If elected President in the upcoming election on June 10-17, I would like to address what has been a systemic problem within OREIO.

There is one role within the executive that is highly onerous for any volunteer to fulfill. That is the role of member coordinator. When members have a question about membership, they ask the member coordinator. When they have a billing issue, they contact the member coordinator. When they need to update their email address, they contact the member coordinator. When the membership is up for renewal, they contact the member coordinator.  If they forget their password, … you get the idea.

At 400 members and growing, this role is too much for any volunteer to fulfill to the level that members desire. We have even had members cancel their OREIO membership because they weren’t satisfied with the level of service from the member coordinator. Let me be clear, this is not a reflection, nor a failure of any one individual on the board. The role of member coordinator is simply too heavy for the size of the organization.

If elected, I would propose to hire a part-time membership manager to manage the membership database and to be the first point of contact for member inquiries. This paid position ($15,000 per year?) could be easily funded out of membership dues particularly if we continue to grow the membership on the current trajectory. I would propose to achieve this without increasing membership dues. The hiring process would be managed by the board and would report directly to the member coordinator and the IT Manager for OREIO.

We have doubled the size of the OREIO membership over the past several years, and we continue to add about 20-30 members a month. 

Part of the problem is a result of the current club structure, and part is the result of growth. Formalizing the organization into a non-profit corporation and hiring the right part-time talent would enable solving the problem.  

I hope to have your support in the upcoming election.

Much love.

V.