Chapter nominations heads up

Yup... it's that time of season. Since the chapter is operating on the same election schedule as National here's the scoop:

1. There will be 3 positions open: Chapter President, Chapter Vice President and Chapter Treasurer.
2. The official nomination period starts on November 1st, elections will begin on November 15th.
3. All nominees must be current members in good standing, and be nominated by another member in good standing.
4. This thread is not for nominations, a specific thread will be started on November 1st for the nominations.
5. If anyone has any questions regarding the nomination process or the requirements/duties of becoming a BOD member please ask them here BEFORE you are nominated.

Please keep this thread on topic.

What exactly would the Treasurer do? This has always been a confusing position to me lol!

Skwerly said:

What exactly would the Treasurer do? This has always been a confusing position to me lol!

Click to expand...

The Treasurer counts how much money we don't have

Ok, the layout is more or less as follows:

Chapter President is the big cheese that offers guidance and direction. He is also the Chapter Rep to the National BOD and watches out for Chapter issues at National level. This includes soliciting for extra funds and or help. This task in SoCal has been dedicated to the pres in the past though other chapters have had at times a different person helping out with that (as nominated/requested by the Chapter BOD). In our case I was in the position that at times I was able to offer assistance in this regard being that I am also on the National BOD.
Chapter VP is the little cheese is that helps implement the plans the big cheese throws up there.
Treasurer keeps track of finances, makes sure we have enough for the donations that are planned and so on.

In practice how it works is that the above is the guideline but any of the BOD members throws ideas out there and the three work through them and make decisions (2 out of 3 wins consensus is better). Also ideas that come from outside of BOD are discussed and considered (and discussions sometimes get heated )

Also past presidents participate in discussions and offer their thoughts and ideas and help with the process.

Lastly there are two more unoficial positions (not really positions but more like reps) that take part in discussions relating to the topics that they're responsible for. Not sure if folks remember but Stephan (Karstic) is our rep to San Bernardino Adopt a Trail program and Rick (Jump This) is our rep to JV issues.

Are national BOD positions available as well?

I'd love to get more involved however since I'm not going to be in So Cal much for the next year it seems I could serve better in another capacity.

IslanderOffRoad said:

Are national BOD positions available as well?

I'd love to get more involved however since I'm not going to be in So Cal much for the next year it seems I could serve better in another capacity.

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Yes, and there is a thread that covers that in the members forum

folks lets stay on topic as this is important to the future of the chapter. While a chapter BOD ddoes not mean a lot of commitment it does require some and I wanr ro do anything I can to help folks understand what's involved so that they don't get in over their head.

Part of the BOD duties involve coordinating events (Big Bear, XMas party and now also GoatFest). This does not mean that all the responsibility for an event rests on shoulders of one person (ok it sometimes might.... cause things happen) but rather the BOD as a whole is responsible for making sure that raffle happens, there is food, maybe shirts printed. This does require some effort (even when delegating duties to volunteers there is effort involved).

Sorry to see you go Robert, you can burn weenies like the best of them....

Okay boys, Robert and Remi don't want this going off-topic (as defined by them.)
What we need in this chapter is some leadership. It has been lacking as of late.
In the past, over moderation was tried (and in my opinion the start of some of our biggest troubles.) We don't want that again.
In the past, we have had those in leadership positions that couldn't lead, for whatever reason (family should always come first.)

What we need from our BOD;
Thick skin (we also need that from the membership!)
Commitment. Can you handle this even if there is trouble on the home front.
Are you someone who will use the lame excuse; 'I'm too busy right now...'
Leadership. Elected officials don't have to do all the work, but they are the ones responsible to make sure things are done. Can you delegate and follow up?

What else?

Well said Rick!

Including me, there have been folks in leadership over the past few years that have not dedicated the right amount of time or effort to this role.

Is it hard? Nope.

Is it a PITA? Sometimes.

Is it fun? Most of the time.

Does it take commitment? Anything you want done well takes commitment. The more you put in to it the more you and everyone else will get out of it.

Do you need thick skin? Absolutely. You must non-biased as well. You will see folks report and complain about different things. As a BOD member, you will have to decide what's best for the chapter, not a select few. No matter what you decide, there is no way that everyone will be happy with your decision. That's a part of leadership!

Unlike me in my term, you have to participate and be involved. I know that had I been involved, the chapter would not be in such a mess.

I agree that the chpater was different in past. Better is a relative term. My question is what we, the chapter do, to help the BOD - no matter who it is - make this our chapter better? What can we do to make these days, this time, the best time?

What can the BOD for you? LOTS! Members need to be involved. The little groups that separated tehmselves need to re-group and strengthen. We need wrenching parties. We need M&G's. We need wheelin trips.


As the election gets closer, think about members you know that may have expressed an interest or would be a good leader. Talk to them before you nominate them. If you want to be nominated, tell someone.

We have a few months before election time.

Don't hold any grudges against current or past BOD or members. Let the new BOD and next year be a fresh start for OUR chapter.