Make a Difference -- Get on the Campaign Trail!

Submitted by Juanita Soutar
Past National President

Are you passionate about Progress? Are you interested in helping to shape the future of Progress and to ensure the continued success and growth of our organization? Do you have special skills or would like to learn new skills? Do you want to contribute to the value and effectiveness of the National Board?

Once again, we are preparing for the upcoming Annual General Meeting, which is being held on September 16th in St. John’s, NL, and there are 3 positions on the National Board coming up for election this year: National President Elect, Director of Education, and Director of Member Services. I encourage you to consider running for one of the positions available, because getting involved helps you and our organization grow and flourish.

So what’s involved and what are the responsibilities of the positions? Primarily, it’s the responsibility of all members of the Board to set the strategic plan, and put the tools and resources in place to help all clubs and members grow and flourish in order for us to continue to serve and support our communities.

This is a particularly exciting time for the Board and Progress, as the groundwork has been laid to implement a new strategic plan focused on promoting Progress nationally, growing our membership, and refining the roles and responsibilities of the members of the National Board. There are a number of components to this plan, some of which we expect to implement over the next few months, and others that will be fine-tuned and rolled out over the next couple of years. As a member of the National Board, you would be instrumental in finalizing the structure and implementing this plan.

More specifically, the National President Elect spends the first year of his or her term on the Board preparing to take on the role of National President in the second year, followed by providing guidance and support to the Board as the Immediate Past President in the third year. As the National President, he or she is accountable for the overall productivity of the National Board, responsible for maintaining the Association’s strategic direction, calls and chairs all National Board meetings, and represents the National Board as a voting member of the Canadian Progress Charitable Foundation Board. If you have been a member in good standing of Progress for at least 5 years, and have served in at least 2 of the following roles – a National Director, a Zone Governor, a Club President, or as the CPCF Chair – you are eligible to be nominated for National President Elect.

The National Directors have functional roles on the Board to support our organization. Directors serve for a 2-year term, and are encouraged to form working committees to assist in carrying out their goals and to help towards succession planning. If you have been a member of Progress for at least 2 years and have served as a Club President or as an active member of a Regional Board, you are eligible to run for the position of a Director.

The Director of Education is responsible for: on-going education of members on club administration, standard procedures, protocol, and the progress of the National Board toward meeting its objectives, and coordinates all education-related portions of the National Convention.

The Director of Member Services is responsible for: acting as the primary Board liaison for the National Convention Committee, is responsible for National Awards and Recognition, and coordinating the inventory and pricing of items for the National Supply House.

(Further information regarding each of these roles can be found in Section 4.1 of the online Blue Book.)

Nominations for each of these positions will be open on July 16th. Nomination forms are available online in Section 7 of the Blue Book for printing and completion, and must reach Carmel in the National Office by August 16th.

The National Board Needs YOU!
We are members of the best service organization in Canada, and it’s extremely important that we have a full and functional National Board in order to help ensure the long-term success and continuity of the Canadian Progress Club. We are looking for energetic members responsible for maintaining the Association’s strategic direction, who are passionate about our organization and want to provide support to our members and clubs, and participate in completing the new strategic plan and implement its various components.

To help ensure that all clubs and regions have effective representation, we would like to have members on the Board from all areas across Canada. We have a number of qualified members across Canada who would be productive and valuable Board members – you know who you are! It is a very worthwhile experience and I strongly encourage you to step forward and help make a positive difference to the Canadian Progress Club.