Ed, kindly please bear with me, this isn't meant as a flame, but if you'd
read the thread BEFORE you commented , you would have realized you're
covering ground that's been already covered, and not absorb needless
bandwidth. Mike, thanks for the encouragement, and David, thanks for the
promotional materials info, it should be a heads up to you that this was not
previously publicised.
To review, and hopefully put an end to this topic...
A complaint was posted that namgbr seemed top heavy and east-coast centric.
David Deutsch boasted that there were 150 members in Calif. and 50 in Texas,
to repudiate the complaint. That's where I jumped in.
To review my comments,
1) Namgbr is a non-presence on the west coast, where more MGs exist then in
the other 49 states combined, which makes the "north american" part of the
title irrelevant and the 150 california memberships an object of shame, not
pride
2) for whatever reason, most of the officers and coodinators seem to be
within a narrow geographic region and many seem to be old friends
3) almost all of the supposed "north american" annual events are scheduled to
be geographically convenient to the northeast/eastern midwest
4) no visible attempt has been made to spread the influence of the club to
the west coast, for example it was only yesterday that I learned that there
were gift certificates and promotional materials available... and I've been a
member for some 6 years, and dragged my club into affiliation 4 years ago!!
5) it's exceedingly difficult to convince club members to join an
organization of which they have NEVER seen any tangible activity or presence
outside of the logo and mentions in my club newsletter.
6) Rather than complain about all of the above, which are simply reported as
facts, I'm suggesting in open forum that the club consider giving leadership
to a move to create a REGIONAL structure under the NA. structure. This would
give Regional events some of the status and importance now reserved for the
national annual events. (see GOF for example)
I'm more than willing to work for that goal within and beyond my own club,
and this discussion is the start of that. But support, promotional assistance
and organizational help MUST come from the top, otherwise we might as well
not be a namgbr affiliation at all.
What I want now is for more people who feel disconnected from the national
org. to add their opinions to the pot and barrage Namgbr with the idea. Prior
attempts to address this problem in quieter ways have been roundly ignored by
the leadership, and THAT'S why we're having this discussion.
Thanks all
Cheers
John
|