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The Executive Committee is the policy-setting body of the chapter and responsible for establishing the chapter's overall programs and objectives. The Executive Committee meets at the call of the Chairperson and should, at a minimum, meet on a monthly basis.
The Executive Committee consists of the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, elected Trustees, Chapter Development Coordinator and Coordinators of the Public Relations, Awards, Entertainment, Programs, Resolutions and Legislative and Membership Committees and the Veterans Service Officer.
During the Executive Committee meeting, each Committee Coordinator, if present, should report on his/her Committee's progress to ensure a uniformity of information throughout the working group. An intended absence should be made known to the Secretary and a prepared report submitted to be read at the meeting.
During an Executive Committee meeting, the Chairperson and all present review previous minutes, the Treasurer's Report, and provide information on the programs for the future.
It is important to remember the Chairperson has the ultimate responsibility for directing the Chapter. Decisions emanating from the Executive Committee are not to be presented for affirmation by the membership. While discussion may be entertained from the floor, the decision of the Chairperson and Executive Committee is irrevocable unless they themselves choose to review and revise those decisions.
Duties of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is empowered to act in the name of the chapter without reference to the general membership.
The Executive Committee's duties include:
1. Planning and direction of the chapter's operations and programs.
2. Acceptance, review, and action of proposals and requests of the general membership.
3. Formulating, adopting and implementing recommended policy.
4. Receiving and reviewing reports from all chapter committees.
5. Scheduling monthly Executive Committee meetings and quarterly General Membership meetings or functions.
6. Keeping informed of all NCOA Headquarters policies, programs and events and implementing at the chapter level.
7. Providing the Chapter Chairperson with assistance and guidance in the management of the chapter.
This Committee is responsible for the development and continued growth of the active membership of the Chapter and, as such, should be given priority both during the formation of, and during the life of a Chapter.
The Membership Committee Coordinator is responsible for appointing one Committee member from each of the separate organizations on the installation, as well as from within the retired, Reserve, veteran, and/or National Guard community from which the general membership is derived.
The specific responsibilities of the Membership Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Maintain up-to-date membership rosters, as designated by the Chapter Chairperson, to include alphabetical and organizational rosters.
2. Make personal contact with as many potential members and members as possible to meet the goals of this Committee.
3. Set up, conduct and monitor all membership drives.
4. Maintain a close liaison with the Awards Committee to assure proper recognition for current members who achieve various membership recruitment goals, and with the Public Relations Committee to ensure proper publicity for membership drives.
5. Review and initiate recommendations for Honorary and Special Recognition memberships and advise the Chairperson for possible action.
6. Maintain necessary application blanks, updated brochures and literature in sufficient quantities to sustain membership drives.
CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT AND RECRUITING
NCOA can only be as strong as its membership wants it to be. Every benefit, program, and goal of the Association is predicated on the total number of members. Therefore, in conjunction with Headquarters, it is imperative that all chapters establish effective recruiting and retention goals and that the efforts be led by a strong and well‑informed Chapter Development Coordinator.
CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
The Chapter Development Coordinator (CDC) will be appointed by the Chapter Chairperson and is responsible for coordinating the chapter's participation in International membership campaigns and originating local membership campaigns for the chapter. Since the CDC cannot be effective if he serves alone, it is recommended that a Chapter Development Committee be structured as follows:
Chapter Development Coordinator (CDC)
Publicity Coordinator - prepares the publicity program
Program Coordinator - develops theme and slogan, arranges for meetings
Awards Coordinator - selects and procures awards for recruiters
Secretary - processes applications to include posting new member names to chapter roster, accounting for dues and forwarding application/dues for processing
Recruiters - responsible for actual recruiting and collection of applications and dues
Renewal Coordinator - responsible for conducting the chapter's renewal program
Before any campaign is initiated, it must first have a well developed and precise action plan. Recruiting and renewal campaigns are similar in programming but require detailed plans to be effective.
