Re: PLANNING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

["K. Loberg" <iris.loberg@comcast.net>]

Jim, thank you for the correct historic information.  I always appreciate it
when facts come out.

In 1957-1970 there was no Internet, and I wonder how many managed to attend
conventions back then.

No one should compare that event, for the reasons it occured back then, with
an idea of creating an Executive Director today, whether it is a good solution
or not.

AIS has a number of elected officers.  If they're not fullfilling the role of
leadership they should be filling, then perhaps the wrong individuals have
been elected by the Board.  There are two pages of Officers, Directors, and
Committee chairs listed in the Bulletin.  Yet only a small percentage are
participating on an important forum such as this.  What does that tell us?

I agree with Bob when he says "The AIS has remained pretty much the same
despite the world changing around it. I do believe we have failed to keep up
and this is why we are becoming less relevant."
 and
"To preserve the society there will have to be a great deal of change. That
does not mean the past is forgotton but that our core values are reonforced
and brought forward to new generations they may not be touching now. To do
this the society and its board must be willing to embrace changes that become
necessary. I know that we will change, we are at present with our decline in
membership. Our challenge is to direct change in a productive way and not
simply resist it. It is already happening but we have lost control."

Kitty L.


----- Original Message -----
From: <MORRISJE1@aol.com>
To: <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:59 AM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] DISASTER PLAN (One Giant Leap For....)


All,

The AIS Executive Secretary position was held by Cliff Benson from 1957
through 1977 with free office space at Missouri Botanical Garden in St.
Louis.  The position was a full-time paid position.  Even though the
membership
was extensive at over 8,000 members, the expenses of a salary for  this
position together with publishing the AIS Bulletin for a membership dues
structure of only $7.50 annually (compare to our $25 of 2009, some 32 years
later) were way too much outgo for the amount of income.  A review of the
Treasurer's reports for 1970 on showed that AIS was going bankrupt and had to
terminate something.  That something became the Executive Secretary.   With
less than average cooperation from the sacked Benson, Carol Ramsey became  the
volunteer Secretary, dues were eventually raised and the ship was  righted.
Ups and downs are inevitable in organizations, especially  volunteer ones.
History teaches valuable lessons and change is  inevitable. .

Jim M.

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