Centennial Vision

Some feel it is important that The Augustan Society, Inc., has a vision of what it wants to become. In a perfect world, this would come first, and all other planning would be in service of that goal. In this world, the Board has shown indifference to such long-range plans, leaving Consuls to develop the program outlined below. They would welcome additional input, or the Board resuming this responsibility. The term "Centennial Vision" is adopted to avoid confusion with the Long-Range Plan or the Vision Statement, and because it would not surprise this writer if it took until at least 2057 to achieve.

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A Centennial Vision for The Augustan Society, Inc.

Introduction

The nature of a non-profit organization 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 where the organization wishes to be, what it wishes to become, and what its priorities are, is in hand and that such a vision is kept in mind, as it should drive all planning and programming, indeed the very structure of how the organization operates.

Neither of these 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 the only constant. Care must be taken, however, that this change is organic, gradual, and serves the ends of the Society. Without such care, it will become "mission creep" and lead the organization to become something else.

Physical Plant

The Society has had a public Headquarters for about half of its existence, the other half being worked out of the private home of the Founder or Consuls. The advantages of a public Headquarters are many, including:

• Security from the termination of the or Consuls
• The ability to collect all Society property to one location
• The ability to bring volunteers in to assist with the work
• The ability to hire paid staff
• The ability to welcome guests, patrons, and members
• The ability to impress such guests, patrons, and members with the size and stability of the Society
• Improved ability to obtain grants
• Avoidance of the need to relocate (as often)
• Avoidance of the need to change our mailing address (with consequent loss of contact)

The Society must have a goal of obtaining (and retaining) a public Headquarters. To ensure that such a facility may be retained, we must create an Investment Fund sufficient that its revenue will cover the costs of rent, utilities, and taxes (if any).

The location of a rented Headquarters is presently constrained by the location of the Consuls, who would naturally be unwilling to commute extended distances. Should a move be coincident with replacing the present Consuls (something they would not object to), the location could be moved to any suitable place.

Further advantages may be had from owning rather than renting, including:

• The ability to modify the facility to better meet operational needs
• The ability to decorate the facility to better express our Society's personality
• The ability to do the above without concern for losing the value when obliged to relocate
• Avoidance of the need to relocate (except as the Society may feel the need)

The Society must have a goal of obtaining (and retaining) a public Headquarters that is owned by the Society. To ensure that such a facility may be retained, we must create an Investment Fund sufficient that its revenue will cover the costs of utilities, repairs, and taxes (if any).

The location of such a permanent Headquarters should not be constrained to the vicinity of the present Consuls. One would expect the use of the facility to long outlast their service, and Orlando may not be the best location in the long term. At some point, it will be appropriate to determine what considerations should be given to a permanent location, and a search for a nation, city, neighborhood, and parcel then be based on those considerations.

These two goals above are not in conflict. The first is likely to be easier to obtain, and a portion of the investments dedicated to rent under the first may be diverted to purchase the facility in the second. This is particularly true as $285,000 of the Investment Fund is the Balling bequest, which is restricted to capital purchases (by original intent, if not contract).

That said, a facility, or funds to purchase one, may appear as a gift or grant. In that case, it may be possible to leapfrog the first goal for the second. While this will of course be tempting, the Society should seriously consider if the location offered is in the long-term best interests of the Society. Worst case, we might accept the gift or grant in a sub-optimal location, then sell it and move at a later date (perhaps after the death of the patron or expiration of the grant).

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Staff

At present, non-professional staff in the form of Consuls are obliged to perform all work that must or should be done at Headquarters (and entirely too much that doesn't depend on location). Non-HQ tasks should be transferred to volunteers to the extent possible.

There are two approaches to long-term staffing: An Executive Director with substantial skills (especially at fundraising and membership development), who would take over much of the responsibilities now assigned to the Board, or an Office Manager who would focus on the clerical and mechanical aspects of the work, leaving the Board and their appointees to carry the balance of the work.

The former appears to be well beyond Society finances at this time, and will probably remain so until our membership increases by several orders of magnitude. The latter will be less expensive, and we may well be able to employ two for the same price. In either event, they will be expected to oversee the work of volunteers, both on- and off-site.

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Chivalry

The Chivalry Department would engage in the following activities:

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Genalogy

The Genealogy Department would engage in the following activities:

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Heraldry

The Heraldry Department would engage in the following activities:

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History

The History Department would engage in the following activities:

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Nobility

The Nobility Department would engage in the following activities:

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Communications

The Communications Department will produce print publications, online publications, reprints, back issues, web sites, and email services.

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Sub-Groups

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