Recruiting Members

[Holding Pattern]

Now I'm thinking about updating my resume lol

You will find that once you think about it, CAP has handed you quite a few sets of skills that deserve far more than a simple single line on your resume under "Volunteer work."

[Raptormanf35]

Yea I just don't know how to   Choose which things to include because there is just so many things like I have 4 fema certificates

[Holding Pattern]

I'll build a mock up resume in the near future.

[NIN]

My face when I get a FB message from a Wing Commander:

seriously, 100 people?

how many people live in that town where you had 100 people show up to the open house?!

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Retention is a fungible thing that moves around.

If I may be so intrusive as a persona-non-grata former member, I would like to ask you what motivates you to retain members instead of just letting them drop off, or worse, basically telling them to get lost (in some cases, like mine, not as "nicely" worded and being essentially told you are not needed and are excess baggage).

I know that I have belaboured this point ad nauseam and I do apologise for being a PITA on that point.

But ever since my former CC sent me the email of what I have come to call the "10 Things I Hate About You" list over a year ago, I have been racking what brains I have trying to analyse and figure out just how it could come to this...I went from (in earlier squadrons) being deputy CC, having been awarded a CommComm, being awarded CAP Senior Member Of The Year by the local AFA chapter (with complimentary one year membership) and having (literally) a drawer full of "Certificates Of Appreciation" to being "awarded" the status of non-entity in the space of roughly 20 years.

There must be something intrinsically wrong with me for an organisation like CAP, who seem to be desperate for volunteers much of the time, to be told "you are not needed," especially by a squadron that is barely above flight status and not overflowing with "excess" members, on paper or in reality.

When I got my exit survey from National I detailed all this...no response, not that I expected any.

I'm going to take a chance on self-revelation and say that I have talked this over a lot with my pastor, counsellor and various other people in and out of CAP, and the general consensus from them is boiled down to "your commander's an [censored] and you're better off away from someone like that."  However, I am a person who tends to blame myself much of the time.  Frankly, I have shed some tears over this and I don't mind saying that.

Or, to be flippant for a moment, to paraphrase Groucho Marx, "I shouldn't want to be part of an organisation who would have someone like me as a member."

But, as someone who has spent decades in CAP like yourself, many of them in command positions, where do you draw that line on whether or not someone is "worthy" of CAP or not?

I mean, I learnt long ago that not everyone is going to like me, and in fact a lot of people haven't liked me...in most cases I've been able to come to terms with that.

Maybe it's due to the fact that I just turned 50 that I'm trying to figure this out at this stage in my life, or the fact that at one time I was valued in CAP.

[754837]

Retention, retention, retention!  I have been a member 3 times so far and am not presently a member.  My best time was as a cadet in the 1970's and CAP was the most important part of my life and the lives of my pals.  During my last year of high school the unit failed due to a lack of involved senior members.  I was 17 years old and have no clue know why the senior members left or did not participate.  I let my membership expire and I remained out of CAP for a couple of years.

When I rejoined, I went to a unit that was 40 miles away from my home.  That in itself was not a big deal but honestly I found the adjustment from a cadet to a senior member difficult and disappointing; I lasted a year.

About 25 years later I again rejoined.  A group of us were successful in getting our old squadron re-chartered and unfortunately I was the squadron commander.  I say "unfortunately" because I simply did not have the CAP skills necessary to lead and manage a squadron much less a brand new one no experienced members.  The squadron survived about 3 years before it died a slow, painful death.
Several things struck me during those 3 years.

First, I was overwhelmed with paperwork and bureaucracy.  This point needs no further explanation!

Next, I was disappointed in the wing and subordinate units level of actual participation in ES.  We talked a big game but when it was "go time" well... on many occasions we provided no meaningful contribution to the effort.  In one instance, much of the work (damage assessment after a large series of storms) that was provided was of such a poor quality that it had to be repeated by a different organization.  I am a career LEO and I realize that I may have unrealistic expectations of ES in volunteer organizations but I was disappointed and embarrassed.

