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Bylaws Draft Available

10/12/2009, 11:54am CDT

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The Bylaws Review Task Force is eager to receive comments about the first draft of the revised bylaws. Please also see the Q/A below for information about the work of the task force and next steps to be taken as the organization moves forward to address changes in its governance.

Draft Bylaws

BYLAWS REVIEW TASK FORCE REPORT

At its Annual Meeting in September, the Board named a Bylaws Review Task Force to recommend changes to the Bylaws that will better serve the needs of our organization in the 21^st century. The following Q and A provides information about the Task Force’s activities to date as well as what our members can expect over the coming months regarding USFA governance.

Q. WHY DO WE NEED TO REVISIT OUR BYLAWS?

A. Our current bylaws were approved at the annual Board meeting in 1997, with minor amendments in 1999 and 2001. Since 1997, our membership has grown significantly, and the number of clubs has increased as well. We have added events for our Youth and Veteran fencers, and seen the number of local competitions mushroom; we have won medals at two consecutive Olympics and it is now expected that we will win medals at all levels of competition: Cadet, Junior and Senior. During this period, our budget has grown several times over, and with it our need for efficient, responsive and responsible management.

The face and needs of the organization have changed, in some ways dramatically; the way we are organized is not well-matched to where we are now, or to where we expect to be in the future. When the USFA started, it was a mostly volunteer organization, and it ran effectively in this manner for a number of years. As the organization has grown the demands on the few members of the staff and on the many dedicated volunteers have demonstrated that we need to move to a new structure. Such a structure must, while understanding and keeping in touch with our members, be able to react more quickly, with more dedicated full-time resources. In addition, best practices for non-profit organizations suggest that the USFA’s current structures could be modified to better serve our mission and members. We also have been encouraged to review our governance by the USOC.

Q. WHO IS ON THE BYLAWS TASK FORCE?

A. The Task Force is chaired by Jane Carter; members are Donald Alperstein, Greg Dilworth, Alan Kuver, Ivan Lee, and Kalle Weeks.

Q. WHAT HAS THE TASK FORCE DONE SO FAR? HOW HAVE THE MEMBERS APPROACHED THE REVIEW PROCESS?

A. The Task Force has convened frequent conference calls and exchanged a number of documents since September 2008.

We have focused on the configuration of the Board of Directors as being central to the governance of the organization. In addition to determining the optimal size of the governing body, our attention has been directed to identifying the USFA’s various constituencies and assuring that their experience and expertise is present on the Board. These matters evoked considerable discussion and careful thought.

We have also considered which committees should be designated as standing committees in the bylaws. At this time we believe these are the following: Audit/Budget, Elections, Nomination, and perhaps Compensation. As is the case now, the Board would be able to establish other committees to serve specific purposes or task forces to address specific short-term needs.

An initial draft of the Bylaws accompanies this Q/A. It is incomplete, and is indeed a draft, as many details are yet to be determined, and changes are likely as a result of the review process.

Q. WHAT IS LEFT TO BE DONE?

A. The Task Force has not yet addressed the divisions and sections aspects of our governance. We hope to hear from members via email (bylaws@usfencing.org) concerning their thoughts on the future role of divisions and sections, including whether they continue to serve the organization’s needs, as well as their thoughts on other governance issues.

As prescribed in our current bylaws, revisions must be adopted by a vote of the membership. The timing of this vote is yet to be determined, as the Task Force is committed to ensuring that our members and the current Board have adequate time to provide input prior to voting on these important changes.

Q. WHEN—AND HOW--WILL THE NEW BYLAWS TAKE EFFECT?

A. Once adopted, the new bylaws will define our governance structure. Because any proposed Board configuration and selection process are not likely to coincide with our current structure and election schedule, we will need to include a transition plan in the new document. Such a plan will include election schedules for officers and Board members, as well as for committee appointments.

Q. WHAT CAN MEMBERS DO TO HAVE A VOICE IN THE BYLAWS REVISION PROCESS?

Share your thoughts about the draft that accompanies this Q and A.

Send an email to the Task Force: bylaws@usfencing.org

The Task Force is eager to hear from you!

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