[Chapter-delegates] LoA for good or bad?

[President ISOC-KH]

On 03/23/2012 10:16 PM, Klaus Birkenbihl wrote:
> John More wrote on 2012-03-23 15:42:
>> A membership organization with 30,000 plus members scattered across the globe cannot be run as if it were a local organization with members involved in all aspects of the organization.
> Are there 30,000? We all know how these 30,000 have been generated.
> And frankly I wonder about the value of a huge membership with merely
> no influence, no contributions, nor real knowledge about goals and
> mission. I see an incredible number of applications for ISOC.DE
> (~250/year) via AMS. Once I tell them "we would be happy to see you
> join and support us, and please note that we require a member fee to
> do our work" 2/year come back. Maybe what we should go for is
> commitment and contributions rather than huge numbers.
>
> Klaus

Initially we had the same experience – we got and continue to get 
Chapter membership applications via AMS from ISOC members from all over 
the world. Then we included a Cambodia residency requirement into our 
Bylaws – now we have a document authorizing to regularly write nice 
“thank you – but No” letters to non-residents.

But we also included the following into our Bylaws, voted on last 
September:

/Article III. - Membership/

   5.

      /Special membership without voting rights in the ISOC Cambodia
      Chapter can be accorded exceptionally to non-residents by a waiver
      of the residency requirement by the Executive Committee... so that
      such special members might... benefit from such involvement in the
      absence of an ISOC Chapter in their country.”/

This allowed us not to try to get many (in name only) members to show 
numbers, but also to provide special links to persons – *The Internet is 
for everyone* – in East Timor and in Myanmar with persons with whom 
there are ongoing Internet related links of cooperation, though ISOC 
financial support for such international contacts is at present only 
available for formalized Chapter-to-Chapter programs.


Norbert


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