The ARRL 2020 Annual Report has been posted and is available to download. The report summarizes ARRL program and fiscal activity for the year.

In his introductory remarks, ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said that 2020 was a difficult and challenging year for ARRL. “The coronavirus pandemic changed everything, from the way we socialized, to the way we worked, to the way students learned,” Roderick wrote. “Events we look forward to every year were canceled and the future seemed uncertain. Hamfests, club meetings, and other gatherings looked different, as videoconferencing became the new way to conduct business and get together.”

Roderick said ARRL remained determined to overcome any obstacles in order to serve its members. “Due to the pandemic and state-imposed work restrictions, ARRL Headquarters closed and employees suddenly had to adjust to working remotely,” he recounted. “ARRL staff banded together and kept things running for our members. I’m proud of our staff for how quickly they adapted and worked together as a team. They made the shift to working from home as seamless as possible, and they continued to develop new products and services.” He went on to explain that these new services “included things like the ARRL Learning Network webinars, allowing members to expand their radio knowledge from home through video seminars from industry experts, and the At Home virtual events held by the Marketing department, providing ARRL staff with an opportunity to engage with members and give video tours of W1AW through a new online platform. They did a remarkable job!”

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, who came aboard in 2020, said he feels ARRL’s new ideation process is proving successful. “Stemming from an authentic interest and need to become more inclusive as a community, especially to newly licensed hams, our members have great ideas about how ARRL could be doing things better,” Minster said. “To expand upon that culture of collaboration, we now have a web page and email address where members can send their thoughts and well-formatted ideas about changes to ARRL programs and services to the management team for consideration. This process has enjoyed early success, and we look forward to much greater interaction with members in the future.”

Two major initiatives came to fruition — in January with the introduction of On the Air magazine, and in February with the inauguration of the ARRL Volunteer Monitor Program. 2020 marked the first time when both QEX and NCJ were available digitally.

The 56-page Annual Report recounts and summarizes the activities of all ARRL departments and includes a complete 2020 fiscal report. ARRL ended 2020 with 158,494 members, which was ahead of its goal for the year.