.

The file also contains: address, city, state, zip code, phone numbers, and useful information such as when and why joined chapter, special interests, skills, and family data. For contacts and publicity entries take note of any useful information, such as individuals who have been friendly (or difficult) and previous dealings they have had with your chapter.

Database systems can also be used for making resource files. Once a member has made a database for a magazine article bibliography or Space Shuttle mission data, for example, they can easily make a copy disk that can be used by another member who has access to the same computer and data base software. Disks can be mailed, so members in different chapters can share these resources once they know about each other.

Make sure, however, that the material is not copyrighted before you copy a disk. Members may want to put a copyright notice on their work even if they intend to share it with other members, to insure that no one will make a profit from their efforts at a later date.

Modems make this communication and sharing even easier. NSS Members who subscribe to the major information services have already made use of this ability. Check with your Internet Service Provider for information on establishing a listserv for your chapter.

Info packets

Your chapter secretary will probably be frequently asked to send information about NSS and your chapter to media representatives, prospective members, new members, exhibit sites, potential donors, program participants, teachers, students and others. Unless this material is ready to be mailed, the secretary may fall badly behind in responding to these requests. This leads to a discouraged secretary and a negative image for your chapter.

You may want to devote one or more work sessions to producing and assembling material for various types of information packets. Contents depend on the purpose of the packets and whether they are to be mailed or hand-delivered (heavy packets cost too much to mail). Some “packets” may actually be only a single sheet of paper. A packet may include:

NSS brochure -- these can be obtained in bulk from NSS Headquarters and stamped with your chapter name, address and the assigned code number for your NSS Rebates.
What is NSS -- brochure available from NSS Headquarters.
Current or recent chapter newsletter -- and/or list of recent and upcoming chapter activities.
Back issues of Ad Astra can be obtained from NSS Headquarters at chapter discounted rates.
“Welcome to (Name) Chapter” letter -- to be included in a new member’s information packet to make him or her feel welcome and help integrate him into the chapter.
List of Officers and other contact people.
Copy of positive media coverage of the chapter.
Recommended NSS Reading list.
1. Special purpose sheets -- for example, a letter to SpaceFair exhibitors, or new member interest and skills questionnaire.

Carefully decide what material should be included in each kind of packet. A new member should receive as many of these items as possible and practical. Media people, in contrast, have little time to dig through a stack of papers, so make sure their packet is direct and to the point.

You probably cannot afford to send out a lot of material in response to every general information request that you get. But treat each one as a prospective NSS member and design a packet that will inform AND recruit.

Questionnaires & surveys

These can be used for three distinct reasons:

1.) To gather information from your members, a specific group or the general public; 2.) To attract people to a booth, and; 3.) As a publicity tool

The information survey is useful when you need to learn what someone thinks about a topic or event. It can be a survey of your members’ skills and interests or a questionnaire filled out by students to evaluate a chapter education project.

A few people at a chapter information booth filling out a questionnaire tends to attract others and makes it easier to get a discussion going. A survey can also be a publicity tool with some planning. For example, you can have members taking a survey in various locations on the day that a Space Shuttle is launched and compile the results for distribution to the media before it lands. It might be welcomed as a local tie-in to a national story.

A public survey should not be too long; a single-sided page with a few carefully designed questions works well. A member survey can be longer and should invite members to add any comments or suggestions that they care to.

Bulk mail permits

Does your chapter’s treasury take a beating from the cost of postage? A Third Class Bulk Mailing Permit may be the answer to some (but not all) of the problem; check at your post office. As of this writing the following rules apply:

1. You must mail 200 or more identical items or 50 lbs. Even taking the extra printing costs into consideration, you will probably save money by increasing your mailing to 200. You can send the extra newsletters to reporters, schools, libraries, science teachers, and other NSS or community groups. Note that you cannot add other items, such as chapter correspondence or press releases, to bring the mailing up to 200. Each item must be the same. However, you may be able to combine two mailings by making their contents identical, up to 3.91 oz., especially if you have extra copies of the items. Bulk mail is also slower, so deadlines will have to be earlier.

2. A permit has an annual fee per calendar year (Jan.-Dec.), so you should plan to get it by the beginning of January to get maximum value from your investment. Submit your application by the end of November, since it may take several weeks to be approved by the District Office.

3. In addition to the permit fee, there is a charge per piece which varies depending on the type of mailing and the "sortation" (postal-ese) you use. Call your local post office for a free information packet on bulk mailings. A non-profit rate is available. To receive the non-profit rate you must submit a copy of your constitution, bylaws or charter, a copy of the Federal Internal Revenue exemption for your chapter, a letter explaining the primary function of your group and summarizing its activities over the past twelve months and copies of recent newsletters.

4. Items to be mailed must be sorted and bundled by Zip Codes. (Ask for a local Zip Code directory, rubber bands, and sorting instructions. If your mailing labels are printed by computer, have them printed in Zip Code order to speed sorting.) The bundles must be accompanied by a Statement of Mailing with number of pieces and weight.

5. Unlike First Class mail, a bulk mail item will be returned only if you print “Return Postage Guaranteed” and put “Address Corrections Requested” under your return address. It is probably worth paying full postage for a few returned items from each mailing to keep your mailing list current.

6. Read the regulations carefully! Only the permit holder may use the permit. Other organizations may include items in a mailing only if they also qualify for the non-profit rate. You may have to take your mailing to your area central post office instead of your local branch office.

7. Call your local post office for an informational packet explaining all the current rules, regulations and requirements for bulk mailings.

Meetings

Planning

Having a successful meeting is easy if you avoid two common pitfalls: either no one shows up, or nothing is accomplished. Fortunately both can be avoided if a small amount of time is devoted to planning the meeting.

Every meeting needs:

1.) A place to happen 2.) To be announced and advertised 3.) Planned in advance -- so participants understand the meeting’s purpose and the required materials and equipment are on hand 4.) Have someone in charge -- a host or chairperson.

The first step in planning is identifying your goal. What do you need to accomplish? Avoid meetings that do not have a definite goal -- and NEVER have meetings that only lead to more meetings! Of course, a meeting can have more than one purpose.

Once you have determined the meeting’s purpose, you can decide which of the six main types of meetings you need:

PUBLIC MEETINGS -- to educate and entertain members and attract potential new members, also meetings to start other NSS chapters.

