Thursday, July 8, 2010

Why YOU should run for the NAFA Board

If you think you need to compete on a 15-second team, train dogs that run 3.7, and/or be a flyball judge to be on the NAFA Board of Directors, you're wrong.

The board doesn't sit around the table at meetings discussing dog training techniques and how to win Division 1 -- they talk about running the business. Stuff like rule changes (which often have safety or business drivers like new classes of competition or fee increases), EJS shipping and maintenance, customer service, CanAm tournament planning, web site and database updates, finances.

Many of you have skills outside of flyball that would be a tremendous asset to NAFA. Experience with marketing, media relations, fundraising, sponsorship activities, technology, and finance. Did you know that NAFA doesn't even have a budget? (See the latest meeting minutes, page 9). NAFA also has no business plan that I'm aware of. The board could use a few good business minds on it.

So -- anybody out there planning to run for the board this year?

There hasn't been much interest in running for the board for the past few years. Maybe everybody is happy with the status quo. Election results from the past three four years seem to support that:

  • In 2006, there were five candidates, including two current board members -- the two board members and one newcomer won (there are 3 open spots every year).
  • In 2007, there were five candidates, including two current board members -- the two board members and one newcomer won.
  • In 2008 there were only three candidates (including one current board member), so basically there was no election, the candidates all just walked onto the board.
  • In 2009 there were five candidates, including three board members -- the three board members won.

The status-quo voting strategy won't work this year, though -- two new people are going to join the board no matter what, because Dale Smith and Scott Stein are finishing out their second consecutive terms and will be unable to run this year per the NAFA rulebook: "Unless elected to fill a vacancy, each Director shall be elected to a three-year term to commence at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors at which their election is confirmed. Terms of office shall be staggered so that approximately one third (1/3) of the board members’ terms will expire each year. No member of the Board of Directors may serve for more than two full consecutive terms of office."

The Executive Director position is up for a vote again this year, too. The ED position is different from the board of directors in that there is no term limit (although ED's must go through a re-election process every three years). But the ED role is so much more difficult and involved than a board member position. The ED works for the board and is essentially running NAFA's business on a day-to-day basis. This person needs to be very savvy about flyball and general business processes, and know the NAFA rulebook inside out. I would never recommend that somebody run for ED without prior experience as a board member first.

Hopefully in 2010 we'll have more than just two or three people to choose from for the board. If less than three people run, the Chairman gets to appoint somebody (with the board's approval), and that sort of defeats the whole purpose of an organization run by its delegates.

(A little sidenote about the dangers of going along with the status quo, by the way. You really should read up on how the board  members vote before blindly casting votes in their direction. All the meeting minutes are on the NAFA web site and all the votes are recorded in there. Do you like Open Class? Several board members were opposed to it and voted against it right down the line all through 2006 and 2007. How about the lowered jump height in late 2007? A couple of board members strongly objected to that one, too. They happened to be the minority in 2007, but all the people who supported Open Class and the lower jump height have now left or are rolling off the board this year. So really pay attention to who you vote for, because it matters.)

I thought I would demystify the election process a little bit, in case some of you are thinking about throwing your name into the hat but feel like you need more info. I ran for the board in 2006 and was surprised at how the process actually worked.

Nominations

First of all, like I mentioned earlier, you don't have to be a rockstar flyball competitor or a NAFA judge to run for the board. Don't let any of that intimidate you. Variety is good for the board -- different people from different areas of the country with different goals and skills is an ideal mix. Otherwise what you'll end up with is a bunch of people asking to be put on the judging, rules, and disciplinary committees, and nobody really wanting to help out on the marketing, technology, finance and elections committees (all areas where, frankly, NAFA could really use some help).

Second, there really is no secret back-room process to all this stuff. You just email in a nomination letter to NAFA (I asked a teammate to help with mine), then you sit around and wait for five or six months while NAFA sends out ballots to the clubs then counts the ballots. You don't have to ask for permission to run or talk it over with anybody -- you just step up and do it.

Here are the only requirements to run for the board:

  • You have to subscribe to NAFA's purpose and goals (duh).
  • You can't receive any compensation for board duties (not really a factor here).
  • You can't be related to or living with another board member.
  • You have to be in compliance with NAFA's conflict of interest policy (which basically states you can't be an owner/director, head judge, tournament director or employed by U-FLI).
  • You have to be in good standing with NAFA, meaning you don't owe NAFA any money or have any disciplinary actions going on (probation, suspension, etc.).

