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From the President, December 2002
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Near the start of the last Chapter program year, our Board made the difficult decision to increase the Chapter dues to increase and maintain the level of programs and services being offered to the membership. Our past president, Sheldon Wolfe, had the unpleasant responsibility to announce and explain the dues increase to the Chapter as decided by the Board. With the activity of the Chapter expanding in many directions, the improvement to the quality of our programs and services to the membership would come at a cost. Your Chapter officers and committee chairs met in planning sessions to set tasks and goals for their respective committees to achieve, and developed the budgets necessary to accomplish them. As we move through the current program year, we are seeing the benefits of the planning process in this year’s programs and events. The officers and chairs will continue planning and goal setting for the next program year, just as we have done for in the past. Due to the tough financial decisions made last year and the commitment of the chapter officers and committee chairs to work within the budget, the Chapter’s finances are in good order. The announcement that Sheldon made last year may not have been greeted with hearty handshakes and cheers from our fellow members, but that is due our healthy “wait and see” attitude. Our Chapter finances continue to be on a solid foundation and our current Board and chairs are building on this success, following the examples set by previous Boards and chairs. So, what have we received for all of this careful planning and budgeting? Let’s start with our Chapter Administrator, Jaime Nolan representing Synergy Resource Group, Inc. Many of our communications are handled through Synergy making the Chapter more accessible, while alleviating the burden of these tasks from our Chapter leaders. As Synergy enters its second year of providing administrative services to the Chapter, Synergy has enabled us to save costs for program locations and meals through their experiences dealing with various meeting facilities. Another benefit is the “No Cost to Members” to attend Chapter meetings, which include lunch or dinner depending on the time of the event. There aren’t many organizations that can provide programs as exciting as ours, yet suitable for continuing education credits for no cost to its members. The chapter dues is a payment that we all make, but when you consider that you receive “specifics” and attend chapter meetings along with meals, etc. for approximately nine months, and receive the Roster each year, the cost of attending monthly meetings/seminars are free. A few years ago when we paid at the door for each meeting, the cost per meeting was approximately $25. The only change to that cost is that it may be higher today. Once we commit to a location and meeting facility for space and meals based on the count of those making reservations, we owe the total amount whether the attendees show up or not. For that reason, we have a cancellation policy to reimburse the Chapter for a “no shows”. The Chapter is willing to supplement the payment for member education, but in fairness to all members, attendees must be responsible canceling their own reservations. There are terrific benefits to being a member of CSI and a member of our Chapter. As good as it sounds, the benefits mentioned above are only on a Chapter level. Regional and Institute level activities and benefits may be the subject of another article. Our committees are continuously working along with the Board to add more value to your CSI membership. We encourage you to attend the next Chapter meeting and get involved with the committee of your choice. It is always a good time to be in CSI. Kermit Duncan, CSI, CCCA, AIA |
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