OUTREACH -- presentations to other organizations or schools, and at conventions, differ from Public Meetings, in that you do not arrange or publicize (or control) the meeting or event.

BUSINESS MEETINGS -- usually limited to members who are interested in the organizational aspects of the chapter, decision-making, setting goals.

WORK PARTIES -- where the actual work is done with a minimum of pressure and a maximum of fun.

SOCIAL GATHERINGS -- to build a sense of community among the members, to celebrate and to just have fun.

MEMBERS’ MEETING -- any other activity that is only for your members and is not advertised (tour or other field trip, chapter library reading room session, etc.). This is also useful for strengthening your chapter.

Possible locations for meetings include: colleges, libraries, public schools, churches, club halls, public buildings, museums, members’ homes and conference rooms at companies and banks. For important meetings, you may want to get a written confirmation of your reservation.

After you have run a few meetings you can develop a “meeting Handbook”, a standardized format to follow in planning and announcing meetings, including a checklist. This will make training others to plan and run meetings easier.

Cancellations

You may want to adopt a bad-weather meeting cancellation policy and publish it in your newsletter. An easy method is to cancel whenever your local schools are closed due to the weather. Members can easily check this by listening to announcements of closings on major radio stations and you can avoid a flood of phone calls. You will, of course, have to cancel when your meeting location, such as a museum, closes. Members can be notified of non-weather related cancellations via your phone or e-mail tree.

If you find that your group is hopelessly behind schedule on preparing for a meeting, consider canceling it. It may be better than causing people to leave a meeting with the feeling that their time has been wasted. Of course, you must make sure that people do not show up only to discover the meeting is cancelled. Take special note of young people who may be stranded if someone is dropping them off at a meeting.

Same-time, same-place

This is a useful rule to follow for your meetings, whenever possible! It helps to avoid confusion and turn attendance into a habit for your members. They will also be able to plan ahead if they know that the second Sunday of every month or every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. “belongs” to NSS. The public will learn when to expect your activities, even if they do not see your current newsletter or publicity. When you attempt to pick a standard time, check a calendar for holidays and other conflicts and try to pick a time that is convenient for most of your officers and members.

Public meetings

Public meetings are the most challenging to organize. Their purpose is to attract large numbers of people, educate them about space development and get them interested enough to do something.

To motivate new people you must pick the topic of your meeting carefully, to make it serve your purpose. The cause of promoting space development and settlement is not served by a public meeting on just any space topic. Programs concentrating on UFOS, extraterrestrial intelligence and science fiction, fascinating though they may be, do not further the goals of our organization. Even extensive discussion of past space projects, (e.g. Apollo, Gemini, Mercury) doesn’t help unless you connect it to future possibilities. To get others excited, we must tell them why we are excited.

Consider how your program will educate about the potential of space resources and development. Will it explain about using space to help solve problems on Earth, such as the energy crisis and pollution by heavy industry? Will the audience be left with a portrayal of space settlements as luxury resorts financed by Earth, or a more realistic view of a place, uncomfortable at first, where people will live and work in space? Remember to avoid highly technical programs for general audiences.

To attract large crowds, you MUST publicize your event! This is essential and should take up a large part of your preparation time. Remember that people will not come, no matter how good your speaker is, unless they have heard about it, preferably more than once.

Another secret of exciting, “standing room only” meetings is to select a small room. For a comfortable, sleepy audience and the impression of poor attendance, get a huge auditorium. For a sense of excitement and success, and for good press, get something more like a closet.

Whomever is in charge of the meeting should write out an agenda and list of audiovisual equipment and other material that will be needed. He/she should also arrange for members to staff the information table, run the projector, etc. If your program features an outside speaker, make sure you get biographical information for your introduction. Assign someone to watch for and greet the speaker at the meeting.

At the meeting, keep early arrivals occupied looking at books you have brought, reading copies of the latest Ad Astra or Aviation Week and Space Technology and filling out their nametags. Get them talking informally to your members if possible.

Once you’re ready and the rate of straggler arrivals have slowed, the chairperson can start the meeting. This is a great time to introduce your chapter (and NSS in general) to newcomers and promote upcoming events. Then give your speaker a GOOD introduction. For example, “Our topic tonight is Space Station Design. Our speaker is well known in this area, as a member of the NASA Space Station Study Group and author of ‘Space Station USA.’ And now I would like to introduce Dr. Notable Expert.” Don’t mention the person’s name until the end. Then lead the applause until your speaker has reached the podium or the spot from which the talk will be given.

Don’t take photos during the talk unless your photographers are unobtrusive and their cameras quiet. Alert your speaker in advance that there will be flash photos taken.

At the end of the presentation and discussion period, which together should total two hours at the most, the chairperson again leads the applause, thanks the speaker and invites everyone to stay, talk and eat. Don’t let your active but shy members stand around talking to each other; now is their chance to circulate and bring in new members! Also, now is a good time to take photos of the crowd and the speaker talking informally. At this point you’re all feeling pretty good. But make sure you get the names, addresses and phone numbers of interested new people, preferably on 3" x 5" file cards. Later add the date and any comments you have, such as “Talked to Joe, very interested but too busy to be active until June” or “Bob talked to Sue, expressed her desire to introduce these ideas to her students, 10th grade.” These comments can be valuable in drawing people into the group.

After the meeting there’s still work to do--letters of thanks to your speaker, the location, provider of audiovisual equipment, reporters who covered your event and even hard-working members. (Maybe you deserve a party?) Probably the media coverage your members will most enjoy is seeing their names and smiling faces in Ad Astra, so send in a write-up of your event, with photos if possible. They’ll print it if they can, which will give your group a big morale boost.

Business meetings

Although business meetings should be open to all members, they need not be well publicized, since many members find the organizational aspects of a chapter somewhat dull. Here is where project proposals are presented and discussed and decisions not requiring a vote of the entire chapter membership are made. Therefore it is desirable for the entire decision-making group, i.e., the officers or Executive Committee, to be present. (It’s hard to get a large group together, which is one reason it’s good to keep this group small.)

Each person present should be given a copy of the agenda, listing the topics to be covered and suggested time limits and any proposals under consideration (if possible, before the meeting, so they can prepare). Topics that should be covered include the effectiveness of past events, progress on current projects, possible future efforts and financial matters. Encourage an active exchange of ideas and make use of the participants’ various areas of knowledge. The meeting can usually be run informally by the president, but if too many conflicts arise, Robert’s Rules of Order can be used. The secretary should take notes during the meeting, especially on major decisions.