Your nomination letter will play a big role, so make it really kickass. Sometimes that's the only way voters differentiate you and your views from everybody else who is running -- club owners will get their ballots in the mail and quickly read through all the nomination letters to see which one they like the best, then cast their vote. For inspiration, go look at some of the old nomination letters from past elections -- you can find lots of them out on the NAFA web site (some on the web site itself and some in the NAFA News archives)

Send the letter to flyball@flyball.org and/or to the Nominating Committee (which is Kim Davis this year -- I'm sure as elections get closer, NAFA will send out all this info) by 11:59 p.m. Central Daylight time on July 31st.

NAFA will post a list of candidates on the web site soon after the July 31st deadline so you'll be able to see who you're up against. NAFA will also host two or three candidate chats throughout the fall that you'll be invited to participate in. That's about the extent of NAFA's involvement until the ballots are  mailed out.

Campaigning

I think most people vote for NAFA board members based on who they know (either personally or by name). Essentially, it's a popularity contest. Isn't that true of most elections, though?

The good news is, you can make yourself "popular" just by getting more involved with flyball and NAFA in general. Volunteer to help with the CanAm tournament or one of the NAFA committees. Send your ideas in to the board for discussion at their board meetings. Participate in the leadership chats. Find ways to market flyball independently -- get TV coverage for your tournament, write a magazine article, put on demos, start a blog, start a YouTube channel, whatever you're good at. Create a cool web racing software that will make life easier for others. The ballots are mailed out at least 60 days before the AGM, which takes place in December or January, so you have all of August, September, and maybe October to get your name out there before people start voting.

I'm sure the reason I got elected in 2006 is because I was maintaining the NAFA web site at the time, so my email updates went out to the Flyball List a lot and people knew my name and associated it with good things (new web site with pretty pictures of dogs all over it = good!). This was all before Facebook, CanAm, and most of the flyball blogs and Yahoo groups we visit now even existed (the Flyball List seems to be dying a quiet death...). In 2010 you guys have a lot more opportunities to see and be seen.

You should absolutely participate in NAFA's candidate chats, although I'm not sure how many delegates actually attend those or read the transcripts. But every bit of good public exposure helps. Read through some of the past years' transcripts to get an idea what questions you'll be asked, and prepare for them ahead of time. I often felt like sticking an ice pick into my eye during those chats (another candidate's teammate would get on there and try to bait me), but it's pretty easy to survive the chats if you 1) keep your sense of humor, 2) take the high road, and  3) use the chat format to your advantage. Nobody can see you, so you can curse at the monitor, laugh with your significant other about the idiot who's bothering you in the chat room, then take the time to craft a really thoughtful, intelligent response. Because in the end, that's what people want to see in a potential board member -- a calm, mature, reasonable person who is able to get along with others and make good decisions on behalf of NAFA.

Election results

The votes are counted during the Annual General meeting in December or January. It's a pretty quick process because most of the votes come in electronically, with a few old-fashioned paper ones mailed to NAFA. When the results are tallied, the election committee hands them over to the Executive Director, who then announces the results during the meeting.

After the meeting, the Chairman calls the candidates to let them know how the results turned out.

If you were elected, you'll hear "Congratulations! See ya at the next board meeting." And then it's this surreal experience where you're on the board and yet not on the board for a while, until you attend your first meeting (you're added onto the board's email list in the meantime and can start weighing in on things).

And that's it. The election process as I remember it...much less complicated than I thought it would be. In fact, I often wished there was more to it, because it often felt like months and months went by where nothing happened, it was totally anti-climatic most of the time.

Take the plunge!

I invite this year's candidates to use this blog as a campaign forum. I will be happy to publish a guest post from any candidate on this blog (just keep it civil, please!), even if I don't plan to vote for you. :)  There aren't many large public forums where candidates can talk about their views, and this blog gets about 900-1,000 visitors in a good month, so you'll reach a lot of flyball enthusiasts this way.

I hope some of you decide to run for the board. We could use some people on there who have business smarts and talent and enthusiasm, and who are willing to give up some of their free time to WORK and make things happen.

