Sept 2025 WYS After Action Report

On Sep 24, 2025, MWSA hosted a Write Your Story Class at the Westin Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City, MO. The class ran from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM with an hour set aside for lunch. The instructors were Ruth Crocker, Jack London, Jim Tritten, and Bob Doerr. Only 5 students were present, four being MWSA members who had never attended a WYS class before.

 An attendance list was taken, and an information sheet about MWSA was provided to all the students. Ruth Crocker presented a class on writing memoirs. Jim Tritten's lesson covered story arc. Jack London covered great openings, and Bob Doerr presented a lesson on point of view and dialogue.

The students appeared to have enjoyed the overall class. All but one completed a class critique form, and all the forms gave all categories the highest rating.  I am unaware of any negative feedback. MWSA hosted a pizza lunch in the adjacent food court.

My only negative comment is the lack of attendance by local veterans and family members. We’ll need to get a better jump on this next year.

John Cathcart and Valerie Ormond's presence during the class was appreciated by all.

Overall, other than the lack of attendance, I'd grade this WYS class as a success. The members who attended are now familiar with the class, and if they’re interested, they are better qualified to teach in a future class.

- Bob Doerr

Legal and Bylaws Review to be Scheduled in 2025

Background

The MWSA board decided at the Sep. 26, 2024 Board Meeting that we needed to have a legal review of our bylaws. We sent out an eBlast earlier this year asking for a volunteer legal reviewer and had no takers. We previously voted that if we did not get a volunteer, we needed to pay for this kind of review. For historical reference, the last legal review we had of our bylaws was by a volunteer member lawyer in 2017.

During this review, we need to get a legal call as to whether our donations ARE, in fact, tax-deductible since we are ramping up our call for donations. Actually, what I said was that the tax-deductibility of any donation is determined by the specific tax situation of the person seeking the deduction, and that determination should be made by each person’s tax attorney. See Tax Deduction Section below.

We need an action officer to take on this task of pricing what this kind of review should cost and locating a firm or qualified individual to conduct this review.

Tax Deduction

You’re absolutely right to be cautious here. The IRS and state regulators are very particular about how nonprofits describe the tax-deductibility of contributions. The safest approach is to inform, not promise.

Best Practice Language

Here are some IRS-aligned ways nonprofits typically phrase it:

  • “The Military Writers Society of America is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.”

  • “Your gift may be tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please consult your tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your contribution.”

  • “MWSA is recognized as a nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are generally tax-deductible; however, you should consult your tax professional to determine the extent of deductibility in your situation.”

Why This Matters

  • Donor circumstances vary: If a donor doesn’t itemize deductions, or if part of a gift is exchanged for benefits (e.g., meals, books, tickets), not all of it may be deductible.

  • IRS disclosure requirement: For donations of more than $75 where the donor receives goods/services in return (“quid pro quo”), nonprofits must tell the donor how much is deductible.

  • Risk reduction: Saying “may be deductible” or “to the extent allowed by law” avoids overpromising and shifts the responsibility to the donor and their tax preparer.

Suggested Standard Disclaimer for MWSA

“The Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to MWSA are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please retain this receipt and consult your tax advisor regarding your specific tax situation.”

AI’s Evaluation of our Bylaws

Here’s a structured evaluation of the bylaws you provided for Pennsylvania non-profit compliance and a comparison with standard nonprofit bylaws practices. I’ll break this into three parts:

1. Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Act (NPCL) Requirements

Pennsylvania regulates nonprofits under the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988 (15 Pa. C.S. § 5101 et seq.). Your bylaws largely conform, but a few key areas may need adjustment or clarification:

✅ Strengths / Compliant Elements

  • Name and Purpose (Article I & II): Clearly states nonprofit status, Pennsylvania incorporation, and 501(c)(3) compliance. ✔ Required.

