[Chapter-delegates] membership database - yet another problem?

[David McAuley]

Dear Franck:

As you know, we are looking again at the system in an organized and
comprehensive way that will include input from the chapters as well.
Peter has done a thorough survey to which we had a very good response
(thank you to those many chapters who responded), we have evaluated it
and we are on the verge of this comprehensive, chapter input included,
review. I say 'on the verge' inasmuch as ISOC is bringing on board a new
Director of Development & Membership and a new Senior Manager of
Chapters & Individual Members. Both have been identified and both will
start their positions at ISOC by the end of November. Both have also
been briefed that the membership system is an important issue calling
for an intensive review as a top priority. 

As to your specific concern for the period during which this review
occurs, an option can be put into place in our Q system to remove the
approval process at the Chapter Administrator level. As this is a policy
decision, all chapters would need to be contacted to allow them to
decide to keep the renewal/reminder process in place, or to do away with
it and allow the chapters to conduct their monthly/annual maintenance of
the membership in their own fashion. Eliminating the approval process
would mean that any renewing member would stay in the roster
indefinitely, no option for culling old/outdated members.  New members
would still need to be approved by the Chapter Administrator. 

But I should mention that when we implemented this approval process we
were paying attention to the survey Jim had done and the sense that many
chapters wanted what was in effect a reminder that the member has now
been involved for a year (or another yearly anniversary). There seemed
to be a desire to know that by way of reminder so as to re-invoice or to
simply re-engage. We can, as I said, change that but we would have to
see if the weight of opinion supported such a change. Given that a
comprehensive review is about to take place regarding the entire
database question I would suggest this issue be flagged to Peter (I will
do that) and let it be considered in that effort.

Best regards,
David

David McAuley
Membership Director
Internet Society
703-326-9880, ext 104
703-963-5887 (mobile)
mcauley at isoc.org


-----Original Message-----
From: chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org
[mailto:chapter-delegates-bounces at elists.isoc.org] On Behalf Of Franck
Martin
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 12:28 AM
To: Veni Markovski
Cc: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] membership database - yet another
problem?


Well,

We were close to 400 members and now we are close to 300 members in just
one month...

The story I had in the past, was that when a membership expires it is
removed from the chapter list until it gets approved by ISOC then goes
back as a member for approval for the chapter...

So depending the time of the month and how often ISOC check these
renewal you can loose quite a significant amount of members for a couple
of weeks...

Cheers

Veni Markovski wrote:
> Hi.
>
> problem again?
>
> I just visited our chapter's page at isoc.org, and there are 113
> pending approval members. Now, these are members, who have been once 
> approved, when they signed in. Now I have to approve them again. And 
> basically, because there's no "mass approval", I have to click 113 
> times on the field "approve", while scrolling down to the other 
> names.They could have at least put a button "approve all".
>
> Further, there are only 188 members, listed below these 113 pending.
> They are listed as "approved".
>
> However, if one goes to the isoc.bg/members.html we'll see that there
> are abou 686 members (70 of them did not renew when we switched from 
> paid to non-paid membership model). So, my question is why the 
> membership database doesn't have a clue about the missing members? 
> Have you faced similar or other problems?
>
> 113 pending
> 188 members
> 301 total.
> 315 missing ???
>
> Basically, I don't think it's right to waste chapters officers' and
> presidents' time to make such entries, esp. for members, who are 
> lifetime members, and the approval button is of no usage.
>
>   
-- 
Franck Martin
ICT Specialist
franck at sopac.org
SOPAC, Fiji
GPG Key fingerprint = 44A4 8AE4 392A 3B92 FDF9  D9C6 BE79 9E60 81D9 1320
"Toute connaissance est une reponse a une question" G.Bachelard


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