If the only thing holding you back is fear, or thinking that you're not good enough to be on the board (or knowledgeable enough, experienced enough, whatever), then push yourself past that and take a risk.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice Blog Lisa but, it's obvious from the lack of response that everyone is waiting to get their "marching orders" from our current leadership who to support. ...and just "if" someone gets elected that this BoD doesn't approve they just shown how far they will go when they don't follow the rules and Bylaws they just play a "shell game". No one has called them on this read the minutes folks. You are about to be fleeced with the EJS proposal (I've read over and over how most the damage done to the EJS is due to improper packing of them, to the point of a video being produced and lessons at the CanAm, now it's due to shipping hmmmmmm?) and when they (BoD) break the rules they just change the rules/Bylaws to accept it and then go back to the way it was......read for yourself excerpt from the May 8th meeting minutes:

16. Status of Bylaw review
Dana moved that the Board enter executive session. Alisa seconded. 9:23 pm
The Board entered Executive Session at 9:23 p.m.
The Board exited Executive Session at 10:54 p.m.
Alisa moved to ratify the results of the 2010 election by adoption of the following resolution:
NORTH AMERICAN FLYBALL ASSOCIATION, INC.
Proposed Resolutions Ratifying 2010 Election of Directors
WHEREAS, prior to the January, 2010 election of directors of North American Flyball Association,
Inc., the corporation took steps to correct errors in the composition of the Election Committee and to
revise the form of delegate ballot provided to club representatives; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors wishes to ratify the outcome of the January 2010 election, it
is hereby
RESOLVED, that effective immediately Sections 2 and 4 of Article IV, Section 2 of Article VII and
any other applicable provisions of the Bylaws of the corporation are hereby amended to provide that all
expiring and vacant positions on the Board of Directors shall be filled by resolution of the Board of
Directors;
FURTHER RESOLVED, that effective immediately (and to the extent not done previously) the
following persons are hereby elected of the Board of Directors of the corporations for terms ending in
2013:
Karen Oleson,
Leerie Jenkins,
Dana Nichols
FURTHER RESOLVED, that all actions previously taken by the Board of Directors during 2010
are hereby ratified and confirmed; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, that effectively immediately after the adjournment of this meeting, the
amendments to the Bylaws of the corporation made in these resolutions are rescinded and that the
Bylaws shall be in the form they existed prior to the adoption of these resolutions.
Greg Stopay seconded the motion. Karen, Leerie, & Dana abstained from any discussion or vote
regarding this issue.
In favor of the resolution: Nancy Garcia, Kris Pickering, Alisa Romaine, Scott Stein (by proxy), and Greg
Stopay. Abstained: Dana Nichols, Karen Oleson, and Leerie Jenkins.
The motion passed.

What a sham, the BoD breaks our Bylaws and then passes a resolution that it was ok, throws out the election and then chooses the successors, then reverts their action changing the Bylaws to go back to the way they were at the conclusion of the meeting. IT'S called a Shell Game folks. Wake Up!!

Trent said...

From the looks of the minutes it looks like a real sham. There are some remedies to this flagrant abuse, they are however drastic and would involve legal action. Are the current board members responsible for their own legal cost, when keeping this in mind (own legal cost) board members are more likely to monitor their conscious when such issues arise.

Anonymous said...

Reading through the minutes, it sounds more like "we maybe screwed up a little, but it looks like these people got elected". If you give even the most cursory glance at the RESULTS of the vote, it's not rocket science to figure out that they didn't pull names from a hat. The three people who were "chosen" also received the bulk of the votes. Would splitting up the ballot wouldn't have made much of a difference to the end results? Doubtful.

The only alternative would have been to redo the election. Then the peanut gallery would have ranted on about the waste of time and money.

Someone made a mistake. They took their best shot at fixing it without shaking things up more than absolutely necessary. It happens. NAFA is made up of flyball people, not a collection of corporate lawyers. Get over it and move on before you alienate the remaining 2% of the community that hasn't already tuned you out.

Anonymous said...

> Get over it and move on before you alienate the remaining 2% of the community that hasn't already tuned you out. <

So, if I read this correctly, the VAST MAJORITY of NAFA voters SUPPORT the NAFA Board violating its own By-Laws and placing this organization's Incorpration and non-profit status in jeopardy with the State and Federal authorities.