  • Membership Structure (Article III): Voting and non-voting classes are permitted under PA law (15 Pa.C.S. § 5752). ✔

  • Board Composition (Article IV): Fixed number of directors (nine voting) is acceptable; law allows flexibility but requires minimum of 3 directors. ✔

  • Officers (Article IV): President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary – all required roles are present. ✔

  • Committees (Article V): Allowed under § 5728. ✔

  • Amendments (Article VII, Sec 2): Allows amendment by Board, which is valid unless Articles of Incorporation specify otherwise. ✔

  • Dissolution Clause (Article VII, Sec 5): Correct 501(c)(3) language, required by IRS and Pennsylvania AG. ✔

⚠ Potential Issues / Missing Provisions

  1. Member Voting Rights (Article III & VII):

    • You provide for members to elect directors and officers, but Article VII, Section 2 (Amendments) says only the Board can amend bylaws.

    • Under PA law (§ 5913, § 5504), unless Articles reserve power exclusively to the Board, members also have statutory rights to amend. You should clarify whether members are expressly excluded from amending bylaws.

  2. Notice of Member Meetings (Article III, Sec 7):

    • You require 30–90 days’ notice. PA law (§ 5702) requires no less than 5 days unless bylaws say more. Your 30–90 is acceptable but restrictive; you may wish to allow more flexibility.

  3. Quorum (Article III, Sec 7 & IV, Sec 4):

    • For members: 25 members = quorum. PA law defaults to 10% of members entitled to vote (§ 5703) unless bylaws specify otherwise. If you have large membership, 25 might be legally too low. Consider defining quorum as “10% or 25 members, whichever is greater.”

  4. Board Removal of Directors (Article IV, Sec 9):

    • PA law (§ 5726) allows removal of directors with or without cause by members, and removal by Board only if provided in bylaws. You do allow Board removal “for cause” by 2/3 vote, but should also clarify member power to remove directors, since that is a statutory right unless waived.

  5. Conflict of Interest Policy (Article VI & VII):

    • You include a Conflict of Interest policy requirement, but PA law (and IRS best practices) generally requires annual disclosure forms. Consider specifying that disclosures must be filed annually and kept in records.

  6. Electronic Meetings / Voting:

    • You allow telephonic/online meetings but do not specify electronic voting for members or directors. PA law permits it (§ 5708, § 5726), but bylaws should clarify validity of email/online votes.

  7. Indemnification Clause:

    • Missing. PA law (§ 5741–5749) allows corporations to indemnify directors/officers against liability. Most nonprofits include indemnification language to protect board members.

2. Comparison with Typical Nonprofit Bylaws

When compared with standard nonprofit practice (IRS guidance, BoardSource templates, other 501(c)(3) bylaws):

Missing / Recommended Additions

  • Whistleblower Policy Reference: Many nonprofits adopt this alongside Conflict of Interest and Ethics.

  • Board Term Limits: You provide 2-year terms but no maximum terms. Many nonprofits limit service to two or three consecutive terms to prevent stagnation.

  • Indemnification: As noted, strongly recommended for liability protection.

  • Membership Rights Clarification: Define if members have rights beyond voting for directors/officers (e.g., amendment rights, approval of dissolution). Current draft implies limited role but not fully explicit.

  • Annual Report Requirement: Standard to require the Treasurer/Board to present an annual financial report to membership.

  • Non-Discrimination Clause: Many bylaws now include language affirming nondiscrimination in membership and programming (race, religion, gender, etc.).

  • Electronic Communications Clause: Clarify that notice, ballots, and official communications may be sent electronically (consistent with state law).

  • Filling Vacancies: You allow Board appointment, but best practice is to specify whether appointees serve the remainder of the term or until the next election (yours says remainder – which is fine).

3. Suggested Revisions for Compliance & Best Practice

Here’s a summary of what I recommend adding/clarifying:

  1. Clarify amendment powers:

    • Specify whether bylaws can be amended only by the Board or if members also have rights.

    • Suggested language:

      “These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors, unless the Articles of Incorporation or applicable law require approval by the members.”

  2. Quorum adjustment:

    • Change member quorum to:

      “Ten percent (10%) of voting members or twenty-five (25) members, whichever is greater.”

  3. Removal of Directors:

    • Add:

      “Directors may also be removed by the voting members as provided under Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Law.”

  4. Add Indemnification Clause:

    • Example:

      “The Corporation shall indemnify any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by Pennsylvania law.”

  5. Add Non-Discrimination Clause:

    • Example:

      “The Society shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or national origin in any of its activities or operations.”

