YOUR RMFMS - Resources and Information
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The Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS) is one of the seven Federations that are members of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. The AFMS also has the California, South Central, Southeastern, Eastern, Midwest and Northwest Federations.
The RMFMS has approximately 9000 members within societies and clubs in thirteen states - Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
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RMFMS Business
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Each year the RMFMS holds an annual convention where business is discussed and voted on, and new officers are elected. It is held in association with a member club's Show. Clubs petition to host these shows and the Executive Committee selects them. Conventions are spread across the Federation so members can attend and visit different parts of the country when they attend the convention. Every seventh year the RMFMS hosts the AFMS annual convention in conjunction with the RMFMS convention and show.
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Executive Committee and Delegates
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The RMFMS is supervised by an Executive Committee, composed of elected officers and State Directors. All business is carried out in the House of Delegates meeting. If no member from a club can represent a club at the Delegate meeting, it can designate a proxy to voice their wishes. A good candidate for a proxy vote might be a State Director or another RMF officer attending the convention. An Information packet about the convention is sent to each club about two months prior to the meeting. Delegate, Alternate and Proxy forms are included.
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State Directors
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State Directors, who are members of the Executive Committee of the RMFMS, are members selected to help clubs within their state. If any club has a question or problem, a call to the SD may help solve the problem. If not, the State Director knows other people to contact for help. State Directors are encouraged to stay in Close contact with all of the clubs in their state to assist when needed. All State Directors contact information is listed in each published Officers List.
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Rules to go by
If anyone is interested in what the rules for the RMFMS are, the RMFMS.org website has the By-Laws and Operating Procedures that can be downloaded. One copy of these documents should be in each club's library. Also in the library should be the RMFMS Articles of Incorporation.
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Helpful Committees
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There are also Special Committees and Standing Committees for the RMFMS to assist in running the Federation and keep all clubs informed about Lapidary interests. If a club or member has a question about a particular lapidary skill, piece of equipment, or needs a rock identified, there is someone on the Committees list to help with that. The list is in this publication and appears monthly in the RMFMS newsletter.
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Membership & Insurance
Clubs that are members of the RMFMS renew their membership each November. Membership costs for this year were $ 1.50 per member, excluding life-time Members. The Federation also has a Liability Insurance program that each club has the option to participate in at the cost of 60 cents per member. For more information see the Insurance page in this booklet.
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Program Library
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The Federation has many sources of information and help for every club. One of the most helpful is the Program Library, composed of CDs, DVDs and slide programs that may be rented for a reasonable fee from the Program Library. The list of titles has been published to assist Clubs in selecting a program. These make good club programs at a very reasonable cost. Contact the Program Librarian, as listed in the RMFMS Committees list, to secure a program.
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Membership Directory
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Each Club also receives a copy of the annual Membership Directory, listing every club in the Federation plus other information about the RMFMS and the clubs. Clubs are listed by state, by city, and have the current officers and contacts. It also lists the dates for their annual show. If a member is going to be in a certain part of the country, they may look up the closest club and see if there are any field trips or shows on the schedule. Copies of the Directory are sent out after its publication, and extra copies are available for a small fee from the Supplies Chair.
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Newsletters
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The Rocky Mountain Newsletter is published 10 times a year and is sent to every club. One or two people in the club receive the newsletter email. They are asked to forward it to all other members of their club. The newsletter contains informative articles from the RMFMS president, treasurer, and often other Committee Chairs. There is information about Federation contests such as deadlines, applications and tips for filling them out. After awards have been presented at the Convention, the results of the contests are included in the Newsletter. In addition to the RMFMS Newsletter, every club receives copies of the AFMS Newsletter that is sent to three officers of each club. This helps all clubs and members keep up with what is happening on the national rockhound arena. Both the RMFMS and the AFMS Newsletters may also be found on their respective websites. The AFMS also publishes the Uniform Rules that are the guidelines for competitive case judging. These may be downloaded from the AFMS website but be aware: it is lengthy.
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Youth Program
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If your club has youth members, the AFMS has the Future Rockhounds of America program in which our Federation participates. This excellent program has themes, suggestions for leaders to carry out the program themes, and badges the young members may earn for doing specific tasks in each category. Information regarding this program is available on the AFMS website.
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Scholarship Program
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The Rocky Mountain Federation participates in the AFMS Scholarship Foundation program that clubs are asked to support financially. The Foundation provides two $4000 scholarships annually to the six participating Federations.
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