Where is the annual financial report?

[SJFedor]

WMIRS counts flight hours.  Does not account for how many people were actually in the plane (though with a lot of work you could probably figure it out, but it doesn't show up in a report anywhere).  Does not account for hours of ground team members or mission staff.

You must not have used WMIRS lately. Each aircrew member's CAPID on board the aircraft is input into WMIRS into the sortie. And as long as I've been playing w/ WMIRS, there's always been a "man hours" block in the GT sortie entry. Staff is the one thing not accounted for on WMIRS, but can easily be had just from mission sign in/out sheets.

[RiverAux]

Other volunteer man hours are determined by sign in sheets and length of meetings, missions, conferences, etc.   

Yes, that certainly could be a source to come up with some estimates, but the point is that has not been done unless there has been some mass solicitation of this data by NHQ that I am unaware of. 

The question remains, where did the numbers in those reports come from?

Now, NHQ could do some surveys of CAP members and come up with some scientifically valid estimates that would be acceptable by most. 

[FlyTiger77]

Now, NHQ could do some surveys of CAP members and come up with some scientifically valid estimates that would be acceptable by most.

And your position is that these statistically accurate surveys were not conducted?

I don't know if they were or weren't, but am willing to accept that they may have been, and thus I retract my post regarding methodology above, which was meant more in jest than in seriousness.

v/r

[RiverAux]

Now, NHQ could do some surveys of CAP members and come up with some scientifically valid estimates that would be acceptable by most.

And your position is that these statistically accurate surveys were not conducted?

My position would be that these would be the first scientifically valid surveys conducted by CAP in years, if ever.  I am certain they used some sort of methodology to come up with the numbers and that they just didn't pull them out of thin air.  However, I am just as confident that if they did use some sort of survey methodology that we would have heard about it and that if they had requested that individual wings come up with some hour estimates, I'm 100% positive I would have known about it in my Wing.   

At this point, I'd just say that I'm doubtful that the numbers have much validity, but it would be great if I was shown to be wrong because I am all for evaluating our programs and if this information is based on something solid, its great to have.

[FlyTiger77]

If I remember correctly, the "multiplier" is the current Federal GS4 hourly wage rate.

Assuming a GS-4 Step 1 dollar value per hour, the average member donated 186.4 184.6 hours for the year. At 3.6 3.55 hours/week, I would submit that that number  is certainly within the bounds of reason.

Now, imagine if time spent on CAP Talk was factored in!!!!!!!!!!!

[RADIOMAN015]

Now, NHQ could do some surveys of CAP members and come up with some scientifically valid estimates that would be acceptable by most.

And your position is that these statistically accurate surveys were not conducted?

My position would be that these would be the first scientifically valid surveys conducted by CAP in years, if ever.  I am certain they used some sort of methodology to come up with the numbers and that they just didn't pull them out of thin air. 

At this point, I'd just say that I'm doubtful that the numbers have much validity, but it would be great if I was shown to be wrong because I am all for evaluating our programs and if this information is based on something solid, its great to have.

Reading the reports there's nothing in that statistic box that says "Estimated".  Again it's great  :clap: that they published these reports BUT when you put any numbers down on any report, one needs to be very careful how those numbers are presented.  Same thing goes for our monthly membership statistics (which as we all know no longer are published on the public website), which does need to be adequately explained. 

At work I'm always very careful to ensure any "estimated" versus actual numbers are appropriated identified in any reports to the executive staff.   Of course, when I place 'estimated" in any report, there's always a chance they will ask me to explain how the estimate was arrived at.  So perhaps the estimated was left out of the CAP's reports for that specific reason.
RM     

[FW]

I just discovered we have posted "annual wing newsletters to congress" on the CAP Website.

52 identical newsletters save for the first page which includes a brief summary of the wing's activities, saves, appropriations, etc. 

Very interesting....

Since it's a slow day for me, I decided to do some research on a CAP issue which will be dealt with in the next week or so.  In my preliminary work, I came across this interesting section in the CAP Bylaws:
                                                             SECTION 24
                                                         ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS
24.1 The Civil Air Patrol shall have prepared during the current year a full and complete written report on
all activities of Civil Air Patrol for the preceding year. This shall be known as the Annual Report to
Congress required by 36 USC 40307. Copies shall be provided to the President, all members of
Congress, and such other persons as deemed appropriate.

So, what do you think about this?  Are we doing "our job" by printing and distrubuting these "annual newsletters"?

[RiverAux]

I think not (big surprise).  Both the financial report and wing "newsletters" have some info, but I think they're far from "full and complete" reports on CAP operations.

[Gunner C]

I've gotta agree with River.  It's not close to a full report. 

[RiverAux]

You know, if copies were actually sent to the President, they are probably still floating around in various Presidential libraries.  So, old ones are probably out there even though no one evidently ever thought to provide the Library of Congress with copies. 

[Short Field]

Wings using the IMU for ES missions have a very accurate number for total man hours.  The only inaccuracies have to do with how accurately members sign in and sign out.