[ SHOWGSD-L ] GSDCA & WDA BOARD MEETINGS - I WAS THERE :)
- From: pdragon4@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:35:38 -0500
hi,
well i will comment on the board meetings since i attended some of
both. be forewarned that i didn't take notes so you will have to wait
for the board-a-gram for details. both board meetings were at the same
hotel so i tried to go to a bit of each one. the wda met friday evening
and all day saturday. the parent club budget & finance committee met
friday (and maybe some thursday evening - i'm not sure) and the full
board met all day saturday and sunday morning.
the part of the wda board meeting i attended concerned by-law changes -
an important function that keeps a club headed in the right direction.
the meeting was a bit more formal than a parent club board meeting (but
as evan says - there is nothing wrong with that) the board members
seem to be very dedicated to their club and the sport. parts of the
meeting i didn't get to hear included a discussion on being financially
responsible and frugal with club funds (something i also heard about at
the parent club board meeting), a vote on the new executive committee,
and a report on the search for a new location for the 2010 north
american sieger show (they are looking at sites in georgia & virginia).
i was also told that there was board support shown for the parent club
and wda working together. i was very glad to hear this since i had
previously heard rumors about conflict between the two groups. just
goes to prove that you shouldn't listen to rumors :) i met most of
the wda people for the first time and they were very friendly and eager
to answer all my "stupid" questions.
first i want to say that there was a lot to cover and tish walker ran
her first meeting as president well.
the parts of the parent club board meeting i attended on saturday
included a report by the budget & finance chairman, ken downing. the
2007 audit has been or is soon to be finished (it was early & i'm not a
morning person). it shows a loss of club revenue of about $60,000. ken
explained how this occurred and it all made sense. nothing is missing
i just don't understand things like business depreciation and such.
one reason it has taken so long to get the 2007 audit finished is that
we've changed auditors. the new auditors are also working on the 2008
audit now. because we have less money than we thought, the committee
chairs have been asked to trim budgets and to think outside the box (
for instance the rescue committee is going to raise funds to print the
rescue calendar with a cgc test at the national)
WE ARE GETTING A NEW CLUB ROSTER THIS YEAR. it will be included in one
of the reviews (another thinking outside the box cost cutting idea)
tish has reorganized some committees & created a new one. rita sandell
is chair of the PR & Meet the Breed Committee - there are 2 meet the
breed events our parent club participates in each year and tish felt
not enough attention was given to them so that is now part of the PR
committee and will get more attention. rita's committee may also be
able to assist with advice for meet the breed events that local clubs
do. tish created a new volunteer chairman position and nanci nellis
was selected. so, she'll coordinate parent club volunteers when they
are needed (so call her or e-mail her if you want to help and she'll
let you know what you can do)
bill needs more help next year at the national. so volunteer now! he
also needs more trophy donations. so he is dividing the u.s. into 9
regions and will have regional trophy chairs. he hopes that will
generate more donations. he said that in salt lake in 2011 agility will
be outside under a tent, herding will be on site, obedience will take
place in two buildings, and tracking will include a seminar for a money
making event (again thinking outside the box)
helen gleason gave her education chair report. she is another board
member that works hard. if you want to see some of what she has already
done to help clubs and individuals learn more about our breed go to the
parent club web site and see what she and her committee have done to
get educational information to us all. at the salt lake national she
wants to try a different approach to education -- after conformation
judging is over one day she will organize an agility invitational in
the main ring. it will be a chance to showcase agility and give all
there an introduction to agility trials. the next year obedience could
be highlighted, then working dog sport, then rally. you get the idea.
she also shared the ideas her committee has for the judges education
seminar at the national.
carol moore is the new futurity chair. she gave a very thorough report
( trends in past futurities like attendance and profit/ loss info) boy
are we lucky to have her working as this chair. i am sure she would
love to get input from people who have ideas on how to improve things
and from people who are willing to work. diane silver strasser(not sure
if i spelled that right) is now taking over litter nominations from
laura gilbert. we have a new superintendent for 3 clubs and the rest
will superintend their own futurities.
the board went into closed session after lunch for one item and then
the meeting was opened for visitors again.
committee chairmen's recommendations for who should be on their
committees were all approved.
saturday night there was a cocktail hour that people from both boards
and all visitors were invited to attend. it was nice to see everyone
interacting and meeting new people.
sunday morning the parent club board meeting continued. several of the
wda board members and their visitors attended sunday morning's meeting.
the executive committee was voted on (lanalee, bill b., ken d. and dean
w.), membership is down & this was discussed. carol moore said she
called those in texas who didn't renew & most of them said they had
forgotten and were going to renew again - board members said they would
be calling others who hadn't renewed yet too. lamar talked about the
need for local clubs not only to have insurance but also additional
insurance for club board members so they can't be sued personally. he
also said he felt that clubs should consider bonding their treasurers (
other board members pointed out that this can get expensive and perhaps
only clubs with large treasuries might want to do this). there was
some discussion about the grand champion titles and mixed breeds being
allowed to enter akc performance events.
nancy harper is chair of a new committee that will do the initial work
for the 2013 sv world show that we will host. it will be held in
conjunction with our national. THIS IS A BIG DEAL. there will be
competitors from all over the world and we'll have a chance to see some
of the top dogs from many countries. it's going to be a lot of work and
the parent club and wda will be working closely together on this.
these things are usually held in football stadiums in other countries
and for tracking they need 1,500 acres. like i said this is a big deal
and a great opportunity for us. the site should be chosen by the april
board meeting and nancy and her committee will be going full steam
ahead. they will need our help -- so let her know you are willing to
work and help out any way you can.
zoe is the person in charge of updating the policy and procedure
manual. that's a big job for her and her committee. she has come up
with the idea of archiving the only p & p material. this will make the
new p & p manual smaller and more user friendly. she had the full
support of the board with this idea.
bob moore is the new products chair. he gave a great report. he is
also thinking outside the box (we heard this phrase a lot and many
answered the creative challenge) and has found out that some suppliers
will make & ship products only after we have a buyer for the item. this
means the product chair will not have to store a huge inventory & the
club won't have to buy products until after they are sold (except for
the national). this is a great way to save club funds. bob also showed
the board a new product - a rain jacket with the club logo. they will
be really nice and we should see them soon.
now, on to the topic that proved to have the most lively discussion --
white shepherds. there are 3 white shepherd clubs in the u.s. one
wants to remain with the parent club, one wants to set up the white
shepherd as a separate breed (at least one country in europe has done
this) and i'm not sure what the 3rd club wants. the club that wants a
separate breed sent a letter out to all parent club members (we've
discussed that already on the list.) well a representative from that
club spoke to the board to give them a status report. she said the akc
has asked the parent club to write a letter supporting the idea of the
white shepherds becoming a separate breed. thats when the lively
discussion began. it was decided that the board members would go home
and think about where they stood on this issue and it would be brought
back up at the april board meeting.
so those are the things i can remember that went on. from the board i
heard that we need to use our imaginations and "think outside the box"
to help our club. from me you need to hear that this is a board ready
for our help. here is the chance to step up and become more active in
your club. this is not a clique running things. they are board members
committed to working for our breed and they want us working along side
them. i for one plan on getting more involved any way i can. i hope
you will too.
lea ruggieri
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