At the end of the session plan the next meetings, adding any unfinished business to its agenda. The president or presiding officer should briefly summarize what has been accomplished and assignments that have been made.

Work parties

These are frequent, regular meetings at which there are constructive tasks to do. They are designed to tap the efforts of busy members, many of whom cannot make large-scale commitments but are glad to show up occasionally and do some work for the NSS cause. There are a variety of tasks available to prevent boredom, and members can come and go at any time without disrupting the meeting. They also give members a chance to socialize and make announcements. Snacks are available as an additional draw. Children are welcome and encouraged to join in on any task they can handle. A crucial aspect of these sessions is that everyone knows exactly when and where they will be. Since not everyone will be attending every session, schedule conflicts are no problem. There is therefore no reason not to schedule them months in advance and give everyone a calendar with the sessions marked on it. Boston L5 has had success with a schedule of one work session a week, with the day of the week varying but the time and place staying the same. If the time and place must vary, make sure they are listed on the schedule, with directions if necessary.

The location of the work parties should have the following at a minimum: tables, chairs, ample floor space (carpet helps) and electrical outlets. A blackboard is nice, and a photocopy machine, soda machine, rest rooms and facilities nearby are very convenient. If you can get two rooms, the better, e.g., two small dormitory lounges near each other.

In setting up the system you’ll want to assemble a “work party box”, which each week’s leader will bring to the session. Possible items to include: pens, pencils, paper, stapler, tape, magic marker, white-out, name tags, rubber stamp with chapter name and address, stamp pad with ink, refreshment donations cup, envelopes, stamps, National Space Society brochures, sample Ad Astra issues, cheap camera with film, chalk, markers, etc.

Make a list of box contents and attach it to the box, along with a copy of the work session leader’s duties and a schedule of future leaders. Left-over food should be kept separately to avoid messing up the box. If you have a chapter computer and printer, keep that with the box. Otherwise try to get someone to bring a computer and printer to each session where its use is planned.

The position of work party leader is rotated among volunteers. The identity of the leader for a given session should be known as far in advance as possible, and preferably printed on the schedule calendar along with the person’s phone number. Project heads and others with tasks needing work call the leader in advance to get their tasks on the agenda. The leader can then explain what will be available from the work session box and that the project head must bring everything else needed to do the task. Advance scheduling of tasks also enables the work party leader to set priorities if necessary and prevents having someone show up and say, “Everyone must work only on my project, since it’s so important and the deadline is tomorrow!”

The work party leader then makes up the agenda. Some tasks may be done at every session, for example, answering correspondence. The leader figures very roughly how many people will be needed per task. If ambitious, the leader estimates where and by whom tasks will be done: “Joe is good at doing correspondence. If he comes, I’ll try to get him to do it AND teach someone else so he doesn’t always have to do it!” and “The poster boards are just too big for that room; we’ll have to move that into the hall. Also, we can’t have the room air full of the spray adhesive being used.”

Other responsibilities of the work party leader include: trying to fill up the work party leader schedule with volunteers, checking the box to see if supplies are low, replenishing supplies or requesting the supplies coordinator to do so, transferring the box to the next week’s leader and making sure the room is clean when the session is over. Note: money for the supplies should come from the group, not from the leaders pocket only! And last but far from least, the leader brings the refreshments.

Hints for the leader: Arrive early if possible, with the box. Put up signs to help new people find the room. List the tasks on the blackboard along with any short announcements (like “Refreshments-25 cents” or “Switch tasks and/or take a break if you’re bored!” As folks arrive, make sure they put on their name tags and find something they want to do. Regulars will soon do this on their own, so you can concentrate on newcomers. Introduce them around, explain the setup and find them something to do, preferably with a regular who will make friends with the new person. Name tags are especially important for new people, and since they will feel silly if they’re the only ones labeled, everyone should wear a name tag. Besides, many people are bad with names and appreciate reminders.

Set out refreshments and a prominent cup for money. People won’t pay for the food unless it’s quite clearly requested, including a specific minimum. Refreshments can be as simple or as elaborate as desired. There should be a way for people to quench their thirst, even if it’s only a water fountain. Otherwise, bring a jug of water.

Unless things are going perfectly, the leader shouldn’t join in on a specific task. Instead the leader should watch the session’s progress: Is Joe getting bored? Does the new person look lonely? Is everyone working so hard they’re not having fun? Making people feel welcome and helping everyone enjoy the session is important, if you don’t, they won’t show up anymore.

Keep track of who comes to the work parties so you can give out awards like “Member Attending the Most Work Parties” and “Member Leading the Most Work Parties”. People love to be appreciated. For this reason, you’ll want to take photos for your chapter scrapbook and possible publication in Ad Astra.

About timing: since people can leave whenever they wish, there’s no need to set a time limit on the session. However, since the next session’s leader has to take the supply box, the session may end when that person wants to go. If others are anxious to keep working, they can take responsibility for delivering the box to the next leader. Of course, if the work party is at a member’s home, that member determines how late it can go on.

Announcements should be made somewhere in the middle of the meeting, after latecomers have arrived and before others have to leave. Avoid announcements right at the beginning; people seem to want to get right to work. Social gatherings

In addition to being fun, social gatherings serve an important purpose: they bring us closer together, making us friends instead of just coworkers. This is crucial if NSS is to be a successful grass roots movement. Since your members will be in a cheerful mood, this is a good time to introduce new people to the group or discuss what it is we’re all working so hard for--space development and settlement--and why.

Food and beverages should always be served at a social gathering. Contributions for food can be taken in advance or at the door. Pot-luck dinners, an inexpensive arrangement where everyone brings one dish, have proven successful for many chapters. Non-cooks can bring beverages, condiments, ice or disposable plates and utensils. Or members can pay a set amount for a purchased main course, and bring salads and desserts. Pot-lucks can be full dinners or brunches, a lunch during a day-long regional conference, a dessert social, a soup or chili warm-up after an outdoor event, hors d’oeuvres for a videotape party or a picnic.

You can invite another organization to participate, and use the relaxed, warm atmosphere to build bridges. A pot-luck picnic and some Handbook-flying might appeal to your local environmental group, a star party would be enjoyed by amateur astronomers, and everyone seems to like watching model rocket launches (check insurance requirements and airport clearance). Your chapter might arrange to meet informally with a visiting VIP by inviting him or her to a pot-luck brunch or dinner before or after a local function, if you have enough notice and your members provide some special goodies.

