Planning a Handler Clinic

Northern Michigan is a new NAVHDA chapter, having been formed in 1995. At that time, only two of our officers had any experience in NAVHDA activities, that being testing a dog some years prior. We stepped into the NAVHDA arena by hosting one test in 1995 and again in 1996. our chapter has great enthusiasm and decided in 1997 to take on the task of hosting a Handler Clinic. We chose to host a clinic for several reasons:

• Being newcomers to NAVHDA, we had an interest in learning more about how a dog is scored at each testing level.
• It got our members to participate in a group activity.
• Some of our members wanted to pursue the Apprentice Judge program.
• Last but not least, we were going to develop it as a fund raiser for our chapter. I know some of you don't believe that you can actually make money for your chapter by having an HC, but we'll tell you how we make $900, after paying all expenses.
  

We found that there are three key ingredients for holding a successful Handler's Clinic. These are planning, communication, and organization.

Planning

We started planning for our HC eight months before the scheduled date. As with every NAVHDA activity, we relied heavily on NAVHDA headquarters for the HC packet, contacts who had conducted HC in other chapters, and most importantly good, sound advice on how to run one and what to expect. We cannot stress enough the importance of talking with fellow NAVHDA members and Clinic Leaders who have run or attended an HC. They provide valuable insight as to what did and did not work for them.

The other part of planning is applying costs to your clinic and then arriving at a cost per attendant. In arriving at your costs, do not guesstimate! call and get prices on birds, tent, tables, chairs, lavatories, Clinic Leader accommodations, field supplies, etc. You don't want any surprises when it comes time to pay the bills! Transportation and lodging for the Clinic Leader are big ticket items. If the Clinic Leader is willing to be a guest in someone's home, and/or if you can schedule the HC to coincide with your Clinic Leader's other business or travel accommodations, some big savings can be made without sacrificing the events quality.

After you know your costs, based on a conservative cost estimate, calculate a break-even point using an expected number of attendants. We used 14 attendants with a break-even figure of $1100. Our charges would be $80 per person. Attendance over 14 people would be money for our chapter.

Communication

Get the word our that you'll be sponsoring a clinic. Target not only NAVHDA members but also non-members. We had five non-NAVHDA people attend our HC. A clinic is a great way to introduce someone to NAVHDA. We did a number of communications that worked well. For example:

• Inform the International office at least four months in advance that you'll be hosting an HC. The earlier the better! They will post it in the VHD and Immediately list it on the Internet.
• Write letters to other NAVHDA chapters in your region. Personal phone calls to the chapter president or secretary also help.
• Announce and promote it to your own chapter members. We announced and discussed our plans at our annual March membership meeting. we were prepared to take reservations at that meeting and had 14 people immediately sign-up! In addition, notify your local Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited, and sportsmen's club. They are great promoters of events like this.
• Use local business, e.g.; sporting goods stores and veterinary clinics. We posted signs at both and gave each a stack of What is a Handler Clinic? and application forms. We not only helped our HC attendance but also increased our chapter's membership by "getting the word out." In turn, we had the owner of the sporting goods store as one of our gunners. It was a great advertisement!
• Put the arm on all your hunting buddies. Some of our attendees were there because we personally badgered them to attend. They later said they were glad that we did.

Organization

Organize the event by starting with selecting an HC Chairman. His/her role is clearly defined in the Holding a NAVHDA Handler Clinic packet. Have the Chairman assign duties to other officers and chapter members. The Chairman must provide Clear direction as to what needs to get done, who is going to do it, and appropriate timing for each responsible person. One person cannot do the whole job. Hosting an HC must be a chapter commitment with chapter involvement. Following these disciplines, we were able to have a very successful Handler Clinic, meeting our goal of 20 attendees (we actually had to turn some people away!). In the process, we made $900 for our chapter. With this money, we purchased a field tent to save on the costs of future tests and chapter field events.

Learn from Others

If you are considering a Handler Clinic this coming year, the Northern Michigan Chapter would be happy to help you. Please call their Clinic Chairman, Lance Vernam in Traverse City, Michigan at 616.938.1324.