  6. Annual Conflict of Interest Disclosure:

    • Add:

      “Each director, officer, and committee member shall annually sign a disclosure statement affirming compliance with the Conflict of Interest policy.”

  7. Whistleblower Protection:

    • Add:

      “No officer, director, or member who in good faith reports suspected misconduct shall suffer retaliation.”

  8. Electronic Voting:

    • Add:

      “Voting by electronic means (including email or secure online platforms) shall be permitted for both members and directors, provided measures are in place to verify identity and intent.”

✅ Bottom Line:
Your bylaws are already strong and IRS-compliant, but to be fully aligned with Pennsylvania NPCL and best nonprofit governance practice, you should (a) clarify amendment/member rights, (b) adjust quorum language, (c) add indemnification, whistleblower, and nondiscrimination clauses, and (d) strengthen your Conflict of Interest and electronic meeting policies.

AI-Proposed Bylaws Update

Word Document (with old and new versions)

Paid Ads vs. Free Ads for Dispatches; New Volunteer Editor

Discussion of whether MWSA should change our policy of free ads for members to paid ads only at the current discounted rate.
-Ad management is very time consuming for the Editor
-Most members do not take advantage of the free ad option
-Ad quality varies greatly
-Our discounted rates are very reasonable and can help offset layout/design expenses
-Val committed to be Dispatches Editor for one year, and that concludes in September

Possible Verbiage for conference(s)

Val sent this as a possible addition to our conference to indemnify us. Names need changing.

ASSUMPTION OF RISK, WAIVER, AND INDEMNITY AGREEMENT:

By registering for the conference, all conference registrants acknowledge the following: I know, understand, and appreciate the inherent risks associated with my participation in optional and public activities related to the conference presented by American Horse Publications (AHP). I hereby assert that I am voluntarily participating in activities arranged by American Horse Publications and that I assume any and all risks of such participation. I understand that AHP does not provide the equipment, location, or staff for these activities and has no responsibility or oversight for the operation. In consideration of being permitted to participate in these activities, whether or not I have paid a participation fee to AHP or to a third-party service provider, I hereby release (on behalf of myself, my family, my heirs, and my assign) AHP and its employees, agents, and volunteers from any and all claims involving injury, death, or property damage suffered by me, including those which result from the ordinary negligence of AHP and its employees, agents, or volunteers. I further hold harmless, defend, and indemnify AHP from any and all claims arising directly or indirectly from my participation in any activities arranged by AHP.

Financial Management Plan (Treasurer, Bookkeeping, and Bank)

Hugh has announced that he’s not planning to continue as treasurer past his current term. He’s also noted the costs of QuickBooks (they’re now only offering an annual subscription payment plan (even for the desktop version). These two facts lead to required actions on our part.

  • Treasurer. Make sure we’re recruiting a new treasurer. Rob Lofthouse has expressed an interest.

  • Bookkeeping Software. Given the costs for QB — roughly $1000/year — and the limited number of transactions we need to track due to check writing, we MAY want to consider another bookkeeping software or system.

  • Bank. If Hugh’s leaving, we need to consider changing banks. As we’ll no longer be tied to Hugh’s home address.Maybe we need to consider an online-only bank as a replacement that might work no matter where our treasurer lives.

Tracking system for required reports

Hugh discovered we hadn’t filed required annual report with Pennsylvania for many years—potentially threatening our non-profit status. This is a long-standing problem with MWSA management, and we must do better.

Report/Due to/Due by/Position or person in charge

I will create a spreadsheet to track this type of information—likely incorporating this into our portfolio document in this section of the website. Will probably have to wait until I return from vacation (May 2).

On Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 01:10:03 PM EDT, Hugh Simpson <hsimpson@simpsonlaw.org> wrote:

Received a notice from InCorp ( Registered Agent) regarding updating credit card information.  Logged in and since 2016 MWSA has been out of compliance with the State of Pennsylvania except in 2022 Joe Epley filed a report.

 

I jumped in and filed for 2025.

 

What will become problematic, I believe next year if MWSA does not file a report the organization will be out of compliance which creates a whole new set of circumstances…none good and probably cost $$ to regain “good standing”.  I attached a “how to” guide and really easy to do which is essentially updating President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

 

Probably need to assign this function to a specific “”billet”  as people come and go from their leadership roles.  I would say assign to “Secretary”.

