Hello Jan and members, First of all I believe this is a great dialogue to talk through how the group operates. Jan I think both You and Bridget do great work. If anything I don’t believe you two are given enough credit as the members of the board who interact with the members the most. I also want to recognize the great work Luminita a dear friend did for us during her tenure! Jan, I’m happy that in your situation you were a good choice. My position is purely forward thinking on how to best assure the group remains successful. We don’t have to go back too far though to see as in the initial search for a VP the system was plagued with errors that should not have happened. Which led to a member leaving the group. Open elections mitigate this, hopefully. I also have to point out you could have all those skills that make you a great choice and not be familiar to Jane and Robin. You still will have been The best choice. All you had to do in a free election system is express interest. I think getting to know you , it would have happened also. Why ? You enjoy it and want to help! The solution here isn’t a nominating committee. It’s as an example being a dues paying member for 3 years prior to the election year. It’s gives us a chance to know the member and vice versa. Behavior in the group as a whole is a much better source to gather information. A nominating committee supposes they are better able pick than the members at large? That’s very elitist. If if I look around PBS if we are anything it’s highly educated. Most of my close associates here are PHD credentialed. The only purpose of a nominating committee in a highly educated membership is to push a specific agenda, or apathy on the part of the board to make the needed changes that benefit the membership, neither are desirable. We don’t need a nominating committee in a small group like ours when there is an environment of inclusiveness. All we need is what the job entails and how we will measure that success. Just like applying for any job. If one reads our bylaws on how to declare you want to be a candidate for an office. I think it’s pretty obvious the design is to discourage it? To the point that Arnold raised to me? We are a bulb enthusiast group? Why the need for all the controls? The real answer is there is none, except for keeping power held by a small group people. Who feel they know best. If they are correct then open up elections if that’s true we will continue on the course we have set: That seems to me to be a drift. No programs to cause member interaction. No recognition of our most valued members ( Sx and Bx contributors) Little use of tools that deliver information to and from members. Zoom group calls Marketing or member develipllopment efforts. No accountability to the members at all, is how the performance above becomes the status quo. We have been mostly lucky so far. Why not guarantee that the mgt of the group has its best opportunity to manage well. Let all dues paying members be able to participate in running the group.? All of us pay dues and therefore all of us should have the opportunity if we choose to help manage the group. No one on the current mgt team has come forward with a compelling reason, not to have an open board comprised of dues paying members elected from a pool of all interested dues paying members. Who have been Members at least 3 years to get to know each. No one has provided any subject matter showing that the best way to run a small enthusist or any type of group is by holding power in a small self appointed group that is not beholden to its members. I believe everyone in this group to be able to be capable of leading based on their choice. I’m not asking for any radical changes unless sharing management with other capable people who want to serve is the recipe for a bad outcome. I appreciate all that have provided feedback. Mike On Thu, Aug 10, 2023 at 9:12 AM Jan Jeddeloh via pbs < pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > Luminita I’m really sorry I offended you with my post. I would like to > state unequivocally to Luminita and everyone that I was NOT thinking of > Luminita when I made my post about people flaking out and leaving a group > high and dry. I know the circumstances of her leaving and know she didn’t > “flake”. I’ve been involved in plant societies for over thirty years and > was referring to what I’ve seen time and again in other groups. So yes > I’ve seen it happen and heard of even more instances but Luminita’s wasn’t > one of these. After I took over the seed exchange Lumina was very helpful > to me any time I had a question for her. > > Again I apologize to Lumina and anyone else who thought I was pointing the > finger at her in my post. I wasn’t. When I posted it didn’t occur to me > that anyone would think I was. > > Can I say peace again? > > Jan > > On Aug 10, 2023, at 6:52 AM, Luminita vollmer via pbs < > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > > > > Message: 5 > > Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2023 16:00:17 -0700 > > From: