Elect Your Own President... and Czars!

Once your club starts growing, you may want to organize your leadership team into actual roles with different responsibilities. What does a club president do? What does the club secretary do? If you have created a club handbook, it should contain the rules on how someone is elected, and what the positions are responsible for.

Depending on the size of your group, you may want to fill only the leader position, or, if your membership supports it, any number of positions. 

President  - The president of your club is responsible for leading each of the meetings. They are usually the first one to arrive, and the last one to leave. If there is club business to attend to, they are the one to make sure everything gets addressed. What kind of club business could there be?

• Communicating with the Treasurer to make sure the club finances are in order
• Communicating with the club secretary to make sure the minutes of the last meeting are complete
• Communicating with any committees that have been formed 
• Assigning club members to committees (competitions, photowalks, speakers, gallery showings, education, events)

Vice President - Just like the Miss America runner up, should the President not be able to fulfill their duties, the VP should be able to step in. The Vice President is often a liaison between any committees and the club, and should be able to approve budgets for events, speakers, etc.

Secretary - The Secretary make sure the minutes are documented for any club business meetings. Many times, they are the editor of the newsletter, and the one who keeps up the website (or other online presence.) However, with larger clubs, those duties could be assigned to a specific individual. 

Treasurer - This person handles the finances of the club. If you expect your club to have a number of monetary transactions from membership fees, event tickets, donations, raffles, etc., You definitely need to make sure you are registered with the proper jurisdictions, and you have a bank account and a bookkeeping plan. Your Treasurer should be someone who is able to handle this. It also wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to have a lawyer and/or accountant help you get set up properly. If your club has one of these professionals as a member, don't be afraid to ask for help from them.

Those are the main positions that most clubs have. However, as your club grows, and it becomes more active in the community, there are a few other positions you may want to create.

Media Contact - With a smaller club, this duty could fall to the Secretary, however, having a person designated to stay in touch with the local media is a great way to promote and grow your club. Your Media Contact should have a list of ALL media in the area (not only your own city, but the surrounding communities as well.) Your media list should be as extensive as possible. Every outlet you can find that may mean some coverage for you should be added.

• Print Media
• Online Newspapers (don't forget local blogs, as well as college and high school newsletters)
• Radio Stations
• TV Stations
• Business Associations
• Retail establishments (camera stores, electronics stores)
• Any other group / organization that might even care in the slightest what your club is up to

Once you have your email list, be sure to send out a press release whenever your club is up to something noteworthy. Planning on having a famous (or even not-so-famous) guest speaker? Send a press release. Having a competition? Send a release. Sponsoring a gallery show? Send a release. If newsworthy events aren't happening right now, even a notice of your next club meeting is effective communication. 

Just make sure you don't send so many emails, you start showing up in spam boxes instead of inboxes.

State / National Liaison - My local club belongs to both the PSA and WACCO, and we have members of our club who are designated as liaisons. Their job is to keep an eye on what the larger organizations are doing and pass that information on to the club. PSA has a number of competitions, and our liaison makes sure that our club is always involved. 

Event Organizers - You may want to have someone who makes sure the club has a constant stream of events to keep them busy. 

• Photowalks
• Field Trips
• Donating Pet Portraits to an Animal Shelter
• Spring Outing to a Garden Shop when the flowers are blooming
• Getting involved in events like Help Portrait or 
• Setting up a table / booth at the fair
• Doing a "Get to Know Your Camera" event after Christmas

Even if they aren't events that your club can be an official part of, they can still identify photo ops like 

• Polar Bear Dives
• Marathons
• Fireworks
• Festivals
• Art Shows
• Free Concerts

Don't be afraid to make up your own positions for your club if they are necessary and have someone willing to fill that spot. Having a number of people in your group, each with their own responsibilities, is a terrific way to make sure your club stays active and viable!

Putting Together a Member's Handbook for your Club

You Need a Member Handbook

If you are going to be a structured camera club, with officers, and club rules, etc, you definitely need to have a member handbook. The handbook will describe the procedure for electing offices, voting on pictures, collecting member dues, and all the other business of the club that needs to be documented.

I have belonged to large clubs without any governing rules, and I've belonged to small clubs with a very specific set of rules. The one factor that seems to be a common denominator is the age of the club. The older the club (40, 50, 60, 70+ years), the more likely it is to have a written set of rules.

Make sure all your members have access to the Member Handbook. It should serve not only to document how the club is to conduct itself, but it should also serve as a FAQ about the club for your members.

Where do I Find Examples?

Many Camera Clubs post their member handbooks online. If you need to put together a handbook on your own, you may want to use one of theirs as an example (just don't be lazy and copy it, make it your own.)

These are some links to clubs that have their member handbooks online.

Simsbury Camera Club
Silver Spring Camera Club
South Shore Camera Club
Pilchuck Camera Club
Coastal Camera Club

...and you can find dozens more just by going to Google and searching for "Camera Club Member Handbook".

Then What?

Once you have your handbook written, it needs to be approved by the people who will be governed by it. It is up to your group to decide how it will be voted on, and since the matter is being discussed, it might be a good idea at this time to decide how changes to the handbook will be allowed in the future.

It is best to have your handbook in one central location available to all members. This location should hold the most up-to-date version of the document. Many clubs store the handbook on their website in PDF format. Handing out printed documents of the handbook is fine, but just realize that anytime you make a revision to the original, it is a BIG project to make sure everyone gets updated.

On occasion, remind your members about the handbook, and encourage them to review it from time to time. Also encourage them to suggest changes or additions.

Anticipate your camera club is going to still be around in the 2060's or 2070's? Might be a good idea to get yourself a member's handbook.