ToddP said:
…..What do any of our candidates see as the biggest challenge facing the PRA in the next 5 years. What is your solution for solving this challenge?
I don’t think there is any question that finances and financial stability is the number one challenge. And I don’t think we have 5 years to accomplish that task. Without money the organization can not provide what all of us would like. I’m not going to list what we would ‘all’ like because the list is quite long and everyone has their own list they want satisfied.
Solution? I believe solutions are being implemented and that the present BOD has finally recognized that we have a crisis on our hands. I say finally because this isn’t new news. And consequently during Bensen Days they started taking steps to live within our means. That was the first step that had to be taken. It is painful for all of us but it had to be done. It could have been a lot worse if the seven or eight individuals hadn’t stepped up and supplied interest free loans. The fact that the airport is almost paid for helps out.
When I went to Bensen Days I presented a BOD member with a list of items that I thought should be dealt with in order to stabilize the PRA and start it back on a path of growth and financial stability. It doesn’t take a deep thinker to identify problem areas so I’m not kidding myself into thinking I was the only one that had made up this list. And for every problem identified there are probably several solutions. My list wasn’t prioritized but the one item I placed at the top is the PRA web site.
The PRA web site and the internet, in my view, are the most important tools we have. The web site has the potential to serve as the core for any action that might be considered. In talking about finances the ability to renew membership, or join, thru the web site has been lost and is thought to be a factor in the declining membership.
I believe the Site has the potential to not only be a money generator but also a money saver. But in order for it to reach its full potential it must be maintained, modified and expanded as needed. We have been doing this with capable volunteers but volunteers have a ‘life’ outside the PRA to manage so guess what suffers when ‘life’ calls. If you agree with that statement then I would hope that you also agree that we need to pay to keep the web site well maintained and functional as soon as we are financially able.
Where do we get the money? Well, membership dues are our main source of income.
We need to identify and publicize the reasons for people to join the PRA and give members reason to maintain their membership and eliminate any reason to drop it. People don’t do anything, good or bad, without a reason.
Those of us that belong, and especially those of us that have belonged a long time, would think that this would be easy. But if it is then why isn’t the membership growing and why such a terrible retention rate? Sorry, I don’t have a complete answer but I suspect that collectively we do. Finding and implementing the answer(s) would probably be the 2nd item on my prioritized list.
When I mentioned collectively above I mean you and me. When a member of the BOD told me what had taken place at the Bensen Days BOD meeting, my immediate reaction was good show! But the next reaction and question was ‘What, and who, are you going to use as resources?'.
The BOD is made up of eleven members and there is no way they can implement all that we would like done. So, PRA members, if you want this organization to prosper that means you and/or your Chapter are going to have to help out. The BOD is there to coordinate your ideas/desires and manage the overall process but it is going to require all of us pitching in if we want to initiate and carry out project timelines. It is my belief that the real energy of this orgainization resides in the membership and the BOD should be charged with finding ways to utililize it.
I hope I didn’t put any of you to sleep! I have other comments I could make but will wait to see the result of this posting.