Assessing Section Award Funding
Darin Haudrich / L. Jane Hansen / Chris Jesse
January 2013
Background – Current Awards and Funding Levels
• Membership (through RSAC) needs to find a way to reduce
spending – Section Awards may provide a way.
 7 awards with prize money and 1 without:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Outstanding Section,
Career and Workforce
Development
Communication
Membership
5.
6.
7.
8.
Harry Staubs Pre-College Outreach
Public Policy
Young Professional Activity
Outstanding Activity (NO Financial
Reward)
 With 5 categories of winners
– Very Small, Small, Medium, Large, Very Large
 Providing 3 places of prize money
– 1st - $500 / 2nd - $200 / 3rd - $100
There is $28,000 allocated (5 * 7 * $800)
2
Recent Award Submissions Statistics
2011-2012
Award/submissions received
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communications – 18
Public Policy - 17
STEM K-12 – 19
Membership – 17
Young Professional - 14
Career & Workforce Dev - 12
Outstanding Section – 31
Annual Reports – 39 (Received by June
30)
2010-2011
Award/submissions received
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communications – 17
Public Policy – 15
STEM K-12 – 19
Membership – 17
Young Professional – 17
Career & Workforce Dev - 14
Outstanding Section – 23
Annual Reports – 42 (Approximate
received by June 30)
All Categories have reasonable participation
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Award / Cat I by Region (2011 – 2012)
Region
Cat I
Rebate
Award
Money (Award)/(Cat I Rebate)
Region I
$52,673
$5,650
10.7%
Region II
$23,987
$4,550
19.0%
Region III
$17,055
$5,950
34.9%
Region IV
$16,515
$400
2.4%
Region V
$15,403
$2,000
13.0%
Region VI
Region VII
(Australia)
$51,109
$4,850
9.5%
$1,644
$2,400
146.0%
From Region to Region, the amount of
award money versus Cat I rebate is relatively consistent
4
Award / Cat I by Section Size (2011 – 2012)
Very Small
40.0%
Small
28.6%
Medium
53.8%
Large
45.5%
Cat I
Rebates
$
5,723
$
16,378
$
27,606
$
34,618
Very Large
54.5%
$ 94,061
Section Size
Number of
Awards
Section
Awards (Award)/(Cat I Rebate)
$ 5,500
96.1%
$ 5,850
35.7%
$ 5,650
20.5%
$ 3,200
9.2%
$ 5,600
6.0%
Across section sizes, the number of awards given is relatively consistent
BUT
From Very Small to Very Large the “value” of the award is greatly reduced
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Section Outstanding Activities Award
Region Membership Attendees
Very Small
Sydney
Adelaide
China Lake
Delaware
Greater New Orleans
VII
VII
VI
I
II
72
35
52
70
88
40
120
150
62
43
Small
Columbus
Savannah
Utah
Vandenberg
Oklahoma
III
II
VI
VI
IV
104
106
163
141
101
10
150
100
30
900
Medium
Cape Canaveral
Long Island
Tucson
Twin Cities
Central Florida
II
I
VI
V
II
293
226
295
183
265
100
35
28
36
300
Region Membership Attendees
Large
Albuquerque
Atlanta
N Ohio
Phoenix
San Fernando Pacific
St. Louis
IV
II
III
VI
VI
V
394
329
450
330
385
351
77
33
350
74
35
20
Very Large
Dayton Cincinnati
LA - LV
Mid-Atlantic
PNW
Rocky Mountain
San Francisco
Hampton Roads
National Capital
III
VI
I
VI
V
VI
I
I
745
1159
764
965
990
1055
853
2443
100
45
53
150
129
30
20070
115
Smaller sections have nearly the same number of attendees as larger sections
but it represents a much larger percentage of their membership
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Our Thoughts and Observations
• Smaller sections (that make an effort) can double their budgets by winning
prize money
• Prize money is relatively insignificant to the larger section
• More larger sections win awards but they have more resources
• Attendance at events held by smaller sections is often equivalent to that at
events held by larger sections – BUT, the percentage of the members that are
attending is significantly larger
• Many sections win awards based on producing the “same” events over and
over
 The events are excellent and they know how to produce them well
• Often sections “plan” for award money which does provide an incentive to
produce quality events and submit proper paper work
Smaller sections need award funding and make good use of it
while larger sections do not need and have more inherent resources7
Our Recommendations
• Reduce the prize money
 1st from $500 to $350
 2nd from $200 to $100
 3rd from $100 to $50
saves $300 * 5 * 7 = $10,500
• Large and Very Large section should be “honored” with the
awards but not provided prize money, even the reduced value
saves $800 *2 *7 = $11,200
• Make more stringent rules and create quantifiable rubrics
 Section should not submit “the same” event or activity two years in a row
for award consideration
 Rubric allows no award to be given and justified
Reduction of Section Awards CAN save $17,500
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