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I agree with the concept of regularly planned meetings. Taking that and other considerations into account- here are some thoughts on how things have gone since I became, nearly a year ago, VP and Secretary of a Housing Corp for my chapter which had been nearly dormant for 10 years.
1. We started having monthly conference call meetings at a standard time each month (i.e. the xth Tuesday of each month at Y in the afternoon.)
2. Board members did not have to come to every meeting, but they were expected to tender their voting proxy to another member of their choice if they could not make it (and by doing so they would be considered present.) Fail to show or tender your proxy for 3 meetings in a row- and you are suspended and cannot attend meetings or vote. We have yet to decide what to do with suspended members- saving that for later.
3. The President and I went over the By-Laws (written in the 1940s) with a fine tooth comb to determine how best to update them to the chapter's needs today and the Board's capacity to serve the chapter. We are completely re-writing them.
4. Each Board member has a specific task based on their personal and professional expertise, and the amount of time they have available to devote to our efforts. Some people need to spend a lot of time- but an attorney we seek help from maybe once a year will be an invaluable asset when we have housing/leasing issues. This attorney only has time to help on rare occasion, so we made the role fit his needs- and everyone benefits. He can't be there every month to meet- but when we need legal advice he is there for the chapter. So he is just as important and devoted a member as someone who spends 20 hours a month on the chapter.
5. The President and I drive a lot of the agenda, but we do so having met and talked individually with every Board member so we know what is important to them and the direction and future they want to see. We take great pains to craft major initiatives with the interests and high-level goals of all Board members in mind. Does not always work, but it does cut down on disagreement and indifference (see below.)
6. Through alumni outreach, we constantly seek new Board members. We want to have at least 1-2 new people per year. A bigger Board is a better Board (to a point), plus it makes room for people to retire after a time without feeling like they are abandoning their posts.
7. Indifference, in my experience, comes from feeling unappreciated and unheeded. Sometimes people join these kinds of things to make connections or boost a resume- but most of the time I have found that when someone backs away, it is because they are feeling disregarded. So we all strive to avoid that. When it comes to those big picture ideals-based decisions, everyone is heard even if it adds a lot of time to a process and will not affect the final outcome. And sometimes, the minority voice makes a convincing argument that noone else thought of and brings everyone over to his way of thinking.
8. Keep an eye on those who are heavily involved. I am okay with the level of involvement I have right now, but I see that as a temporary measure to get things rolling again after 10 years of dormancy. I will not be doing what I am doing at this same level of committment forever- and so it is critical, in accordance with #7 above, to keep everyone involved at the level they are comfortable so that in future some will reach a point in life when they can take their turn bearing a lot of the workload.
9. Expanding on #8- I think a successful Board over time has a small core of strong leaders who drive most of the effort, but that core of strong leaders needs to be replaced and changed out periodically. People in power too long will inevitably stagnate future growth. Their way will become the only way, and it will make others lose interest. Plus newcomers seeing someone who devoted years and countless hours of time being in charge and they will be afraid to get involved since they will think the demands on them will be too great.
10. Final note- everyone likes to bet on a winning horse. There is always bad news and there is always good news. Manage the bad, and advertise the good all you can. Alumni and chapters need to know when bad things reach critical mass, but for the most part letting everyone know the good results of any efforts involved will inspire future helpful efforts.
Sorry if that came off a bit preachy- writing in a hurry since there is much to say. I have found more value and fun in my role than I ever imagined, and if anything I have experienced can help someone else, then all the better.
Good luck to you. PM anytime if it gets to be too much. Earp is one of many people who let me vent a bit when I need to, and it helps lol.
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The GC Master Beta
Last edited by EE-BO; 08-15-2007 at 08:53 PM.
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I appreciate everyone who is keeping up with this thread. Nothing new to report except for one board member being on the ball and sending me his assignment early! 
Hybrid Mode
