If you have not contacted the IT Chair or the Webmaster to assist in standardizing your chapter website using the Template developed, please do so now. Recognizing that standardization does not breed creativity, there will no website award in 2018. We are looking at creating a new award in its place. The reason for standardization is to provide the same content therefore making it easy for members to navigate all chapter websites. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for continuity when a Chapter webmaster transfers. The National NNOA Webmaster and IT Chair can help you easily update your website until a new chapter webmaster is on board. This does not mean the National IT Chair and Webmaster will maintain your site on a long-term basis. They are both standing by now to help you or your webmaster set up your chapter site. Let’s get this done in the next 60 days. 

If you are having challenges attracting new members and members attending Chapter meetings, we encourage you to consider having monthly events and only have your Executive Board meet to discuss Chapter operations. Last year some Chapters reported success in adding to their membership rolls running Chapter meetings in this manner. If you are not currently doing this, try it. Also, recommend you consider VTC meetings vs all FTF meetings. One Chapter is not only having FTF meetings, but they also set up the meetings as a VTC. I have sat in one such meeting. It also gave me the opportunity to speak with their membership. Just recommending that you consider it as a means of increasing member participation. I am a firm believer if you are doing the same thing and not getting the results you want, try something new. 

We strongly encourage you  to have two Senior Advisors, one Active duty and one Retiree. The Retiree will help serve as your continuity when chapter leadership transitions. The active duty senior officer to provide support and sage guidance on current career development policies. We have noticed the benefits to Chapters who have Senior Advisors. If your current membership has no retirees, please contact the Veterans Rep and/or your Service Affiliate to assist you with finding and identifying a Senior Advisor. The Navy Affiliate recently completed an informal survey of all active and retired Flag Officers and several of them expressed interest in being a Senior Advisor.

Please ensure that all your members are financial. You are not a member of NNOA if you do not pay organizational dues. If your Chapter has a local assessment aka dues, it is not acceptable to collect Chapter dues only and call them a NNOA member. Last year we had names submitted for awards who were disqualified because they did not pay organizational dues. I believe it is unfortunate to have these personnel contributing to the success of your Chapter and they miss out on recognition because they fail to pay the organizational dues. As you get older, you don’t volunteer for recognition because frankly the “I love me wall is full” but it does not hurt to be appreciated. You should always say thank you to those who help you. To be recognized, you must be an NNOA member.

If you have an NROTC unit near your Chapter, please initiate contact. Invite students to your meetings, PME’s and our annual Symposium. Offer to be a mentor to individual students in the unit. Too often our NROTC accessions drop out of the program in the first year. The objective of having your Chapter affiliate with the Unit is to help retain these students. By maintaining contact, it can be our first step in assessing at the source for NNOA membership when they graduate.

Please review your Chapter programs to ensure they fall in one and/or all the objectives of NNOA- recruitment, career development, retention and community outreach. If you are engaged in any programs not consistent with our objectives, please re-evaluate the need to continue this program. Programs that do not support NNOA objectives becomes a burden on membership to maintain and could adversely impact your ability to attract and maintain new members.

Encourage Chapter members to reach out to find eligible candidates for NROTC scholarship programs and the service academies.  Any questions, email LCDR Beverly Winstanley, NNOA NROTC Coordinator at nrotc_coordinator@nnoa.org.

Encourage your Chapter Executives to read the OPS Manual. The manual is now in the process of being updated. Until then, all the information you need to run a Chapter is contained therein. If it isn’t, write our Board Secretary with your question at secretary@nnoa.org.

Please consider opening your Chapter PME’s to general membership using our Zoom VTC capability. Camp Pendleton/Miramar Chapter was our first Chapter to test this feature NNOA-wide. I am also looking for guest speakers to do monthly webinars. If you have any names, please submit to me at President@nnoa.org. It is all a part of our agenda to increase the WIIFM factor we often get asked when we try to attract new members.