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Posts: 317
| ToddM - 7/5/2007 9:22 PM
Hunter4, your first remark about me shows that you know me all too well! Your contributions far outweigh mine, as does your belly.  Actually, I don't think you have a belly, that's your heart my friend. : )
That's a true statement! In every club, there are guys like Dave and Todd who go way above what is asked, and there are "the invisibles." I agree with Dave in that it is up to the indevidual to make their contribution. That being said, our system of having membership directors to meet and greet new members and help them integrate is starting to pay off. As one of the membership directors, I always get an overwhelming positive and thankful response when I meet a new member at a meeting and introduce him/her around, or give a new member a phone call. Sometimes people need a little nudge to get started, and that's ok too. |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | MrMuskie32 aka Micah (and anyone else who would like to talk to me), I'm the VP of the First WI Chapter. If you have some questions about the chapter, please contact me. I encourage you to make your own decisions about our chapter by experiencing it directly.
What you write publicly on this board is not patently true and we have been working very hard to dispell the perception you have unwittingly perpetuated here.
Here is one example: We run a league on Wednesday nights with a few simple rules. Most relevant to this discussion is that you have to fish with a new partner every week. The whole point about this is that we want people to mix and get to know each other while engaging in a common ground passion. I have fished with a bunch of great people and made new friends in the club.
We are in our second season and already this has resulted in a bigger group of "friends" and more new folks stepping into positions on our board, volunteering at events, etc.
I look forward to talking to you and would be happy to have you come to a meeting and see for yourself.
Dhacker, I'm the webmaster of our chapter's site and I have not seen anything from you....If you would like to talk about the First WI Chapter, please contact me. Many of our members spend time in the Deer, Bone area. A few years ago, someone else tried to start a chapter around there but it didn't go. Not sure the reason why.
Sincerely,
Jon Olstadt
715-579-1300
[email protected] |
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Posts: 462
Location: Syracuse, Indiana | (In response to "Guest") - MI budgetary matters are available to any member. Contact your RVP. The Strategic Planning Committee has taken a long, hard look at MI's governance. Expect information regarding their proposals in advance of the fall board meeting. |
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Posts: 32955
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Mr. Cates, excellent answer! Any MI member can get information form the Club RVP about the International, including the $. |
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Posts: 216
Location: Elk River, MN | Jon (Jono) I didn't know I was supposed to call you or I would have. I will give you a call the first part of next week. I am headed Thursday morning to Vermillion to chase them for 3 1/2 days. Until then I am playing "keep up" at work for the rest of today and all day tomorrow.
This post was to try and get the information I was not having success with getting as well as see what other MI members were feeling; "gut-check for myself". The very first response / email and follow-up phone call with CommonSenseGuy provided the information to contact David Cates directly; who said the closest chapter was in Hayward; as well as he provided Don Jahncke contact info who is in charge of new chapters for Muskies, Inc. Don is sending me the information packet this week.
I assume the chapter you are in - First WI Chapter is close or in the near proximity of Eau Claire. I believe the problem is what I have been hearing from people who are interested in actively participating in a chapter is travel. I also discussed this with David Cates. People want to join and participate but don't want to drive a long ways to do it. Several also want to have some of their efforts relate to the area(s) they fish in; and honestly I want some of the effort I do to relate to the local areas as well.
I am not making excuses for myself or anyone else's active participation; but personally, our household has two adults working fulltime and daily traffic to and from work; kids soccer two nights a week; try to get out fishing one night a week - depending on weather; and then the household chores such as laundry, cooking dinner, house cleaning, bills, taking care of the lawn, really leave little left. So I can understand and relate to individuals who want to participate with a chapter "closer to home". I am fortunate that the chapter I am in is only 25 minutes away.
I think your chapter having an existing member fish with a new member during the weekly leagues is a great idea.
I am very interested in talking with you and look forward to anything you and your chapter has to offer. At this stage, I am just trying to gather as much information as possible to determine the validity of a new Chapter; find out how much effort it takes and if it makes sense; take the first steps to initiate something. This may be something such as scheduling a meeting in the local area and then maybe having someone from your chapter (if that's the closest chapter) to come and discuss ideas and perform some Q&A of an existing chapter versus a new chapter start up.
Edited by dhacker 7/10/2007 5:50 PM
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | I would be glad to help anyway I can and I'm sure my chapter would too. I think that's a great area to have a chapter.
Good luck on Vermilion!
Jono
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| Steve Worrall is exactly 100% on target with his earlier observation:
" So how to make everyone happy and comfortable? Not possible, people are people. How to make it as easy as IS possible to get that done? Make sure the club has a 'crew' of greeters that take new members under their wing, introduce them to the established members, get fishing stories going, and the rest should will take care of itself. The club 'social director' needs to make everyone keenly aware that a new member is in attendance, guests are in attendance, etc. "
Yes, it's very true that people are what they are both the good & bad-- its simply human behavior.
Dave Cates had a key comment which is crucial "the International is the Chapter and the Chapters are the International". Somehow those words need to be more integrated into the true perceptions of all - which will take time.
Dave Cates and the current Board of MI have made very positive improvements in terms of promoting harmony, money management and budgets. The magazine is now more modest and spartan - which needed to be done. It is the main conduit to communicate the priorities and upcoming events with members, Chapters and the entire organization. It simply cannot "compete" (there are not enough resources to pay for flashy pictures, authors, etc.) with MH and EA - in terms of investing the time and energy into presenting leading edge ideas and professional-quality journalism and significant muskie strategies and methods information. This is a vital communication link to MI members re: MI priorities and key issues (VHS, stocking, research, broad information efforts, etc.) and is very useful for that purpose.
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The subject of members leaving MI because they didn't feel welcome, or thought MI was to clickey has come up often.
I don't think it's fair to to hear all the negative comments, but not the positives.
Far more people stay in MI, and make friends in thier clubs as well as others, then leave feeling slighted.
I know this is true in our MI club, Fargo Moorhead. The vast majority of our new members in the last 10 years, including myself, have stayed and become very active.
MI always has and will change and evolve. How it changes and evolves will depend on members, not people who stand on the outside and just wish it was different.
Js |
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