FOLKS: This is WAY off topic so feel free to go find a productive thread, but i just HAVE TO VENT before bed.

It's 0100 and I and my bride got home about 2 hours ago from a meeting of one of the organizations I volunteer for in town. we were "prepared" for this meting by an e-mail from another member, an EMPTY envelope from the paid staff of the parent organization, a replacement filled envelope which indicated that the "NEW" version of teh organization would be discussed at this meeting. Miraculously the filled envelope actually arrived a week before the meeting, contrary to the track record of typically having announcements arrive the day of or the day after the meeting.

We arrived to find that the usual 14 people weree ther e,and that I had messed up on the time and we had missed the start "OH DARN.' The organization, we were told would undergo some RADICAL changes, starting with a new name, so much for our being the oldest one of these in the country for the parent organization. Our members objected but I do not expect any change to this.

We were also told that the job descriptions for the various offices and functions were "in process" and would be ready by about April 1.

Upon intense questioning, the staff person who was the point person for the meeting (but was NOT TRULY running it, only appeared to be chairing it) admited that there was no new, (or any true) mission statement, that the "old one would probably be the one in force".

When it was pointed out that inthe past there had appeared to be two mission statements or expectations, that Paid Staff Management had a PR mission for us and we had simply a technical field function mission statement, this was heatedly denied.

When asked for specifics on org chart, etc we were told there would be a core (or corps, either fits) of event coordinators as leadership, but that the actual T/O was yet to be determined.

When we ASKED for a Volunteer Chief Executive Officer, we were told that this was unnecessary, as the paid staff liaison would handle those type of decisions. Tari and I can not see how, as this person has a lot to do as the Manager of the department our volunteer organization effectively reports to, and she is NEVER available for policy decisions on weekends, which is when we work.

Looking around teh room, I counted 3 former chief executive officers, plus myself. Two had been not real active, and not real protective of teh volunteers, and one and I had been very careful and active. the two effective nodding heads were happy with the way things were going, the other activeist chief and I were fairly carefully and restrainedly vocal in our opinions.

In the meeting after the meeting, the other activist chief , a number of other folks, and my wife decide that after 5 years of mismanagement, we were going to finally go over her head. There are two levels above her, and then you go to Regional(state) and National.

we are preparing our letters in the next month, meeting again in January to compare notes, and to then write to the local Chair of Volunteers, which is the top of our local chain of command, and then to the SAtate and National Directors of the area we are in, and then to the State and National Volunteer Chairs. We haven't decided whether Libby is an apropo target. We have pretty much decided that we want to see the person now running our organization without a technical clue as to what we do, employed elsewhere, as well as the person who put her and the three previous people in that position (all were efectively clueless).

All of this is in a local organization of a national one which has a WORLD WIDE reputation for being one of the, if not the most politicized local org's in the world system. Parenthetically, Tari was at a World CISD Congress in Baltimore 4 years ago and wore her local Chapter pin proudly, until the 6th person came up, saw the pin and asked her about it, and then commisserated with her for being involved with "THAT" chapter.

Before anyone asks why we are bothering, I have been a member of teh organization for 15+ years, 8 as assistant to the chief exec officer, and 1 as chief exec officer. I have worked very hard for the recognition among the local industry we interface with, in the city, that we who wear the particular uniform can walk and chew gum right up with them. (Successfully, I might add.) Besides, it's where I get my adrenalin fix, all summer.

Thanks for putting up with me, this morning.

OBTW The lovely Tari has gotten to the point that mills and grain are on the sorta rising in priority list, so tonight wasn't ALL a waste of time!!!!! HUZZAH!!

Chuck

THANKS AGAIN.

-- Chuck a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), December 09, 1998

Answers

This all sounds terribly bureaucratic and authoritarian. Seems to me such an org needs to be way more flexible if it expects to be functional in a crisis situation. Plus able to listen and respond to input from the troops. Maybe you should rethink your commitment there.

BTW I don't agree that you're off topic.

As for grain mills-- Late in November I ordered the Millennium Mill out of Grant's Pass, Oregon, and got delivery in Georgia in 10 days. It's a beaut. Check it out.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), December 09, 1998.