Director/Sponsors' Reports
Fall in Boston
By Jonathan Baker
First I want to thank all those from the Boston Chapter who were involved in hosting the STC board meeting this September. The board had a wonderful time and a successful meeting, which Rob Houser, Director/Sponsor Region 3, has summarized below. I don't think there is a board member who will forget the Duck Tour and dinner at Legal Seafoods any time soon. So, again, thanks for a great time in Boston.
Second, after my first real board meeting as a voting participant, I find myself asking: "What do Region 1 members really want and expect from STC?" I have my own ideas, but I would like to hear yours. So, please, if you have questions, issues, or complaints, send me e-mail at jbaker2525@earthlink.com. If you want to talk to a real voice, send me your phone number via e-mail and I will contact you directly.
Third, because of the economy, you will read in the Board meeting summary below about the themes that are repeating themselves everywhere: no growth, lost growth, reduced income, and so on. What you need to keep in mind is that this is a vibrant organization with a focused and dedicated Board and membership.
September Board Meeting Held in Boston
By Rob Houser
Membership, budget, and member services were the focus of the STC Board of Directors meeting in Boston on September 26-28, 2002. As with many organizations, STC is feeling the effects of a weak economy—membership, the value of our investments, and conference attendance are lower this year. Despite the challenges from the economy, the board spent a significant amount of time addressing ways to increase membership and improve the quality of member services.
Before the official meeting, the board held a workshop that was facilitated by John Nardone. John is president of International and Media Worldwide for Modem Media. He is a world-renowned expert in marketing. John led the board through brainstorming and discussions about the future of the STC. You'll be hearing more about the results of that workshop in the near future, but we would like to thank John publicly for donating his time and talents to help us think more creatively about the future of STC.
The board took the following actions at the September board meeting:
- Approved the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2003.
- Revised the way that the Society pro-rates dues. Dues will now be pro-rated by month rather than only at the end of the year. The effect on new members is that they can join at any time during the year and receive 12 months of membership.
- Changed the way that chapter rebates will be paid for 2004 onwards. In the future, half of the rebate will be paid upon receipt and approval of the chapters' financial report and 990EZ (if applicable) and the remaining half will be paid the following January. The main reason this action was taken is to reduce the drain on the cash flow for the Society during the year.
- Approved the new strategic plan. You can see that plan at http://www.stc.org/PDF_Files/StrategicPlan.pdf.
- Approved previously committed support for INTECOM (The International Council for Technical Communication), an organization of 15 international societies who focus on technical communication.
- Increased support for STC representation at the standards organizations that are related to our profession: National Information Standards Organization (NISO), World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
- Updated the Chapter Achievement Award to increase the profile of membership activities in chapters of all sizes. The revisions apply to chapters who submit this year (2002-2003), so make sure you get a copy of the revised guidelines from the STC Web site.
The board discussed the following items at the meeting:
- The STC Web site initiated the "members only" area starting October 1, 2002. The purpose of this move is to increase the value of membership in STC. We will be monitoring the success of this effort closely over the next 6 months.
- The board discussed ways to increase the role of the SIGs in the Society. The SIGs represent the diversity of our membership and are important communities for technical communicators.
- Membership was discussed throughout the board meeting. You will see more of a focus on recruiting new members in the months to come. In preparation, start thinking about ways that you can help STC reach the many technical communicators who have not yet joined our community.
If you have questions or comments about the STC board of directors or any of the items mentioned in this article, please contact your Director/Sponsor.
Jonathan W. Baker is Director/Sponsor of Region 1. You can reach him at jbaker2525@earthlink.com. Rob Houser is Director/Sponsor of Region 3. You can reach him at rob@userfirst.net.
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