 

Did call InCorp to ask why we hadn’t received a notice…their answer “we receive mail as registered agent”.  Nothing more nothing less.  $129 per year. 

 

See what I saw below. 

 

Entity Name

Due Date

Starts

Ends

Status

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2016

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2016

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2017

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2017

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2018

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2018

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2019

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2019

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2020

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2020

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2021

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2021

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2023

04/27/2022

04/27/2022

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2023

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

04/30/2024

 

 

PAST DUE: Item due 04/30/2024

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

06/30/2025

 

 

Item due 06/30/2025

Annual Report Due

Military Writers Society of America (158927) [PA-DNPC]

06/30/2026

 

 

Item due 06/30/2026

Organizational Briefing/Welcome Packet

Update 10/4/25

Need to convert the existing welcome packet to an organizational info packet. Hugh has agreed to suggest changes/additions.

Update 8/10/25

Welcome PDF file created, along with a new landing page:

https://www.mwsadispatches.com/welcome-to-mwsa

Background

It would be nice to have an organizational briefing PDF file that would serve two purposes:

  • Hand out to new members, welcoming them and providing a brief overview of our mission, programs, benefits, leadership, website, etc.

  • Same info, but for marketing/introductory purposes. Handouts for ambassadors

Recommendations

  • I’d recommend one document, stored on our admin page, visible to all on the website, and downloadable.

  • I can update our Wild Apricot welcome emails with a link to the document.

  • We should formalize keeping the document updated at least annually and certainly with every new administration.

MWSA Leadership Challenges/Changes

Update for Nov Meeting

  • Board

    • Pres: John won’t run again

    • VP: Val or move to Pres

    • Treasurer: Rob has volunteered.

    • Secretary: Plan?

      • Jim has stepped down. Should we appoint a temp? Anyone want to be acting sec?

    • At large

      • Who plans to stay on?

      • John will serve if needed and will continue as co-awards director.

      • New Blood: John recruited possible new members to run: Galen Peterson, Rosalie Spielman, and Jim Bultema. Varying levels of interest/commitment.

  • Other

    • Membership Secretary: Jim Bultema

    • Chairperson of Volunteers: new position, but I believe it’s vital to our mission

    • Paid temp/part-time helper

Update for May Board Meeting

  • Treasurer volunteer (to run at the end of our current terms in office): Rob

  • Membership Secretary

    • John’s been “acting” secretary for many months, and I need to stop acting. ;-)

    • Workload:

      • Most work is automated by our membership system (Wild Apricot), but there are typically 3-5 emails to answer each month.

      • Also, each member whose dues expire transitions automatically to associate status. Although the membership status/level is updated automatically, we must manually update their associate member expiration year—the only routine transaction not automatically handled by our system. These updates take about 30 seconds per member and involve about 5-15 individuals monthly.

  • Chairperson of Volunteers

    • Why do we need this?

      • Because only a handful of people routinely do the lion’s share of work for MWSA (this is a typical problem for any volunteer organization).

      • We’re burning out the “usual suspects” mentioned above.

      • Frankly, “care and feeding” of volunteers is one of the most important jobs that MWSA should have.

    • No board member has volunteered yet; I’d rather recruit from our board than try to get a volunteer by begging our general membership (which almost never works).

    • Possible Duties (to get us started)

      • Manage existing efforts and suggest systems for:

        • Volunteer jobs. This usually means coordinating with existing chairs (awards, IT, Dispatches, Ambassadors, etc.).

        • Recruitment of new volunteers.

        • Recognition and retention of existing volunteers.

Initial Entry (March 2025)

It’s never too late to start looking for the “next generation” of leadership.

  • Hugh has let us know he’s not running for another term as our treasurer.

  • I will probably not want to continue as president after my current term.

  • As much as I had to beg Val to stay on as VP after taking over as president upon Jim’s resignation, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were ready for a break in the action as well.

I’m mentioning the above so we can all imagine what we’d like to happen going forward.

Chairperson of Volunteers? Any volunteers?

Member Expulsion and tracking

Rob raises an excellent question: Have we done this before? His question also logically leads to a follow-on: Why is John insisting we do this?

Have we done this before?

