Active Topics 
Memberlist 
Calendar 
Search 
Help
Register 
Login |
Active Topics Memberlist Calendar Search Help |
| Register Login |
| Running Your Theater | |
 Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Theater Administration :Running Your Theater |
 Topic: First Board Meeting Proposals( Topic Closed) |
  |
| Page of 2 Next >> |
| Author | Message |
|
tonyboling
Star 
Joined: 3/15/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 55 |
 Topic: First Board Meeting ProposalsPosted: 8/17/08 at 9:54pm |
|
So I'm about to embark on my first board meeting and I was sent a letter with the agenda and then an email with a bunch of proposals to discuss and one of them has me quite nervous and I'd like your opinions.
Sorry, whenever I paste from Word it does this. |
|
 IP Logged |
|
|
JoeMc
Celebrity 
Joined: 3/13/06 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 832 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 12:09am |
|
Here groups usually state, you need t o be a financial member to be covered by Insurance. As a furphy to get participants to pay up. Which in fact is a load of rubbish! Personally I purposely avoid paying membership, if they demand or suggest this & become adamant about it - I walk! Not because I won't pay, but because of their attitude. I agree one needs to be a financial member to be able to vote, but if the group prefers to collect a few coins to that of willing participants, I keep just walking.
In my mob membership fees are of no importance, but people are. Not these days, but I used to be a member of upto half a dozen theatre groups & willingly paid annual membership fees each year, because they didn't demand it, or resort to scare tactics. I even paid to those who give males free memberships.
I remember once while I was directing a production, I was constantly reminded to collect membership fees from the cast & crew. So I paid the fees out of my pocket, then sent a bill to the treasurer for out of pocket expenses. I never got the money, but it did stir the committee up, to rethink their attitude. they came to realise those doing the shows, are actually putting in more, than some members who just pay & are never seen when work is to be done.
|
|
|
[western] Gondawandaland
"Hear the light & see the sound! TOI TOI CHOOKAS {may you always play to a full house!} |
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
jaytee060
Star
Joined: 1/18/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 63 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 11:07am |
|
You know what? In a time when its increasingly difficult to find volunteers in the theatre, it seems really dumb to insist that someone
has to pay to work for your organization.
In a time when people either don't have the time or the desire to attend meeting and serve on committees, it seems even more dumb to insist they pay up to do so.
My own organization has fought against the stigmatism that our theatre is a "closed" or "exclusive" group. Paying to participate is just another was of
restricting who is WELCOME in your theatre. Do you really want to do that?
How about let everyone play who wants to play but only dues paying members are allowed to take part in the decision making. ie; Voting members. That makes a lot more sense to me.
|
|
|
"REMEMBER ME IN LIGHT"
|
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
tonyboling
Star
Joined: 3/15/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 55 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 11:43am |
|
I'm honestly embarrassed that this is even on the table for us. There is another group in town that split off from our group cause they didn't wanna do standards and preferred to do more edgy shows which is fine, but they're really perceived as a closed group even though you don't have to be a member. You basically have to just work a show and let them get to know you. The perception is that they're exclusive though because they do have a closed "Board" that consists of the founders.
If we were to start requiring a pay to play policy I think that'd utterly ruin us. |
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
jayzehr
Celebrity
Joined: 8/11/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 537 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 3:59pm |
|
How much are they expected to pay?
|
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
tonyboling
Star
Joined: 3/15/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 55 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 4:23pm |
They'd need to be a member so $24 a year for a single and $36 a year for household. |
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
jayzehr
Celebrity
Joined: 8/11/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 537 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 4:29pm |
|
24 isn't much, but as an actor I'd be offended just on principle. I'm going to put in hours and hours of free labor and I'll have friends and family buying tickets who probably wouldn't come to the show otherwise.
|
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
75director
Celebrity
Joined: 8/19/05 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 122 |
Posted: 8/18/08 at 5:36pm |
|
What a horrible idea!
It sounds like a great way to get someone to come in and do one production and never do anything again. And who's going to track that? If it's been 5 years since they did something, are they "new" again? Or do they have to wait 15, 20 years before they would be considered "new"?
What is the point of making someone be a paying "member" to participate? Is it to raise money? Is it to boost numbers for a grant report? Just to have "members" do thing for the organization does not seem like it's acheiving anything.
If I were shopping around for a show to do, I know I would not pay to be in it. Especially since my skills will then be part of the product that generates revenue for the organization. I could see the need to feel like you are doing things for your "members" but that's not the way to attract and retain VOLUNTEERS. Requiring someone to be a member or serve on the board or some other key committees (annual giving campaigns, long range planning, etc) would make sense but not regular volunteers.
Good luck at your meeting!
|
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
skoehler
Lead 
Joined: 5/19/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 37 |
Posted: 8/19/08 at 12:26pm |
|
What a bad idea. The $24 a year per person would not do a damn bit of good to your bottom line. Even if you do several musicals a year with huge casts you're talking at the most a couple $1,000. I have found that whenever we do a large cast show with lots of new people, we will usually sell that in tickets to friends and family.
CT's constantly fight the "Closed shop" stigma, truth is so do professional theatres. The fact is the stereotype is not usually all that far from the truth, why on Earth would a Board try to make it more of an issue. The theatre I run used to be a "members only theatre" way back through the 40's. That entity eventually closed to reorganize into a non-profit corporation. The main reason cited for the closure, the perception that the theatre was too closed to the community. |
|
|
Steven Koehler
Managing Director Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette www.lafayettecivic.org |
|
|
IP Logged |
|
|
imamember
Celebrity
Joined: 8/18/08 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 121 |
Posted: 8/19/08 at 12:34pm |
|
Wow, terrible idea! For your sake I hope the majority of your board isn't approving of this measure.
|
|
|
IP Logged |
|
| Page of 2 Next >> |
| |
||
Forum Jump |
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |
|
