It's My Blog, so It's Ok to Brag

This year, I was honored with a National Certificate of Appreciation (for my work on the Volunteerism Task Force and the LG Communications Guide).

This makes me the only person who has been given every National Award (except the "Lifetime Membership," which is rarely given because most super-volunteers are already Life Members, as am I).

National Chairman’s Award 2005, 2009, 2022

National Service Award 2006

Distinguished Service Award 2014

Margot Award 2019

National Certificate of Appreciation 2023

I’ll never be a Sturgeon, Salny, or Remine, but I guess I’ve done some stuff.

Getting Stuff Done- Setting Goals and Rewards for Myself

I’m occasionally asked “How do you get so much done? Do you ever sleep?”

Yes, I sleep. And I eat and shower and keep the house relatively tidy. The key is that I’m hyper organized and a list-maker.

As Communications Officer, I keep two running lists on my little desktop notepad application: A TO-DO list for my several Mensa functions and a WHAT I DID list for the same categories.

As I think of things, or read questions or comments on various threads, I jot down action items for my To-Do list. For example, I might read a post from a LG Webmaster expressing a wish for a clickable owl icon that would lead to the Group’s Steemit account so their members can participate and earn money for the Group. I'd add “Clickable owl for LG Steemit account” to my To-Do list. A conversation at an RG hospitality might result in “Develop training for how to moderate a Mensa Connect community.”

Some of the items on my To-Do list are tiny, such as “Ask staff to confirm the ACE Awards are gone.” Some items are large: “Establish clear guidance on local group the websites & social media.” Some are medium: “Discuss Bulletin advertising policy update ideas with Staff and Marketing Officer” and “Find a spreadsheet guru for the Volunteerism Task Force project.”

I have an overall goal of doing at least something for Mensa every day. As I sit at my computer noodling around unproductively, I’m constantly seeing the To-Do list and scrolling through it to find a task that is the right size for my mood and energy at the moment. Sometimes I’m just not feeling super productive, so I pick an easy one like dashing off a “Hey Charles, whatever happened to the ACE Awards?” email. Somedays I’m swirling with ideas and energy and tackle a larger thinking and writing project. Occasionally, all I manage to do is bump a discussion post in one of my committees so it will get noticed again.

Some of the items on the To-Do list can be broken down into smaller steps. “Find a spreadsheet guru for the Volunteerism Task Force project” becomes “Draft ad for Volunteer Marketplace,” “Send ad to staff to upload” “Ask Staff if there have been any applicants,” “Review applicants and contact them with a yay or nay,” “Ask Staff to add new spreadsheet guru to the Vol Task Force.” Lots of tiny, doable tasks that I can reward myself for.

Which brings me to my second list—the WHAT I DID list. This is my reward—being able to add a bullet point of accomplishment. 

Here’s October 23-November 23, 2021 (yes, this covers only a single month):

Communications Officer 

• Asked CB to confirm that ACE Awards are no longer and to update the website accordingly.
• Asked past Comm Officers what they know about Com3
• Some back and forth with Tim V and staff about a couple members not being able to  have access to their regional MC community. Responded to the people who’d been suspended from the Region 8 MC—basically told them it’s not my bailiwick.
• Dug into whatever became of Com3, which is still listed in the TOS for MC.
• Reviewed Nov/Dec Bulletin
• Teleconference with staff and Vogt about MC issues and needs.
• Mucked around learning how to be an admin on MC.
• Long phone call with CommComm member about ideas and training materials.
• Drafted intro post to new MC community for admins. Leanred that there is great need for manuals and training.
• Two hour zoom call with staff to learn how to be a super admin.
• Participated in a Meet the AMC session at HalloweeM.
• Consulted with Lead MC Moderator on improved wording for automated moderation messages.
• Sent a letter to LG communications people covering return addresses, communication preferences, and using MC for sharing content fodder.
• Curated library content of Pubs Officer MC community.
• Long productive video conf with IT and Comm staff regarding many topics: Mensa Connect use, training, & promotion; AML’s servers and PHP upgrade plans; Wordpress sites on and off the AML server, LG Editors’ software & content; how the NO can safeguard LGs’ Facebook presence if the member who created it stomps off in a huff; and Website organization.
• Checked back and closed out on suggestions made for onboarding email to editors.
• Nudged CB again for a few things on the September and October request list.
• Helped several editors find the library section of their MC community.
• Began editing & updating MC TOS.
• Attended AMC meeting in Charlotte & presented an LDW on Communications.
• Created graphic explanation of Comm Pref options.
• Asked Writer’s SIG for contributions to the Editors' library.
• Worked with RVC2 to draft a document of members’ rights & responsibilities.
• Responded to more inquiries about Oral History Project communications.
• Filled out form to do a M&G session at the 2022 AG.
• Clarified newsletter indicia information and LG membership directory rules for LG Editors.
• Wrote article about Mensa Connect for Bulletin.
• Began clarifying regulations about Known Office of Publication for LG newsletters using periodicals permits.
• Discussed policy on advertising in the Bulletin with Marketing Officer and Bulletin editor.
• Attended Webinar on using WordPress.