HUH?

Mistakes happen. They get rectified. This is an organization based on creating rules that EVERYBODY is supposed to follow, not just the lower 98% that do not sit on the Board or Executive Staff.

>glance at the RESULTS of the vote, it's not rocket science to figure out that they didn't pull names from a hat. The three people who were "chosen" also received the bulk of the votes. <

If they violated the By-Laws, what prevents them from fudging these numbers, too? There's no independent oversight, no "penalty" for cheating. You just take their word for it, eh?

Wonder what the Michigan Attorney General will say when they are finished with their investigation.

Anonymous said...

> So, if I read this correctly

No, you don't.

The vast majority of NAFA voters - like any other group of voters - don't know or care one way or the other and are likely more than a little sick and tired of the continued attempts by a dedicated group of complainers to get them to know and care about something which is really quite peripheral to the sport of flyball.

Of course, now that you've decided to cross the line to outright accusations of conspiracy and fraud, there's little need to continue this discussion. You've crossed the line into "disgruntled kook" territory and probably lost the other 2% as well.

Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...

(p.s. in response to A1's very first comment, there were actually a few responses the day of this post over on the Facebook side of the house. If you missed them, visit the Flyball Prop-a-Ganda facebook page, icon/link is over on the right by the archive list.)

Anonymous said...

I'm A3 and at this time my comments are that Trent has a good handle on the overall way things have been conducted in the organization during the past 1-2 years. A1's comments are based on the facts more than any sort of disgruntled view; this person actually cares about making flyball better and dislikes the abuses that have been going on. A2's comments come across like a person who does not know how to communicate on a professional level and chooses to "sling mud" rather than take a constructive look at the abuses occuring in the organization.

Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...

Come on, people. It's flyball. What's the worst thing that could happen if you just say your names and come out on record with your opinions.

Anonymous said...

Good post, Lisa. Thought provoking, tasteful, and motivational.

Maybe some who have been thinking about running or have run in the past will put more of a campaign together.

I would like to see more than just a nomination letter on potential candidates.

eli

Anonymous said...

BY THE NUMBERS

NAFA $$$$$$$ WHERE ARE THEY GOING?

Profit/Loss Fiscal Yr
+17,209 2005-2006
+03,820 2006-2007
-14,579 2007-2008
-13,000 2008-2009
-24,100 1st half 2010 (Oct-Mar)

-51,679 Lost in last 30 months

No Budget - No Plan: no more NAFA flyball in a few years at this rate.

Trent said...

The anonymous thing is very interesting. Is it cowards hiding or is it people fearing retribution. My experience is that retribution is often forthcoming for those that dare to threaten the status quo. Me I don't care any more, there is not much left that people can do.

Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...

I hear what you're saying, Trent. I think it's probably more a fear of retribution than cowardice, but i think the perception/fear of retribution is greater than the actual threat. Help me understand, everybody. What is the worst thing that could could happen to you if you put your name on your posts (and claimed your opinions in general, whether it's on this blog or somewhere else). Be specific. Will the NAFA SWAT team swoop in and get you? Will everybody in your region hate you? Will you get kicked off your team? Will your club owner get mad at you? If you want to talk about the repercussions anonymously, that's fine. ;)

I don't like sitting here with a big target on my back, either, but the more i do it, the more i realize that nobody can or will do anything to me as long as i'm being honest and respectful. We're all entitled to our own opinions, and not everybody is going to agree with you or like you all the time. I've also found that for every post somebody makes to a blog or a flyball list or whatever, there are about 20 people at home reading the post going "YEAH!" but never posting anything in support. So when you stick your neck out there and speak up, you probably have more support than you know.
lisap

Anonymous said...

Ok, maybe it was as you say "just a little mistake" and the vote was overwheming in favor of these 3. Then how can you explain why a team owner voting for a Regional MVP and cast ALL 6 votes for 1 dog but, that dog didn't even get 6 votes total? So what happened to their votes? No report to ballots spoiled or votes thrown out. So knowing this could these numbers been tampered with, I wouldn't swear either way but, it would not surprise me to find out they were tampered with thats all I'm saying.

