Chapter SOP

Purpose

This document is a compilation of Standing Operating Procedures (SOP) for the Gator Redleg Chapter of the United States Field Artillery Association. Unlike the Chapter Bylaws, the SOP provides guidance rather than requirements that must be followed. It is intended to be an informal living document that is owned by the current Chapter President and can be updated by the Executive Committee and other volunteers without a vote of the Chapter membership. It is meant to be reviewed and updated at least annually and after each major event; it is not static nor carved in stone. It is intended to capture Best Practices and improve year-to-year continuity by helping new members of the Executive Committee and other volunteers come up to speed and be effective.

Information Management

Website

The Chapter’s public website is gatorredleg.org, rebuilt in 2026 as a hand-coded Next.js site deployed to Cloudflare Workers (RedLegDev/gator-redleg-web). Site content and assets live in the git repository; pushes to main auto-deploy. The Web Architect (or Chapter President) owns updates. Member-facing governance docs — Chapter SOP, Bylaws, Bullard Award SOP, Charitable Action Playbook, and the 501(c)(3) letter — are published on the site rather than kept only in Basecamp or Google Drive.

Payments and Store

Chapter payments run through Stripe on the chapter store at store.gatorredleg.org (donations live; event ticketing and other checkouts are consolidating here). Qgiv is being retired and should not be used for new forms. The Treasurer retains the books and ledger; online transactions feed the chapter’s transaction tracking (Stein / Google Sheets).

Basecamp

Basecamp is the board collaboration hub — todos, messages, Docs & Files, and day-to-day Executive Committee coordination. The Gator Redleg Chapter project is the working surface for board business. Public member documents should be published to the website once finalized; Basecamp remains the draft/working space for the board.

Email and Newsletter

The chapter mailing list and newsletters run on listmonk at mail.redleg.dev (from address Chapter President <president@gatorredleg.org>). Listmonk is the local system of record for newsletter subscribers and should be reconciled at least annually against the USFAA national membership roster. Sending from a .mil address is unreliable (spam filters); use the chapter domain. Meeting announcements and mass email go through listmonk, not personal inboxes.

Google Drive

Google Drive remains useful as an archive for historical files, Google Forms (elections, surveys, award votes), and materials that are not yet (or need not be) on the website. It is not the public site and should not be the only home for documents members need. Access is limited to chapter officers and authorized volunteers — request the current link from the Secretary. Older Drive folders may still be personally hosted by past volunteers; migrate ownership when practical.

Facebook

We maintain a social media presence using Facebook for engagement and as another channel for events, registrations, and membership drives. This is a shared Page with multiple admins; posts can be promoted for a small cost. Keep at least one current board member (or designated Social Media Moderator) as an admin. Ask the board for the current admin roster rather than relying on names in this SOP. https://www.facebook.com/GatorRedleg

Postal Services

Although we’ve largely switched to email, we’ve occasionally used legacy mail to send invitations to people who haven’t registered for the ball or for VIPs. Even then, we’ve switched over to postcard invites to save money.

Elections

Elections are handled pretty much as described in the bylaws. In recent years we’ve used a nominating committee of three people; one chair and two committee members. Their job is to contact existing board members to ask if they are willing to stand for reelection, as well as canvas for new candidates who want to join the board. The minimum requirement per the by-laws is to have two candidates per named office (President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer). In the past couple of years, we’ve used Google Forms as a way for members to vote by proxy and increase participation in the annual elections.

Annual Planning

The Chapter Vision and Mission describe the goals the Chapter activities should promote throughout the year. In particular, supporting our Soldiers, maintaining contact with our Veterans, providing an avenue for the Community to support the troops, and contributing to Veteran-oriented charities.

Calendar

One of the first tasks of the newly elected Executive Committee is to plan the calendar for the year. Although this should be decided upon and published early, this is something we have not done a good job of formalizing. It is probably good to approach this with the same discipline as the Yearly Training Calendar. Identifying dates for major events early facilitates planning, securing venues, and soliciting sponsorships.

The major events for the year are the charity golf tournament (spring), the Kenny Fike Memorial softball tournament (fall), the 5K Fun Run, the Redleg Social, and the Saint Barbara’s Ball (the premier / capstone event, generally in November or December). The golf and softball tournaments are charity fundraisers. The Redleg Social is a less-formal, low-cost, all-ranks event — typically the Friday before the Ball — that provides an opportunity to keep in touch with the Chapter without necessarily attending the formal celebration. The Ball (or Dining Out, depending on the year’s format) is our capstone event; we solicit sponsorships (in exchange for advertising and promotions) to defray the cost to our membership. The 5K Fun Run is the chapter’s newest recurring event. Publish dates early on gatorredleg.org and via the chapter email list.