Yes, we voted to expel Ms. Giacomo in May of 2023. Before that, I’m not sure if we ever expelled anyone in accordance with our bylaws. Maybe Bill will remember if there was an instance from our early days. I could also ask long-time president Joyce Faulkner.

Why am I so adamant that we do this?

The simple answer is that it’ll come back to haunt us if we don't.

Perhaps more important than expelling a member is ensuring that we have a system to document inappropriate behavior on the part of any MWSA member so that we have a written record.

Here are a few examples of which I’m aware involving MWSA members who:

  1. Repeatedly impugned the character and integrity of individual MWSA volunteers.

    1. The proverbial nail in Ms. Giacomo’s coffin was her repeated comment regarding Betsy’s gold star mother status: “My response to her was everyone has those kind of stories, and they do.” [sic]

    2. Can you imagine how Betsy felt reading this revolting comment twice?

  2. Sexually harassed a female MWSA member during a conference in Pittsburgh. Because this happened well over ten years ago (2010?), I can’t remember his name. As far as I know, the incident wasn’t documented anywhere (at least where it’s easy to find).

    1. I was present when this person made inappropriate remarks to another attendee in one of our breakout rooms. I don’t remember his exact words, but I remember being shocked when he dismissed another person's contributions, saying something like, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head lady.”

    2. If memory serves, he later made vulgar remarks to other women and did some inappropriate touching of another conference attendee. I have no direct evidence corroborating these allegations.

  3. Drunkenly interrupted an awards banquet by standing in the back of the banquet hall and yelling that since he was the only person who had submitted a book in his genre, he should have won a gold medal (rather than the “Honorable Mention” he was awarded). Our then-president had to physically escort this person out of the hotel. I can’t remember the name of this disruptive member because it wasn’t documented anywhere (as far as I know).

  4. Had repeated verbal altercations with several other MWSA members. Informal complaints were shared, but no record was kept. This person subsequently volunteered to serve on our board, but his name was withdrawn from consideration when his history was revealed by someone who remembered the complaints about his abrasive personality.

 I have no intention of allowing the MWSA board to become a “star chamber” expelling members willy-nilly. Nor should we be in the business of sharing unsubstantiated rumors regarding any member’s behavior. However, I imagine we can all agree that all the above examples should be documented and that at least the first two qualify for expulsion as outlined in our bylaws. The documentation should be completed immediately after the fact and stored electronically where we can easily find it. Otherwise, we must rely on our memories from 10-15 years ago. This record-keeping is vital for our membership secretary—our first line of defense!

 Action Required

Formalize system for tracking membership problems.

Dues Income: Impact and expectations from our tiered membership levels

Since this topic has come up several times, I thought I’d cover some data with the board. Sometimes a video is better than an explanation. ;-)

  • Sorry that the numbers are small and hard to read.

  • I’ve pasted a screenshot of the spreadsheet below (click to enlarge it).

Main Points

  • Our overall annual dues income has been relatively steady since 2018

    • Roughly $16,000 each year

    • Although total dues collected decreased immediately following the tiered membership discounting, our total dues income has leveled out for the past four years

    • Not sure why 2019 was noticeably higher

  • The benefit of the tiered dues system ( 1-, 2-, and 3-year membership with discounts of 0%, 10%, and 20%, respectively) has been worth the cost.

    • As mentioned above, overall income is holding steady

    • Renewal rates for the discounted memberships are high

    • So, we’ve addressed the perennial “one and gone” problem MWSA faced for many years.

  • Although our dues are “future income” (i.e., paid each month during every year), we can adequately plan our budget based on assumed income from dues.

Click to expand

Membership Directory

Due to concerns over privacy, we turned off our published directory.

Now that we have an opt-in system, It’s time to turn it back on to facilitate the “networking” that most of us consider an important member benefit.

Requirements

  • Agree to a system in WA

  • Ensure that it’s located in a secure, members-only part of the WA website.

  • Educate members about the directory

    • How to access it

    • Rules for use & penalties for misuse (i.e., using it to generate or share spam)

    • How to enable their participation, and what details they want to share.

Existing Information & Instructions

Bylaws

Most recent versions (Google Docs & PDF) are in a new “Bylaws” folder. Old versions moved to a separate subfolder (to make it easier to tell which is the current version).