Sorry, I wish I could give my name but, I HAVE been threatened with retaliation by a member of our current leadership. This person has a very real temper but, you all think this person wears a white hat and rides a white horse. I just wish the person/persons blindly supporting this BoD stop with the name calling > "disgruntled kook" < that's really uncalled for and you have not supported your opinion with any facts at all. So A2 just put those cucumber slices back over your eyes, relax your friends are still in power and interest in this thread will dissappear in a few days.

Lisa Pignetti Murnan said...

[Sorry for the redundancy but i'm reposting this one minus some personal info that identifies a board member's employment, at their request. It was originally posted July 13, 2010 10:14 AM]

Yeah, Anonymous, I agree with Anonymous.

I think the reason most people haven't been too upset about the 2009 election results is because the candidates we all expected to win still won. I agree that the NAFA BoD handled the election sloppily, but I still feel like they got the results right. We're talking about huge win margins for the 3 top candidates...here's what NAFA published in the Jan meeting minutes:
Karen Oleson – 899 votes
Leerie Jenkins – 750 votes
Dana Nichols – 747 votes
Ruth VanWert – 308 votes
Zac Chernik – 285 votes

Even if they miscounted by HUNDREDS of votes, the results would have been the same. Could NAFA have lied about the numbers? Yeah, i guess so. But based on the popularity of these candidates and how some of them fared in past elections, these numbers look about right to me.

NAFA may have been shady with the way they handled things in the May 8th meeting -- if you (Anonymous 1) suspect fraud and want to file something with the Michigan Attorney General, go for it. It's a free country and i think it's good that organizations such as NAFA are held accountable for how they run things.

But i'm with Anonymous 2 on this one. (Although, A2, when you said "NAFA is made up of flyball people, not a collection of corporate lawyers" this did make me smile, since NAFA actually has 2 judges on the Board of Directors -- not flyball judges, but JUDGES judges. So it's not like they're unfamiliar with the law. :))

lisa

Anonymous said...

$51,679 dollars LOST in last 30 months

From the NAFA Website...8 years and still going...

NAFA Candidate Chat Transcript – October 11, 2007
Scott_S I believe that a diverse board is important. Each member brings a specific skill set that adds to the total. I have ideas regarding how to expand flyball, but I am not a marketing expert and believe my job is to bring my ideas to someone who is. As both a college professor and small business owner, my expertise is in training, business management, and finance. I see myself as helping in creating training programs and developing a business plan to make NAFA as financially solid as possible.




Board of Directors Meeting Unabridged Minutes,

Las Vegas, Nevada

January 13, 2007

01/13/2007 1 of 10

Present were: Executive Director Sam Ford

Board of Directors Glenn Hamilton,Lee Heighton,Todd Morningstar,Lisa Peckham,Kris Pickering,Dale Smith,Mike Smith,Scott Stein

Executive Director’s Comment

Executive Director, Sam Ford, made note that the board committees should be looking forward in their planning of business forecasts out to 2009. It is important the committees review their goals so that an informal business plan can be generated with a move to a more formal budget.





Official News Letter of the North American Flyball AssociationVolume 10 Issue 3September, 2004

Candidate for Board of Directors . Scott Stein

"The long range goals and business plan for NAFA® need to be continually scrutinized and updated to ensure that NAFA.s resources and policies are appropriately allocated both towards our current state and our planned growth for the future."



Official News Letter of the North American Flyball Association Volume 8 Issue 1 Februray, 2002

Financial report – Dale - Val suggested the NAFA get a business plan put together with five year goals and a budget process put together. We will need some clear long-range goals as a starting point for this.

Linda said...

Regarding the anonymous thing I was surprised at one of the comments that said there have been actual threats made to the person by someone in (a) leadership (role) who has anger & temper problems. That is scary and I don't blame the person for remaining anonymous.

LisaP's other blog talks about being honest and I wholeheartedly agree that is the best way to live. I am A3 and I purposely posted anonymous simply because it was the quickest way for me to post a brief comment since I needed to go attend to something else at the time. Sometimes the posting feature goes awry and hangs up and it takes a long time, time which I did not have at the moment. I had no intention of being anonymous and I won't now.

I, too, have been threatened on more than one occasion by the treatment I received from a current member of the BoD; albeit, indirectly in the form of outright verbal attacks, unwarranted nastiness and (privately) actual slander. And, for what? Simply because I do not always agree with everything that is going on in the organization, because I ask questions, I try to be involved even in the smallest capacity and I share information in an effort to help others and to help improve flyball. WT?

