There are 21 people on the AMC. That means there are 21 people’s worth of paper to be printed and mailed, plane fares to be bought, meals to be ordered, hotel rooms to be paid for, etc. Every year or two, there are calls from within and from outside the AMC to reduce the number of people on the Board. And every time it is attempted, it fails. Why?
Because the attempts are done the same way: survey and discuss and rationalize which AMC members Mensa can do without. And of course, everyone you survey has a different opinion of which positions are less worthy of high status and which should be given the boot. And so there is no consensus and nothing changes.
Currently, the the AMC comprises people with specified duties, somewhat vaguely defined representatives, and a handful of extra people who are assigned tasks as needed. The 21 voting members of the AMC include the Chairman; First and Second Vice Chairmen; Secretary; Treasurer; 10 Regional Vice Chairmen; two Past Chairmen; the Communications, Membership and Development Officers; and the Director of Science and Education.
I think we’re going about it backwards.
Our organizational goals should determine our structure. We should identify the goals of the organization (the strategic plan does this) and then put in place volunteers who are empowered to make those goals happen.
MEMBERSHIP: American Mensa will be a thriving, progressive organization with members who find participation rewarding and valuable.
A. Increase membership numbers.
B. Increase member satisfaction (recognition, products, services).
C. Increase diversity within the membership.
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will provide nifty stuff for members.
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate that will get us more members of greater diversity.
GOVERNANCE: The association will be structured, governed and managed efficiently, effectively and with transparency.
A. Increase understanding about roles, responsibilities and relationships among the board of directors, committees, National Office staff and Local Groups.
B. Promote a collegial atmosphere that is supportive of approved actions and is welcoming to unique perspectives.
C. Decrease barriers to effective work and decision systems.
So for this goal, we need:
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will make it easy for other volunteers to understand and do their work.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: Leaders at every level will feel confident in their roles and will practice inspired leadership.
A. Increase the numbers of members willing to serve in elected and appointed positions.
B. Improve leader effectiveness and confidence.
C. Attract younger members to leadership roles.
So for this goal, we need:
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will inspire service and leadership from others.
PUBLIC AWARENESS: American Mensa will be recognized as an intellectually stimulating organization whose members use their intelligence to better their communities.
A. Decrease incorrect use of the Mensa brand.
B. Raise public awareness about the mission of American Mensa.
C. Increase the prestige of being a member.
So for this goal, we need:
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will monitor and correct brand use.
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will promote the coolness of Mensa.
FINANCE: Sufficient funds will exist for American Mensa to accomplish its goals.
A. Increase non-dues revenue.
B. Decrease the financial burden of protecting the Mensa name and marks internationally.
So for this goal, we need:
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will raise funds.
a volunteer to lead/coordinate/facilitate activities and policies that will make Mensa so famous internationally that it gets easier and cheaper to protect the name and marks.
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That’s eight volunteers needed, at least on the first pass. Looking again, I think some can be combined. The volunteer providing nifty stuff for members should probably be two people- it’s just too broad of an area.
Then I got to thinking about what else important gets done/guided by current AMC members that really should continue, strategic plan or not?
* Help LG officers with their local problems and questions. (RVCs, Com Officer, and Mem Officer do this currently, and actually, so do the Chairman and 1VC and 2VC)
* Get information out to members. (RVCs, Secretary, and Chairman do this currently)
* Direct the publications, print and electronic, to meet members’ desires. (Com Officer)
* Be the member responsible for money and budget preparation. (Treasurer)
* Be the buck stops here member for the ever expanding online interactive services (Com Officer)
* Bring members’ concerns to the attention of the policy-makers. (RVCs, mostly)
* Act as go-between with MERF.
So with that in mind, here is my proposed composition of an all-elected Board of Directors for American Mensa:
1) Chairman: make it easy for other volunteers to understand and do their work.
2) Service Officer: provide and oversee nifty services for members and Local Groups, including online interactive services.
3) Programs Officer: provide and promote nationally-run activities and recognition for members and Local Groups (CultureQuest®, Project Inkslinger®, Gifted Children, SIGHT, Mensa WorldConnect, awards).
4) Membership Officer: get and retain more members.
5) Leadership Officer: inspire service and develop leadership in others.
6) Marketing Officer: monitor and correct brand use, promote Mensa, and make us famous internationally.
7) Fundraising Officer: raise funds.
8) Information Officer: record and disseminate information.
9) Treasury Officer: oversee money and budget preparation.
10) Publications Officer: direct print and electronic publications.
11) Foundation Liaison: act as representative to and from the Mensa Foundation.
12) Local Group Liaison: Help LG officers with their local problems and questions and actively seek input from Local members for the Board (might have several of these, but surely we don’t need ten).
My plan does not include a clear succession, which we need, obviously. Nor did I address the notion of an ExCom or who gets to be a Nat Rep to MIL. But hey, it’s my blog, and I can spout my ideas, even if they’re only half formed.
2 comments:
I understand the logic here, but it seems that the existing 21 positions have just been redefined (as I really don't see how we could do with much less than ten RVCs/Local Group Liaisons).
Personally, I've never understood the concept of the "Past Chairman" positions. Yes, they have experience that can (and should) be shared, but if they were elected out of the Chairman position (or chose not to run again) then we simply thank them for their service and move on. (The worst case scenario is that we elect someone who really sucks at the job and have to elect three more people to that position to get them off of the Board.)
As for the rest... You've kept Membership, Treasurer, Foundation, and Communication/Information. Secretarial duties can fall under Publications. Development seems to have been split into several areas (Services, Programs, Marketing, and Fundraising), all of which do deserve a singular focus as you've pointed out (except maybe Fundraising as that can fall under the Treasurer).
Which only leaves the Leadership position, which would be perfect for a Vice Chair (we don't need two).
Maybe one or two RVC positions could be integrated elsewhere, but you are still looking at 18-19 members, which is only a 10% reduction.
I'd vote to adopt this plan (minus the Fundraising Officer).
Your plan would certainly eliminate any potential board member who just wanted to sit on the board. Your plan actually requires work of every single member, not just in a representative way, but in a tangible way. We would have less "fat" and more meat and maybe actually get something done. I like where your thinking is going - it is way past time for a change. What do you think the next step should be if the AMC really wanted to explore this type of restructuring?
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