First, the methods of contact must be determined. There are three basic methods: One-on-one interviews or meetings conducted by the recruiters, direct mail, and phone calls. Most effective is the one-on-one approach because a recruiter can talk to a prospective member in private or to several prospects in a group setting. In any case the recruiter must be well versed in Association programs, goals and benefits. The CDC must train the recruiters, organize the recruiters, and generate a high standard of shared enthusiastic commitment.
Direct mail recruiting is not time or cost effective at the chapter level and is best used only at the International level. However, names generated from an International direct mail campaign should be followed by personal contact by a member of the chapter.
Phone calls, or telemarketing, is a method of generating initial contact with prospective members and should be followed up by a personal visit.
Regardless of the method selected, it is imperative that you generate an atmosphere of enthusiasm and inspiration to bring your members' efforts to their highest peak. Begin with kickoff meetings and rallies with pep talks to get your recruiters in the right frame of mind. Select a simple, catchy slogan such as: "Gain 1" (GAIN = Get Action and Involvement Now). Continue to recognize and motivate throughout the campaign and you will realize success.
This Committee establishes and maintains avenues of communication with local military and civilian media to aid in developing public recognition of the Chapter and the NCOA. This Committee must be regarded by the Trustees as one of the most important entities in Chapter development.
This Committee should consist of a Coordinator and at least three committee members. Specific categories of concern are: Publisher/copywriter, photographer, advertising and proofreading.
Specific responsibilities of the Public Relations Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Ensuring close liaison with all members of the Executive Committee to be able to provide adequate prior, during, and post-activity reports to media outlets.
2. Working closely with the Chairperson, while maintaining communication with the NCOA Headquarters Director of Chapter Services to provide maximum information and publicity on Chapter and Association-generated plans, programs, and achievements.
3. Maintaining a current listing from within the military and civilian VIP community of individuals who demonstrate a concern for the well-being of noncommissioned and petty officers, in general, and an understanding of the aims and goals of the Association. Further, recommend from within this group, those eligible for Honorary Memberships and lesser awards of recognition.
4. Publishing a Chapter newsletter with an established deadline to ensure input and continuity.
5. Develop and sustain an adequate news release program to include, but not necessarily be limited to, all local radio/television and newspaper media and NCOA Headquarters, Attn: NCOA Journal.
6. Solicit and obtain advertising, as necessary, from sponsoring businesses and organizations to offset any publication costs, to include newsletters, newspapers or promotional brochures for specific events.
7. Coordinate any news releases which impact on the Association and its programs on levels higher than Chapter level with the NCOA Headquarters' Director of Chapter Services.
8. Remember that radio and television stations are required by FCC regulations to serve the needs of the public and civic/fraternal/non-profit organizations, such as the NCOA, with public service announcements (PSAs) of the activities of such organizations. Requests for PSAs must not contain any information of a commercial nature and must, generally, be confined to the what, when, where, why, who and how of an event. Whenever possible, PSAs should hand-carried to the using agency. Newspapers, although required to a lesser degree, will also print these PSAs under their civic activities.
ENTERTAINMENT AND PROGRAM COMMITTEE
This Committee is responsible for developing chapter activity programs, including the proper execution thereof. It coordinates the implementation of national programs at local levels. It makes all arrangements for location, food, drink, transportation, billeting and protocol in connection with official functions of the chapter.
This Committee should consist of a Coordinator and at least four committee members. In order to ensure no one person carries an excessive load, specific assignments may be: (a) Entertainment, (b) General meeting program, (c) Guest speakers, (d) Transportation and billeting.
Specific responsibilities of the Entertainment and Program Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Determine and recommend the time, place and program for each general membership meeting, business and social.
2. Ensure that refreshments, entertainment and guest speakers are available and utilized whenever appropriate.
3. Coordinate with guest speakers on appropriate topics, i.e., community problems, specific NCO affairs, general military and government plans and programs, etc., and/or question and answer periods with guests discussing specific areas directly relating to the membership.
