OVAS

HEAR YE, HEAR YE!!

It's that time once again. OVAS Executive elections will be held during the May General Meeting on May 26, 2014.  All OVAS Members are eligible to run for a position and vote during the election.

If you care enough about the club to keep it running into its 61st season, now is the time to step up. We cannot do it without you!

To run for a position, nominate yourself in this thread by posting your name, the position for which you have decided to run, and if you so choose, a brief explanation as to why you would be a good candidate for that particular position.

Names on this thread received by Sunday, May 25th at 12:00 p.m. will be entered on the elections ballot, anyone declaring to run for a position after the deadline will be added manually to the ballot at the time of the election.  Nominations will also be accepted at the meeting.

Please reserve this thread for self-nominations for the election.

Now for the positions - these have been modified as voted by the members at yesterday's club meeting. There are now fewer positions on the Executive Committee. Other volunteer positions will also be available - these will be solicited separately once the Executive Committee is formed.

Here are the positions and their responsibilities:

President

• Act as official representative and spokesperson for OVAS; including CAOAC and intra‐club liaison.
• Chair all Executive meetings and membership meetings, and serve as an ex‐officio member of all OVAS committees.
• Ensure that members of the Executive carry out their duties while also recognizing individual capacity and willingness as volunteers; does not imply that the President must assume the duties of any Executive member who is absent or derelict in their duties.
• Ensure Executive and Club continuity through leadership, mentorship, fellowship and encouragement of team work and recognition of efforts.
• Ensures communication of club events and announcements to club and forum membership.

Vice-President

• Assist the President in carrying out all of his or her duties.
• Act for the President, in the President's absence or at the request of the President.
• In the event that some Executive positions are vacant, will assume the responsibilities for one of them, as agreed to with the President.

Secretary

• Record the minutes and action points of all Executive meetings and ensure their posting on the Executive forum in a timely manner.
• Record any proposed action, decision or vote taken at a general club meeting, and post them on the club forum in a timely manner.
• As directed by the President, provide an account/summary of Executive meetings to the membership.
• In collaboration with the President, attend to correspondence to and from OVAS and the OVAS Executive.
• Ensure the tracking of OVAS' physical assets.

Treasurer

• Keep a complete and accurate record of the financial transactions of OVAS and make these available to the Executive at all reasonable times.
• As approved, provide advances or reimbursements for club expenses incurred by members of the executive or club committees, while ensuring proper documentation of those expenses.
• Prepare an annual financial statement for the approval of the Executive and the membership.
• Ensure the safekeeping of OVAS' financial assets.
• Attend to correspondence and records relating to OVAS' finances.
• Provide financial forecasts and other financial advice to guide Executive decisions.

Membership

• Maintain a current and complete record of all members, and make it available to the Executive at all reasonable times.
• Collect membership fees and provide them to the Treasurer, with a reconciliation of the fees collected and the membership list.
• Provide paid members with membership card and any club introduction materials in a timely manner.
• In collaboration with members of the Executive, develops and maintains club introduction materials to outline and communicate club benefits to paid and prospective members.
• Develop and recommend strategies to promote membership in OVAS.
• Coordinates any approved membership drives.

Programs

• Make recommendations and proposals for club meetings for approval by the Executive.
• Once approved, make contact and arrangements for guest speaker and meeting activities.
• Make arrangements for the smooth running of club meetings, including:
  
  
  
  • Meeting agenda
  • Reception and recording of guests and members
  • Door prizes
  • PA system, laptop and projector as required
  • Beverage and snacks (if not already provided at venue)

• Develop contacts in the aquarium hobby, and hence develop a list of potential speakers for OVAS events.

Online Presence

• Picture of the month contest or other forum activities or events
• Forum content curation (i.e. posting of hobby related topics and references)
• Administration of Facebook page
• Obtaining hobby expert posts or input (ex. "Ask Albert Thiel")
• Encouraging forum posts and welcoming new forum members

Sponsorship

• Follow‐up with all forum sponsors for renewal ; obtain payment and signed contracts according to defined timelines.
  
• Seek new forum sponsors as needed, while respecting established rules.
• Develop, maintain and safekeep sponsorship contracts
• Develop and maintain relationship with sponsors and relate any complaint or improvement opportunties to Executive for resolution or decision‐making.
• Ensures the development, posting, and removal of forum sponsor banners.
• Collaborate with AquaMania Sponsor Coordinator to provide forum sponsors with opportunity to participate and further support the event; also to coordinate communication with forum sponsors who choose to sponsor AquaMania.
• Seek business contacts to promote OVAS and OVAS activities, and seek sponsorships and other tangible ways of increasing the financial soundness of OVAS.

Now that the thread is up, I am seeking a second term as President.

My goal is to assure the continuity of the club, and guide the new executive into assuming its roles and responsibilities.

I am also very committed to leading the efforts required to produce AquaMania. I believe it is the most effective way to engage the community into our grand hobby, and also provide visibility to the club and its objectives.

I welcome all others to consider joining the Executive Committee. I will commit to ensuring that it goes about its business as smoothly and efficiently as possible, and respect each person's perspective and their available capacity to fulfill their duties.

Regards,
Andre Martin
OVAS President

I will run as treasurer. I believe this role goes hand in hand with my current role as auction chair, which I plan to continue as well.

Cheers,
Robert Hemp

I will run for Sponsorship and also Aquamania sponsor.

Hi everyone,
Last year, for those who do not know, I was Library chair and am still willing to look after the library.

This year I will be running for Vice-President as I think I can do the most good from that position.

Last year all the exec were pulling at least double duty, and in the case of Andre and Stuart more like quadruple duty. I hope we can have a full exec this year and make Aquamania even better.

- Jonathan Herstead

Hi,
I will run for Secretary.

OK guy's time to bit the bullet, I will go for ...

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Membership chair  (Great work Bruce for the other years you did this)

Ed

I've enjoyed working with the exec this year and definately plan on being back for more!

AquaMania was, in my opinion, a huge success and I want to make sure that it continues to be successful in the years to come.

While I was originally planning to run for Secretary again, I am thrilled to see others stepping up and volunteering, so I respectufully would like to put my name against Online Presence as I do not have the contacts in the field to make a great program chair.

Looking forward to the upcoming year!

Stephanie

I just want to mention that if someone else is interested in the sponsorship, I won't be offended if you put your name.

We are still seeking a nomination for Program Chair. This is an essential position - without it, there may be fewer club meetings or activities. If you are interested in keeping the meetings in their current or improved format, now is the time to step up. The rest of the exec can help in identifying potential speakers and providing contacts, but we need someone to follow-up and organize.

Also, we are actively looking for a Webmaster. Pierre Groulx (groupie02) graciously accepted to take on the position until the end of June, but now we need some other technically inclined person to take over. If interested, please PM me or Pierre.

Thanks all for reading and considering to fill these or other positions on the Exec.

I can be Webmaster.

Michel

So far we at least a nomination for every position except for Program Chair. Unless someone helps out with this important responsibility, we will likely have fewer organized events during the year, as the rest of the executive will have to share the tasks associated with this on an ongoing basis.

Please consider helping out, you don't need to be an expert - we have the contacts, and we can help with some of the tasks associated with the meetings.

See you all tomorrow, it should be a great meal and a great presentation by Tommy Lam from Shrimp Fever.
We also have three $25 gift certificates to give away as door prizes!

One last fishy fun time together before we break for summer!

I'll run for program chair.



Shawn