If your chapter is located at a school or business or wherever commuting is a problem, you can have regular brown-bag lunch gatherings, with or without a brief talk or business meeting. Reviews of relevant books and articles are also good programming. Parties should be suited to your membership. Do you have underage members who would not be allowed at certain locations? Plan some family-oriented events, too.

Some social events, like dinners and theater parties, can be used as fund-raisers.

Members’ meetings

These events can add variety to your activities and be an incentive for joining your chapter. Often a group can gain access to places closed to a single visitor. Be sure to make arrangements for tours well in advance. Take note of the names of your guides, etc., and follow up with a sincere thank-you letter to insure a warm welcome for a return visit by your group and other NSS chapters.

Volunteer Development

by T. Wally Williams, III

[Editor’s Note: The work of NSS is, and has always been, done mostly by volunteers. Our Society has few paid employees. The members of our Boards of Directors, Governors and Advisors, Society officers, the Chapters’ Coordinator, the editor of this Handbook and the leadership of our chapters are all volunteers, people who believe strongly enough in its goals to devote much of their “free” time to NSS. We must never forget that people are our greatest resource. In this section, T. Wally Williams, III shares his experience as a volunteer organizer in the Appalachian Mountain Club to help us make better use of our people resources. It has been edited slightly to fit the special needs of NSS.]

Effective use of volunteers

There are several basic rules to keep in mind as you read this guide:

1. CREATE ENTRY LEVEL JOBS FOR NEW PEOPLE. Otherwise you won’t have any seasoned troops next year or the year after.

2. AVOID PERMANENT JOBS. No one should have the same job longer than two or three years.

3. FIND A PLACE FOR THE “MISFITS.” The person who failed at one job may be just right for another. Consider it a personal failure if you have to turn away a willing misfit - there has to be some job that he or she can do.

4. FEED THE ORGANIZATION. Your committee is part of your chapter and your chapter is part of the larger structure of NSS. Look for ways to move people up in the organization.

5. RATION CHALLENGE. Give people the right size job so they will succeed.

6. KNOW PEOPLE’S OTHER COMMITMENTS. A family with a new child doesn’t need a big assignment, but someone whose children are all in college may have free time.

5. REMEMBER RETIRED PEOPLE. Don’t overlook the sense of commitment in those who are retired. Even those who cannot get out for some activities may still want a place in the group. Before you assume that older people are not interested in things that they probably will not live to see, consider the contributions that they have made to the environmental movement. Supporting space development is certainly a similar commitment to the future.

What makes a good plan?

Any person or group that sets out to accomplish anything has in fact a plan of some sort. The real question is whether or not the plan is a good one.

A good plan:

• Is an Agreement About Goals. Many people think that the name of a committee is sufficient definition of its goal, but it is rarely true that even two people will interpret the name the same way. Even a verbal agreement about the goals of a group is better than assuming that people know what the goal is without being told.

• Defines Chunks of Work. After deciding the overall goal, decide what must happen to get there. One might start by saying we will need refreshments and later say that we will need cookies and cider for fifty people. In a formal plan the chunks of work are called strategies. Even a simple plan will have a number of different strategies.

• Assigns Work. No plan is complete until individual people have signed off on the work. First list how many people and what type will be needed. Later, when these people have been recruited, they need to “own” their assignments. One way to permit ownership is to have the recruit rewrite the job assignment. The important thing is that a named person agrees to do a named job. It is less important that the agreement end up in a document that has the formal name of “plan”. For simple get-togethers that are in fact planning meetings the minutes can also serve as the formal plan.

• Subdivides a Big Job. In a volunteer organization all jobs must be accomplished by real people in their free time. Whenever a job gets large it should be divided into several smaller jobs. Each piece of the job then gets a miniplan of its own.

• Tells Where the Money Will Come From. Few worthwhile projects are purely manpower intensive. Usually they also cost money, so it is best to be up front about it and ask how much it will cost and who will pay. Sometimes the volunteers themselves are the ones who will bear the cost. This can be dangerous, since if the cost becomes more than nominal, it will lead to a lack of volunteers in the future. This is especially true when there is a well-defined group that will benefit by the volunteer work and which could just as well supply the money. An example is a dollar charge at a potluck supper to cover miscellaneous supplies.

• Survives Goofups. It will work even if someone drops the ball. Recognize from the start that some people are more reliable than others. These people will see that a job gets done even if they themselves cannot do it. Identify those jobs that are critical, and give them to reliable people. Save the less critical jobs for new people or for those who are known to be unreliable. This policy puts a burden on leaders to continually screen new people, so that those who are reliable are spotted early and moved to the reliable category.

• Includes a Method for Recruiting. Since the planning for a group activity is usually done by a small group, there must be an explicit way to recruit more people. For this reason every simple plan should state explicitly who will recruit whom. If the plan is complicated enough to justify writing out the jobs that are to be done, then a specific person should be assigned to recruit those who will do the work. If the recruiter is not at the planning meeting, someone who is will have to recruit the recruiter.

Types of committees

A committee is a group of people with a common goal. The important words here are “group,” there are no one-man committees, and “goals”. The latter determine what kind of committee one has and how it must be structured. One committee structure will not work for all volunteer assignments. The structure of each group is determined by its goals.

Most practical committees fit into more than one category; nonetheless, it will help your thinking if we look at some “pure” committees: Working, Planning, Policy Setting, Information Exchange and Writing. Pay particular attention to size when looking at committees this way. Some kinds of committees must be small, others large. You cannot mix assignments with any degree of success; however, you can make the small group a subcommittee of the larger one.

1. Working Committee - meets for the purpose of getting a job done, such as stuffing 500 envelopes and sorting by zip codes. If all the work is to be done by those who do the planning, the committee should be thought of as a working committee.

Planning Committee - Plans for a larger group, perhaps planning a large mall exhibit. Three to five people interact best when planning is required. Size is the critical factor. Five people can plan, ten people will probably bicker, and fifteen cannot even agree on an agenda.

3. Policy Setting Committee - Size is critical in policy -making groups. Where only a few people are needed to make decisions, it is easy to get things done. As matters become more complex, more people come into play until a group is too large to do anything creative; it can only react.

