Re: AGA management direction

["David Lass" <davidlass@villasunscape.com>]

Could not agree more.
David
----- Original Message -----
From: <MichaelAngelaH@aol.com>
To: <aga-mcm@thekrib.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 14, 2000 3:24 AM
Subject: AGA management direction


> Erik,
>
> You have taken on the difficult task of Chairman of the AGA at a time when
> the organization has reached a turning point (a point of positive growth,
I
> hope).  For the last two weeks I have been preoccupied with my own club's
> show ( I was co-show chairman and am also the president of my local club,
and
> somehow have now become involved on the formation committee of the new Mid
> America Council of Aquarium Societies) and with my boss being in the
hospital
> (doing two jobs at work) so I have not had time to respond to your first
> letter. Sorry.  I know how frustrating that can be when you ask a question
> and it seems no one answers. I will try not to let it go that long again.
>
>  I have been thinking about the by-laws, the SC/MC relationship, and the
> organizational direction of the AGA since Karen brought it up at the Falls
in
> 1998.  I have come up with a few ideas, but have had little time to put
them
> down in writing.
>
> I'll give you a brief summary:
>
> There are several successful national clubs out there that can serve as a
> model without our having to "reinvent the wheel".  Not just fish hobby
clubs
> like the ACA, the ALA or the AKA, but also several other national bodies
for
> other non-profit groups (various gardening groups come to mind), not to
> mention any corporation you care to name.  They all run basically the same
> way.  I have just been through re-incorporating my own local club, and I
can
> assure you it is not a fun job.  The attorney's really do earn their
money.
>
> Basically, it comes down to having a general membership elected body which
> has voting power, and a separate group of committee heads which report to
the
> elected body.  The elected body should be a small, fixed number of persons
> specifically spelled out in the By Laws.  This number cannot be changed
> without a majority vote of the membership ammending the By Laws.  These
are
> the people charged with minding/spending the membership's monies. This
would
> be the Board of Directors.   I would suggest a group of 6 to 8; a
President
> (or Chairman), a Vice-President (or VVice-Chairman),  a Treasurer, a
> Secretary, and two to four "members at large".  I would have them each
serve
> a two year term.  Half of them would come up for election each year.  This
> would avoid the potential for a whole new group of leaders to come in and
no
> one have any idea what is going on.  The duties of each position would be
> spelled out in the By Laws.  I would not limit the number of terms which a
> person could serve. At least two of these people, the Treasurer and I
would
> suggest the President, should have the "power of the purse."   They should
> also be bonded, an inexpensive insurance against any posssible problem
that
> could possibly arise. This all needs to be very specifically spelled out
in
> the By Laws.
>
>  The President (chairman) would have the power to replace anyone who
resigns
> or who cannot perform the duties of their office.  Replacing a Board
member
> who doesn't want to leave, but who is causing harm to the organization,
> requires a vote of the entire Board. A replacement would then be appointed
by
> the President.  Either way, this position would then be filled at the next
> election by another candidate who would serve the remainder of the term of
> the former board member.  This Board should have a specific "meeting"
date,
> when the President would spell out the current business to the board, and
the
> board would have a specified time (say 7 days) to respond.   They would
each
> have a specified Committee chair or chairs (from the current MC) who would
> report directly to them, and they would in turn report it to the Board.
>
> Since this group is responsible for all of the membership's monies, the
> membership should (and possibly, legally, in a non-profit corporation
must)
> have the right to vote for their representatives on the Board.  The
positions
> of committee chairs can be filled as needed by appointment  of the
President,
> with the advice and consent of the Board.
>
> I realize this response was a little lengthy, but as I have just been
through
> it locally, and it looks like I'm going to be doing it here in the mid
> west/mid south, I thought I would share some of the ideas with you. Since
I
> have the experience, I should also volunteer to be on the committee that
> writes the By-Laws.  These would then have to be approved by our current
> leadership (SC/MC) and then by a vote of the membership.
>
>  By the way, the committee chairs would be given budgets which could be
spent
> without the Board having to approve every little expense, which can become
> quite tedious.   They would not have a voting position, unless they were
also
> one of the members of the elected Board, but would be able to suggest
ideas
> to the Board.  I would also let them in on the discussions of the Board
to
> let them give comments on the areas that pertain to their committee
> specifically, and to the membership in general.  This is also a great way
for
> members of the Board to stay in contact with other members outside of
their
> regular contacts.  There I go getting wordy again, sorry.
>
> Good nite,
>
> Mike
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