NARGS: What You Can Do
Your Society needs your help - NOW! The following jobs need to be filled. Some require a modest amount of time; others a more extended commitment. Please read through and see what you are best suited for, then volunteer! Don't just think about it, do it! When you are ready, contact the
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1. Membership Committee Chair and members
NARGS needs a dynamic group that would lead efforts to increase membership. Somebody with marketing experience would be a plus.
2.Fundraising Chair and Committee
There are many projects at NARGS that could benefit from an injection of money. It's time to put the NARGS fundraising program together: special campaigns, individual sponsorship of projects/events and planned giving.
The first, small step to that end has already been taken. The new, printable donation form has been placed on the website. Go to About NARGS and click on the last item on that page Donations. The donation form also appears in the Quarterly.
3. Audit Committee Chair and members.
The Audit Committee would be a group of people charged with a task of making sure the NARGS audits are done properly. In interest of transparency, we might go into paid audits by an outside agency. Too expensive? Then these should be performed periodically, the way it is done for example, at the Herb Society and the Gesneriad Society.
This group will interact with the NARGS Board about the way the audits should be done and either select an outside agency to do them or seek out volunteers for the job.
4. Internet Committee Chair
A job for someone who likes digital technology. I've done the job for several years and now it's time for me to be replaced. The Internet Committee Chair will be responsible for ongoing changes on the website and employing computer-related technologies to enhance NARGS activities.
The decisions about the Web site are currently done through the Web site Volunteers, currently there are 14 of us, but the new Chair might opt for the smaller group of advisors.
I'll be happy to work alongside the new Chair for a month or so, and then answer questions as needed. Grazyna, grazynalg at sbcglobal.net.
5. Meetings Committee Chair and members.
I'm convinced that Chapters would be more willing to host meetings if they had a good support from the national in planning them. We, the national, have done something about it and now we have an excellent, recently revised Meeting Planning Guidelines on the NARGS Business page in members only part of our Web site under Planning FAQ.
The Meetings Committee would select Chapters to host meetings and support them in the planning process. The Administrative Committee is going to propose this fall that we go with two national meetings a year: one Winter Study Weekend and the Annual, rotated, if possible, between the eastern and western part of the country.
In addition to national meetings Chapters could organize events that may be named regional meetings. These might include garden visits, plant sale, workshops, maybe one common meal and a speaker. Hotel accommodations and meals would not be provided by the organizers, but become the responsibility of participants.
6. Advertising coordinator
This individual would oversee advertising in the Rock Garden Quarterly and set it up (judiciously) on NARGS website.
7. Publications Committee Chair and members.
Let's consider new technologies and start publishing in new media. Perhaps something that would appeal to beginning rock gardeners: a publication on rock gardening in containers, since containers are an easy solution for people who don't have a rock garden but have a patio or balcony. Another possibility would be a publication on basic rock garden plants with one-page write-ups and attractive color pictures.
Can we do a very basic (paper) book on rock gardening for children? We need to start our rock gardeners young!
8. Website "News" items coordinator
I'm looking for a volunteer to head the "News" section of the NARGS Web site. What we need in that section is...news: from NARGS officers, Chapters, individual members, maybe other sources if the news concerns NARGS or rock gardening in
North America.
It should be a lively and even entertaining section; the first place people would go to.
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