New Chapter Officer Quick Start Guide

Hello New Chapter Officers!

Thanks for stepping up. If some of your responsibilities aren’t clear this document can help. You’ll also want to get to know your particular chapter’s bylaws and structure, which aren’t covered here.  Join the chapter officer Telegrams for announcements and answers from other chapter officers:

• Official Chapter Telegram Link: Chapter related announcements from USHPA
• Chapter Chat Telegram Link: Open chat with other chapter officers

Chapter Insurance Renewal

• Chapter insurance is sometimes referred to as site insurance, landowner insurance, or chapter renewal. USHPA chapters must renew their insurance policy each year. It covers liability for you, the chapter’s officers; for USHPA; and for your landowners who may require insurance.
• You might wonder why landowner insurance is needed, given the Recreational Use laws that most states have. It’s because lawsuits can still happen. If you have our insurance for a landowner, we will defend them if one does.
• The renewal window opens in December (or there about), with a due date in January (or there about). Meeting the due date with a properly completed application guarantees no gap in coverage at the March 1 renewal date.
  • Detailed information on applying is always available to chapter officers, and is also included in chapter renewal notification emails.
• Renewal applications have two broad sections – one to be completed on the USHPA website, and the other to be completed on the Recreation Risk Retention Group portal (RecRRG or RRG).
  • The USHPA section has checkbox verifications for the chapter, and a chapter roster verification tool to ensure that USHPA membership requirements are met.
  • The RecRRG section is where you enter all of the risk management documentation, landowner information, desired insurance limits, and chapter information.
• The insurance period runs from 3/1 to 2/28 each year. If your chapter has not received new Certificates of Insurance (COIs) by 3/1, then your chapter and your landowners are not insured until new COIs are received. Depending on your landowner agreements, this may require you to halt flying at those sites. The best way to avoid this is meeting the application deadline.
• Billing and payment for your chapter renewal and associated insurance occurs after the COI has been issued. Invoices will be sent to chapters based on the coverage limits and requested landowner insurance in your RecRRG submission.
  • If you do not pay your bill, your chapter will be ineligible for coverage in future insurance periods, and you may have your current coverage cancelled.
    

Nonprofit Filings

• USHPA chapters are required to be incorporated as nonprofit entities.
• Nonprofit entities need to maintain their status on both a federal and state level.
  • State nonprofit filing requirements vary from state to state. Please look up yours. Common due dates for filings are 4.5 or 5.5 months after the end of your fiscal year.
    • Some helpful starting points:
      • National Council of Nonprofits
      • Hurwit & Associates
  • Federal nonprofit filing requirements will depend on your organization’s gross receipts and sources of revenue and are generally due 5.5 months after the end of your fiscal year – typically May 15^th.
    • IRS – Charities and Nonprofits
    • Orgs with gross receipts under $50,000 can typically file a Form 990-N, also known as an e-Postcard.
  • Please make sure and look up the correct filing requirements for your organization with your state and with the federal government.

Landowner Relationships

• Maintaining strong landowner relationships is often the most essential chapter officer responsibility, and the most individual. In some cases, inviting landowners/land managers to chapter functions, fly-ins, or BBQs might be a great way to build that relationship, while others prefer to be visited in their office or left alone. We recommend you get a sense of the kind of engagement your landowners prefer and then keep up with them often in that style. This will give you a foundation to fall back on in the event of an issue and makes your flying site more likely to remain open far into the future.

Other Potential Concerns When Taking Over Chapter Management

• Accounts and credentials
  • What websites, banks, or other tools do you need login information for?
  • Notify USHPA/RecRRG of change in chapter officers to gain access to the RecRRG portal
• Email aliases
  • Make sure that aliases like “[email protected]” are redirected to current officer emails.
• Website domain/upkeep/renewal
  • Do you need to renew your website domain to keep your chapter information online?
• Chapter member renewal system with USHPA membership verification
• Check in system for flying days
• Newsletter, chat groups, or other communication systems
• Chapter meetings
• Chapter events - fly-in or fundraiser planning
• Maintain internal documentation so the next set of chapter officers know what you have done, and have an easier time stepping into their new roles