|
President's Letter:
Paul Elvig , ICCFA president for 2007-2008
Mark Krause, ICCFA President-Elect
Steering the ICCFA to welcome the future
Just how do you manage a volunteer organization in the ever-changing world of business and personal demands? How do you respond to change in organizations such as the ICCFA? Do we manage change or does it manage us? We have asked ourselves these questions, and more, during the last six months.
After months of planning, the ICCFA Future Directions Committee met at association headquarters in Sterling, Virginia, in August to address these issues. We reported to the Board of Directors in October and plan additional meetings to complete our review of expected management needs for the next decade.
Early on, we chose to focus on the volunteer management of this association. We felt that change does not necessary mean tossing out old programs, old ideas and, yes, reliable longtime volunteers. But we also felt we needed to face the fact that the volunteer organization of today is not what it was 10 years ago.
Focusing on management and change tempts any leader to take an "I'll fix it myself" approach. After all, between us we have better than 20 years of elected ICCFA experience. We're "experts," aren't we? But is doing it that way leadership? Good management?
We felt the association would be better served if we involved members who represent the next generation of ICCFA leadership, board members who have yet to hold "higher" office. Sprinkle in a few "old-timers," and you have the makings of a real Future Directions Committee. This is what we did, and the results excite us.
When asked, newly elected vice presidents were not sure what was expected of them. (Sound familiar in your business?) So we felt written job descriptions/expectations for the elected officers and for directors were needed. We're not talking about pages of detail and hype, just a simple, "Here is what we want you to do; you need to attend these meetings; and we are looking for the following results."
We learned, again by asking, that members of the board were not sure what they should do.
"Just attend board meetings? Keep quiet during my first year on the board or speak up?" Turns out our directors were eager for direction. (Sound familiar in your business?) So we provided it: From now on, all directors will have specific responsibilities. Every board member will be assigned to a working committee and to one of the vice presidents. We are asking each director to be responsible for recruiting one new association member a year and/or to assist headquarters with membership renewals.
We view our board as a working one, an outstanding association resource. The ICCFA has adopted this working structure to keep us at the forefront of our profession. It is truly amazing to see so many leaders come together and give selflessly for our common purpose.
Space (and reader interest) will not permit reporting all results from the Future Directions Committee in this column; that will be material for a future article. We are asking the By-law Review Committee, chaired by Past Presiden tJohn Llewellyn, CCE, to consider changes where required to implement new directions. For example, we want the office of president-elect to be an active one, blended into the presidency in such a way that those who serve will have their one-year presidency encompass at least 20 months of service.
Changes were presented to and approved by the board in October. Successful businesses often make changes to things that are not broken and sometimes a new or improved way of operating becomes evident. Immediate Past President Tom Roberts, CCE, commented, "This will be an exciting trip into the future that many people are going to want to be a part of." (Sound familiar in your business?)
Paul Elvig
Mark Krause
|
