Do you have what it takes?

[Buy_The_TieParticipant]

Do you have what it takes to be an effective Board Of Directors member for the WGA?

If you are going to be on the BOD, it will require a little bit of work all of the time. The main way the BOD members communicate is with a private forum here on the WGA site. An effective BOD member will read all new posts on that BOD forum, at least 5 to 7 times a week. As a BOD member you will be forced to have an opinion on things maybe you don’t care about. You will need to stand up for what you think is best for the organization, even if the eight other people involved disagree. You will have to take criticism for decisions the BOD makes, even if you didn’t agree in the first place.

Sometimes, being on the BOD is a LOT of work and a substantial time commitment, especially before/during/after WGA events. All BOD members are expected to be in attendance for both WGA events. As a BOD member, you are expected to work at least for part of those events. Will you be happy with getting only 3 hours of caching time for the entire campout weekend? Will you be happy with only being able to see just a small part of the event location? Do you mind loading full, sopping wet garbage bags in the back of your van to take them out of the park? How do you feel about using some of your house or garage to store some of the WGA’s stuff?

Every single nit-picky detail of a WGA event needs to be taken care of, and believe me, you will be surprised as to how many little (and big) tasks there actually are.

Do you have some good ideas for the WGA? Are you too shy to bring them up? Will you get discouraged quickly if you don’t get immediate buy-in from the other BOD members? Do you have the desire to champion an idea and work it all the way through to the end? I can tell you from my years on this BOD that if an idea doesn’t have a “driving force” behind it, it will simply fall through the cracks and nothing will ever be done with it.

I know, geocaching is simply a hobby, and that we all have “day jobs” & family that have to take priority. However, do you have enough time left over in your life to dedicate to this organization? Does your job frequently take you out of town, or does it consume most of your weekends?

Do you have some money? No, really, this is a serious question. Some of the WGA events WILL be quite a drive from where you live. Remember when gas was more than $4.00/gal? You will also need to pay for your camping/hotel/park admission at the WGA events too. BOD members do NOT get to stay free, sorry. There are times when you may need to purchase something on behalf of the WGA. Repayment is always done promptly (receipts required), but often can take a couple of weeks, sometimes longer.

Being on the BOD gives you a chance to give back to the geocaching community in a real and lasting way. You will have the opportunity to guide the direction of this organization. You will get to meet more of our membership than you ever have in the past (just sign up to work the registration table).

Candidates, you don’t have to comment on this topic if you don’t want to. What I do ask you to do is give the things mentioned above some serious thought. Respectfully I ask, if you don’t think you have what it takes, please leave it to somebody who does. I would like to see this upcoming BOD be best and most active we have ever had. Remember, if you are elected, you will be expected to serve for the entire 2 years of the term.

Good luck to all candidates!

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