4. Information Exchange Committee - When an organization becomes very large, it will have many units. While each can go its own way to some extent, it is better to let people share their experiences. Thus, one can have a group that meets from time to time just to share information. This could occur within a chapter or between chapters in a region.

5. A Writing Committee - Writing is such a specialized task that a special section follows on using the committee structure when writing is needed. The problem here is that writing itself can be done only by individuals.

6. The Small Committee - Small groups accomplish more than large groups as a general rule, but we often forget this essential fact. When a lot of work has to be done, try to break it down into chunks that can be handled by groups of about five people who can easily work together. If necessary, have an occasional meeting of all the small groups to coordinate the work, but don’t try to get any work done with 25 to 50 people at a meeting. In a large group the best you can hope for is to identify what has and has not been done and what needs doing. One can then assign the work to the small groups where it will be carried out. A compromise arrangement is to start with the large group, then break up into subgroups in their separate working areas, possibly regathering the entire group before the end of the session.

Evolving an efficient committee

Committees and the groups they serve tend to grow. Unfortunately the way business is conducted has to change when more people get involved. Even with small groups there are right ways and poor ways to organize. The following outline assumes that most groups evolve through all three levels of organization. This need not be. Even a small committee can be made up of people with specific job assignments. The three types of Committees are:

* Collection of people with similar goals

1. No job definitions

2. Much bickering

3. Each “job” requires someone in the group to volunteer on the spot

4. Does not use people outside the inner circle

5. Makes an effective working group if limited to five persons

* Same group of people with assigned jobs

1. No need to bicker. A new job needs a new person who is recruited.

2. Whenever a person sees his assignment is too large he must go outside the inner circle to recruit help

3. Jobs have names and job descriptions.

* Committee of subcommittee chairpersons

1. As the jobs get larger each person in the type of committee above recruits helpers. Soon each has a subcommittee of people with job descriptions, etc.

2. Now the main committee sets policy. Subcommittee chairs report on progress.

3. The committee has purview of too much material to keep track of without writing things down.

4. It needs standing rules.

5. It needs an overall plan and a plan from each subcommittee.

6. When it first reaches this level every subcommittee decision tends to be reworked by the main committee.

7. When it matures it rarely changes the recommendations of the subcommittees.

8. Budgets become a necessity. Since people are more important than money, people budgets are also needed.

Setting up a new committee

Do you have an organizer? Sometimes you are blessed with one when you have a new assignment. If so, that person will probably do the very things that are described below. However, often the best you can do is to locate a person who is committed to getting the job done but lacks organizational skills. In this case try the following system:

1. Write down the goals and strategies for accomplishing them - The first requirement is a clear expression of why the committee is being set up (goals) and how it will probably function (strategies). It is usually good to write down this information even before trying to recruit a chairperson or committee members. It is particularly important at this early stage to think of work assignments that are “people-sized”. The tasks should be neither too big nor too small. They should also be written up in such a way that they can be accomplished by two or more people working together where appropriate. Joint work is usually more fun and mutual support is particularly helpful when the assignment is new and perhaps a bit unclear in either concept or solution.

2. Define a source of people - Again, before approaching the potential chairperson, define a source of manpower for the new committee. Perhaps a newsletter request or an upcoming pot luck supper can be “set aside” for recruiting. See “Methods for Recruiting People”. Remember that a typical newcomer wants to meet people and gain recognition as well as attend programs. Volunteering will accomplish both of these aims.

3. Give names to the assignments - Avoid at-large committee members. Everyone should have a specific assignment and, if possible, the assignments should have short but descriptive names.

4. Create subcommittees - Before a committee is set up it may be apparent that a particular chunk of work can be best separated out from the rest. Why wait? From Day One, plan to create a subcommittee to handle such a well-defined task. The subcommittee itself can be recruited at the year’s first meeting.

5. Alone or together - Many assignments fail to get carried out at the end of the assignment, but these people are the exception. Most people respond best to the instant reward that comes from working together with other people on a common project. Even such “one man” tasks as writing can be made easier if the assignments are not too large and the opportunities to show off the product to one’s peers is increased.

Appointing an old committee

Read the preceding section about setting up a new committee. It is written to help you create a new committee with its’ own new and probably inexperienced chair. This section is similar, but it leads you through the exercise of appointing your own old committee. The crucial difference is that word “old”. We assume that you are inheriting an ongoing committee along with at least some people who will serve again and some who you hope will go away. Unless you “change the rules,” you will also inherit the old committee’s goals and structure.

1. List Goals and Jobs - Either alone or with one or two of the people you know will be on your committee, write down your goals and the jobs for accomplishing them. Look back at the immediate past. Which jobs were too big? Can you split them up? Which jobs are no longer important? Drop them. What new goals have you for this committee? What new jobs will be needed? Have you created enough “new people jobs”? Do you have any jobs that are failure-proof for those “willing but unable”?

2. Do a People Inventory - Start with the outgoing committee. Which people are likely to serve again? Do these persons want the same jobs? Do they specifically want new jobs? Were any of them doing things you left off of the goals and jobs list? Next, look at your sources of new people. Who came to a meeting or program and asked questions that indicated interest? Who had suggestions for new projects or ideas for improving old ones?

3. Get on the Phone - Your people inventory involved a lot of assumptions that must be checked out. Start by phoning the people you are most comfortable with. What do they want to do? Try out your lists on them. Each call should add something to your list of jobs or people. Save calls that will commit you to a specific job until late in the game. Try to get information before making decisions.

4. Fit Real People to Jobs - Most organizations squeeze people out of shape, because they don’t match real people to jobs. Know your people well enough so that the people come first, not the job descriptions. Even before you start to phone people for commitments be aware of the job description trap. When you are through interacting with an individual you will get only what you mutually agreed upon not what you had on your original job description. If you are clever, you will do job descriptions in outline form. Then if any piece is not taken in hand you can reassign it or agree that the other person will recruit someone to take it on.

5. Firm Up the Committee - When you have a reasonable match between jobs and people, start to get firm commitments. (See the section on Contracts.) You want an informal contract with each person to do the assigned job. Go over the job together or by phone. Let your volunteers fill in as much of the descriptions as possible themselves. That way they will “own” the jobs. Just make sure that all the items on your own check lists are covered or that you have recorded that you must find another person to do them.

