Sponser or Senior

[addo1]

 Would you recommend Cadet Sponser or Senior for a father who wanted to participate with his son in CAP

[Pylon]

Would you recommend Cadet Sponser or Senior for a father who wanted to participate with his son in CAP

Sponsor membership is a good way to test the waters to see if you'll enjoy helping out with Cadet Program management without making a significant investment of money (the dues are cheaper) and uniforms (only need a nameplate, not a wardrobe).  If you decide CAP is for you, it's only a few simple steps to convert your membership from Sponsor to Senior Member and you even get grand-fathered in the first year on your cheaper sponsor-level dues (meaning you save money again!).

If you're interested in helping in areas other than Cadet Programs, though, such as Emergency Services - you may find yourself really needing a full-on senior membership.

Talk to the DCC and Commander in your squadron, also, and find out what their needs are and get their opinions as well.  Great luck and welcome to Civil Air Patrol! 

[addo1]

Thank You!

[Al Sayre]

One caveat, time as a sponsor member does not count as time in grade as an SM for your promotion to 2d Lt.  I ran into that with one of my members who converted.

[jimmydeanno]

Cadet sponsor membership is extremely limited in the amount of things you can do in CAP - it basically boils down to chaperoning and driving the van.

Being an active member allows you to;
Earn credit for Professional Development Courses
Utilize AFIADL (Air Force Institute for Advanced Distance Learning)
Get promoted
Hold staff positions in the squadron
Participate in Emergency Services missions
and so on and so on.

So if you've already decided that you like the organization, and know you want to continue in the program, join as a full fledged senior.

My only recommendation though, would be to find something you like in the program that will keep you interested after your cadet is done being a cadet.

I'm sure that you are primarily participating to do something with your child, but your child is probably going to enjoy seeing you progress in the program as well (leadership by example and all), so joining as a full fledged senior member will start that track off right.

[afgeo4]

I'm not even sure one can drive the corporate vehicles while a sponsor member. Uniforms are mandatory to drive a COV in New York, for example and sponsor members cannot wear uniforms.

If you're looking to go along with your kids on events then sponsor membership is ideal.

If you're looking for an additional part-time fulfilling volunteer career working with some of the finest men and women (young and old) then certainly you'd be better off becoming a full senior member.

As far as trials go... you make the choice to renew or not renew every year, so your first year can be your trial anyway.

[jimmydeanno]

^

5-1. General. Cadet Sponsor Member (CSM) is a membership category established to allow parents, grandparents and guardians of current CAP cadets to assist their unit's cadet program by providing adult supervision, transportation, overnight chaperons, and any other CADET related tasks deemed necessary and proper by the unit commander. A cadet sponsor member is a financial supporter who maintains current membership through payment of annual dues, but does not participate in any capacity except as outlined below.

a. CSMs will pay annual national membership dues (see attachment 1 for actual amount required). They are exempt from paying region, wing, or squadron dues.

b. They receive a specially annotated membership card.

c. They must be assigned to the same unit as their cadet child, grandchild or ward.

d. They must complete Level I and Cadet Protection Program training prior to associating in any way with CAP cadets.

e. They may ride in or drive a corporate vehicle after receiving a CAP motor vehicle operator identification card in accordance with CAPR 77-1 and in support of their approved tasks.

f. They may ride (as a passenger only) on CAP air transportation if available.

g. CSMs may not act as crew members of CAP or privately owned aircraft in support of CAP events or missions.

h. They may wear any of the CAP distinctive uniforms if desired (and approved by unit commander). However, CSMs may not wear the Air Force-style uniform. If they do not wear a uniform, they will wear clothing appropriate for the circumstances and the distinctive nametag.

i. CSMs will not earn CAP rank, awards, or decorations.

j. Their membership stays in effect until their cadet leaves the CAP program for any reason.

[capchiro]

A quick question that may not seem like a consideration at first.  How do we get our money?  Is it based on membership numbers and do sponsor parents count as members for monetary reasons?  I know we get our Air Force training money based in part on the number of mission pilots and mission observers we have, so do we lose money by having sponsor members?  And this also opens the question about removing inactive members from the rolls.  Do we lose money by doing so??

