Administration Vision
Administrative Structure
At present, the administrative structure of the Society is in the process of being normalized by efforts of Consuls. These efforts are not widely understood and are therefore often unappreciated.
- The membership elects the members of the Board of Directors
- The Board of Directors elects from its number the senior Officers, and from the membership elects the minor officers.
- The Board contracts with the Consuls for facilities and services.
- The President names the Chairmen of all principal committees, whether of the Board or of the Membership.
- Committee Chairmen name the members of their committees, a minority of which may be non-members.
- Committee Chairmen name the Chairmen of any Sub-Committees assigned to them.
- The Order of the Augustan Eagle is headed by the President, who names the officers from that group's membership, with Board confirmation.
- The Noble Company of the Rose is headed by the Magister Rosae who is elected from that groups membership by those members, with Board confirmation.
- The officers of the Noble Company of the Rose are named by the Magister Rosae, with Board confirmation.
There exist a variety of other structures that might be worth consideration:
- Strong Executive Director, with a weak Board whose duties are reduced to contracting with the Executive Director.
- Strong Board of Directors, with a weak staff, headed perhaps by an Office Manager.
- Shared power between the Board of Directors and an Executive Director (similar to the present situation).
In future, the Society needs a structure that is not dependent upon one or two people. There are three non-exclusive ways to approach this state:
- Delegate duties as widely as possible, avoiding concentration of unrelated duties in any individual.
- Document the process and procedures of each role in sufficient detail that a competent individual (with appropriate subject knowledge) would know how to proceed.
- Identify mission-critical tasks and hire them done, either by outsourcing or hiring staff.
In the short term, Consuls will work to shed themselves of all responsibilities that do not have to be done at Headquarters, followed by those that are only more convenient if done at Headquarters. The Board should expect to receive these duties, and will have the task of finding volunteers, reallocating staff, or allowing those programs to become dormant.
