Re: [AISdiscuss] Feb. PresMes

["Deatons" <deatons@earthlink.net>]

Hello Brad!  I knew there was a reason I liked you!  I honestly think you
provide a lot of clarity to the "old dogs" on the Board.  I love what you've
put out for everyone to digest - definitely 'soul food for thought'.  Except
for the fact that it is a HUGE expense that slaps everyone in the face, the
insurance cost is a very reasonable one considering what it covers.  The
Bulletin, however is another matter.  We could use less expensive paper, as
was discussed at the Fall Board meeting for a tremendous savings.  I also
think putting out a yearly publication that I think Kitty Loberg could
develop along with the photo contest - what a great way to show people these
beautiful flowers.  One or two articles along with the pictorial might just
be an outlet to bring in more interest.  Looking forward to more rabble
rousing.
Cheryl
----- Original Message -----
From: <ZEBRAIRIS1@aol.com>
To: <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 10:52 PM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Feb. PresMes


> Greetings one and all!
>
> I've read through the President's message which should be quite effective
in
> spreading alarm and chaos among us chickens.  I've also read the AIS
comments
> flowing back and forth and frankly very little of what's been said is of
any
> value in addressing either the short term problems of the AIS or the mid
and
> long term survivability of the AIS.
>
> No! the "sky isn't falling"!  No! this isn't an issue to address in a
chaotic
> manner at Portland.  And NO this doesn't need to be an organizational
> destroying social game of who can I stab in the back while protecting my
rice bowl
> and "keeping up appearances."
>
> Yes, the AIS needs a bottoms up review of all revenue sources, all
> expenditures and most of all our mission.  Let's face it folks the old AIS
is dying a
> slow death trying to preserve "tradition."  All I've heard for the last
year as
> a panacea for the AIS problems is "how do we get more members."  Well, its
> time to realize we aren't going to increase membership until the gardening
> pendulum swings back in our favor.  OUR responsibility as the AIS Board is
to
> preserve the AIS until that time comes!
>
> I've never won a popularity contest and it is too late to start working on
it
> now. Regardless, the President and Mr. Pries need to have their concerns
> taken seriously and some "fool" needs to offer an option on how to address
these
> concerns.  The best way is to identify some of the problems.
>
> Problem # 1, The leading problem within the AIS today is its Board of
> Directors because the majority of it has at least 'till now failed to
accept their
> fiduciary responsibilities for the AIS.  Even within nonprofit
organizations the
> voting Directors have fiduciary responsibilities for the financial
soundness
> of the organization.  The AIS has a significant financial problem and
every
> director needs only to look in a mirror to see the person responsible for
> correcting this problem.
>
> Problem # 2, This is the oppressive resistance to change that paralyzes
many
> long time members (and directors) and leads to overwhelming frustrations
like
> those expressed in the President's message.  We must embrace the concept
that
> change provides the opportunity to improve our services in a more cost
> efficient way without increasing our expenditures.
>
> That's enough problems so how do we digest the various conflicting issues
to
> produce a logical and coherent solution -- divide and concur!  As I
mentioned
> before we need a bottoms up review of our mission, revenues, and
expenditures.
>  Do we do this in an open meeting of the Board? Not unless our goal is to
> disillusion our remaining members and far too many of them will be in
Portland.
> We first have to agree on the need to set up something like an ad hoc
> committee to lay out a sound mission based financial plan.  The Portland
meeting could
> be used to throw out some ideas to see the response they get, but even in
> this we need to know ahead of time in what direction we want to channel
the
> discussions.
>
> A few ideas about a bottoms up review would be to identify the most costly
> services or products the AIS provides.  The two major ones jumping right
out of
> our budget are liability insurance and the bulletin.
>
> First let's evaluate liability insurance.  While a lot of us are still
hung
> up on the concept that this a benefit we are, and should, be providing for
all
> AIS functions at all levels we continue to fret about its cost.  Let's
look at
> it a bit differently by first recognizing that the liability product we
> provide is a low cost group policy that covers all affiliates, sections
and
> individual AIS members engaged in an AIS sanctioned activity.  This is a
major amount
> of financial security we provide for the whole AIS family and at an
> incredibly modest cost of $25,000.  The direct revenues collected to cover
this cost
> should be proportional to the benefit provided.  First affiliates are
primary
> users and they should be accessed a uniform fee to cover 50% of the cost.
> Another large user is the AIS convention and maybe we should earmark the
proceeds
> from the silent auction to pay another 25% of the cost.  The last group of
users
> is individual members and maybe the last 25% be allocated from membership
> dues.
>
>
> Okay! Calm down!  The point of the above was only to show that in a
bottoms
> up review we tie services to actual users and then proportionally "charge"
them
> according to their usage.
>
> I'll have to let the bulletin go for now because I'm too tired to
continue.
>
> Good Night to all!
> Brad
>
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