Our officials association has a motto: “Officiating never stops.” The same can also be said for running an association.
While the games may pause, the work of leading, improving and strengthening an officials association continues. The offseason gives boards a valuable opportunity to assess the previous season, listen to members and prepare the organization for what comes next.
Assessment and Look Back
Before you prepare for next season, your board should look back at the previous season and do an honest assessment of what went right and what went wrong.
Did your association accomplish its goals and objectives, or were there shortcomings? Was there grumbling among the members about things they were not happy with, especially lingering problems?
An honest assessment of the previous season will allow the leadership to set new goals for the next season and address areas that need to be fixed.
Solicit Member Feedback
One thing our board initiated was member roundtable meetings during the offseason to allow our officials an open forum to discuss issues and concerns, and say what’s on their mind.
These roundtable meetings afford everyone the opportunity to address the board and talk about their issues from the previous season. Association leaders can use these types of meetings as an opportunity to listen to the membership and solicit their feedback on a variety of topics that can be addressed during the offseason.
Leaders can’t fix something they don’t know is broken, so solicit feedback from the membership and use it productively.
Training and Evaluations
The offseason is also the perfect opportunity to provide training and evaluation for your officials.
Encourage your members to participate in offseason camps and be prepared to provide evaluations and feedback. Several associations require newer officials to attend these training camps, and associations use them to evaluate their officials.
It sends a clear message to the members that officiating never stops. Use the offseason to help those officials who want to get better and improve their skill set.
Fix What’s Broken
It’s incumbent upon the board to be realistic and identify things that need fixing before they become larger problems.
Whether it’s issues regarding pay, training, evaluations, scheduling or something else, use the offseason to select the items to fix. The board should identify significant problems that impact the association and then come up with an action plan and timetable to implement the fix.
Identify key stakeholders who will be responsible for implementing the changes and hold them accountable. During preseason meetings, be sure to communicate to the membership what the board did during the offseason to address and fix problems.
Get Committees in Place
Use the offseason to get your association’s committees in place by identifying members who can fill key positions.
Identify those individuals who want to get involved and afford them the opportunity to participate by joining a committee. Doing so will allow your association to hit the ground running when the season starts.
Support for Association Leaders
Running a local officials association is demanding work, and much of it is done by volunteers who are already giving significant time to the avocation. Boards that take offseason planning seriously put their associations in a stronger position, but they do not have to do all of that work alone.
NASO Association Advantage was created to help local officials associations address many of the same challenges that surface during offseason planning, including training, insurance, legal issues, meeting support, bylaws, organization, membership issues and association management best practices.
For association leaders looking to strengthen their organization before the next season begins, Association Advantage offers multiple levels of support, from leadership and administrative resources to broader protection and training solutions for associations and their members.
To learn more, visit NASO.org/Advantage or call 262-632-5448.