LEGISLATIVE AND RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE
Today's NCOA members are acutely aware of the legislative effort provided by the Association on their behalf. Therefore, individual and collective interests in proposed and pending legislation have created significant increases in inquiries, petitions and recommendations to NCOA and the National Capital Office.
Originally, the Association initiated a legislative program for the purpose of maintaining liaison with Congress. It primarily concerned itself with military legislation, enacted or pending, that would affect its membership.
Subsequently, the legislative workload became heavier with more and more wide-spread proposals introduced in Congress that would have a direct bearing on the members. As the Association's membership grew, the program had to be broadened to include military, veterans affairs, postal and civil service, foreign affairs, defense appropriations, and assorted matters of interest to each and every Association member either as a military person, a veteran or a citizen of the United States. In 1971, the Association, faced with an ever-increasing demand from its membership, opened a Legislative Liaison Office in Washington, D.C. and staffed it with a retired senior noncommissioned officer who registered in Congress under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act.
Yet, it is nearly impossible for our Legislative representatives to stay abreast of current legislation. There are literally thousands of separate and companion bills introduced on Capitol Hill that directly or indirectly affect all or part of the membership. These bills must be reviewed, researched, and programmed into categories of importance to the membership. For the high-priority proposals, a tremendous amount of correspondence and personal contact must be generated. And if called upon to do so, testimonials must be prepared and delivered in person before Congressional hearings. It is even more of a task if the Association is interested in having its own legislation introduced.
With an ever-growing number of chapters and increased membership, it is imperative, and necessary, that the Chapter Chairperson establish and maintain legislative programs at the chapter level. The Committee should encompass two very viable projects - legislation and resolutions.
The personnel forming the Legislative and Resolutions Committee are just as important as its functioning. Unless individual members of the Committee are interested in what they will be doing, there will be little or nothing accomplished. Volunteers, with a desire to assist chapter members, should be chosen. yes"> It is vitally important to appoint a retired or veteran member (preferably both) as a Committee member. In fact, if the choice is available, it is recommended that the Chairperson select one of each from the active duty, retired, reserve or national guard, and veteran components. This will ensure a broad spectrum of representation within the Committee.
The ideal Committee is broken down so that each member has a particular function. Dependent upon the size of the committee, it is suggested that one member be assigned to each of the following tasks: Coordinator, National Legislation, Local and State Legislation, Resolutions
Now that the Committee is formed, the Chapter Chairperson should discuss the objectives of the group. Providing legislative guidelines for the chapter is the primary goal and to this extent, the following courses of action should be taken by the Committee:
1. The Committee should make itself aware of federal legislation affecting the chapter membership. The issues should be discussed within the committee and, if necessary, presented to the chapter membership with a recommended course of action to be taken by the chapter. Once approved, the proposal should be prepared in resolution form and submitted to the NCOA International Secretary, c/o NCOA Headquarters for review and action. A copy of the resolution should also be mailed to the NCOA National Capital Office. The latter copy is utilized by the legislative staff to obtain the feeling of the membership when submitting recommendations to the International Board of Directors.
2. Secondly, the Committee should concern itself with local and state legislation. Many local and state laws, or proposed laws, are arbitrarily prejudicial against the military or the veteran. Some of these are noted below:
A. State requires military personnel to possess local auto and/or drivers licenses in order to operate a motor vehicle within its borders. (Most states permit the use of licenses obtained in the member's home state).
B. State taxes all or part of military retirees' retired pay, others do not.
C. State does not provide military personnel and veterans' income tax reductions or veteran's homesteading rights, others do.
D. Local or county laws are prejudicial to military members whereas the local citizenry is rarely, if ever, bothered by officials for the same offense.
