[Nfb-krafters-korner] Treasurer's reports was: classes and times

Mon Jan 10 15:25:03 UTC 2011

Cindy;
No one is going to think of asking for an open board meeting if the board never lets us know they are having a meeting in the first place.  That is what happened in this case.  We did not know until after the meeting was over.  So now let it be know.
I suggest we choose one of our chat nights, maybe every other month for a board meeting.
What do you all think.
Terry P.

-----Original Message-----
From: slery [mailto:slerythema at insightbb.com]
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 12:16 PM
To: 'List for blind crafters and artists'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Treasurer's reports was: classes and times

Eileen,

First, this is the first email I am reading today, therefore, I have no prior knowledge to any of the discussion that may have occurred just prior to this message.

Second, every year at the annual meeting of this division, a Presidential Report, Secretary's Report, and Treasurer's Report is given.

Third, do you have any idea how long the NAGDU division has been around? I know for at least ten years or more. I also have attended several of their meetings and know that their membership is substantially larger than ours (their annual meeting attendance is triple or more than ours).

Now, the reason that I say that is to point out that they have had many years to grow, many years to try new things, and many years to expand their membership and meet its needs. As you stated, we are only three years old; that puts us in the early stages of growth and learning to meet the needs of our membership.

As part of the leadership, I can tell you that we are learning about keeping records and generating reports (other than the those listed above) and how to make that available to the membership. All of the reports that I listed above are read at the annual meeting and anyone--member or non-member--may attend that meeting. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE IN SECRET and I personally resent the fact that you insinuate that it is. Any of these reports could have been provided to anyone that asked for them. Did you ask for a copy and someone refused to supply it to you? The National Office requires reports from us every year. Did you ask if we could have a board meeting to discuss this topic? Did you ask if the board meeting could be open to the membership?

The Board of this division is NOT trying to keep anything from the membership. The meeting we had last night was called back in December before this discussion about classes was ever brought up. Joyce has been compiling data on classes and trying to put together an end of year report to let the membership see how many classes we have had and what accomplishments we've made and hope to do in the future. This has been in the process for over a month. We are taking in all of the things that have been done and looking at comments that members have made to Joyce privately and trying to figure out how we can move toward meeting some of those requests.

Right now, I am deeply disappointed that the work being done by this board to try and figure out how to accomplish things in the future for the ENTIRE group is not being given the time to come up with solutions.