Budget

Although the Chapter has not done a good job of this in the past, as a 501c3 we are held to a higher standard of accountability and our by-laws require an annual audit. As a result, we should be putting together a more formal budget, forecasting inlays, outlays and apportioning funds that have been earmarked for specific causes.

Executive Committee

President

The President is responsible for everything the Chapter does or fails to do. They are responsible for the annual planning, budgeting, running the monthly meetings, establishing the nominating committee and ensuring elections happen.

Vice President

The Vice President is responsible for stepping in whenever the President needs help to make sure the Chapter accomplishes its mission.

Secretary

The Secretary is primarily responsible for keeping and publishing the meeting minutes, sending out a monthly meeting notification and sending out any other event notifications as needed. The Secretary should also maintain contact information for chapter members and chapter officers. listmonk is the local system of record for the chapter mailing list and should be updated at least annually from the membership roster at USFAA national.

Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for keeping and reporting on the chapter finances, the lead for developing and maintaining the budget, the primary individual on the checking account, and coordinates for the annual audit. This is a huge responsibility and should be given to someone who will serve in the role for two years or more.

Members at Large

Members at large are a necessary part of the Executive Committee in order to achieve quorum and vote on the business of the Chapter. Typically each Member at Large has one or more specified additional duties.

Event Coordinators

Although the event coordinator is the single point of contact responsible for the event, it is a best practice to put together a committee to delegate and assist with the details. As the event gets closer it is customary for the coordinator to report out to the Executive Committee at the monthly meeting, raising any issues, requesting approval for expenditures and identifying coordinating issues they need help with.

Softball Coordinator

The softball coordinator is responsible for coordinating the Annual Kenny Fike Memorial Charity Softball Tournament (fall). This includes securing the venue, recruiting teams, raising donations, scheduling and running the event, and coordinating for volunteers to sell swag and refreshments.

St. Barbara’s Event Coordinator

The St. Barbara’s event coordinator is responsible for the chapter’s premier annual celebration — historically a formal Ball, and in some years a Dining Out or similar format — plus the Redleg Social that typically precedes it. Current-year details (venue, date, ticketing, dress) live on the St. Barbara’s Ball page; treat that page as the member-facing source of truth for the active year.

Roles (durable). The coordinator is the single point of contact for planning: securing the venue, publishing the script, ensuring a guest speaker when used, soliciting sponsorships, scheduling and running the event, and coordinating volunteers (registration, swag table, and similar). The Executive Committee approves major expenditures. A silent auction or raffle during the Social/weekend is a common fundraiser. Event announcements go out via the chapter email list and Facebook.

President of the Mess / host. Traditionally the “host” rotates between 2nd and 3rd Battalion: the hosting Battalion provides the coordinator (often the AGR S1) and the Battalion Commander serves as President of the Mess, helping recruit a high-profile guest speaker. That rotation remains useful doctrine when both battalions have capacity. When a battalion is mobilized or volunteer depth is thin, the Chapter may run the event with chapter-appointed leads and adjust host/President-of-the-Mess arrangements — confirm the year’s approach with the Executive Committee early.

Format variants.

• Traditional hotel Ball. Hotel or banquet venue, room block for out-of-town guests, plated or buffet meal service, lobby registration, and often hotel support for a guest speaker. Higher ticket prices historically offset venue and catering.
• Dining Out / armory (or similar). Lower-overhead format (e.g. an armory or similar military venue), often with a networking Social the evening before. Ticket prices can be kept much lower when venue cost is minimal. Bar and catering choices should match the venue and the fact that many attendees drive. Guest-speaker travel/hotel may be unnecessary or scaled back.

The Chapter usually provides tickets for the Guest Speaker and their guest when a speaker is used. A USFAA Chapter Grant can offset speaker travel when needed; USFAA also maintains a list of potential speakers.

Planning timeline (generic). Adjust for format — hotel-only items are marked.

• JAN–FEB — Lock format, venue, and date. (Hotel Ball: start the room block.)
• JUN — Announce Save the Date; begin sponsor outreach.
• AUG — Open early registration / early-bird pricing if used; confirm catering and bar plan.
• SEP — Secure guest speaker if used; submit USFAA Chapter Grant if needed.
• OCT — General registration; finalize volunteer assignments and script outline.
• NOV–event week — Late registration if used; finalize script and seating; rehearsal as needed. (Hotel Ball: meal tokens / banquet counts as the venue requires.)

