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

[David McAuley]

Franck,

We will be prepared to discuss the membership system then and the plans
for the review I mentioned. We do know it has been a cause of concern,
that is very clear. Peter has done an excellent job of seeking input
through the recent survey and we have had a good number of chapter
volunteers step forward to offer help in the coming top-to-bottom
review. Terry Monroe is now on board and will be participating in the
review as Director of Development and Membership. The new Senior Manager
of Chapters and Individual Members will be here at the end of November
and in early November the Board will hear the status as you suggest. I
look forward to seeing you again in San Diego.

Best regards
David


-----Original Message-----
From: Franck Martin [mailto:franck at sopac.org] 
Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 3:40 PM
To: David McAuley
Cc: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
Subject: Re: [Chapter-delegates] membership database - yet another
problem?


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