Anyone previously on the flyball list has witnessed this type treatment of others and it still goes on today on that list. There are still those who simply attack because they are not able to communicate on a professional level. They take random "swings" at anyone who doesn't agree and they engage in bad politics rather than hear and address the facts. Many of us have found ourselves enmeshed in some sort of battle with those who have lost sight of what is important in flyball...the dogs and the people. Instead, they want to battle to the death; anything to win. Win what? Fighting in flyball is just plain silly. These type people need to take their toys and play elsewhere. They need to grow up and learn that it is better to get along, to listen, to accept others and to make friends rather than enemies. We are not at war...we are at play!

Lisa, you have graciously offered a guest-post before and so I hope to send you a separate email for possible posting if you choose. If not, that is also fine and thank you for all you are trying to do to help flyball :o).

Linda (aka A3...smile)

Anonymous said...

A2 here. I have no fear of personal retribution and I have no reputation to worry about; in the flyball community, I'm a nobody. On the other hand, flyball is a team sport and tight knit teams often get painted with the same brush. My team has enough problems without me dragging them into this.

I don't blindly support the BoD on anything. I don't personally know any of them. If I did, I'm sure I'd like some and hate others.

My only beef with A1 (and supporters) is that you're wasting your time and our time be constantly rehashing this "election thing".

Yes, the board screwed up. They admitted that. They fixed it as best they felt they could.

But you've taken it further to the point of throwing around allegations of abuse, conspiracy and fraud. Portraying the BoD as some kind of ruthless mob bent on controlling... flyball? At any price?

It just doesn't pass the giggle test and to keep bringing up the subject just makes you as a group look, at best, petty. At worst, well, you can go back and read my previous comments.

I agree that the ballot could have been handled better and no doubt some were lost or miscounted.

But the BoD didn't "steal" the election and there's no real need to mess with the NAFA voting procedures.

Surely you can find more effective things to use to criticize the BoD?

Linda said...

Back to the facts previously posted here, the issues are:

- BoD candidates needed
- By-Laws violation/election nullified & replaced at May meeting
- EJS proposal questioned
- $51K lost in 30 months; where is money going
- No budget
- No business plan

I care about what happens to NAFA flyball; do others care? If there are any candidates how will we decide? Another poster mentioned a better forum than the nomination letters. Good idea.

Anonymous said...

First off, I'M the "real" A3 here. Apparently, A1 got the credit (or blame) when I posted a response to A2's response to A1.
There are so many "anonymous" posters here that we gotta stand in line. So, sorry 'bout yer luck Linda (aka A3...smile) but, you're A4, not A3.

I agree, A2...there shouldn't be ANY need to mess with the NAFA voting procedures. So, why DID they? (the NAFA BoD)

The BoD didn't "admit" anything. As you have already pointed out, they made it sound more like, gee "we maybe screwed up a little, but it looks like these people got elected." well, They HAVE to make it look like it was "unintentional" because NOBODY will ever admit to "intentional" violations.

When you get pulled over for speeding, do you say to the policeman, "Yeah....I was going 80 in a 45 zone." Noooooooo.....it's more like, "Gee Officer....I didn't think I was going THAT fast. I didn't know the speede limit was only 45....."

Ignorance is no defense under the law. and the NAFA BoD wasn't "ignorant" in this case. They were advised and they chose to ignore that advice. whether you believe the elction was "stolen" or just mishandled, the results are the same. the Board took a very heavy hannded approach to resolve an issue that could've been avoided entirely by just following the By-Laws as they are written and not resort to stone-walling, spin-doctoring and slight-of-hand Resolutions that "amend" our By-Laws for only about 10 minutes....and then we "poof" go back to the way they were.

>My only beef with A1 (and supporters) is that you're wasting your time and our time be constantly rehashing this "election thing".

Here's a question: Why are YOU at all concerned with A1's and supporters time? It's THEIR time to waste, after all. No skin off your nose. as far as YOUR time, why do you keep reading & posting responses. Nobody's making you do that. That's ALL you.

as far as more effective things to use to criticize the BoD...I think that one has already been posted but, I'll refresh your memeory.

