Board of Director Responsibilities

All board members...

• embody the mission and goals of OOPS
• exemplify the best behaviors of boating safety
• provide a welcoming environment for all OOPS members and non-members
• attend one board meeting per month and prepare to present the status of events related to their area of interest.
• take part in board discussions held via email
• monitor and take part in the OOPS forums (https://oopskayak.org/forums)
• monitor and take part in the OOPS board forum (https://oopskayak.org/Board-Discussion-Forum)
• monitor and respond to the corresponding OOPS email (i.e., president@oopskayak.org, secretary@oopskayak.org, etc)
• prepare budget requests for the upcoming year and work with the treasurer on preparation of the annual budget
• encourage a protégé to take up the director position when it opens in a future year

President

Summary

The president of OOPS promotes the club’s mission and goals to the membership on behalf of the board. They preside over and facilitate the monthly board meeting, encouraging productive discussion and calling for votes. Although the president must drive general initiatives, their primary task is to encourage members of the board and delegate responsibility.

Qualifications

A good president is organized, enthusiastic, and diplomatic.

The president…

• is the chief executive officer of the corporation
• may request, on behalf of the corporation, that members perform services or tasks
• may appoint temporary ad hoc committees
• represents the corporation
• performs such other duties as assigned by the directors or membership
• may designate a president pro tem to perform the president's duties during any period in which the president is unavailable to do so
• responds to president@oopskayak.org
• evangelizes new board members as needed

... presides over monthly board meetings:

• prepares the monthly agenda
• presides over the meeting and calls for votes

Membership

Summary

The membership director evangelizes new members and seeks to keep existing members. This includes record-keeping tasks necessary to maintain an accurate membership count. The membership director also maintains the listserv and presence on social media.

Qualifications

The membership director should have some marketing experience and be prepared to handle the content aspect of social media. They do not need extensive web experience, as the webmaster handles this.

The membership director...

• responds to emails sent to membership@oopskayak.org
• documents the membership processes

... maintains OOPS website membership content

• updates the membership sections of the OOPS website as needed (esp. Member Benefits page)
• reviews and updates the membership Application Form
• reviews and archives member records after being lapsed six months or longer
• manages and updates automated renewal and membership ending notifications
• updates member records–Manual Join / Renew (requires WA Admin capability)

... provides ongoing membership support

• staffs a membership table at monthly meetings
• gathers membership applications and deposit member checks from the P.O. box
• partners with events and programs to run the annual enticement event
• partners with 3^rd parties and sponsors for other events. i.e. Alder Creek Paddlefest / Next Adventure Demo Day

... wrangles oopskayak@googlegroups.com

The OOPS listserv is available to all members and interested non-members. The membership director maintains civility and policing content.

... wrangles other social media

The membership director manages the OOPS presence on Facebook. Additional social media is also the responsibility of the membership director and should be discussed as a board agenda item before initiation. Examples of tasks related to the listserv and Facebook are...

Google Groups / ListServ

• adds new members to the Listserv when they join OOPS
• corrects bounced emails (compare against WA membership list occasionally)
• keeps the listserv footer current
• monitors posts and take corrective actions if needed
• responds to emails regarding listserv issues

Facebook

• approves new members to the Facebook group
• monitors posts and take corrective actions if needed

Trips

Summary

The trips director schedules short-term club trips and outings, getting liability releases from participants and for arranging suitable trip organizers. They are the contact for trip organizers and create an environment that fosters the joy of paddling.

Qualifications

The trips director should be an experienced and respected trip organizer. Communication skills are a necessary part of the job.

The trips director…

... drives the creation of trips

• Proposes and leads trips
• Reviews trip proposals for feasibility and safety and resolves issues with TOs
• Posts trips on the oopskayak.org calendar and listserv
• Archives trip roster and releases for every trip
• Ensures post-trip reports are submitted and accurate
• Notifies insurance and OOPS president in the event of a trip incident
• Works with the events director to recruit a Trip Czar and ensure sufficient TOs for leading event-related trips

• Updates the status of trip organizers, advanced trip organizers and instructors in Wild Apricot under the Contacts Details tab, Membership tab and Groups.

• Notifies the Webmaster of changes to the status of trip organizers, advanced trip organizers and instructors.

... supervises trip organizers

• Mentors provisional and new TOs
• Track mentored paddles of provisional TOs, including mentor feedback on mentored paddles
• Communicates regularly with TOs regarding activity policies
• Ensures TOs are uniformly interpreting and applying activity policies
• Supports the events director in recruiting TOs for events

... maintains activity and trip policies

• Identifies relevant activity policies requiring revision
• Notifies board of directors of these changes
• Member of the trip organizer committee

Education

Summary

The education director for OOPS arranges classes and instruction through OOPS and outside sources such as our sponsoring retailers.

Qualifications

The education director should have an interest in the improvement of member skills.

The education director...