Cindy S.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dixie
> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 9:59 AM
> To: 'List for blind crafters and artists'
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Treasurer's reports was:
> classes and times
>
>
> I am the treasurer of the Connecticut Council of the Blind.
> I am required to make a monthly statement of the treasury, receipts
> and disbursements.  I think that this is a reasonable request.  I also
> think that this is a reasonable request to have monthly or quarterly
> general organizational meetings for the membership.
>
>
>
>
>  Dixie
> ~  @-> ~ <-@  ~
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
> Eileen Scrivani
> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 9:44 AM
> To: List for blind crafters and artists
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] classes and times
>
> Cindy:
>
> I've been a paid up dues member of this division & a
> volunteer instructor
> since just about its beginning.  I think it will be 3 years
> this summer and
> in all that time I have never seen any mention of open board
> meetings and
> maybe saw only one of the board meeting reports about 2 years
> ago that was
> written up by Audrey as Secretary for the division.  Another
> two people on
> this list  has called it to my attention, something I was not
> aware of and
> something the board for this group does not make publically
> known is that
> all NFB board meetings for I think all the divisions are open
> and any member
>
> can attend and be a part of the process.  The Nagdu division,
> has monthly
> meetings (it is a national division so they do it by phone)
> and they make
> announcements on their list asking if members have questions
> they would like
>
> to discuss during the phone meeting.  In other words, all the
> members are
> invited to be active participants.  With that said, why
> wasn't the phone
> number for the Krafters division meeting posted and the offer
> of having as
> many members attend as wanted to?  If I had been allowed to
> participate in
> the meeting of the other night I would have been there and
> know there are
> other instructors with similar concerns that would have attended.
>
> Additionally, in the 3 years I've been a dues paying member,
> I have never
> nor has anyone else who is just a member seen a treasurer's
> report, no
> report on how many people are signed up to this list no
> report on how many
> of the members are paying dues, no report on classes that
> have been offered,
>
> no report on itemized expenses for the group.  Just no
> reporting of any
> kind. A little verbal mention on a Monday night chat, by the
> way is not a
> report nor a substitute for a board meeting.  So after 3
> years of paying
> dues, how much money is in the Krafters Korners Division's
> treasury and what
>
> is it being spent on?  If you don't have that information off
> the top of
> your head or other leadership does not know the answers off
> the tops of
> their heads, then where are the written records in accessible
> format so that
>
> members can find this information out?   Any organization
> that collects
> money must be above and beyond question and there is an
> obligation to report
>
> openly & honestly on where the money is going and how much of
> it there is.
> These are serious concerns that all need to be addressed
> openly & publically
>
> for division members.
>
> When exactly and how frequently are board meetings held?
> What is the phone
> number so that members can participate and have a say in what
> goes on?  When
>
> was the last time this board for this group met?  When is the
> next board
> meeting date & time?  I think what ever went on in
> Wednesday's night meeting
>
> was a fraud because yes it was behind closed doors and not at all
> democratic, but very dictatorial.
>
> Thanks for the openness and honesty.
>
> Eileen
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "slery" <slerythema at insightbb.com>
> Sent: Friday, January 07, 2011 3:35 AM
> To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'"
> <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] classes and times
>
> > Eileen,
> >
> > I am NOT speaking for the board in this message. However, I want to
> > assure you that your questions and complaints have not
> fallen on deaf
> > ears. As you stated, the leadership needs to make the final
> decision.
> > Until that decision
> > is made, you cannot receive an answer. The board does not
> meet daily or
> > weekly, so a decision cannot be made within a single day.
> >
> > You will be contacted when things are finalized.
> >
> > As to Joyce's comment about wanting to hear from the
> instructors, you
> > are only one instructor and we want to know why the other
> instructors
> > or potential instructors are not joining the discussion because it
> > doesn't matter what time students would like classes if
> there are no
> > instructors available to teach them at alternate times.
> >
> > This topic was started as a way to hear from the membership
> and create
> > a list of times that we might be able to fill in the
> future. No one on
> > the board or in the division expects you as ONE instructor
> to find a
> > way to fill all of these times. You have been a great
> instructor and
> > provided a valuable
> > resource to this division. There have been many students that have
> > benefited
> > from your classes.
> >
> > Cindy S.
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
> >> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Eileen
> >> Scrivani
> >> Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 4:43 PM
> >> To: List for blind crafters and artists
> >> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] classes and times
> >>
> >>
> >> Joyce:
> >>
> >> besides seneding you three private emails on this topic, I am an
> >> instructor who has posted thoughts on the subject of class
> >> recordings, but my messages
> >> to the divison leadeership has fallen on deaf ears.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --------------------------------------------------
> >> From: <Blindhands at aol.com>
> >> Sent: Thursday, January 06, 2011 4:04 PM
> >> To: <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> >> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] classes and times
> >>
> >> > I am back online with JAWS working 100% so now I can
> reply to the
> >> > emails.
> >> >
> >> > After listening to all the email regarding classes and after
> >> > discussing this with the board members of the NFB Krafters
> >> Division I
> >> > would like others to  know our thoughts.
> >> >
> >> > We defintely have grown and spread not only within the USA,
> >> but around
> >> > the globe.  We want to continue our growth and bring
> >> Krafters Korner
> >> > every where there is a need for  us to learn, share and
> teach each
> >> > other the crafting skills of this group.
> >> >
> >> > With all that has been said it has proven that we need more
> >> classes at
> >> > different times.  After saying that we have the ability of
> >> doing these
> >> > classes, recording them and having students interact
> live with the
> >> > teacher and other students.  Now we need to find a way to
> >> do this at
> >> > different times to
> >> > include more people around the World.  We have heard from
> >> friends in
> >> > India,
> >> > Australia, New Zealan, Canada and Alaska that have taken or
> >> would love to
> >> > take a  class, but the timing is not great for them.  I ask
> >> each one of
> >> > you to
> >> > seriously think about what you would like from Krafters
> >> Korner and if one
> >> > of  your answers are take classes like others, then I ask
> >> you to please
> >> > contact me  off list.  _Blindhands at aol.com_
> >> (mailto:Blindhands at aol.com)
> >> > I would like to work with you to make this happen.
> >> >
> >> > While this conversation went on there was not much comments
> >> being made
> >> > from
> >> > our teachers regarding this and I would also like to
> hear from the
> >> > teachers off  list.  We do have teachers living in
> >> different time zones
> >> > and maybe
> >> > some of  them would be willing to try different times for
> >> classes.  I need
> >> > to
> >> > hear  from the teachers.
> >> >
> >> > The question has been brought up why and who picked
> classes to be
> >> > during the week starting at 8 p.m.  When Krafters Korner
> >> first started
> >> > out the list was small and most folks were living on the
> East coast
> >> > and Central time zone.  Laurie Porter did our first class and it
> >> > was a
> >> beading class.   I
> >> > had
> >> > asked  our list people what time and weekend or during the
> >> week would
> >> > be best and that is how we started out.  We did try
> classes on the
> >> > weekend during the day and in the evening and in the
> evening during
> >> > the week.  We  had more folks show up for a class in the evening
> >> > during the week.  When classes began we would maybe have
> 3or 4 and
> >> > maybe 5 people at a
> >> class.   That did
> >> > include the teacher and me in those numbers.  Now look at
> >> the  attendence
> >> > of a
> >> > class.
> >> >
> >> > So please contact me off list and let's work together to
> >> develop this
> >> > further.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Joyce  Kane
> >> > _www.KraftersKorner.org_ (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
> >> > Blindhands at AOL.com
> _______________________________________________
> >> > Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
> >> >
> >>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
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> > et.org/etscrivani%40verizon.net
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
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