Lastly, I was disappointed in what I saw was the "wimpification" of the cadet program. I am not advocating the "Full Metal Jacket" environment; it is unacceptable in CAP.  I think things have gone too far the other way.  I am not willing to provide a list; one can be made from many of the threads found on this website.  I realize that times have changed and there is also a difference between what I remember and what actually happened.  There is a shift of perspective between a 17 year old person and guy in his late 40's.

Anyway, those are the main reasons that I left CAP.  That being said, I am now considering rejoining but if I do it will be with an established unit and I will focus on conducting orientation flights to cadets. 

[Storm Chaser]

I think we need to do a better job at managing expectations. Many members become disillusioned with the organization because of false or unrealistic expectations.

[Raptormanf35]

Yes we do, it seems A lot of members think we are entitled to certain benefits but that's ridiculous, we are pretty much just the Boy Scouts of the Air Force. We should appreciate whatever the Air Force let's us do.

[FW]

If we were the "Boy Scouts of the Air Force", our leadership would be harvesting millions of dollars in ongoing annual contributions, developing networks of sponsors, hiring successful branding experts,and enabling local leaders the tools to recruit and retain active members, both cadet and adult.   No, we're definitely not that...   

[NIN]

I think we need to do a better job at managing expectations. Many members become disillusioned with the organization because of false or unrealistic expectations.

I swear I've read something about this..


http://www.capmembers.com/cap_national_hq/recruiting_and_retention/?stop_selling_the_5&show=entry&blogID=1600

[754837]

I think we need to do a better job at managing expectations. Many members become disillusioned with the organization because of false or unrealistic expectations.

I swear I've read something about this..


http://www.capmembers.com/cap_national_hq/recruiting_and_retention/?stop_selling_the_5&show=entry&blogID=1600

Outstanding article!

[Holding Pattern]

About 25 years later I again rejoined.  A group of us were successful in getting our old squadron re-chartered and unfortunately I was the squadron commander.  I say "unfortunately" because I simply did not have the CAP skills necessary to lead and manage a squadron much less a brand new one no experienced members.  The squadron survived about 3 years before it died a slow, painful death.
Several things struck me during those 3 years.

I sometimes feel that CAP likes to throw unqualified people into the Commander's chair a bit too quick. I'll be addressing that in a different thread though.

First, I was overwhelmed with paperwork and bureaucracy.  This point needs no further explanation!

If there is one repeated concern I hear, it is this one. It is my personal hope to mitigate a lot of this with E-forms, and having a lot of pre-filled data, and doing this with the provided google apps platform. This isn't as easy as it sounds, and until CAP IT and the rest of the specialty tracks get facebook groups, it will take a while until I manage to reach out to other like-minded IT people.

Next, I was disappointed in the wing and subordinate units level of actual participation in ES.  We talked a big game but when it was "go time" well... on many occasions we provided no meaningful contribution to the effort.  In one instance, much of the work (damage assessment after a large series of storms) that was provided was of such a poor quality that it had to be repeated by a different organization.  I am a career LEO and I realize that I may have unrealistic expectations of ES in volunteer organizations but I was disappointed and embarrassed.

If you ever get a mission tasking where you've never practiced the tasking to know the quality you will get, the correct answer is to not accept the tasking should any other resource be available for that. That being said, this would be a lessons learned opportunity to review what went wrong and make sure that the next time you can fulfill such a tasking (or set the expectation that this may be a mission your squadron can't fulfill)

Lastly, I was disappointed in what I saw was the "wimpification" of the cadet program. I am not advocating the "Full Metal Jacket" environment; it is unacceptable in CAP.  I think things have gone too far the other way.  I am not willing to provide a list; one can be made from many of the threads found on this website.  I realize that times have changed and there is also a difference between what I remember and what actually happened.  There is a shift of perspective between a 17 year old person and guy in his late 40's.

Well, I was a cadet 10-15 years after you I'm guessing, and now I'm a SM in my early 30's. I'm going to need you to provide that list, preferably in a separate thread (or PM, if you think it isn't appropriate for public consumption.)

I'm not seeing the "wimpification" of CAP, unless you are talking about AUX ON/OFF silliness or the transition from solid plastic membership cards to beyond wafer thin paper laminate membership cards. (Dear NHQ, I will pay extra for a separate DD2350 card. Make it Chipped and then we can have compliant web services too!)