[afgeo4]

Who do you mean by "we"? If you mean squadrons, we don't get money from NHQ. We get money that we raise by unit dues or by fund raising event/sponsorship.

If you mean Wings and above... I don't know. I think it may have something to do with membership, but probably more to do with Wing operational needs. As in how many members do you have vs. how many vehicles or how many rated pilots vs. how many aircraft. A large part of that equation is how much the Wing uses their existing assets. If existing vehicles have no miles on them then why do you need another one? If existing aircraft have no hours, then who cares how many pilots you have if they're apparently not flying.

[Skyray]

I don't want to get locked for beating a dead horse, but I just got backchannel notice of the National Commanders farewell insult.  If my source is accurate, under a program called "Wing Banking" all that money is going to be required to be sent to wing and they "keep track of it."  If it works anything like the Wing confiscation of maintenace funds a few years back, kiss your hard earned money goodbye.

[jimmydeanno]

^sorry, this is really off topic, there is a topic on "Wing Banker Program" and it has nothing to do with confiscation of funds.  Please see here: http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=908.0

[Skyray]

^sorry, this is really off topic, there is a topic on "Wing Banker Program" and it has nothing to do with confiscation of funds.  Please see here: http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=908.0

Thank you, Jimmy.  It is a dead thread and scrolled off before I came back to monitor the demise of the National Commander..  I don't know that I agree that it has nothing to do with confiscation.  If you have to beg them for your money abd get your expenditures approved by them, then it's relly not your money anymore, is it?

[genejackson]

Sponsor membership can be the magic to build / rebuild a Squadron.  When I moved to Virginia, I took over a Squadron in Virginia in 1997 that had 7, yes 7 members when the existing S/CC told me he was retiring and moving to the beach and since I was the ranking officer (a LTC in the Army), I was now in charge.  You can imagine my surprise at what I had placed at my feet.   Were it not for the owner of the FBO who was also a Senior Member, we'd not have met CPPT requirements to meet each week.   I beat my head against the wall trying to recruit pilots, SM's etc.  It was almost 2 years of major frustration and then, Sponsor Membership came about.

This is magic guys - the parents or grandparents come and HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY.   Most are already taxed enough at work and home and want to share in the enjoyment but not have any responsibility.   I had kids come and like all teenagers, they come in pairs.   We made it fun for them to come back and next thing you know, the parents are there wondering just what we are doing that is making their kids WANT to come back again and again.   So we show them the fun of CAP.   But, the parents don't want more responsibilty, they just want to share in the fun.   Sign them up as a Sponsor Members.   My experience with this program is that by the end of 6 months, nearly every single parent who joined as a Sponsor Member decided to switch to full Senior Membership at the end of the 6th month.   A fresh CAPF-12 to National HQ stating upgrade membership to SENIOR MEMBER and up to full SM they are and without any additional funds spent.   And yes, that time counted towards 2LT.   Every single one of them was made a regular member and 2LT at the same time.

Results:  I went from 7 members to 87 members.  That's right - 87 active members.   Wing made me Squadron CC of the Year, my Squadron became Squadron of the Year and they just keep on getting better and better.  Since becoming the Group CC, I have used this philosophy across my 10 other Squadrons and my Group has grown by over 250 new members in the 3 years I've been Group CC.   

One "Sponsor Member" is now the Wing DDR officer,  another "Sponsor Member" is the Wing Director of Cadet Programs and has run the past 5 VAWG Encampments.   You have to get them interested first, make it fun.   6 months later when they see how much fun CAP can be and how they can help by taking on a job like Admin or Safety or Personnel, they're now hooked and become some of the best members a Squadron can ever ask for.   

Great kids come from Great parents.   Those parents are exactly the kind of people who become Sponsor Members.

One final item - whenever we had a cadet join,  I always tried to get at least one parent to become a Sponsor Member saying we need Chaperones, etc and all we would ask of them is what they were already doing - come to the meeting and be another parental person to ensure everyone was safe,  we had drivers, etc.   

Sponsor Membership - the magic to making a Squadron grow ! 

Gene

[addo1]

  Thank you, that answers my question!!