Pardon me for leaning into the shaming territory.  We’ve been asking for volunteers now for several months, and the response is terrible.

First we asked for someone to volunteer to serve as the Election Committee Chair.  And Keith Frampton did.  Thank you very much Keith.

We next have been asking for volunteers to run for three key Board of Directors positions.  Mike Haigwood is running for his position as President, and Mark Fradkin is considering the role of Treasurer.  No one has stepped up for Secretary.

My fellow members, I do get that volunteering does take some time, and over the decades we seem to have less and less of it.  However, an organization such as ours cannot function without volunteers.  There is no greater good that a person can do than to serve their fellow people.  

Let me take a moment to provide some practical information about the three roles.  I share this in addition to what’s described in the Bylaws starting in Article 4, and then there is reality.

All three roles are defined in the Bylaws as part of the Executive Board, elected officers with defined authorities.

President: This is a very important role with the most responsibility concentrated in one position.  Legally, the President has signature powers with the State of Maryland, and to represent and commit the Guild on any contracts.  The President runs all meetings.  In this latter case, the role receives lots of support to generate agenda, schedule meetings, solicit participants, and steer the organization.  Typical monthly engagement is 8 hours or less (monthly meeting 2 hours virtual only, 4 hours in-person; 1-2 hours for Board meeting, and 2 additional hours for miscellany).

Secretary:  This role has changed the most since the uptick in our website administration.  We’ve gotten away from snail mailed monthly Sawdust Newsletter and secretary generated meeting minutes, and more to frequent emails and corresponding website content, with other board members recording and providing minutes for their activities.  The Secretary is a legally recognized role with signing authority where attestations are required with Maryland state, local governments, and business entities.  Typical monthly engagement is a total of seven hours or less (monthly meeting 2 hours virtual only, 4 hours in-person; 1-2 hours for Board meeting, and less than 1 additional hour for miscellany).

Treasurer:  This role is second in importance to the President.  The Treasurer is entrusted with the receipt, care, and disbursement of funds.  The Treasurer accounts for all income and ensures it is properly recorded and deposited, oversees all financial systems operated by and for the guild, is the only person authorized to sign checks and accounts for all expenses, performs analysis of financial activity, prepares annual reports and budgets, recommends membership dues changes, and provides monthly reports to the Board of Directors and members.  The typical monthly engagement varies somewhat according to the month and where we are in the deliverables, and is estimated to be 8 to 15 hours.  The Board has authorized our special financial review committee to investigate business financial management software over the next three months with the goal to secure the proper software for our needs.

If you have an interest in serving in any of these roles, please for referral to the an appropriate board member or the Election Committee Chair, will contact you at the number or email you provide in the form.

Thank you for reading,
Your Board of Directors,
Howard County Woodworkers Guild, Incorporated