[chapter-delegates] Re: Memebrship presentation

[Philippe Le Roux]

I have dificulty to understand how somebody want to be member of ISOC and 
of its local Chapter.
They're can be some particular situations based on local policy situation. 
But I can't imagine half of the people member of an organisation without 
having contact to it.
The lack of multilingual versions of membership form, the lack of 
multilingual communication between ISOC-HQ are part of the problem.
IMHO Chapters are the local structure of ISOC, the point of contact between 
the member and a worldwide organization.
Chapter is the local dimension of the global ISOC, it's the international 
dimension of ISOC culture (nobody in Washington or elsewhere can think as 
european, canadian, latin or african people).
Chapter is the link between ISOC and the world.
So I suggest giving to Chapters a first role in membership management, a 
first role in collecting possible fees, a first role in comunication 
between HQ and the members and between members and HQ.
I would like to know how HQ will manage collect of fund in countries where 
a lot of people have national credit card (without possibility to use them 
outside their country), I would like to know how HQ will collect funds from 
coutries where people don't have credit card, I would like to know how HQ 
will represent the world when it limits its comunication to the english 
speaking people.

It's time to think about an interntional ISOC able to answer to global 
development of the Internet and of our society.

HQ must be build on the Chapters not parralely.


At 09:39 2005-03-11, Patrick Vande Walle wrote:
>W. Majewski said the following on 11/03/2005 03:28:
>
>>Hi all,
>>
>>the current version of my presention in  different formats is available here:
>>
>>http://isoc.org.pl/2005/membership/
>Dear Jacek,
>
>Thanks for this hard work. I will keep you updated on the results of the 
>discussion later today.
>
>One observation:
>
>ISOC currently has 21.177 individuals  members, whatever name we give to 
>this category. Of this, only 57% are  also members of chapters.
>With the current policy of indirectly electing BoT members through chapter 
>delegates, the remaining 43% of members have no representation whatsoever, 
>which is an issue.
>
>Becoming a non-paying member is as easy as filling an online form and the 
>only thing ISOC can verify is that the e-mail address does not bounce 
>back. As some put it, even my dog could be a member of ISOC, as long as it 
>has an e-mail address.
>
>We need also to present ISOC and its chapters as ONE entity by collecting 
>all fees at one place. But there should a possibility for members to not 
>join a chapter, if only because there are  places where there are no 
>chapters.  Collecting fees locally makes a lot of sense, since credit 
>cards are not as common as some would think.
>I also agree that a membership fee should provide some benefits, a return 
>on investment if you like.  Since activities happen mostly on the local 
>level, it makes sense they should be used locally.
>
>
>patrick
>
>

*PLR!

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Philippe Le Roux
Analyste Internet
Associé
V(DL)2 Inc.