Future Issues/Changes

  • Update who is the 9th voting member of the board. Right now, it’s Founder. Suggest we change to past president—always as a tie-breaker if required.

  • Update at-large board member portfolios?

  • Combine/clarify IV.3 Term of Office of Directors and IV.5.6a Term of Office of Officers.

Membership for Publishers

I think we could re-offer regular membership (the reason I invited Laura to do so), but the only real benefit might be the advertising discount (or maybe a free one once per year).

 As a member, some possible benefits:

  • Ability to submit News & Events (although most members don't)

  • Invite to submit articles to Dispatches

  • Publish free ads, or possibly discounted ads

  • Possibly be a presenter at one of our Writers Education Webinars

  • Have a free "booth" at our conferences

  • As you have already done, give them a space on our Member Resources page

I like this idea:  If the membership were granted to a publishing house, we could fairly easily extend the membership rate for conferences to anyone working there (rather then the first person to whom we granted membership).

[email exchange John and Val]

Joe Badal's $1000 donation

Updates

  • Six-month extensions: 4

  • 50% discounts: 12

  • Total impact (dues forgone): $400

As of 3/6/2025

Background

  • Offered during the San Diego Conference

  • Our conferences are the best that he goes to

  • Wants us to use the money to grow membership

  • If gifting/subsidizing membership, he prefers that recipients have “skin in the game.”

    • Use for discount; i.e., new member pays $10-25, he pays $40-25

    • Maybe they write something first.

  • Other possibilities

    • Use for general MWSA advertising (for new members)

    • Use to subsidize “half-off” membership sale. Problem, most new members have a book on the way—would have joined anyway.

    • Offer full-boat membership grants to active duty military (encourage younger membership).

I’d like the board to approve a plan of action during our next board meeting and run it by Joe.

Suggested Plan

○ What: Discount types run concurrently or by month to month and a half (from blast to the end of next month)

○ Types

§ Half-off to WYS

§ Half-off sale for anthology contribution* (if already a member, 6-month extension)

§ Half-off sale for Dispatches article* (")

§ 75%-off (or one-year free trial) for active duty military (verification?)

§ Recruit new at half off, get one-year extension free

§ Limited time upgrade from associate to 1-year for half off

○ How (i.e., must work in WA)

§ Create new level: 1-year special

□ Full membership benefits

□ NO auto acceptance (membership secy approves use of discount codes. Others automatic once payment clears.)

• Dispatches/anthology editors provide discount code after acceptance?

§ Keep track of total discount amount and stop at $1k--or use general funds to continue (after board vote).

How to use the Action Items, Info, and Discussion blog

  • This section of our admin page is in the form of a blog and is meant to replace “management via emails.”

    • Emails included reply-all email trails including board members who weren’t actively involved in the topic being discussed.

    • Reconstructing conversations and decisions proved difficult—often involving going back through scores of individual emails.

  • Topics…

    • are for your information or to provide background before you’re expected to vote

    • are listed in the order created/posted (i.e., not in order of importance).

    • can only be created inside our web hosting website (SquareSpace), so if you’d like to add a topic, please contact John or Val (or use the “Suggest a new topic or action” button on the main admin page).

  • Board members have two ways to contribute or react to the articles: Like or comment.

    • For our purposes, clicking “Like” (the little heart) means you’ve read and understand the info and have no further comments or questions.

    • Adding a comment is self-explanatory… well, except HOW to comment. Here are the steps:

  1. Once you’re inside an individual blog topic, scroll to the bottom of the page and click inside the comment box. (see image to the right)

  2. Write your comments. If you want to add more than a sentence or two, you might want to draft them in your word processor and then copy and paste them into the box. Unfortunately, there’s no capability to go back and edit your comments.

  3. After you’ve written or pasted your comments, click on the black “Post Comment ...” button.

  4. You’ll be asked to enter your name and email. Leave the “Website URL” box blank; it’s not required. (see image below)

  5. Click “Comment as Guest” to submit your response.

Our website works this way (even after you’ve signed in to the admin page) because we’ve opted NOT to set up user names and password-protected sections of the website. Email John if you’d like a more thoroughly geeky explanation. ;-)

Please bear with us as we all learn how to use this new system.

John

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