6. Publish a Roster - As soon as possible get a roster of your members to each person on the committee and to the larger group that it serves, to improve communication.

Using a committee to write

These techniques will be useful, whether you want a report written about your Space Week activities, an article for this Handbook, or a resource for NSS’s Education Committee.

A COMMITTEE CANNOT WRITE ANYTHING. Writing is a personal activity. It can be done only by one person at a time.

A COMMITTEE CAN DECIDE WHAT TO WRITE. A well-written technical discussion may need input from many people. One way is to get the experts together with a knowledgeable writer. Good notes or even a recording are a must at such a meeting, but formality is not. The idea is to cover as much territory as possible. The brainstorm is even helpful -- anything goes, even “crazy” ideas. Later, after everything has been said it can be evaluated.

THE CHAIRPERSON SHOULD BE A WRITER. If there is only one writer, that person should chair the group and get the lion’s share of the “glory” if a good job is done. Sometimes a committee is formed where each person is going to write part of the work. It is even more important here that the chair be an experienced writer.

THE OUTLINE SESSION. Before major time is committed to writing it is good to create an outline that can be gone over by the committee of experts. Such an outline needs to be typed with lots of white space, and it must be distributed ahead of time. Each person should come to the meeting with a marked up outline. With a number of ideas available, the committee can select the best rather than settling for one approach that is merely good.

THE DRAFT CRITIQUE. Here again, lots of white space and prior distribution are essential. If the outlining was done well and the writer is even moderately good, there shouldn’t be too much to change at this stage. The main thing to look for is lack of clarity. Look also for needless words; however, if an editor will get the completed work such editing tricks as getting rid of “excess baggage” can be left to the editor. More important is technical correctness and ease of understanding to the uninitiated. Often some non-experts are needed at this point to spot places where the writing lapses into unnecessary jargon.

CONTRACTS AND DEADLINES. Writing takes time and inspiration and many good writers are only “up to writing” part of the time. However, when it comes to writing, everyone needs deadlines. Put the deadlines in writing and circulate them. Use a little “creative guilt” as the deadlines approach to be sure that everyone does what they agreed to do. If the chair is doing the writing, a “contract” must be made with the rest of the group.

WHO SHOULD BE ASKED TO WRITE. A good “executive” collects a stable of committed people to help accomplish the goals of the organization. Always be on the lookout for people who like to write. Remember who they are so you can use them later. For instance, if a subcommittee is formed to do instruction, keep track of those individuals who try to put the expertise down on paper. Encourage them even if the product isn’t perfect. It is surprising how fast people improve if they have a compulsion to put things down on paper.

Job descriptions

If someone is doing a good job, why do we need a job description? Because the next person to do the job may not be as prepared and may need help. That is one reason, but there is much more to this question.

1. Who Are the Players? - Most jobs in a volunteer organization are part of a structure. Usually many people are involved because no one person can spare the time to do too large a job. Thus, the key jobs are ones where many people interact with one person. For instance, a schedule coordinator might talk to the chapter officers, newsletter editor, program chairmen and numerous others. Without a formal job description, each of these players has certain expectations based on assumptions. Some people will assume that this year’s incumbent will do things the same way that last year’s did, and indeed that person may be doing his or her best to do so.

2. The Assumed Job Description - where custom and the actions of the last one or two people to do the job defines the job itself. Such a method leaves much to chance. For instance, this year’s job holder may simply not know all the things done last year.

The Statutory Job Description - Almost as dangerous as an assumed job description is one buried in a seldom-read set of standing rules. The person being asked to do the job may not even know about this description unless the person who does the recruiting reads it.

4. The Recruiting Job Description - When a person is recruited for a new job, a job description is essential. At the very least, the description available at this stage must set forth the magnitude of the assignment. Statutory descriptions are rarely adequate. “Coordinates chapter schedule” does not tell you the same thing as “attends business meetings, gathers information from all program chairmen, the Secretary and designated outside organizations, prepares a complete calendar of events and submits it to the Newsletter Editor before each month’s deadline.” When a poor job description is used to recruit, the volunteer may unwittingly bite off too big a job. This often leads to over-commitment and failure.

5. Goals Job Description - A good job description starts by defining the work in terms of what is to be accomplished. After the goals are stated, the strategies for achieving them can also be written out, but with such a definition a flexible person can often see how they could accomplish the goals with either a different set of strategies or with the same strategies but different emphasis.

6. Explicit Job Description - “Attend the meetings of each of the three committees.” That statement is quite explicit, but it fails to say why attendance is required. Could a phone call substitute for attending some of the meetings? Could a visit by someone on my committee do the job? It is good to be explicit about how the job has been done in the past, but just as important to be explicit about the goals so the next person can be creative in filling the post.

7. The Turnover Job Description - one understands a job best when one is about to give it up. Each job description should be updated near the end of the term of office, but prior to recruiting the next person so that it can be used in the recruiting effort. The job description then becomes part of the contract between the new recruit and the organization.

Recruiting methods

A. Direct personal contact, one on one

B. Direct contact by phone

C. Speaking directly to a group and providing a place for people to sign up or ask questions or otherwise respond

D. A special mailing to a target group known to be highly motivated

E. A separate flyer in another mailing; for instance, a request for workshop leaders sent along with a conference registration

F. An invitation to a meeting about an important issue. The meeting has a speaker, slides, etc., but its real purpose is to get a motivated group together so one-on-one recruiting can be done. An example is a progress report on impending legislation critical to space development, used for setting up a local branch of the NSS Phone Tree

G. Attending another meeting. This method tends to get overcommitted people further overloaded. It fails to get new people involved

H. By invitation. Write or phone and tell the person they have been selected to participate in the desired activity

I. A questionnaire in a chapter or NSS publication is often effective at getting names and can be much more low-key than a request for people to do a job that sounds challenging. Almost anyone who has tried advertising for volunteers will tell you that a notice in a chapter newsletter is almost useless. This lack of response occurs because it is nearly impossible to write an announcement that is not threatening. One way around this dilemma is the two-stage process of using a questionnaire or survey to identify interested people and then recruiting them by personal contact. Make the survey as controversial as possible to make the reader unsure whether the chapter will take the “correct” stand or action. It will often net replies from 5 to 10 percent of the readers. This method leads to a large list of potential volunteers who probably need lots of hand-holding before they are effective

Recruiting missing skills

This section lists a number of skills that are required for the functioning of most committees. While those that come with the Chair are no problem, others must be recruited, if they are missing. Unfortunately, these skills do not come attached to job descriptions. They just happen to be present in certain of your volunteers. Thus, your first task is to recruit people who will accomplish the specific goals of your committee. Next the group chosen is study, if necessary, these skills are recruited. This is one of the few instances where an at-large member with no formal job description is acceptable. If possible, however, arrange matters so that even these persons have jobs even if some are not very big.