A5 posted:

Profit/Loss Fiscal Year:
+ $17,209... 2005-2006
+ $3,820.... 2006-2007
- $14,579... 2007-2008
- $13,000... 2008-2009
- $24,100... 1st half 2010 (Oct-Mar)
----------------------------------
- $51,679 TOTAL Lost in last 30 months

That is verifiable through reading the 990s posted on the NAFA website and the Board meeting minutes.

FACTS....not emotions.

We need a change. we need good, honest, solid people to step forward and say, "I will do it. I will volunteer to serve on the NAFA BoD if the delgates elect me." Hopefully, they will have a strong business background but, I'll support anybody who promises to follow NAFA's Rules and not put themselves ABOVE the Rules.

Gaye Woodward said...

"The only alternative would have been to redo the election. Then the peanut gallery would have ranted on about the waste of time and money."

"The Peanut Gallery"? "Ranting on"? The utter contempt for the general flyball community demonstrated by this language is an excellent and concise illustration of what's wrong.

Andy McBride said...

I get the feeling when people post anonymously that they do it because I have already classified them as untrustworthy with their real name.

Post with your real names, don't be shy.

Linda said...

Andrew, you might be right; however, I am not sure whether you are referring to all of the anonymous posters or only some of them(?). I believe the reason 3 of these folks have posted anonymously is because they have been consistently attacked maybe for years by the same type people who choose to sling mud rather than take a constructive look at the facts and the abuses in the organization (as I previously mentioned before I accepted becoming temporarily aka A4...smile). Oh, and I think there might at this time be an A5?

The facts are (as I mentioned before):

- BoD candidates needed
- By-Laws violation/election nullified & replaced at May meeting
- EJS proposal questioned
- $51K lost in 30 months; where is money going
- No budget
- No business plan

I care about what happens to NAFA flyball; do others care?

Linda

Anonymous said...

This is barbara from Florida Flash ..
*I* care what happens to NAFA flyball.. I have met most of the BoD members. I have been to CanAm. I am in a minority. MOST of the flyballers I know have no interest in the workings of NAFA, in running for any post, in managing a club or even making decisions of any kind. They want to PLAY with their dogs and friends and any more involvement that isn't part of that PLAY is not in their day planner. They want someone else to run the organization, put on the tournaments, and do the work so they can come and PLAY.
It is very difficult for most people to add the kind of commitment and time to do more -- like run for the BoD, or even become a NAFA judge. I think that those who do, for whatever their basic reasons for taking on that much more time and commitment, are nearly saints.. so what that they are *type A* or PUSHY or sometimes even worse.. they are out there DOING.
I have watched several years of elections come and go -- few NEW people have ever shown up to try. Mostly judges get elected (why?? because we KNOW you !!).. Some of the same people have been defeated (why?? because we DON'T know you !!)
I do want NAFA to come up with a business plan for several years ahead. No, I have no experience with that -- can't help there. So who among us has the time, experience and commitment to do that, for NAFA ?? Along with your real life, and for no pay ??
About the EJS, BTW.. Most damage DOES occur in shipping and some is caused by not properly packing the components -- they go together. The rest is simply in handling something that weighs so darn much that it gets dropped almost every time it is moved. (But if you put it in smaller boxes, then it is nearly a guarantee that one of the many boxes won't make delivery on time.)
Even complaints are good for the system. If there were none, no one would try harder.

Anonymous said...

Is it true that one of these directors runs a mix breed dog as a pure breed dog on his own team?

Christine VanWert said...

Barbara,

You bring up a VALID concern which is, its hard to get people to WORK for this sport because all they want to do is PLAY this sport.

I have found that some refuse to vote (I encouraged them to do so and they "informed" me that they don't/won't) because they "don't know those people" (BoD members). So, if they won't "vote", how can we get them more involved in the NAFA voting process?

Absolutely, complaints are "GOOD" for the system. Sadly, I've read some responses from BoD members that show 1) Lack of understanding of the "problem". 2.) Don't care about the problem. 3.) Outright defensiveness. (Your problem is trying to get me into "trouble").

There's more but, I'm not here to "beat up the NAFA BoD". I'm commenting because I DO care about NAFA (100% heart & soul) and we need "Volunteers" willing to step forward and be part of the process.