Historical hotel-Ball metrics (attendance and base ticket price for prior hotel/banquet years — not a target for Dining Out economics):

Attendance / Year	Social	Ball	Base Price
2025	28	106	$120**
2024	~50	211	$95-$125
2023	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	89*	197	$95
2021	76	185	$95
2020	108	176	$80
2019	95	223	$75
2018	??	174	$70
2017	204	246	$70
2016	-	??	??
2015	-	??	$50

* 20 guests from promotion ceremony

** Couples discount - $150 for 2

Hotel-Ball pricing often used small member / early-bird discounts and a late-registration up-charge; set the year’s fee schedule when the format and budget are locked.

Golf Event Coordinator

The Golf Event Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the annual charity golf tournament (spring). This includes securing the venue, recruiting teams, raising donations, scheduling and running the event and coordinating for volunteers to sell swag and refreshments.

5K Coordinator

The 5K coordinator is responsible for the chapter’s 5K Fun Run. Duties include securing a race route, ensuring route safety, procuring a means for tracking and publishing race times, recruiting sponsors, and coordinating volunteers to run the event.

Additional Duties

Sergeant at Arms

This informal position is primarily responsible for ensuring alcohol is not abused at our events. Although the senior NCOs and CSMs are typically expected to assist in this regard, it can be beneficial to have a designated Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure conduct is kept within reasonable tolerances.

Web Architect

The Web Architect is someone who is digitally savvy and has primary responsibility for the Chapter website (currently the Next.js site in gator-redleg-web). Additionally, they should be someone who can assist and mentor other Chapter members in using technology and advocate for new and better ways of advancing the Chapter mission.

Fundraising Chair

The Fundraising Chair primarily assists in soliciting and recognizing donors and sponsors. On the front end that involves looking back at previous sponsors and contacting them, and then ensuring they receive the appropriate Thank you notes and benefits (website recognition, brass cartridge shells, etc). When filled, this role is helpful in taking some of the load off of the event coordinator and the treasurer.

Quartermaster

The Quartermaster keeps track of the inventory of the Chapter merchandise, identifies when to order items for resupply, and coordinates for sales activities at Chapter and other Guard events. We’ve run successful merchandise tables at the Redleg Social during Saint Barbara’s Weekend, at the Ball itself, at the Softball tournament and during the National Guard Association of Florida conference. Online merchandise and related payments go through the chapter store (store.gatorredleg.org). When a resupply is necessary, it works best when the Quartermaster is able to come to the Executive Committee with a proposal of what to purchase along with a dollar amount requested for approval.

Editor in Chief (Newsletter)

The quarterly Chapter newsletter is a 2 to 4 page document highlighting the accomplishments of the Chapter as well as the training and missions of the Battalions. The purpose is to keep the Chapter members, especially our veterans and retirees, posted on the great things our Soldiers are doing. This position has been vacant for the past several years.

Social Media Moderator

As long as we have a social media presence, we need at least one person who has admin permissions and the ability to post on and moderate our page.

Regimental Historian

Although the 2nd Battalion Commander is technically the Regimental Custodian, someone needs to facilitate the day-to-day record-keeping of the Regiment. Primarily, this means tracking the honorary officials of the Regiment and maintaining the roster of Honorary and Distinguished members. Although this information should be on record at Fort Sill, it behooves the Chapter to maintain local records.

Awards

The Orders of Saint Barbara and Molly Pitcher are a significant focus for the Chapter. Although the Chapter has no formal authority regarding these awards, the Executive Board serves similar to a typical Army Awards Board, collecting the nominations, reviewing them for quality and merit, and then voting to make a recommendation to the Approval Authority (which are the two Battalion Commanders in the case of the HOSB and AOMP). We’ve used Google Forms to help facilitate the Executive Committee voting on the nominees in order to provide a recommendation. Although the USFAA does not have detailed criteria, the following notes the recommendations from the Air Defense Artillery Association as a useful guideline for what traditionally constitutes service worthy of the recognition.

Honorable Order of Saint Barbara’s

The Honorable Order of Saint Barbara recognizes those individuals who have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character; displayed an outstanding degree of professional competence; served the United States Army or Marine Corps Field Artillery with selflessness; and contributed to the promotion of the Field Artillery in ways that stand out in the eyes of the recipient’s seniors, subordinates and peers alike.

Candidates should distinguish themselves in at least two, preferably three of the following areas:

1. Longevity of service to the Regiment or the Field Artillery (6+ years)
2. Positions of Leadership and Responsibility (Platoon Sergeant and above, Battery Command and above)
3. Deployments and State Active Duty
4. Outstanding Achievement (State NCO of the Year, Top Gun Chief, etc)
5. Chapter Participation or Leadership

The ADA Association has the following criteria: Officers, Captain or above, who have served successfully as a Battery Commander for at least one year. Noncommissioned Officers, Staff Sergeant or above, who have successfully performed as a platoon sergeant or equivalent for at least one year. Warrant Officers, CW2 with one year time in grade or above, who have served successfully at the Battery level or above.

