Clan Leadership ~ Part 1: Establishing Rules

Duties for clan leadership will depend heavily on the level of competitiveness in which you wish to play. Leaders of clans chasing a top 100 MEBC position will typically be much more involved than leaders of more laid back clans. We are going to review the different things leaders do to help create and grow successful clans. This is part one of a series. There are many things to consider as a clan leader and part one discusses establishing clan rules. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out or if you’ve been doing it for a long time, you should hopefully find something to help your clan.
As the leader, you set the tone. If you want a competitive clan, rules need to be established and enforced. A more laid back approach doesn’t always mean you aren’t competitive. Based on experiences of other leaders, it is very difficult to consistently complete point challenges and win battles if half the players in the clan are inactive. This includes players that only come into the game every few days. A 3 day gap in play can mean missing battles and point challenges completely.
Establishing rules can be tricky, especially if you are already running a clan. Enforcing rules can mean making hard choices. You don’t necessarily have to kick players if you are winning and they are participating. Tracking performance will give you a chart of who should be cut first. Keeping ineffective and/or inactive players can cause good players to leave.
Many clans adhere to a simple 3/6/9 and battle participation rule set. The 3/6/9 refers to the number of points a player is expected to score in a point challenge. Three points for 200 events, six points for 400 events, and nine points for 600 events. There other sets you see are 4/8/12 and 3/9/12. If a clan is full with 50 members 4/8/12 are the exact amounts each player needs to contribute to max out the event. It also doesn’t penalize a player for trying to get more than the minimum points and failing. If the clan isn’t full, these minimums will not max out the event. Someone will need to put up the extra and that starts with the leader and co-leaders. Plan on doing at least 3 more points, that’s one run, than what you ask from the clan. Ask the same from your co-leaders. This sets the tone for the clan. Players with dashes in a point challenge cannot collect rewards, Rovio won’t let them. Put your points up early to encourage participation. Write the minimum in the clan banner. Talk about the event in game chat.
Participation in CvC is a must. Dashes without communication to leadership should be an automatic kick. An exception could be made for a veteran teammate with a good record. Players that leave mid battle are not welcome back. Many times, losing a player mid battle will mean certain defeat, especially in small clans. Any player doing that is showing little consideration or loyalty to the team and is likely to burn you again. Some clans ask members to leave if they know they will miss a CvC or just gone for a while in general. These players are allowed to come back when ready. Hey, we all need a break sometimes.
Battle score minimums are a good way to weed out consistent under performers. Strong players may under perform because the type of level is their nemesis, like lava for example. This occasional struggle is not the concern. Watch for the players constantly scoring much lower than their counterparts. If you are losing close battles start the weeding with the chronic under performers.
Setting score minimums means tracking FP, recording final scores, doing some math, and usually making some sort of chart or spreadsheet to share with the clan. To calculate battle score percentages look at the raw FP (this is flock power without an extra bird open) and their battle score. Some clans collect the each members FP at the start of the CvC, others at the end of the battle. That is leader preference.

The formula is CvC Score divided by 100,000=X, take X divide by FP = %
For example a battle score of 68,700,000 and a flock power of 723 would look like this:
            68,700,000 / 100,000 = 687,     687 / 723 = 0.95  which is 95%

Deciding how to set the battle score minimum is tricky, especially if there is an event or if spells are allowed. Wait for a handful of players to throw for both sides. If the opponent is throwing well you may need to set a high percentage. It also allows you to see the starting average. The final percentage minimum can always be lowered so its better to start a little higher than needed.
Now you must find a way to share all the rules and spreadsheets with your clan. The in game chat is fairly limited and doesn't allow attachments. Finding an outside chat room is really key for strong clans. Clan mates can share videos for CvC, MEBC, and Hat Adventures. It's also a private place to share your battle scores. Face Book Messenger, Telegram, Discord, and Line are most commonly used. Telegram is a bit more gamer friendly with chat overlays that don't disrupt game play. It also handles large files a bit better. Depending on the makeup of your clan players you may end up with a combination of these apps. I feel it is better to have as many members as possible on outside chat. There should be a separate chat group for the leadership team and the clan. To be clear, leadership should be in both chat groups. Outside chat groups are also the only way to stay in touch with someone once they have left the clan.
Once rules are established you have to decide how you want to communicate them to your clan and new members. Posting brief expectations in the clan description is a great start. New members should be welcomed and invited to the chat group. Once in chat, you or a co-leader can go over rules. Some clans set up basic websites to display rules, clan descriptions, and battle scores. Companies like SimDif https://simdif.com/ will allow you up to 7 pages for free. Members can be referred to the website instead of having to explain the rules over and over.
One things I forgot to mention is clan name. If you are just starting a clan choose the name wisely. Political or crude clan names catch flack in chat rooms and can create recruitment difficulties. You may find yourself creating recruiting posters to paper chat rooms so make sure its something you can work with. Should you decide to change the name of your clan you will have to hand over leadership of the current clan, create the new clan with the new name, and hope all your clan mates follow.
The last major rule would be regarding MEBC participation. If you wish to reach the top 100 in MEBC your clan members must participate daily in MEBC. One way to ensure this is to implement frame requirements. At minimum there should be no white frames. (White frames can also be a tell tale sign of a clone account, especially when combined with high flock powers.) Playing MEBC and collecting once, maybe twice, will change the frame color, every player can achieve this.
The majority of players above 200 FP can score what's needed to earn 19 points per day. At 19 points per day every clan member should have no problem reaching a Gold 2 frame. Large FP players, over 800, should be able to reach Emerald level frames. While this may not be the reason a player gets kicked, it can be a deciding factor. For instance, if you are doing some nest cleaning and trying to decide between which of two players you are going to kick, consider the MEBC frame. If they have similar performance in clan events it could be difficult to choose between the two. The player with the higher frame is probably more active and more likely to improve.
As you can see, quite a lot can go into running a clan, and we are just getting started. Stay tuned for Part 2 of 'Clan Leadership' where we will discuss duties of co-leaders, having an open vs closed door, and nest-keeping tips. Thanks for hanging @ the corner with me! Till next time!
                                                                          Cheers,
                                                                              Lil Bug