THE CLARIFIER: Every committee needs one or more people who spot what is happening when two people say the same things but mean different things or say different things but really agree. The Clarifier will make a statement like “Let me see if I understand what John is saying. What we really want to do is...”. The words that are now presented are a clear statement of the fuzzy thinking that was leaving some people confused.

THE RESOLUTION WRITER: This individual enjoys putting other people’s vague ideas into well-crafted statements. This activity often goes on during the discussion of a fuzzy resolution. The writer will then exclaim, “Can I try out a better wording for that resolution (or motion)?” Never mind Robert’s Rules. They are only used when people who disagree strongly need rules for debate. The Chair can maintain a little formality by asking the person who proposed the motion in the first place whether he accepts the new wording.

THE CO-CHAIR: This individual is an astute politician and recognizes when an agenda item should be tabled or sent back to the originators for rework before being presented to the committee as a whole. It is particularly important to have someone to play this role when the Chair is personally involved in an issue and thus fails to see when no progress is being made. The immediate past Chair of a committee often plays this role.

Lining up the next chairperson

No one is indispensable! - As soon as you take a new job, start to line up one or more replacements. In a poorly run organization, you merely try to spot someone gullible enough to say yes. We assume here a well-run organization. The following are specific strategies that lead to an easy replacement:

1. Train other persons in the required skills - If you are chairing a committee you need people who can do well the things that you do well. Look around. In a growing organization there will be jobs that are being done by a single person that ought to be done by several people. When you split these jobs off and form subcommittees, you not only make the jobs more likely to be done, you also start to train other committee heads.

2. Break your job into smaller pieces - Avoid the one-man-committee syndrome. Write down all the things that your predecessor was doing, that you are doing and that you feel you ought to be doing. How many items on the list can be delegated? If you give a piece of the action to someone else his energy can be devoted 100 percent to just that piece so the job will be done better than if you do it yourself.

Make your job look easy - It is impossible to replace an indispensable person! If people perceive that you are doing an impossible job, no one will step forward to replace you. Your most important assignment when doing an important job is to keep it from appearing as a big job. The most important skill of a good chair is the ability to package work in people-sized chunks. When an assignment is small enough, you will have no problem in selling it to someone else. When you have given away all of the non-essential elements of your own job, you will have reduced its scope sufficiently that you will be able to find a replacement.

4. Do a job description - A good job description will identify the areas you still haven’t let go of. Get rid of anything you can. What’s left is part of your ammunition when you look for your own replacement. Job descriptions are so important that a separate section is devoted to them.

5. Coping with a nominating committee - Many jobs are filled by a nominating committee. The rules of the game are the same. If you want to avoid running for office again, do all of the things discussed above and then let the committee know which person or persons are ready to do the job.

Making a contract

A contract is a piece of paper with a written commitment on it. Most of the time we think of contracts between people, but they work well where only one person is involved. The elements are the same. One writes down what is going to be done and when it will be completed.

What is going to be done - The more specific the statement of commitment, the better. When making a self-contract it pays to do a first draft and then to rework it several times. Help should be sought on a big job. Another person may be able to see a better way to do the job or a better way to phrase the commitment.

Always set a deadline - Most people need deadlines. For large jobs, like writing a manual or setting up a training program for workshop leaders, the job should be broken down and a series of deadlines should be set. Good deadlines are not set just to specify when the job is to be finished. A good deadline is a budget for one’s psychic energy. Look at each piece of a large job and ask whether there is enough time to do it. Will it interfere with a vacation, a holiday, or some other commitment? An honest appraisal of a series of deadlines will often uncover an over commitment early enough so additional help can be recruited.

When to use a contract - Always make a “contract” with a person who is asked to do a new job. Then instead of a vague charge like “head the membership committee”, one will put in writing the specific elements which are expected to lead to a successful membership effort.

Put delegation into the contract - More committee people fail because they try to do everything themselves than for any other reason. The contract with a new chairperson should specifically include which jobs are to be filled by other people and when they are to be filled.

Avoid the undoable - What is possible for me may not be possible for you. Know the people you recruit. A person who has never recruited anyone else may find this task “impossible” even if it is agreed to. Be sensitive to this important problem. You may have to locate the first recruit and even “set him up”. What is required is for the new chairperson to experience some success in recruiting people.

Letting people say “No” - When you go to recruit someone, you have to ask yourself whether you merely want that person’s name on a list or whether you want to get a certain job done. If you want the job done, it is important that you sell the job. It is all right to even build the person up and say why you think he or she is the right person for the job. Do include also some phrase that allows the person to gracefully say no. “I’ll understand if you haven’t got the time for this job now” or some such phrase will give the person a chance to discuss why now is not the right time. Even if the person ultimately takes the job, it will have been important that all of the possible reasons for saying no have been aired. Otherwise that excuse “well, I was pressured into it” will be all too available in the person’s mind. Just remember when people feel put upon they don’t tell you, they just don’t get the job done.

Generating consensus

A 9-7 vote may guarantee success in a meeting of a company’s board of directors, but it is sure disaster in a volunteer organization. Never let a controversial subject come to a vote until some form of consensus has coalesced. The following are some ways to generate consensus:

1. The late night discussion - Save controversial matters for late in a meeting when people are ready to leave. After a short discussion, table the item until the next meeting. At the end of the short discussion you will not only know who is on what side, you will have a pretty good idea about which people are confused about the issue. Before the next meeting a few phone calls may generate the needed consensus.

2. Redefine the way the goal is to be accomplished - A controversy often arises because a poor solution has been proposed to solving an important problem. When things get rough try redefining the goals, preferably in writing. Clearly written goals often generate their own solutions. In any case, people will have more objective criteria for testing their solutions to a problem if everyone is working toward the same goal.

3. Agree to disagree - Often a lack of consensus results from an imposed policy. Perhaps everyone does not need the same policy.