Which, right now, is nominating qualified BoD and ED candidates.

I like the fact that after two terms, our By-Laws require that a person step outside the BoD for at least one year. Those people deserve a breather to gain some perspective. Refresh their energy. Give "new" people the opportunity to carry some of that burden.

I think we should add to our By-Laws the opportunity to "vote" for temporary BoD members whenever a vacancy occurs on the Board due to resignation, removal or death of a Director. We HAVE to be able to fill vacancies when they occur but, I think it should be up to the delegates how/who to choose.

Interesting "challenge" you recognized. How do the delegates get to "KNOW" a candidate? Obviously, their nomination letter is not enough and I don't believe the "Candidate Chats" really serve that purpose very well.

Perhaps we can find a way to schedule some more "informal" chats with the candidates? No moderation and less restrictive sign-in rules?

I'm willing to listen to learn what the delegates want for NAFA.

Chris VanWert, the Wooferines

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Is it true that one of these directors runs a mix breed dog as a pure breed dog on his own team?

Seriously, what has that got to do with the price of bananas.

You wouldn't happen to have a beef with said director would you?? Why don't you lodge a formal complaint if it bothers you, go the proper route, not the backstabbing route.

............Chris said...

"Is it true that one of these directors runs a mix breed dog as a pure breed dog on his own team?"
"Seriously, what has that got to do with the price of bananas."

yeah, anonymous. You don't mind backstabbing "anonymous" cuz you're "anonymous", too! or are you A2? (pun intended) Don't know, can't know.

Here's what I know: I have lodged a "formal complaint" against the ED for not following the Corporate Policies & Procedures. Guess what happened?

The BoD was so scared of my allegations, they didn't dare hold a "hearing". They sat on their hands and no one offered a "motion" so that the full Board could have a hearing.

OH! One of them wanted to......he said out loud, "...can we talk about this?" The CoB at that time said, "Are you making a motion? We cannot talk about this without a seconded motion."

Nope! Nobody brave enough to raise their hand so that there could be a full public hearing on the issues and NAFA's Rules. Not even the guy who DID want to talk about it.

How do I know this? How dare I accuse?

I attended the meeting where this all took place. I heard their words. I looked them in the eyes. (Those who would raise their eyes off the table.)

So.....back to the "subject" of LisaP's post. "Why YOU should run for the NAFA Board"

I would like EVERYONE to consider running for the NAFA Board because I want to believe that the Board is comprised of people with diverse thoughts. People who are so deep in their convictions of the difference between "Right" & "Wrong" that they are unshakeable no matter what happens. People who believe that no matter how "bad" the news is, NAFA can handle it, survive it and grow in spite of it. People who make decisions based on principle and not on "political expediency". People who believe that fairness matters more than time & money. People who will respect everybody who comes before them even when they do not receive the respect they deserve.

Someone or someones who can & do rise above the kind of "point/counterpoint" pettiness of anonymous and anonymous I quoted above.

Whatever your reasons for remaining "anonymous", you are harming NAFA by ruining this organization's reputation. And, you both know that or you wouldn't be so shy about giving us your names. Forget your "Team's" reputation. Remember the venue you compete in. I hear from complete strangers how "U-FLI is the "friendly flyball". Hard to disprove that jaded view with anonymous vs anonymous quoted above.

YES....step forward all you good honest hard-working people who wouldn't be afraid to hold a hearing against one of its own.

Linda said...

On the chance that Anonymous' post about listing a mix as a purebred is a sincere question, I think that listing a breed is by the honor system and there is nothing in the rules that governs this point. In my perspective, if a person knowingly lists information falsely it speaks to their character.

Linda

Anonymous said...

POWER of the Current NAFA BOD

Banding all NAFA tournaments within 1,000 miles of Indy for the week of the CanAm 2010 and ignoring their own written By-Laws of the 200 mile rule......

Did not talk with clubs that are hosting tournaments the weekend before or after to see how it would affect them within the 1,000 miles that they banded.

So if you can not afford the travel, team entry fees ($125.00 for 4 runs), electric, camping/hoteling ....etc your out of luck unless your near the edges of 1,000 mile restricted tournament zone.

So in order to make CanAm lose less money for their event, they don't care about all the tournaments that have been hosting for years before them. Will NAFA pay them for their lost revenue....I think not!

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