This topic contains 19 replies, has 13 voices, and was last updated by 
JimandLinda 9 years, 4 months ago.
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This is just a suggetion. NOT trying to start a fight. I just hope that it’s taken under advisement
It is my belief that the bylaw requriements for the BOD should be modified some. In the tecno age we live in, it is not nesseary to travel 5 hrs for a meeting. I believe that when these bylaws were made, that WGA memberships at the time included a particular region of the State.
With the out of pocket expenses-cost of gas, overnight stays to attend a meeting, could deter some members for running for the BOD. The 75% rerquirement to attend functions should be also changed. Look at where the last 4 and next 3 functions were/are being held. I’d be willing to bet tthat some of the requirments deter some members from the Western & Nothern part of the state for running for the BOD.
AND NO! This is not a push to get an event north of 64.
I’m just saying the requirement are just skewed some.I agree on the meetings, and no I don’t want a event or to be on the board, I’m just cheap. As for the number attended, I’ve got no stake in it so it can change or stay no matter.
Skype is mostly free(need to find and most likely pay somehow for internet be it in coffee, hotel fees, etc) and serves its purpose fairly well. I’ve used it in a group meeting in all 3 forms, video/audio/im-chat as needed.
Its not like you are performing surgery from 1000’s of miles away so its occasional audio and video quirks are live-able. I’ve heard its possible to do multiple video feed on skype but have not investigated.
Many newer laptops have microphones/camera’s as a standard now, some desktops do but you can get a reasonable set for less than stay in a hotel room or a tank of gas.
–Mike
I’m not running for anything, I’m not lobbying for an event anywhere, and I’m not cheap, but I’m all for inclusion. I would like to see good candidates with the desire to work towards the WGA goals not be discouraged from running solely for logistical or obligational reasons.
It is nice to have everyone get together in person once a year for a BOD meeting, but it should not be a requirement. An organizational meeting could be scheduled for the same centralized location every year, with all members strongly encouraged to attend, but no one should let the inability to attend that keep him/her from running. Life happens. Work happens. Weather happens. As for the group BOD photo we all love, photoshop any missing people in, or just use individual headshots. Maybe even use a geocaching “action” shot of each member.
As for attending WGA functions, I like to see the board members at them, but quite often there are things going on that prevent everyone from coming. There are weddings, funerals, family illnesses, family obligations, birthdays, anniversaries… And distances and cost factors mentioned by Cheezehead and Splash could make others unable to come. Quite a few people work on weekends or have spouses who do, and someone needs to stay home with the kids. And what is a WGA function these days? There were 6-7 CITOs last year, the chili event, the pancake breakfast at West Bend, the campout, the picnic… That’s quite a few.
Everyone who runs for the BOD needs to consider the fact that a great amount of their time and energy will be required to serve this organization. Those who are elected who find it turning out to be too much for them can resign. Those who end up not pulling their weight can get a chance to improve or resign. I just don’t think that anyone should refrain from running for a spot on the BOD solely for reasons of cost, distance, and inability to attend many of the functions. With all of the electronic communication these days, accommodations should be made to get the best willing people on the BOD of the WGA.
I’m also not running for any position, lobbying for an event in my area, or anything similar.
As a past board member for a variety of organizations and a member of our Church Council for a number of years, I know first hand how hard it is to get everyone to attend a given meeting, event, etc. I think it’s important for the BOD’s to make an effort to attend, but distance and the costs associated can be prohibitive for many members that might otherwise make great candidates.
I’d pose this question to the current BOD’s and ask for them to provide their best guess answer. I’m not trying to put anyone on the spot but just asking a question.
What’s the percentage percentagae split of the “work” that you do for the WGA while at BOD meetings, events, etc. vs. “work” done via the online forums, time making phone calls, organizing things, etc.
Note: Chatting with other non-BOD members should not be included in this percentage (yes I know it’s important, but isn’t really “work”).
@codejunkie wrote:
I’d pose this question to the current BOD’s and ask for them to provide their best guess answer. I’m not trying to put anyone on the spot but just asking a question.
What’s the percentage percentagae split of the “work” that you do for the WGA while at BOD meetings, events, etc. vs. “work” done via the online forums, time making phone calls, organizing things, etc.
First, thanks Cheezhead for the suggestion. The current board has started discussing this.
All of what follows is my opinion which shares a common sentiment with the existing bylaws as stated.
To answer CJ’s question:
I would say for me its a 80/20 split with 80% being online and prep.
However, events don’t happen without volunteers doing things at the event. We had a great group of volunteers at the picnic this year so at that one, BOD members were not all necessary to attend and help run the event. This is not always the case. We had only a few volunteers at this years camp-out. At the winter event, it was also mostly board members running it.
Being a BOD member who attended and helped out at all the major 2010 WGA events (winter, camp-out, picnic), the cache ba$h & breakfast, and 4 WGA CITO’s (2 that I helped organize) the last thing I want is people who aren’t willing to help out at the events being added to the board.
We have a slew of people willing to volunteer “online” but when it comes to running an event, it’s about doing things in real life. Shopping for supplies. Hauling supplies. Organizing and running activities. Flipping pancakes. Signing in attendees. All of this while many people around you are having fun attending an event. I didn’t attend these events. I worked my butt off running them. I enjoyed it but it’s not for everyone.
That is what a WGA BOD member is singing on for. It’s in the bylaws for a reason. If you don’t like it, please be deterred from running and joining the BOD, by all means.
