AMC Meeting July 10, 2021

 So I’m home and recovered from my first AMC meeting of this term (as Communications Officer).

I was super pleased with how this board looks to be functional and even in the after-meeting schmoozing, got no sense of any particular factions  forming. The Marketing Officer, Tabby, and the Membership Officer (Kimberly) and I spent a lot of time talking together and we all seem to be on the same page as far as working and communicating together since really, most of what we do overlaps significantly. I think the three of us are going to be a very good cohesive team, which is fantastic.

I definitely got the feeling that I was wanted and welcome and valued by the others. I may no longer have a vote (not even on the committee I chair!) but I’m not worried that I won’t be treated and listened to with respect. I think we’ll be able to, as they say, get shit done.

I was amused a couple of times as people mentioned high priority concerns that should be tended to. One person wanted to look at how Local Groups are funded in order to incentivize them to do more for their members. I chuckled and said "I did that already, down to the granular level of how many pennies per member per month for what. Remind me when we get home and I can send you that report” (which no one seems to even know exists). Later, Lori asked me to help with the updating Officer Handbooks project. “Sure, I have those all done already. Ping me to send you all the files.” Another example of useful stuff that all got shelved because of politics back in the day.

All in all, I have high hopes for this term.

She's Back!

And so it begins... again

 I just wrote this advice to new AMC appointees and figured I'd post it here to remember it:

Brush up on basic parliamentary procedure, prepare many pocket folders and email folders and dedicate a spiral notebook for  notes when members call you with their brilliant “Somebody should…” ideas. Staying hyper organized is the key to not getting overwhelmed and tangled up by all the threads you’ll have to keep straight. Also, lean on your staff people; they have answers and access to more useful information and data than you can imagine.

Another piece of advice I have to offer from the been here done this perspective… you will often hear people refer to Mensa leadership as "herding cats.” This is not an accurate description. Instead, imagine yourself driving a conestoga wagon, holding the reins of a thoroughbred race horse, a Clydesdale, a mule, a Jack Russel terrier, a dolphin, and falcon. You have an ox yoked to the back and pulling in the opposite direction, and a pack of hyenas howling at you along the way.

Let the horses do their thing with minimal interference, give the mule a carrot, take the terrier out to piddle and chase rabbits now and then, listen to the wisdom of the dolphin, pay attention to the perspectives of the falcon, distract the ox, and shrug off the hyenas. And be patient; you’re driving a covered wagon, even when it looks like a Tesla.

Mensa is TOO Tolerant

Over and over I see conflicts between members-- in person or online. These conflicts occasionally escalate to the Hearings Committee level. More often than not, hands are wrung and nothing is done about anything because Mensa strives to be accepting and tolerant of everyone's beliefs and personality quirks and views.

I stumbled across this post on Facebook long ago, but it's worth reading and digesting again.

Budgeting in 2020

Dang, it's been a while since I wrote anything here!

There is some discussion on FaceBook about the budget topic on the upcoming AMC meeting. I added my 2¢.

It should be kept in mind that a budget is a spending/saving PLAN, not an inflexible mandate. Sometimes, plans have to change.

I might budget my money in order to afford to attend the AG,but should my house get struck by lightning in May and I need to replace my roof, I damned well better nix the AG expenditure from my budget or else change my holiday gift shopping to socks only. Likewise, should I win the lottery in August, I’m not a fiscally irresponsible person if I then change my budget to include a splurge on attending a gathering in Europe.

The AMC back long ago PLANNED to toss a lot of money back into the Life Members pot. I was on that AMC. Heck, I was in on the whole slippery slope process of the lawsuit that got us in this mess. I’m also a life member-- one of those pre-paid folks the money was borrowed from. Subsequent economic circumstances and spending priorities seem to have made those aspirations of refilling the coffers within 14 years a no-go.

I’m perfectly ok with the AMC approaching their budget as a well-intentioned, realistic PLAN for the year. I’m ok with building flexibility into the ASIEs and Bylaws. I’m even ok with the organization officially being in the red... for a while. But I absolutely think the budget should include a greater priority on restoring  some savings cushion (call it “equity restoration,” “Life members fund,” or “cash under the mattress”) for the next rainy day.

There will be one. The fires in Australia, the stock market crashing, and this current pandemic should have taught even non-Mensans that lesson.

Put in place whatever rules you need for flexibility, but figure out how to save some money and do it.

Margot Award

It's been forever since I  posted here and I suspect few will ever see this, but it seems a fitting bit of personal Mensa news to include.




I guess the stuff I've done all these years wasn't unnoticed :-)