Anyway, those are the main reasons that I left CAP.  That being said, I am now considering rejoining but if I do it will be with an established unit and I will focus on conducting orientation flights to cadets.

When you rejoin, I would suggest keeping a careful eye on the possibility of burnout. Setting expectations with the commander in advance is a good plan to help with this.

[stillamarine]

I'll address the "wimpification" of cadets a wee bit. I was a cadet in the late 80s early 90s. There is definitely a difference in the cadet program then and now. We got yelled at a bit more back then, we were made to do PT when we messed up. There was no confusion about the relationship between cadets and seniors. I don't know if I'd go completely and say wimpification but it's definitely different now.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

I think CAP needs to drop all the Bravo Sierra about how it values its "volunteer professionals," when clearly they do not, and I am not just talking about myself and my own discommendation.

There are many others, some I have known personally, who have got "fed up" with the favouritism, the cliques, the legendary GOB/GN, and left.

One I personally knew was a rated mission pilot (and a darn good one; I flew with him and always enjoyed it), came to virtually every meeting (of course, this squadron only met twice a month) and had a son in the CP who (I believe) went on to a career in the Navy.  He was also an aeronautical engineer for Honeywell and a graduate of Embry-Riddle, meaning that the guy was a brainiac par excellence.

He was also a really, really nice guy who would literally give you the shirt off his back.  I got to know him, his wife and his family well during the time we served together.

He wasn't into the rank side of the thing so much; I don't believe he made it past 1st Lieutenant.

However, he wasn't impressed at all by the having to "schmooze" to get anywhere, did not enjoy wing staff meetings or conferences...basically, just wanted to do his job.

He confided in me that when his son graduated from high school and went off to university there was probably a 90% chance he was going to leave CAP because he was sick of the "personality issues" above the squadron level and I believe he did just that, from what I heard after I moved away from the unit (this was my first squadron, which was the most wonderful out of all my CAP units).

CAP losing someone like him was definitely a bigger loss than it was losing me.

[NCRblues]

IMHO, CAP NHQ has an understanding that the lower levels (Wing and below) are not doing the best possible job at respecting and valuing its "volunteer professionals".  (Does not apply to every unit. Some suffer from this issue, others do a good job)

If you look at the new 2016-2020 strategic plan it contains several bullet points to " – recognize the value and talent of each CAP
member; increase the fun and enhance fulfillment of the CAP experience to make members want to stay and others to want to join."

IMHO again, Wing and below GOBN are alive and well (in places), and highly visible to those that do not close their eyes.

I have seen time and time again how these pre-conceived GOBN ideas of how "CAP has worked and will always work" does more detriment to the organization than all the red tape and paperwork combined.

[Chappie]

Climbing on the soapbox:

Retention is a key to any organization.  When someone leaves there are relationships broken...to some degree corporate knowledge is lost if it had not been shared or documented...and life goes on -- sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst.

I think that anyone of us who have served in CAP for any length of time have experienced those moments when we look at the renewal notification and wonder "Is it worth it?" and I am not talking about the renewal fee.  There have been a couple of times when I have seriously debated whether or not to renew  or take the option to wait until I reach the 20 year mark and call it done.  Dealing with some individuals in the organization and a couple of corporate decisions had taken all the joy out of serving in CAP.  But as a wise friend told me once, "CAP is not a static display...rather it is a dynamic institution -- and things will change."  Toughing it out was hard, but there were changes that have occurred that renewed my faith and made CAP enjoyable again.   I learned that if I stayed in my lane and focused on the mission/task that I was assigned to do, things would work out.

Cyborg is "spot on" ... there are some people in CAP who are "censored".   My take is them that they are self-serving and do not have an agenda for the unit they serve --- rather for what prestige they receive from holding a title.  They stifle the personal and the professional growth of those they are serving/leading.   Rather than being a leader, they are a bully.  No amount of training can change their temperament or personality.  During my time of dealing with an individual who had their own agenda and self-interest, I just stayed below the radar.  Since CAP is a volunteer organization...I volunteered to do what I wanted to participate in, waited to speak when it was requested (which didn't happen...their loss ) and patiently waited until things changed. 

