Nominations are now being accepted for GeocacheAlaska!’s 2012 Board of Directors through Saturday, September 24. An on-line election will then be held and the new board will be announced in October. The GeocacheAlaska!
by-laws specified holding elections in September to allow a transition between incoming and outgoing Board Members. So, if you’ve wanted to up your involvement in the game by helping with education, land manager relations, events, and/or GeocacheAlaska! trackable swag, here’s your chance to ease into things.
The Board meetings are usually hosted in Anchorage, but remote attendance is facilitated by use of a toll-free phone number and WebEx (when required). A lot of Board business is also conducted online via the Board’s forums, so members can initiate, discuss, and vote on initiatives at a time that is most convenient to them. These varied means of conducting business has made it possible for Board members to actively participate despite living in Soldotna, Valdez, Big Lake, Wasilla, and Anchorage. So don’t let perceived distance from letting you toss our hat into the ring. We’d love to increase the regional diversity of the Board with members from Interior, Southeast, or other parts of Alaska!
All Board positions have one year terms, so nominations for all slots are being accepted. Eligibility requirements are that the nominee have an active Geocaching.com membership at any level and a GeocacheAlaska! Premium membership. GeocacheAlaska! memberships may be purchased
online, at local events, or mailed in.
The position descriptions as excerpted from the by-laws are:
President• Preside over all Association meetings and Board of Director meetings.
• Cast the deciding vote in the event of a tie during voting at Business Meetings.
• Sign contracts and agreements on behalf of GeAK!
• Appoint members as necessary to perform the tasks agreed upon by the Board.
Vice-President • Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President.
• Make arrangements for scheduling meeting dates and locations.
• Supervise the Nominating Committee.
• Tabulate ballots for all GeAK! elections.
Treasurer• Be responsible for all income and expenses.
• Keep accurate financial records.
• Make timely deposits of all monies received.
• Bill all those who owe money to GeAK!
• Pay duly authorized expenses.
• Make available financial records to GeAK! for inspection and audit.
• Recommend a budget to the Board.
• Recommend appropriate changes in the dues structure.
• Make an annual report to the members at the first/last Business Meeting each year.
• Maintain a ledger describing GeAK! property.
• Send out membership renewal notices in a timely manner.
• File required annual paperwork to maintain nonprofit status
Secretary• Record minutes of all Business Meetings, General Membership Meetings, and Executive Committee Meetings.
• Maintain a file of legal documents and licenses of GeAK!, past minutes, newsletter archives and other official documents.
• Record and receive all copies of contracts and agreements consummated by GeAK!
• Provide written notice of the date, time and location of meetings to the membership at least two weeks prior to the meetings, including, as needed, notice of proposed bylaw changes and elections to fill vacancies on the Board.
• Maintain a list of members, officers, Members-at-Large, and committee members.
• Conduct and respond to correspondence as required.
• Provide for the publication of the monthly newsletter of GeAK!
• Act as registered agent for GeAK!
Webmaster• Manage content on the GeAK! Website.
• Manage the GeAK! forums.
• Maintain domain status and GeAK! forums.
Members at Large • Facilitate event planning.
• Facilitate regional chapter formation.
• Assist other members of the Executive Board where needed.
In addition to the specific Board Member accountabilities listed above, Board Members can expect to help with training sessions, host/co-host events, meet with land managers, help design, manage, and distribute bling projects and handle other duties as they come up. Time commitments vary by individual and level of involvement, but at a minimum involve a monthly Board meeting and a few hours a month of committee or individual work to keep projects on track.
Nominations may be submitted either via a post in this thread or by e-mailing Ladybug Kids at who will place the nomination in the thread. Individuals may nominate themselves or have another geocacher nominate them. Nominees will be requested to post a “Statement of Purpose” that will serve as an introduction to the membership and provide a description of why they are interested in serving on the GeocacheAlaska! Board.