4. Use a written agenda - Ideas that are presented verbally often get misconstrued. Simply getting things down on paper clearly can go a long way to achieving consensus. Further, everyone can think about the proposal ahead of time if an agenda is mailed out. Note this type of agenda is not just a list of topics. It contains complete statements and proposed resolutions. It requires homework. It can also embody assignments; for instance; “Ann Smith will present a resolution on an adult education class.” Such a statement places plenty of peer pressure on Ann to come up with a written statement.

5. Reinvent the wheel - It is all right to go over an old policy. When you have done so, this year’s group will “own” it.

Using large gatherings

Major programs, chapter potluck suppers, parties and new-member nights are places where enough people with similar interests are all together at one time and place that one can take advantage of the large numbers. These are ideal places to recruit people and for announcements that have missed the newsletter deadline.

Don’t overlook the opportunity to give recognition at a large group gathering. Not only should the people who did the work required to bring off the event be given a hand, but others can be recognized at the same time. An announcement of new volunteer assignments serves several purposes: giving recognition, letting people know about changes in the organization, helping new and potential members become familiar with chapter activists and giving them a dynamic image of your chapter.

Getting one-time expert help

Look at a difficult committee assignment as an opportunity. When trying to set up a new committee one gets an opportunity one rarely gets when doing the routine work thereafter. Even the busiest expert will find it difficult to say no if asked for advice on a one-time basis. “We are having a meeting to set up the new publicity committee. Will you come for just one meeting and help us define the job?” Such a request can recruit top talent. Just remember they are not expected to do the job, just to define it. Of course, one sometimes finds the expert volunteering to take on a job when approached this way. Just don’t count on it.

Using friends to get ready for a tough job

Have you ever had to tell someone something you knew they didn’t want to hear? You were sure it would end up being a shouting match. You needed help. In cases like this, you need a friend. Ideally, the friend also knows the problem person but has no emotional involvement with him. Use your friend to talk through the problem. Try out your solution to it. Ask for ideas. Just talking to the friend will sort out the facts and help to keep emotions out of the problem discussion.

Friends are also great technical resources. Try out your ideas by bouncing them off others determining why the cross representation is needed. Mere tradition? Expertise? When you know the real reason you can solve the real problem. Is expertise needed? Consider sending another expert from your own group. Preferable that person is someone who is not even doing anything for the group and needs to be socialized into the organization as a whole. Perhaps there is only one time per year when the two groups need to interact. If you are needed only when a budget is worked out, volunteer only to come to the annual budget meeting.

Reappointment to an old job: You may have accepted a new volunteer job or you may have had a change in your daily work or even given birth to a child. Whatever the reason, you are no longer available to do a job you were doing. How do you handle the situation? First, consider acting before you are asked to do the old job again. Call the person you report to and suggest a new solution to the personnel problem. Ideally you will have a new candidate groomed to take over. If not, perhaps you have spotted a likely candidate. Second, consider starting the search yourself. As you put out feelers to people that you are looking for someone to take over, you will also be letting everyone know that you are no longer available.

Requests for information: Some jobs bring with them endless phone calls. Each call is of itself fun to deal with and interesting. Taken as a whole, the calls keep you from doing the job you set out to do. They can even break up marriages and lead to other forms of social trauma. There are several ways to cope. First, study the need for information and what resources are available to fill the need. There are probably volunteers or potential volunteers that can provide the information and that would like doing so. In a growing organization, look for ways to split the request up among a number of people. Why not publish information that is repeatedly requested? Or publish a list of experts that is organized geographically, so no one person gets too many calls. Can you organize a rotation system and publish your newsletter. Who will act as the coming month’s contact? Consider making use of an automatic answering machine or local computer bulletin board. List its operating hours in your newsletter, if they are limited.

Clearing the deck for a new job

Whenever you accept a new job consider clearing away some old responsibilities. Get on the phone early and line up people to replace yourself. Then call the “appointing authority” and say, “I won’t be able to head XYZ next year because I have agreed to do ABC. I know that John or Mary would be willing to do the job.” Should you then say “yes” if asked to stay on the committee? The answer should depend on whether it will help with the new job. Often the new job has been offered because of contacts with the group. Obviously, keeping these contacts is important. Just try to avoid so much of a commitment with the old group that you cannot do the new job.

Keeping the ball in the court

Volunteer jobs often involve interacting with many people. How can you keep the many from burying you? First, make other people phone or write to you, if you are serving them: set up a time when you will be available to answer the phone, then let people call you. If the numbers get larger, recruit several volunteers who will call you at an agreed time and then be called by subsets of the larger group. Be creative; the idea is to spread the work out.

Even when you are one-on-one with people, you may have to make them do more. If you need a written description from someone, have the person put something on paper before you meet. Not only will some of the writing already be done, but since writing forces clear thinking, better ideas will be available during meeting.

The rewards of volunteering

People will volunteer for all sorts of difficult assignments. The real question is whether they will follow through and accomplish anything. The key to follow-through is job satisfaction. We cannot pay NSS volunteers so we must be sure we reward them. Some of the reasons why people do volunteer work are:

1. Working with Fun People - People volunteer to meet people, so avoid giving out jobs that will isolate people. For instance, mailing a newsletter every month can be pretty dull work for one person, but if five people get together and do it, that’s fun. Perhaps publicity releases and Public Service Announcements for several programs or events can be done at one time. Then the leader needs only to get some envelopes in the mail before each event.

Getting to Meet the Top People - This reward only works for a while with any person and group, but it is a powerful motivation for a newcomer to be able to meet the people who really count in an organization. It helps you to get people, but it won’t retain them unless they get further satisfaction.

3. Accomplishing a Personal Goal - Many people do committee work in an area that interests them personally. Take the broad area of space education. A person volunteering to work on an education committee is probably committed to a particular aspect of the subject. To get the most out of this volunteer you need to know what he or she wants to accomplish. Then an assignment can be tailored to the person. Written committee goals are particularly important here because the volunteer can use them to help sort out exactly which goal will be the most appealing to work toward.

4. The Miracle of Recognition - Everyone likes to be recognized and appreciated. Newcomers particularly need recognition, especially if they don’t happen to be super-personality types. A carefully crafted selection program can have something in it for almost every newcomer. Nearly everyone will then end up feeling like an insider instead of feeling left out. Thus, not only will leader and committee staffing problems get solved, but more newcomers will end up staying with our programs and