by Mike Duke
Following the resignation of former ACB executive director Charles Crawford, president Chris Gray and the ACB staff conducted two telephone conference call meetings with affiliate leaders. The Oct. 29 meeting drew 19 participants, while 21 took part in the Nov. 5 meeting. The stated purposes of these meetings were to conduct a dialogue with affiliate leaders about the recent events within ACB, and to provide them with the opportunity to brainstorm about the future of the organization.
The first meeting began with a question about the time limit for finding a new executive director. Gray said the vacancy would be filled as quickly as possible, and he expects the selection process to continue at least through February 2004.
He was asked to clarify his and Charlie Crawford’s reported differences in management philosophy, and to explain why a management audit wasn’t conducted before Charlie’s departure. Gray responded that personnel laws and ethics prohibit him from amplifying what the management style issues might have been, and that an operations audit was never discussed. He stressed that ethics was not one of the relevant issues. He expressed a hope that the successful applicant for the position will understand the importance of working closely with the board, and assured the group that any expectations for the new executive director will not be tailored for any specific president or board of directors.
When asked why the resignation appeared to catch everyone by surprise, Gray replied that when divisions arise, publishing them is not smart, and there is always hope that issues will be resolved. He said that Crawford’s departure did indeed shock many people, including most people who were involved in the mediation process.
Both Gray and acting executive director Melanie Brunson assured the group that the advocacy work of ACB will continue. There are no plans to reduce the participation in legislative efforts, which have been mandated through the convention’s resolutions. The resolutions will be handled in accordance with the prioritization assigned to them by the board following the 2003 convention. Brunson said that affiliate leaders would be asked to help with advocacy issues, and several affiliate leaders praised the staff for their willingness to assume additional duties.
In response to a question about the role of “The Braille Forum,” Gray stressed the importance of including diverse voices and points of view within the magazine. “In addition to being the information bulletin for ACB, ‘The Braille Forum’ is also the primary public relations tool of the organization,” he said. “It is also the only communication medium between ACB and most members. ‘The Braille Forum’ must, therefore, strive to maintain a balance of views without becoming totally possessed by a few vocal individuals.”
In reply to a question about Internet etiquette, Gray said that, overall, those members who participate on ACB's leadership e-mail discussion list conduct themselves in a civil manner. He indicated that it had become necessary to place and enforce some rules for participation on ACB-L, ACB’s general discussion list. Participants in all ACB lists have been cautioned to refrain from involvement in any form of character assassination. It was also noted that numerous posts to ACB lists have quickly appeared in the publications and e-mail lists of other organizations, and that no Internet list is truly private.
Gray encouraged leaders to observe how successful affiliates operate, and to apply those positive principles to participation in the national organization. He said that the ACB board has the duties of implementing the resolutions passed by the membership, and of adhering to the procedures established by the constitution. Much of the day-to-day work to make the organization function is carried out by the staff. Within any organization, Gray said, certain responsibilities and decisions such as those related to finance and personnel must be delegated to a smaller governing group than the entire membership. In ACB, this delegating is done through the election process. Once elected, the membership must allow the leadership to work through situations such as the departure of a staff member. Members should assess the effectiveness of their leaders over the long-term course of their terms, which will enable members to better judge their leaders’ effectiveness and to make more informed democratic choices during future elections.
Gray said that the board has established an office review committee to look at issues such as the employee handbook, and expectations for the staff. He expressed his feeling that the current document fails to clarify the relation between the executive director and the board of directors. For example, Gray said that a delicate point of ethics occurs when personnel are also members of the organization. The employee handbook must comply with the ACB constitution, but must also address day-to-day operational issues such as employee conduct. A suggestion was made to add some non-board members to the office review committee, which currently consists of the president and two board members.
In response to a question about the financial soundness of the organization, Gray said that ACB is experiencing some relatively serious financial difficulties. Several expected revenue-producing items have either not met expectations, or failed to produce any income. Steps must be taken to bring new money into ACB, and to be more frugal with all financial resources in order to avoid turning this difficulty into a crisis. New income sources must be found; otherwise, ACB will continue to experience declining membership, and will diminish as an effective organization. Laura Oftedahl has assumed fund-raising duties, and will be responsible for developing new income resources. Several participants expressed their concern that ACB must work hard to both maintain and strengthen its reputation as an effective advocate for people who are blind.
In reply to a question about the relationship between the affiliates and ACB, Gray explained that ACB begins with affiliate membership and leadership. The national organization exists because affiliates work together. The needs and opinions of the affiliates move upward through, and strengthen, the entire national organization. Historically, ACB has helped form state affiliates by finding state leaders, then working with them to build affiliates. Special-interest groups, on the other hand, are primarily sparked by a common special interest, which is their primary membership recruitment tool. According to Gray, membership in special-interest groups tends to rise and fall more frequently than that of state affiliates.
The basic responsibility of state affiliates to pay national dues, along with their voting rights, is clearly documented in the ACB constitution. There is also an expectation that affiliates will participate in the national convention, thus strengthening the representation of their affiliate within the national organization. A state affiliate may call on the national office for help with membership issues, special-interest groups, etc. The ACB web site contains a “Helpful Resources” section, which includes several documents of interest to all affiliates.
Affiliate presidents suggested that appropriate topics for mid-year meeting discussions might include 501(C)(3) status, and the responsibilities of convention delegates. Gray said that he also wants a discussion of how to increase the influence of ACB in rehabilitation for the blind.
The first meeting concluded with the suggestion of holding similar monthly meetings, and of dedicating at least one meeting annually to new affiliate leaders. As a way of implementing that suggestion, affiliate leaders were invited to participate in one of two planning sessions for the upcoming legislative seminar. These sessions were held subsequently.