Introduction to Vision
The Augustan Society, Inc., being a non-profit, and the nature of non-profit finance being what it is, and that nature being subject to wide swings of the pendulum from affluent to impoverished, from too many members to service to too few to govern, and from popularity of topic to social approbation, great effort must be expended in good times that the following bad times are not so bad as to terminate the organization.
It is also necessary that a clear view of what the organization wishes to be, what it wishes to become, and what its priorities are, is clear, and that such a vision is kept in mind, as it should drive all planning and programming, and indeed the very structure of how the organization operates.
None of this is possible without articulating this vision. This document is a rough draft of such a vision; indeed it will always remain a rough draft, as change is a constant. Care must be taken, however, that this change is organic, gradual, and serves the Mission of the Society. Without such care, change will manifest as "mission creep" and lead the organization to become something quite unintentionally different.
Note please that at present, the entire contents of the Centennial Vision are the musings and opinions of one of the Consuls. It does not have the endorsement of and may not reflect the opinions of the Board, Eagle Council, or any other Elected Officer, volunteer, or member of the Society. Consuls hope that it will be found a useful source of inspiration to those bodies and officers who are responsible for the vision, planning, and administration of the Society. At the least, it will perhaps help to explain some of the many odd opinions held and actions taken by these Consuls as they work within the adopted plans to further their own version of the Society's vision.
Proposal: The Board of Directors of the Society, by delegation to the Order of the Augustan Eagle, should take responsibility for completing and maintaining this long-range vision for the Society's future.
This document has been subdivided due to length. In each section there are Proposals, along with some of the thinking supporting them. All Proposals are restated in the Vision Proposals.