Communications Committee

• Added Michael F.
• Tweaked draft of Editors Survey
• Michael conducted a 4 question PHONE survey of all 124 LocSecs to find out what software is used for newsletters, what SM venues are used, and a bit about LG websites. Results are interesting and generating many items on the growing To-Do list.
• Created a training video on the basics of using Mensa Connect.
• Began creating training videos on the basics of Administrating/Moderating Mensa Connect.

 Volunteerism Task Force

• Reviewed an old LDWs on the topic.
• Reframed some questions topics and posted to get everyone back on task. Bumped a few times.
• Looked at massive data pull staff did to correlate each groups’ geographical square milage and general population density.
• Generated and refined a list of volunteer role categories in Mensa.
• Reviewed and re-posted questions the TF wants to answer.
• Drafted Vol MP ad for a spreadsheet wizard.
• Wrote up more reviews of LDWs.
• Drafted scale for RVCs to use to rank their groups’ volunteerism levels.
• Wrote up summaries of two more articles.
• Discussed AML’s current “Volunteer management system” with Trevor.
• Asked RVCs to rank their groups volunteerism levels.
• Created second draft of formal report so far.

Blushing

I'm touched and honored and pleased to know that despite how it feels sometimes, my hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Hat Juggling

Wow, it's been forever since I posted anything.

But I have been plenty busy with my three main Mensa responsibilities: Exec Editor of the Foundation's Mensa Research Journal, Chair of the MIL Name and Logo Protection Committee, and AML's Officer Guide Coordinator. I still proctor for my Local Group now and then, too.

Minds Like Concrete

Matt pointed me to this interesting article a few days ago: How Facts Backfire. 

Seems that despite we geniuses saying we want facts and transparency, research shows that adding facts and logic strengthens one’s resolve to believe what he or she already believes, even when wrong.

The article says:

“...We often base our opinions on our beliefs, which can have an uneasy relationship with facts. And rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they fit better with our preconceived notions. Worst of all, they can lead us to uncritically accept bad information just because it reinforces our beliefs. This reinforcement makes us more confident we’re right, and even less likely to listen to any new information.”

In an NPR interview In Politics, Sometimes The Facts Don't Matter ,  Researcher Brendan Nyhan, University of Michigan, explains that this strengthening of beliefs when confronted with accurate but conflicting information is a natural defense mechanism to avoid cognitive dissonance.

(Here’s his paper, When Corrections Fail: The Persistence of Political Misperceptions )

As an avid reader of arguments and discussions on the Forums and on the various Yahoo elists, I certainly see this phenomenon over and over. I think that is one reason Rick Magnus’ proposed amendment failed at the ABM… no matter how much documentation and information TPTB makes available, if it doesn’t corroborate the theories already held by the ones demanding transparency, they will just insist that TPTB is still hiding something.

Are even we thoughtful, educated Mensans really that shallow that we can’t swallow our pride and change our views when we have corrected information? And if we do change our minds as a result of new information and contemplation, are we going to be seen as just flip-flopping for political gain? 

