As we approach another exchange, perhaps it would be useful to think about how we do this and, importantly, how we MIGHT do it to make it easier on Luminita or whoever does it in the future. Who decides how many exchanges to have per year? Is this decided by the Board? Is the decision completely arbitrary or does someone actually consult with Luminita to see what would be easier at her end? Would it be better to have a few huge exchanges, or better to have more frequent exchanges with fewer items in each? I have no idea, but I'd think Luminita could tell us because she's actually doing the work, and her opinion should carry a lot of weight. What is the policy regarding disposition of excess material? If someone donates a huge amount of something and there aren't many takers, do we donate the excess to other societies with overlapping interests? If not, why not? Has the membership ever been asked about this? Has Luminita ever been asked? Do we expect her to plant, store, or otherwise keep excess material alive until another exchange? That, to me, is unduly burdensome and too much to ask. I for one would be happy to donate on the condition that Luminita has complete discretion to dispose of leftovers as she sees fit in any noncommercial way. Sharing with other societies seems like a great way to build bridges if it doesn't add too much work. All too often I've seen local societies waste away because the few volunteers are treated so badly and worked so hard that they burn out and leave. Patting someone on the back is necessary and needs to be done often, but it isn't sufficient. The volunteer should be given the respect and discretion to do the job their way because what worked for the last guy might not work for the next. "That's how we've always done it" is rarely a formula for good management when volunteers are involved. It implies that we stopped learning or are just too arrogant to consider new ideas. There is always room for new ideas and room for improvement. For me, the SX/BX is about the single most valuable thing PBS does, so we should always be thinking about how we do it and how we might do it better. Bob E TN hoping for some rain tonight _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>