[wplug-board] WPLUG Board transition

Vance Kochenderfer vkochend at nyx.net
Sun Nov 13 23:57:11 EST 2011


Welcome!  I have added Pat Barron, Judi Galardi, Michael Loomis,
and Joe Prostko to the wplug-board mailing list.

First, a small introduction to the mailing list.  Almost all
discussion of WPLUG business should take place here.  This will
ensure that the discussion is archived for future reference and is
accessible to the membership (you can view the archives at
<http://www.wplug.org/pipermail/wplug-board/>).  You can post to
the list by e-mailing <wplug-board at wplug.org> or just by replying
to this message.

The only exception is sensitive or private matters that should not
be exposed publicly.  This includes membership lists (historically
WPLUG has treated its members' names and contact info as private
information).

OK, so what's next?  The election winners (Pat, Judi, Terry,
Michael, and Joe) need to get together face-to-face and decide who
will occupy which office.  A summary of them is appended to this
message; read through and see what you are interested in doing.

After this is decided, inform me of the outcome and I will
formally notify the membership of the new officers.  At that point
the old Board will cease to be and the new Board takes office.

The next Board meeting is already scheduled for December 6, 2011
at 6:00pm at Crazy Mocha at 2100 Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill
<http://www.wplug.org/wiki/WPLUGBoard/Meeting-20111206>.  This can
be changed with the unanimous agreement of all the new Board
members.

When the new Board has its first meeting, it may be worthwhile to
invite former Board members to help kick things off and to hand
over records/paperwork.  The new Chair and Treasurer will also
need to go to the bank to be put on the account.

Once the transition is complete, Beth Lynn Eicher, Jim Harris,
Stan Slomberg, and I should be removed from the mailing list.

Please let us know if you have any questions.  Thanks for being a
part of keeping WPLUG going strong!

Vance Kochenderfer        |  "Get me out of these ropes and into a
vkochend at nyx.net          |   good belt of Scotch"    -Nick Danger


Chair: The Chair exercises overall leadership.  When things are
functioning properly, this office requires the 2nd greatest amount
of work.  However, this workload can increase greatly when they
are not since the Chair is ultimately responsible to see that all
necessary tasks get done.  He needs to know not only his duties,
but the duties of all other officers as well.  The Chair presides
at all business and Board meetings.  The bylaws provide that the
Chair signs contracts, but this is an extremely rare occurrence.

The ideal Chair has a commanding presence, yet does not forcefully
push his own agenda.  To effectively preside, he needs to have
solid knowledge of Robert's Rules and WPLUG's own bylaws and
rules.  He should take care that all members have the opportunity
to participate and express an opinion, but when a course of action
is decided upon by the group see that it is carried out without
further delay.  Ability to delegate tasks to others is important.
The Chair needs to be able to keep track of numerous details and
call them quickly to mind.


Vice-Chair: The major duty of the Vice-Chair is to preside at
meetings when the Chair cannot do so, and to succeed as Chair
should he resign.  The bylaws provide that the Vice-Chair also
serves the principal spokesperson of WPLUG; this includes
answering mail to info at wplug.org and serving as chair of the
Public Relations Committee.  This office does not necessarily have
a high workload, but if someone wants to take on new initiatives,
it can expand quite a bit.

When filling in for the Chair, the qualities listed under that
office are desirable.  Otherwise, the Vice-Chair needs to be
comfortable communicating with outside parties and respond
quickly, accurately, and tactfully to their questions.  He needs
to be aware of coming events and other WPLUG activities so he can
respond accurately to inquiries, and when he doesn't know the
answer, needs to be familiar enough with the organizational
structure so he can pass questioners along to the right person.
The major PR activity right now is Software Freedom Day, and an
ideal Vice-Chair would be interested in seeking out contacts with
media and other organizations to raise WPLUG's profile and reach
new populations.


Secretary: The Secretary's major duty is record-keeping.  The
Secretary takes minutes, brings draft minutes to meetings for
approval, and maintains archival copies of approved minutes.  He
also keeps all committee reports on file and provides committees
with any instructions or documents referred to them.  He is
responsible for maintaining the membership rolls, and receives and
processes all membership applications and must be prepared to
answer questions from individuals about their membership status.
This requires some coordination with the Treasurer.  The Secretary
also keeps track of all committee appointments.  He sends out
notification to the membership of each business meeting and to the
Board members of each Board meeting.  He also sends out the
requisite notifications for elections and bylaws amendments, and
handles mail-in ballots for these.  He needs to check the PO box
for mail on a regular basis.  The Secretary also prepares an order
of business prior to each meeting for the use of the presiding
officer.  Under normal circumstances, the Secretary's job has the
highest workload of all.

The major characteristics needed in a Secretary are stability,
predictability, and meticulous record-keeping.  He needs to
maintain complete and correct records of membership, minutes,
rules, and committee activities.  Because proper notice is
required to hold a valid business meeting, the Secretary must send
these out without fail and without needing prompting by others.
While knowledge of the whole of Robert's Rules is not strictly
necessary, he must be familiar with the sections on minutes,
previous notice and the call of the meeting, and committees.  The
Secretary must know WPLUG's rules and bylaws.


Treasurer: This is also primarily a record-keeping position,
albeit one with smaller scope and workload than the Secretary's.
The Treasurer must maintain clear and accurate records of income
and expenses.  He is typically the one who writes checks, and must
ensure money is spent only when properly authorized.  The
Treasurer must be able to visit the bank when necessary for
deposits or other transactions.  He coordinates with the Secretary
to receive membership dues and bank statements mailed to the PO
box.  At every meeting, the Treasurer must be able to provide the
current account balance, cash balance, and income and expense
reports, and prepare an annual report at the end of his term.  He
should also be aware of recurring expenses (e.g., server rental,
domain name registration) and bring these to the attention of the
Board or membership for reauthorization when they become due.

Again, stability, predictability, and meticulous record-keeping
are qualities needed in a good Treasurer.  Few things will destroy
member confidence in an organization more quickly than sloppy or
improper handling of funds, so his actions must be beyond
reproach.  Strong knowledge of Robert's Rules is not necessary,
other than the brief passage dealing with Treasurer's reports.


Director-at-Large: The Director-at-Large has no specific duties,
so would ordinarily have the smallest workload.  He is of course
expected to attend Board and membership meetings.  He can also
serve as a utility player and take on tasks and roles as desired,
so doesn't necessarily have to be bored all the time.

An ideal Director-at-Large can objectively observe how the Board
is functioning and volunteer to pitch in on those tasks that
aren't getting adequate coverage.  No special qualities,
abilities, or knowledge are necessarily required.



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