• encourages instructors to offer courses to members and ensures they are qualified to teach these courses
• provides instructors with follow-up and help where necessary
• posts courses on the OOPS calendar, including a description for the OOPS listserv
• encourages our sponsoring retailers (Alder Creek, Columbia River Kayaking, Next Adventure, Portland Kayak) to offer classes specifically to OOPS members
• accepts or denies requests for reimbursement for classes taken by members

... drives trip organizer training

• coordinates and supports TO trainers
• takes part in training sessions when possible
• coordinates the mentoring of new trip organizers
• suggests needed improvements to potential trip organizers
• serves as a member of the TO continuing education committee
• communicates with board on status of potential trip organizers
• communicates board approval to new trip organizers
• maintains records of each newly appointed TO
• member of the trip organizer committee
  

Secretary

Summary

The secretary shall maintain a record of corporate decisions. If the president or president pro tem are unavailable to conduct any meeting, the secretary will preside instead of the president.

Qualifications

The secretary should have excellent communication skills and an appreciation for archiving decisions and discussions of the board of directors.

The secretary...

• works with the president to develop board meeting agenda
• creates board meeting minutes, reviews with the board, then publishes board minutes on the OOPS listserv

Treasurer

Summary

The treasurer shall receive and disburse funds for the club and present financial reports to the board and membership.

Qualifications

The treasurer has experience with on-line banking, PayPal, QuickBooks and accounting procedures.

The treasurer...

• manages all club money through banking, PayPal, and QuickBooks
• reports on money collected and spent, monthly at board meetings, semi-annually at general meetings.
• creates the annual budget with input from board members
• files federal and state tax and corporation forms
• provides reimbursements to members for approved expenses

Safety

Summary

The safety director shall prepare and promote safety education.

Qualifications

The safety director should be wet exit certified, up-to-date on their first aid certification and interested in safety protocols.

The safety director...

• maintains an inventory of first aid supplies
• replenishes first aid supplies for existing trip organizers, including medications and dry bags
• distributes first aid kits to new trip organizers
• distributes “OOPS loops” to all members
• manages purchase of CPR vouchers and distributes to trip organizers
• updates Wild Apricot with wet exit certification tags, including congratulations to each member receiving the certification.
• staffs a table at annual open house showcasing first aid, wet exit certification and OOPS loops.
• arrange for safety boaters when requested to do so by our vendors.
• member of the trip organizer committee
  

Events

Summary

The events director plans and wrangles the execution of OOPS events.

Qualifications

The events director should embrace organization, schedules, and lists. Communication is a key requirement. Familiarity with paddling opportunities in the Pacific Northwest is helpful, but so is a willingness and delight in talking with other experienced paddlers.

The events director…

• encourages a protégé to train for a year, gaining experience in the set of tasks required for event planning.

… plans events

• begins planning in January or February of the year before the event. This includes venue, dates, and campsites
• plans approximately five annual events which usually take place between spring and fall
• recruit a trip czar, event manager, and assistant event manager for each event

… manages events

• begins event reservations from September through December in the year before (sometimes going into January or February of the Event year)
• works with the trips director to recruit trip organizers and necessary planning for each trip
• assists the event managers by checking in periodically, providing support materials and forms, and collaborating when necessary to change or cancel events
• communicates events issues to the board
• helps set events policies
• ensures Wild Apricot will open registration on the correct day
• wrangles the event waiting list

… communicates events

• updates annual events information on the website
• announces registration dates
• works with the trips director to list event trips
• communicates special requirements such as passports, ferry reservations, medical tests, or vaccines

Programs

Summary

The programs director arranges dates, locations, and speakers for the OOPS general membership monthly meetings.

Qualifications

The programs director needs planning skills and the ability to find and recruit speakers. They also need to be comfortable assembling public address equipment and computer projection equipment. Familiarity with virtual meeting tools is a bonus.

The programs director...

• identifies, secures, prepares, introduces, and supports the monthly club meeting guest speaker
• secures monthly meeting location (virtual and in person venues)
• promotes and manages registration for the monthly meetings via club listserv and calendar
• fields requests to attend meetings from non-club members and requests to present to the club
• wrangles or delegates the setup and teardown of the audio-visual equipment at live meetings
• wrangles or delegates the virtual component of meetings

Webmaster  (not a board position)

Summary

The webmaster handles the content presented at http://www.oopskayak.org, board mailing lists, and board Google accounts.

Qualifications

The webmaster must be comfortable editing web content, with web configuration tools, and user administration. A familiarity with Wild Apricot and Google Workspace is helpful, but can be learned.

The webmaster...

• assists with board member transitions, educates new board members and connects them to board and club resources (e-mail, mailing lists, electronic document storage, administrative accounts, etc.)
• wrangles the addition and updating of material on the Wild Apricot website
• changes the website as requested by other board members
• maintains instructions for board members who need to create events
• adds educational content and resources to the OOPS website
• keeps track of expenses needed to keep our domain and website
• assists the treasurer with transferring payments made on the website to the club's bank account

Librarian (not a board position)

Summary

The librarian manages checkout and return of items from the OOPS library to OOPS members. The librarian is not a board member and is not required to attend board meetings.

Qualifications

The OOPS librarian should be organized and able to track and maintain both the physical library and the virtual library software.

The librarian…

• provides or oversees storage for the library, which includes CDs, VCR tapes, books, and maps
• maintains the online library (currently found at oopskayak.librarika.com)
• encourages OOPS members to use the library