AMC versus Local Service

I've been reading some discussion about how AMC members fade away from participation in their Local Groups when they move up an on to the national level. Just because I can't resist, I thought I'd share the local positions I've held in recent years-- and if you look, you'll see that many of them overlap with my time on the AMC:

Editor (ChiMe, Chicago Area Mensa) 2001-2003; 2005-2006
Publications Officer (Chicago Area Mensa) 2002-2003; 2006-2007
Webmaster (Chicago Area Mensa) 2002-2003
LocSec (Chicago Area Mensa) 2003-2006
HalloweeM Co-Chair (Chicago Area Mensa) 2008-present
AGOG Chair (Chicago Area Mensa) 2007-present
BFD Co-Chair (Chicago Area Mensa) 2008-present
Proctor 2008-present

NomCom (AML) 2004
Communications Officer (AML) 2004-present

I'm no saint; I am one of the fortunate few who doesn't have to work outside the home and I am free to spend much of my time doing what I enjoy, which is usually doing Mensa stuff. Sometimes it's work; sometimes it's fun. Most of the time it is satisfying. And it does require sacrifices: My husband sometimes has to take a day off from work to watch kids so I can go to a meeting, and I have to kennel my dog, which is a runs me at least a grand each year for AMC-related travel.

What Committees Am I on this Term?

Chairing:
Communications
LG Service & Funding
LG Charter

Liaison:
Gifted Children
Research Review

General Member:
Finance
Marketing
Licensing
SIGs Advisory
Name & Logo

Looks like I won't get bored for at least another year!

Committees & Time

More Questions from Campaign Season:
What national committees would you want to be on, and why?
By fiat, I’m the Chair of the Communications Committee and a member of the Marketing and Name & Logo Committees. Traditionally, the Communications Officer is also on the Finance Committee, since I am responsible for two of the biggest budget areas.

Everything else I’m on Is because I’m really interested in it or because the Chair has requested that I be on it: Gifted Children, LG Study, LG Charter, and SIGs Advisory.

That's a total of eight committees.

How many hours a day do you expect to be able to devote to Mensa tasks?
I don't work outside the home, so my time is flexible. Somedays I spend only half an hour checking Mensa email and forums— other days, like when I'm working on a big project, I might spend four or five hours on Mensa tasks.

Secret Ballots and That WG Funding Vote

Here’s another couple questions posed to candidates this past spring:
Did you vote in favor of casting the secret vote re: funding the extra days for the AMC at the WG? Why? (Note: I am not asking what your vote on the funding itself was.) And for those that were not on the AMC at the time, would you have voted in favor of casting the secret vote as per above had you been on the AMC at the time? Why?

No, I did not vote “yes” on the motion to make that a secret ballot.

The entire AMC votes to approve AG bids. When the AMC awarded the 2010 AG, they voted 14-6 to hold the discussion in closed session. Those voting against the closed session were Lederman, McBean, Kinder, Kuyper, O'Connor, and Crawford. Do you think the AG bid discussion should have been held in closed session? Why or why not?

Well, obviously I didn’t think it should have been discussed in closed session, although I didn’t feel very strongly in that particular case.

Secret ballots are useful if the voting is about a specific personal issue that may result in a slap to someone. For example, if we’re voting to remove Gertrude from office, I don’t want Gertrude to know if I vote to keep her or to can her—if I knew that she was going to know how I voted, I’d be less able to vote based purely on what I think is best for Mensa and more likely to allow my value of her friendship (or our enmity) to influence my choice. In the case of the AG bids, it’s hard to talk candidly and possibly critically about projects that members have put so much of themselves into when those members are in the room and their hearts are on their sleeves where we can see them. It’s kind of like always having the firing squad include one blank bullet. If someone is likely to get hurt by the outcome, then a measure of privacy in the implementation seems reasonable.

But on other things, I don’t have a problem being open. The argument that a secret ballot lets us vote based on how we really feel rather based on political considerations doesn’t make sense to me. In a representative body, we should be voting based on political considerations. If the folks I’m representing want me to vote X, then that’s how I should vote. If I consistently vote in opposition to what the majority of members prefer, I won’t get re-elected/appointed; which is as it should be. As it happened, for that particular issue I polled my constituency—the Editors and Webmasters, as well as members of my Local Group, to find out their thoughts on the extra nights at the WG. Even though the majority thought that the AMC should be in attendance all five days and that our expenses should be covered accordingly, once at the table I attempted a compromise: if you read the minutes of that meeting, I moved to amend the original motion to say that the AMC would get only the gala banquet paid for in addition to the normal 3 nights and meals.

