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

[Franck Martin]

David,

There is no way, in the current system, for a chapter administrator to
detect if the person is new or renewed.

The problem lies with ISOC approval of members before they appear for
renewal for chapters.

David, you should run a mock chapter with the current system, to see how
things work.

I appreciate your efforts but this not teething problems with the
current software.

Finally, as you know, I have asked for the next board meeting a status
of the membership system and where we are going with it.

Cheers

David McAuley wrote:
> 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 indefinitely, no option for culling old/outdated members.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
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"Toute connaissance est une reponse a une question" G.Bachelard