Steve,
If you have ideas on quantitative measures for the youth program
or any other aspects of AAW I would interested in hearing them.
Does the AAW use program management to document the cost/benefit of the programs it funds? I know that we have some great ideas, but are the results at all measured against objectives?
no not in a formal sense. one of the barriers has been access to financial data that supports such an analysis.
For instance, we hold an Annual Symposium. Is there a plan for growth? Is there any objective measure that we employ to call a Symposium successful (or unsuccessful)? Number of attendees, cost per headcount, Return on capital investement...?
I have done a bit of analysis on attendance numbers an demographics of regions. I have yet to come up with a satisfactory way of tracking attendance. The economy may be a major factor. Attenance at Portland was close to 1600. About 40 percent of the members who lived within 200 miles of Portland came to the symposium. Had 40 percent of the members within 200 miles of Richmond showed up we'd have had 2000 instead of 1600.
I know that a lot of hard work goes into the Symposium- but has Youth Turning resulted in any tangible results, or would we be better off revamping it to cover regional Boy Scout Jamborees?
Cost of youth is basically a room at the symposium site and teachers are given a demonstrator fee (about $3K this year for 5 instructors) Sometimes the wood is purchased sometimes it is donated. All equipment is donated. AAW members support the program through donation of volunteer time.
Read Tania Radda's article in the current journal. Benefits are immediate for the youth, the volunteers, and the member sponsor of the youth. Many youth become AAW members. Many volunteers use what they learn as volunteers to teach youth in their local clubs.
We expect the youth program to have some long range benifit.
I look at teaching kids woodturning like teach kids baseball in little league.
Few little leagers ever play high school ball. almost none play professional ball. The all know the game for life. Maybe our youth will buy a woodturning in 30 years.....
Running a similar program anywhere but the symposium would be most difficult from the standpoint of volunteers. At the symposium there are 12 assistant instructors in each class. A Jamboree held close to a large club might find 12 volunteers.
Finally, am I the only one that doesn't even look at the AAW Resource Directory? It's kind of like a phone book to me- I get one every year, and it goes to recycling immediately. Is it an anachronism in the internet age?
32979
You Don't get one every year!! The Directory is published every two years.
This is a baby step toward going digital. Also it is part of the going to 6 Journal issues a year.
Maybe we could do an "OPT out" on the directory. If there are lots of folks who just don't want one we can use that information to not print or send them one.
Over time when the number sent gets really low...
Projects like going to 6 journal issues do have some project management aspects with scheduling of the transitions, estimates of costs, increase revenue from journal sales. What we don't measure is number of additional membership based on 6 issues, the benefit to members of 6 issues.
From a scientific standpoint it would be nice to know what the effects of going to 2 issues would be. We sort of assumed going to 6 issues was good thing. Member surveys indicated support.
-Al