My Mensa Resume

I’ve been a member for over 35 years. Although very active for my first few years of membership, I didn’t discover the satisfaction that comes with volunteering until about ten years in. Since then, I’ve done quite a lot:

Local (Chicago Area Mensa)

Editor 2001-2003; 2005-2006, 2010, 2023
Publications Officer 2002-2003; 2006-2007
Webmaster 2002-2003
LocSec 2003-2006
LDW Co-Chair 2005
Aspects of Humor Colloquium Committee 2007
HalloweeM Co-Chair 2008-2010
AGOG Chair 2007-2010
Book & Film Discussion Co-Chair 2008-2009
Proctor 2008-2014
NomCom Chair 2009-2010

Regional
LDW Co-Chair 2005

National (American Mensa)
Nominating Committee 2004

AMC Communications Officer 2004-2011; 2021-2023
Communications Committee 2004-2011 (Chair); 2021-2023
Name & Logo Committee 2004-2011  (Chair 2010-2011), 2021-2023
Marketing Committee 2004-2011, 2021-2023
Finance & Audit Committee 2004-2011
Licensing Committee 2004-2006, 2008-2011
50th Anniversary Committee 2005-2006
Local Group Chartering Committees / Task Forces (3) 2005-2009 (Chair 2009)
Local Group Funding Committee 2006-2007 (Chair)
Local Group Study Task Force 2007-2008
Psychology of Humor Colloquium Committee 2007
Gifted Youth Committee 2007-2011  (AMC Liaison 2007-2011)
Gaming Colloquium Committee 2008-2011
Local Group Services & Funding Task Force 2008-2011 (Chair)
Research Review Committee 2008-2009
SIGs Advisory Committee 2008, 2010, 2021-2023
Interviewed by Leslie Stahl for CBS Sunday Morning 2009
Governance Task Force 2010 (Report Creator)
Governance Blueprint Task Force 2011-2012 (Chair)
Handbook Coordinator / Officer Guide Coordinator 2001- 2013

National Awards Committee 2014–Present (Chair 2019-2021)
Volunteerism Task Force 2021-2022 (Chair & Initiator)

Strategic Planning Committee 2021–2024
 
Mensa International
Name & Logo Committee 2008-2014 (Chair 2013- 2014), 2023-2024
Internet Policy Advisory Committee 2010-2011

News Team 2022-2024 (Chair)

Translation Project Team 2023

Director of Administration 2024–Present

Acting Chairman April 2025–

Mensa Foundation
Organized and implemented efforts and events that raised $4,000 for CAM Scholarship and $11,000 for Helen Kupper Scholarship
Recorded a podcast for Conversations With Mensa
Drafted memo of understanding clarifying roles and funding regarding gifted youth programming
Exec Editor of MRJ 2012- 2014

Awards
3 Publication Recognitions Program Awards 2002
6 Publication Recognitions Program Awards 2003
Chicago Area Mensa Short Term Service Award 2004
National Chairman’s Award 2005
National Service Award 2006
Chicago Area Mensa Long Term Service Award 2007
National Chairman’s Award 2009
Distinguished Service Award 2014
Margot Award 2019

National Chairman's Award 2022

National Certificate of Appreciation 2023

I am particularly proud of the Policy and Guidelines for Administrators of Internet Communication Services (affectionately referred to as “the elephant”), the growth and success of the forums, the LG Funding report and subsequent subsidy increase, the Name & Logo Workbook, and later the MIL Name, Logo, & Licensing Manual, improvements in the Mensa Bulletin,  the Governance Task Force Report, and the Local Group Services & Funding Report, the Volunteerism Task Force Report, and the Local Group Communications Guide (replacing the ~20 year old Editors' Handbook).

I started AML's presence on Facebook, and for many years was still the official owner of the group, which was not known to many of the participants and led to some amusing online conversations when the first to-moderate or not-to-moderate storms swirled.

Fun Facts
I like Oxford commas, Sam Adams beer and smoky scotch, English history, and sparkly nail polish. I drive a Volkswagon bug with eyelashes and rhinestones. I hate sorting socks. I have a dragon tattoo and absolutely no regrets about getting it. I am amazed at how much writing I have to do on a daily basis. I am happy that I'm old enough to have personal permission to throw away the purple Sweettarts just because they taste icky. After raising twins (Mensans), I got divorced in 2020 and now live comfortably in the cornfields west of Chicago.