Squadrons are the "lifeblood" of this organization...and it is imperative that commanders are selected on the basis of their leadership skills/experience and not for who they know....or just to fill a slot.  John Maxwell has a principle that "everything rises and falls with leadership".  That is so true.   In all volunteer organizations, people will vote "with their feet".  Valuing their contributions/participation is an integral part of the retention process.   Recruiting gets them in the door -- but how we treat them will keep them from the exit door.

Now I could use some help to climb down off this soap box.

[USACAP]

That is an outstanding bit of commentary.
Well said.

I swear I've read something about this..
http://www.capmembers.com/cap_national_hq/recruiting_and_retention/?stop_selling_the_5&show=entry&blogID=1600

[isuhawkeye]

Many organizations find that cohort recruiting and indoctrination helps with retention. When you have a peer group you work together through training as a group.  that group bonds and you advance together.  you also challenge each others development.  This early relationship building makes the organization stronger. 

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

Climbing on the soapbox:

Chaplain, your "soapbox" nearly brought tears to my eyes - literally.  I have only been in one squadron (first and best) that had a chaplain, and when we lost him (he was a Presbyterian minister who got a call to another congregation out West) it was deeply felt.  He was also more than a "skypilot" - qualified Observer, rated in Comms and GT.  He mediated several conflicts that probably saved (no pun intended) members from leaving.

That experience, along with my experiences with AF chaplains in the ANG, has often made me wonder that if there were a chaplain available in my last squadron, if somehow the situation could have been salvaged.

I think that anyone of us who have served in CAP for any length of time have experienced those moments when we look at the renewal notification and wonder "Is it worth it?" and I am not talking about the renewal fee.

I had that a few times in the past but still renewed.  This last time, being told by my CC that I was basically "excess baggage" to the squadron and that I "didn't contribute anything" was like being punched in the gut, especially given that it was done via e-mail.  Somehow I doubt that said CC would have said it to me in person; in fact, I asked to meet with him in person and he refused.

Cyborg is "spot on" ... there are some people in CAP who are "censored".   My take is them that they are self-serving and do not have an agenda for the unit they serve --- rather for what prestige they receive from holding a title.  They stifle the personal and the professional growth of those they are serving/leading.   Rather than being a leader, they are a bully.  No amount of training can change their temperament or personality. 

I don't want to poo on people who are in this industry; after all, the person I mentioned who was a good friend of mine was an aeronautical engineer.  However, the CC I had was an engineering type and with him virtually everything was "you is or you ain't," "1 or 0," "yes or no," "good or bad," etc., and "just agree with me and we'll be done with it."  I am the last person to claim "people skills," especially as a former computer programmer/general IT puke (though I've also had a fair bit of training in psychology/sociology), but when you try to treat people with lives and feelings as if everything is black and white, my feeling is you're inevitably going to alienate people.

I've dealt with bullies virtually all my life.  Being small as a kid, I had to learn to fight back at an early age.  I didn't always win (and have a thrice-broken nose to show for it) but I found out that with most bullies, if you call them on their bull[mess] face-to-face, especially if they're not expecting it they'll back off.  However, the Internet has made it too easy for bullies to make boasts and not back it up, and in my case the CC had all the rules and regs of CAP on his side.  Who was going to listen to a "nobody" Captain who was just a paper-pusher in a squadron v. a Major who is a mission pilot with lots of friends at Group and Wing?

Squadrons are the "lifeblood" of this organization...and it is imperative that commanders are selected on the basis of their leadership skills/experience and not for who they know....or just to fill a slot.  John Maxwell has a principle that "everything rises and falls with leadership".  That is so true.   In all volunteer organizations, people will vote "with their feet".  Valuing their contributions/participation is an integral part of the retention process.   Recruiting gets them in the door -- but how we treat them will keep them from the exit door.

Again, it really hurts to know you're not valued, at your squadron or by those above you and they could care less whether or not you went for the exit door (I went that route too).

Now I could use some help to climb down off this soap box.

As far as I'm concerned you can climb on it any time.

[Raptormanf35]