As for having a once a year board meeting in person. I take one of my children to a video-conferenced doctor. I attend conference calls day in and day out in my job. Being on the board and attending the board meeting in-person, I can tell you that this meeting would be extremely non-productive over video/tele-conference. It needs to happen in-person.
In 2010, we only had 2 “official” BOD meetings in-person. The annual meeting and a very short meeting at the cache ba$h regarding transfer of the website controls when Jeremy resigned. We’re not talking about a ton of meetings.
Geocachers inherently have some disposable income. Geocachers fuel up their vehicles and hit the road to find tupper ware in the woods. Fueling up a few times a year to help run this organization is what you sign on for when joining the board.
Perhaps that will change as technology gets better and better but right now this is my opinion.
Being on the Board is a thankless job, so thank you for sharing your input on what goes on there with us, Shane.
As per your statement: “the last thing I want is people who aren’t willing to help out at the events being added to the board”, I don’t want that either.
Being on the BOD is more than just discussions and decision-making. However, there are many people who might be willing to work at events but who are unable to attend. Perhaps the Board can have a schedule of WGA events for the year, list a minimum number of BOD members necessary to run each one efficiently, then divide that total by 9 and have individual BOD members commit to their “minimum” attendance/work at certain ones. Maybe the amount of preliminary work required can be weighted in case someone can’t attend but can do a whole lot of the prep work.As for the annual meeting in February, the convenience of where it is held would vary depending on the new Board make-up, but by the time that is known, it would be too late to book a site for the meeting. Having a permanent central location for this would make the maximum trip to the meeting shorter for any potential BOD member than if it were held in one extreme of the state or another.
But these are just suggestions on my part, just meant to get people thinking.
@-cheeto- wrote:
Geocachers inherently have some disposable income. Geocachers fuel up their vehicles and hit the road to find tupper ware in the woods. Fueling up a few times a year to help run this organization is what you sign on for when joining the board.
This may be true in someways, but with gas over $3 a gallon, I for one could not justify $100+ 6-10 hr(roundtrip) expence to the keeper of the checkbook.(AKA-Da Wife) With speaker phones and such, there really is no need to be present. I for one work weekends and part take in my wife’s flower Biz which also takes up a lot of weekends. Some cachers will do geo-road trips. Some won’t. There are free programs out there, which I have brought up to the web committee.
Hypotheticaly speaking. There is new WGA BOD and the majority of the members are from NW Wisconsin. (St.Croix Falls, Park Falls, Superior, Eau Claire, Rice Lake, Ladysmith, Grantsburg, River Falls and the rest are from Madison, West Bend and Greenbay and Platteville areas. Were do you hold the meeting? Marshfield, cuz it’s the center of the State?
Being able to travel for the BOD is really a qualification and not a nicety. WGA events, while not wholly, are predominantly staffed by board members. There are nine of us to share the load, but everybody really needs to be able to help out. The initial annual board meeting sets the tone for the entire year and many of us had never met face-to-face or had extremely limited contact. That first meeting accomplishes quite a bit over the course of nearly an entire day, so it’s no time to be a stranger. Speaking entirely for myself, a Skype conference would be a disaster, as I had to stop three times during this post alone to play with my son. Maybe for a cohesive team with a set agenda, but not for your first cotillion.
Skype was used in the past for meetings. It was often a nice excuse for not attending (“my internet wasn’t working” etc). Being on the board is a commitment, not just a title.
Not that I’m running for the BOD, but like the Majority of WGA Events, Most Northerners & Westeners are not going to travel 6-10 hrs round trip for a meeting. I for would could not attend the WGA 11′ Winter Event, the WGA 11′ Spring Event or the 11′ West Bend Event or the WGA 2011 Annual meeting. So, what it comes down to then is, if you can’t attend these WGA events, don’t even think about trying to run for the BOD. Is that the jist of all this?
Chris, It all comes down to personal choice and what a person is able to do with the resources they have. It’s a three hour one way trip for me for those events. I made it to most of them, as well as others like High Cliff that were at least that far. Lake Wissota was the closest event during my tenure and it was still three hours round trip…twice, because I was on hand during the temp hiding that still occurred at that time.
I’m not running again, but it’s not due to the commitment to take time and travel. There are many ways members can still contribute to the organization as a whole without being a board member, and that’s what I hope to do after my term is over. You are serving as well as a valuable member of the website committee. I thank you for that.
*bump for later discussion*
Following the signals from space.
ditto
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
-Henry David Thoreau
When I served on the BOD, I introduced the idea of having 3 Districts in the state: Northern, Southeastern, and Southwestern, with 2 BODs from each district and 3 At-Large positions. This spreads the responsibility to each region, and the 2 BODs in each District are responsible for organizing the floating Events as they come to their respective areas. They would also reach out to members in their district to help with WGA Events, as needed. Thus, the responsibility shifts with each Event to a minimum of 2 BODs, with other BODs helping out if they wish.
I was never a supporter of ALL 9 BODs being at ALL WGA Events, as this most definitely curbs qualified candidates from running for the BOD. An annual BODs meeting is still a good idea, as it helps each Board Member to get face time when planning the year. I know there is a ton of digital chatting that goes on weekly, if not daily, by the BODs, and that, more than anything else, is time consuming. Thankless? Maybe. But there must be some satisfaction, as current Directors are in their 2nd and 3rd terms!Jim I *bumped* this more on topic name than content. I also *bumped* the topic in a BOD thread as we have been discussing an update to the By Laws and the duties of the Officers but discussion is good as there is a lot here on the site that is valuable to the future BOD and its members.
Following the signals from space.
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