Ancient Order of Saint Barbara’s

The Ancient Order is reserved for an elite few whose long-term dedication to the Field Artillery has embodied the spirit, dignity and sense of sacrifice and commitment epitomized by Saint Barbara. It recognizes the select few who stand above their brethren of the Honorable Order in terms of conspicuous, lifetime service for or on behalf of the United States Army Field Artillery or Marine Corps Field Artillery. The Ancient Order is the more distinguished of the two levels of the Order of Saint Barbara.

The ADA Association has the following criteria: Officers, COL or above, having successfully completed at least one year of Brigade command. Noncommissioned officers of SGM/CSM rank having successfully completed at least one year of Brigade Command Sergeant Major responsibilities. Warrant Officers, at least CW4 with two years time in grade or above, having successfully completed at least one year at Brigade or above level.

Artillery Order of Molly Pitcher

The Order of Molly Pitcher recognizes those individuals who have voluntarily contributed in significant and meaningful ways to the improvement of the Field Artillery Community.

Examples include service to the Chapter, involvement with Family Readiness, or enduring support as an Artillery spouse.

Esteemed Order of Molly Pitcher

The criteria for this new award is available on the USFAA website, but reproduced here for convenience:

1. Nominees must hold the Artillery Order of Molly Pitcher.
2. Nominee or Spouse of the Nominee must be currently serving in the military (Army, Marines, Guard or Reserves) and a member of USFAA in good standing.
3. Nominees should have provided significant volunteer service at Brigade, DIVARTY, Regiment level, or higher. For example (but not limited to) advisor or leader of the units Family Readiness Programs, SFRG or other Family Support Programs.
4. Nominees should have performed significant and identifiable volunteer mentorship and leadership to other FA spouses and/or volunteers who in turn volunteer to serve the Field Artillery community.
5. Nominees should have had at least one significant volunteer position at a high level, outside of the Field Artillery, thus sharing the spirit of Molly Pitcher among a broader community. Examples might be (but not limited to)
   1. Program advisor for special communities such as Gold Star Families, Wounded Warriors and families.
   2. Representing an installation on local community advisories, such as Governor’s or Mayor’s councils, or education council for military children.
   3. Advisor for Installation-wide programs such as Army Community Services, Marine Corps Community Services, American Red Cross, or medical clinic patient council.
   4. And other higher-level organizations that benefit the Army/Guard/Marine Family at large.

Major General Kennedy C. Bullard Award

The Bullard Award is an award specific to the Gator Redlegs and was instituted during our centennial in 2017. It is an annual opportunity to recognize our high-potential junior officers and NCOs in order to better retain our future leaders. Presentation is preferred at the annual National Guard Association of Florida (NGAFL) conference; if an awardee cannot attend NGAFL, the Chapter may present the award at St. Barbara’s Ball. The Bullard Award page carries the full Standing Operating Procedures. The name and unit of the awardees get engraved on a plaque on the trophy that resides at State Headquarters in Saint Augustine. Each awardee has traditionally been presented with a take-home award in the form of a framed print of "Assault at Red Beach - Morotai Island" with an engraved plaque of their name and unit.

Format for the State Trophy:

2099

SSG Joe Snuffy, 3-116 FA

1LT Will Smith, 2-116 FA

Format for the personal award:

SSG Joe Snuffy

2099 MG Bullard Award

Gator Redlegs, USFAA

Regimental Honors

The Army Regimental System is governed by AR 870-21 The U.S. Army Regimental System, 13 April 2017. An overview of the program can be found here. Although the Chapter and the Regiment are technically separate organizations, the Chapter provides a vehicle of volunteers who can actively run the regimental program. It also provides the Chapter with additional tools for recognition, such as nominating retiring Soldiers as Distinguished Members of the Regiment or honoring significant supporters as Honorary Members of the Regiment.

The Chapter should keep track of the Honorary Colonel, Sergeant Major and Chief of the Regiment, their term of office, and when new ones need to be designated. The approval authority is the Regimental Custodian (ie - the 2nd Battalion Commander) but traditionally nominees are put forward by and voted on by the Chapter Executive Committee. These designations should go through the Field Artillery branch at Fort Sill, but their record keeping is spotty at best, therefore the Chapter should be diligent in maintaining records locally.