Jan Jeddeloh <seedyjan1@gmail.com> > > To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > > Subject: Re: [pbs] Treasurer's role > > Message-ID: <5C1AF675-ED94-4458-AB9C-9C840BCB1C1B@gmail.com> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > > >> Mike, I think you misunderstand the use of a nominating committee in > > small horticultural organizations like PBS. ...... > > ..... > >> The plant world is really very small. I got the job of seed exchange > > organizer because I?ve known Robin and Jane for years AND, based on that > > knowledge, they knew I had the skills and experience of come up with a > > workable system. They also knew I wouldn?t flake on doing the job and > > leave the group high and dry. > > > >> Peace? > >> Jan > > > > To all > > I wasn't going to get into this conversation because I moved on and > started > > healing after the "experience" I had with volunteering for this > > organization with the current leadership. > > > > But the last message today says "I wouldn?t flake on doing the job and > > leave the group high and dry. " - and I felt that it was pointing at me, > as > > if I had done that. It also showed that you have to be friends with some > of > > the leaders to be able to volunteer, otherwise you need not apply. > > > > It may have appeared that I left the group high and dry, but I was put > face > > to face with 2 bad choices I could make, and I took the most dignified > for > > me. > > > > I wanted to do the SX/BX, I volunteered, I was not friends with anyone in > > the organization, but I knew many-many of the 300+ members from > > other similar organizations; and I did the best I could in this > position. > > It is a time consuming job. It was a job for 2 people. I had a workable > > system, was also improving it, but no one asked me about it. Going back > to > > zero was the decision. > > > > I was told I was not bringing in enough money - contrary to the belief > that > > the seed exchange is not a revenue stream for the organization's > > activities. > > There were donations plenty, if only there were 2 people doing the job. I > > found a 2nd person to help out, but the "leaders" already decided I was > not > > acceptable as the volunteer manager. > > > > Maybe me as a person did not fit the "leaders" expectations. However - I > > was a volunteer, and was trying to do my best. I was getting advice from > > the 2nd previous exchange manager, and I thought I would do everything he > > told me. > > > > I was getting advice from other members of the organization, but there is > > no way to impact decisions made by the "board" as a regular member. > > The by-laws govern the structure of the organization, and the power > people > > have in those positions seems to make them "less kind" or "less human" - > > they forget that in my case I was giving the best of me - my time. Lots > of > > it. > > > > I accepted the shame of being a quitter against the shame of being > > dismissed, as I was told to make my choice. Digital proof still exists, > if > > anyone doubts it. > > > > This experience was so impactful for me - I will not volunteer anywhere > > else again. > > > > I will just do what I think is the right thing to do. And yes, in my > > opinion, the seed exchange is the most important reason people sign up - > > the world of species and rare plants is getting smaller and smaller , and > > the seed exchanges is the only way to obtain a few rare plants. Keep that > > in mind. Not only PBS, but many other plant organizations. > > > > The skeletons in this closet will remain there, but I felt I needed to > > clear the "leave the group high and dry" - I did not do that, I was > coerced > > into leaving. And yes, it was for ego and personal related reasons on the > > part of the decision makers. > > > > And if the statement did not refer to me, but to someone else, at least I > > had the opportunity to express my point of view. > > > > This is what my position is, and I will stand by it with documentation in > > case it is needed. I have a feeling there will be some comotion regarding > > this, it's ok at this point because I decided to not volunteer anywhere > > else, I need no references from the board, and everyone that knows me > from > > here or anywhere else will be able to find me through many other avenues > of > > plant organizations. If any of my behavior was unacceptable - I was not > > told. If there were complaints, there was no opportunity to work them > out. > > And if there were misunderstandings, there was no discussion to clear > them > > out. > > > > Luminita Vollmer, > > Ex PBS exchange manager > > _______________________________________________ > > pbs mailing list > > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > > PBS Forum latest: > https://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum/index.php/… > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > PBS Forum latest: > https://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum/index.php/… > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://…