3. The Committee should acquaint itself with local and state laws to learn which are beneficial to the members and those which may be prejudicial. The State Legislative Coordinator should be contacted to bring the Committee up-to-date on the latest changes and proposed changes to local legislation. The Committee should keep the chapter membership informed of any such changes and a course of action determined with the coordination of the State Legislative Coordinator. Prior to chapter members approaching state and local officials concerning legislation, the State Legislative Coordinator will be contacted. This will assure that NCOA speaks with one voice on any particular issue. Here is where the retiree really becomes an asset to the chapter - he/she may directly approach local and state officials without fear of violating military or federal regulations.
4. The Committee is responsible for the preparation, introduction and submission of resolutions to NCOA Headquarters on proposals to be considered by the International Board of Directors and the general membership in assembly at an annual convention. The proposals may be on any subject that will either benefit an individual, a group, the entire membership or the NCOA as an organization. These should be prepared in resolution form, and submitted for appropriate action to NCOA Headquarters at least 60 days prior to the Annual Business Meeting. Chapter Chairpersons should be fully aware that an inadequately-prepared resolution may bear no meaning or significance to anyone other than the person who drafted the proposal. It is imperative that all facts be presented when submitting resolutions, otherwise, they may be returned without consideration.
Now for a look at the Committee's working tools. The local media, along with the NCOA Journal and the NCOA News Briefs, are sufficient to keep abreast of national legislation and other regulations that may effect the membership. Subscribing to the Congressional Record is not advantageous to the Committee as it is costly and too time consuming to study.
Local and state laws and legislative proposals may be obtained through the City Hall or County Courthouse or the State Capital. Contacts should be made with sympathetic officials and state legislators who will provide the necessary information. Keeping abreast of local and state legislation takes dedication and, most of all, personal visits to the offices of these officials. Correspondence should be used only in making appointments and extending appreciation. Periodic visits to city and county council meetings and state legislature sessions are necessary. Know what your local and state officials are doing. It is vitally important.
In preparing and drafting resolutions, most office supply stores or the local library can provide publications that will offer proper guidelines. Samples of resolutions are provided at the end of this section.
As with all committees, the Coordinator of the Legislative and Resolutions Committee should be a member of the Chapter Executive Committee and included in the executive meetings. Use his/her knowledge of legislative matters to assist the Executive Committee in making the proper decisions. The Committee Coordinator also may serve as the Chapter Parliamentarian for General Membership Meetings.
Most significant is continuity. Maintain frequent contact with the Coordinator (as with all others) to make him/her feel vitally important to the successful operation of the chapter. Encourage this Coordinator, and when necessary, suggest certain legislative projects for the Committee to handle.
An active Legislative and Resolutions Committee at the chapter level will keep old members interested and attract new members, particularly military retirees and veterans living in the local community. The benefits that may be derived from this committee's work are numerous and most of all, vitally important to the welfare and morale of the membership.
SAMPLE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the American citizens demanded, and the Congress of the United States realized the need for a government sponsored educational system for Veterans of the Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, Congress established funds to educate Veterans to prepare them for their future; and
WHEREAS, by educating, and preparing these Veterans, the Veterans were able to help this great nation grow, both technologically and socially, to become the leader of the free world; now
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that the Non Commissioned Officers Association of the United States of America petition the Congress of the United States of America to enact a GI Bill of educational benefits for active military, National Guard and Reserve components.
SAMPLE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the maximum coverage currently provided by the Serviceman's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is $200,000 to the survivors of deceased personnel; and
WHEREAS, this benefit, in these economic times, is not sufficient to provide for the well-being of the surviving dependents; now,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Non Commissioned Officers Association of the United States of America urge Congress to increase, as a necessity, the maximum coverage provided by the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance to $250,000; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all legislation introduced include the National Guard and Reserve Forces.
This Committee is responsible for ensuring that all members of the Chapter who have earned awards receive them in a timely and fitting manner. The Committee advises the Board and general membership on the criteria and availability of all Association awards, as contained in current awards brochures or announced by NCOA Headquarters. Close coordination is also maintained with the Membership Committee and Public Relations Committee to recognize potential award recipients.
