Message from the President - Officer Duties in Dogwood

What does an Officer in Dogwood do? What is he/she responsible for? When does he/she have to do “Dogwood things” or “FMCA things”? And why in the world would anyone sign up for this job? All good questions, and I have asked myself these several times in the past two years. So I am writing this article as a way to inform new (and veteran) club members of the offices available, the duties thereof, and as a way to encourage folks to sign up or volunteer – this is what keeps us going. 

For starters, there is an FMCA book entitled Chapter Officer’s Handbook, and it is pretty detailed about all of the club offices and duties, so you don’t have to walk into this job blind. The book can be downloaded from the FMCA website in the Governance section and is an excellent reference for what you are about to get into.  All offices – president, VEEPs, secretary, treasurer, national director and alternates, chapter representatives at the FMCA business meetings, and the Area VPs are well detailed. Note that we have our own Standing Rules and Chapter Bylaws tailored to fit our club, and these are on the Dogwood Blogsite.  

The second best reference, or references I should say, are the previous office-holders (presidents, etc.) and we have a few of them in this club. I have made it a point to talk with them whenever possible – what they did, the issues they faced, and how they conducted the club business. All invaluable information, and through which I have learned we can tailor these rules to fit our club needs. 

As with any organization, record keeping, finances, and member participation are the top items – I rely on the club secretary for note taking at club meetings and keeping me appraised of issues coming from FMCA reps who coordinate directly with her. In Dogwood, we combine the Membership and the Treasurer responsibilities into one job. Our Membership/Treasurer keeps track of who is in the club, who joins the club and where our finances stand. We have an audit committee that reviews both annually and reports back to the club (and me). And we have a documented process for handling monies flowing in and out related to rallies, gifts, and other office items. 

We have a VP of Communications – an invention of our own I might add. And it works; he runs the Dogwood Blogsite and handles all of the reports, stories, adventures, photos, etc. that you see published. He and I work together to review every item prior to publication; I might be the Senior Editor, but he is the guy who puts it all together for you to read and enjoy. 

We also have a VP for Rallies, or Rally Master as he is known. He has a reference guide book as well and we, the club, have recently revised it to better fit our needs. The Rally Master coordinates the rallies; makes sense, right? The rally master doesn’t have to attend every rally, but does need to work with the rally hosts (who volunteer) to ensure they get the supplies needed for a successful event. We have several large plastic tubs filled with plateware, cleaning supplies, bags, coffee pots, warming pans, etc. And the rally master maintains the inventory and keeps them stocked for the club. 

Then, we have a couple of folks who directly interface with FMCA National Management on our behalf – our National Director and his Alternate.  They carry the news back and forth from FMCA to this chapter, and represent us at the National conventions. These conventions are a huge event – they have to be. FMCA has over 320 chapters, each sending reps (the National Directors) to these conventions annually to conduct the business of FMCA, work the budgets, vote on issues, and setting/amending operational rules of the organization.  It’s a big deal and it works – I've been there and seen it firsthand.  

These are all elected positions within the club, and each serves for a term of two years. 

We also have some volunteers, and I am really grateful for their assistance and input. We have a Care Person who keeps track of chapter members facing hardships and/or illnesses. We send cards and flowers, and have been known to provide gifts to specified charities. We have a Safety Officer – this is great; he provides safety tips and lessons about all things RVing that go into our newsletter. 

So given all that, what does the President do?  We are in FMCA’s Eastern Area (one of 10) and as such have an Area President and Area Vice President – those are my FMCA interfaces. National rule changes, policy changes, etc. that filter down from National to Area comes through them to me, and I bring it to the club. The Chapter Officer’s Handbook has a 2-page list of things I have to do, and I summarize them as follows: 

• Preside over chapter meetings (at least one annually) 
• Lead the chapter 
• Assure chapter representation at the national meetings 
• Handle/distribute national meeting materials 
• Conduct rallies 
• Grow new members 
• Assign committees and members as needed 

At the club level, I focus on getting new members and ensuring that we follow the FMCA rules for clubs. About every other month, I get a list of 15- 20 new FMCA members living in the Eastern Area, and I write them an introductory letter, invitation if you like, about Dogwood and things we do. This year Dogwood has gained several new members as a result of this invitation. And I really enjoy working with my VPs – we stay in touch and get a lot of “behind the scenes” things done for the club. Communicating with new members and working with the Rally hosts are probably my favorite parts of this job. 

So, in summary, I hope this answers the question of “What does an Officer in Dogwood do?”. I offer this as a way to inform everyone of the offices available and the duties thereof, with the hope that it encourages folks to sign up or volunteer. This is what keeps us going. 

Regards,

Ed Herbert

Dogwood President