Imagine the "Mothership" has crashed. It is obsolete and beyond repair. We either spin off the baby ships to become independent colonies or we salvage parts and build a new one.
This is how we started the Leader’s Summit in New Orleans last month. In person and by GoToMeeting the majority of active MCA-I chapter leaders attended. And a lot has happened since. This was an important meeting.
We spent the morning looking at what could be salvaged from the international model that has remained basically the same for 41 years and is broke. If you haven’t heard, the lack of attendance at last year’s Protracks and declining membership renewals has deflated cashflow that the board of directors was forced to discontinue our contract with The Rees Group, our association management firm.
We also considered what a new “Mothership’ might look like. Andrew Estevez (Ohio Valley) suggested we may no longer need a mothership, but a smaller, faster “scout” ship. We also considered what duties each chapter would have to shoulder should we discontinue the international association and operated as independent chapters. Feeling we had enough to go on, a roll call vote was taken. (See the list of attendees elsewhere in eNews.) The vote was unanimous. We would build anew. Then the sleeves were rolled and different leaders stepped up to assume responsibility for the various day-to-day tasks that our international office formerly performed.
The Short-term and the Long... Since then Lois Weiland, executive director of the Madison MCA-I chapter has been hired to cover the phones, mail, bill paying and other administrative duties. Erin Fergusen (Madison) and Donata Renfrow (Atlanta) have lined up a new phone service.
Board Member, John Grozik, (Milwaukee) has set up an account with GoToMeeting to handle our Board, Leaders and Committee conference calls. President-Elect, Gary Shifflet (Detroit) and Secretary Laurie Clark (Greater Wisconsin) have moved the association checking account. Past President, Connie Terwilliger (San Diego) has made numerous updates to the website during and since the Summit meeting. President-Emeritus, Mike Brown (Milwaukee) is looking after the archives.
A Long Term Governance Committee was formed at the meeting to take on the task of building the new “Scout Ship” (association model). The deadline for completion will be October 1 of this year. Given they are able to arrive at a model that will serve chapters and all members (including members without chapters), at a cost we can afford in a fashion that will gain consensus among the chapter leaders, we will put the model into full swing January first 2010.
MCA-I Has Heart...and Pluck!!!
This has been an emotional and demanding time for all concerned. When volunteer time is so scare MCA-I leaders have made a major commitment.
We are an amazing profession and association. Have you ever considered it? The people who populate our profession are constantly learning, unlearning and relearning emerging technologies. We began as employees of video departments in corporations and continue today mostly as entrepreneurs and small businesses. Market needs change constantly and we continue adapting constantly.
Many associations that existed when we began in 1968 are long gone. Many associations that came after have folded since. And MCA-I has seen very tough times before. Our association at the international level basically went dark from 2001 thru 2004.
Past International President, Todd O’Neill (San Antonio) sent me this picture to remind me that we have survived tough times before. This was taken at a leader meeting in Los Angeles in 2001. The character of the leaders in the picture then is very similar to that of the leaders who spent time together in New Orleans a few weeks ago. We have been and continue to be a formidable breed. I am very proud of all of you and proud to be among you!
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