The Committee should consist of a Coordinator and at least one Committee member.
The specific responsibilities of the Awards Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Maintain and provide the Executive Committee with a current listing of all Association awards.
2. Maintain a current brochure of available awards and catalogues on available trophies, patches, plaques, certificates, etc., to assist Trustees and Committee Coordinators in determining awards for special projects, membership drives and other events.
3. Review and initiate recommendations for Honorary Membership and other special awards as designated by the Board of Trustees.
4. Abide by the criteria for requesting the awards listed by NCOA Headquarters and establish criteria for special recognition (using a combination of Headquarters' awards and/or chapter funds) to fit occasions as they arise.
5. Coordinate with the Public Relations Committee to assure adequate recognition for those receiving awards.
This Committee is responsible for preparing and maintaining the historical records of the chapter.
The Committee should consist of a Chapter Historian and at least one Committee member.
Specific responsibilities of the Historical Committee include, but are not restricted to:
1. Maintaining the chapter historical records in such a manner that they may be displayed at any time.
2. Prepare annually, on the chapter's organization anniversary, a twelve (12) month history of the chapter's activities.
3. Outline and keep an accurate record of all chapter activities.
This Committee develops procedures which will produce revenue for the chapter. If a chapter has an International Auxiliary Chapter in its area, this Committee should work closely with the Auxiliary Chapter in developing joint efforts such as bake sales, support to base Open Houses, garage sales, etc. The Committee is responsible for coordination with the Chapter Chairperson and Treasurer to ensure that no fund raising activities are in violation of the AFCAP Directive, or local and/or military regulations.
This Committee should consist of a Coordinator and at least two Committee members.
The specific responsibilities of the Ways and Means Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Determine the financial needs of the chapter and develop plans to meet the immediate and long-range needs.
2. Coordinate with the Awards Committee, Programs and Entertainment Committee and the Board of Trustees to determine what monetary support is needed to aid in their development.
3. Keep the Treasurer informed of all planned activities to ensure they are in compliance with the AFCAP Directive.
The Special Projects Committee determines projects which will aid the Chapter in all aspects of development. This committee is involved in membership recruitment, fund raising, community relations, and other areas as determined by the Board of Trustees.
This Committee should consist of a coordinator and at least two Committee members.
The specific responsibilities of the Special Projects Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Maintaining close coordination with the Chapter Chairperson to determine the needs of the chapter.
2. Maintaining close coordination with the Coordinators of the Membership, Public Relations, Awards and Entertainment and Program Committees to lend support where requested.
3. Formulate proposals and plans leading to projects which will support chapter objectives.
This Committee, as its name implies, is a standby force to render aid and assistance to members, member's families, and the military and civilian community as needed. This responsibility extends from personal aid to massive assistance in time of natural or other disasters.
The Committee should consist of a Coordinator and five primary members with at least 10 on-call member-volunteers to provide assistance as needed.
Specific responsibilities of the Emergency Action Committee include, but are not limited to:
1. Be prepared, at the call of the Chairperson, to render aid and assistance to individual members and their families.
2. Be prepared, at the call of the Chairperson, or in the case of natural disasters, the call of military and/or civic officials, to render aid and assistance within existing capabilities.
3. Maintain a current listing of chapter members who will participate in the "Emergency Action" program.
4. Maintain a current listing of all organizations or other activities who would assist the chapter during such actions.
5. Upon notification of a requirement for such assistance, notify the proper members to act to resolve the problem.
6. Keep an accurate record of each project and maintain a file on projects completed and assistance rendered. Ensure that copies of these reports are made available to the Chapter Chairperson, the Public Relations Coordinator, and the NCOA Journal. (If an historian has been appointed, copies should be furnished to him/her).
7. Coordinate with the Public Relations Coordinator to ensure the Public Information Officer and local media are made aware of the projects. When time allows, seek photo coverage from base or civilian resources.