[rfu-membership] Re: [RFU] unable to work with finance group

[Mike Lehman]

I want to thank Lavana for all her efforts helping build the working 
group structure that RFU depends on to function. Along with others who 
have been pitching in the last few months, we've made more progress in 
this recently than since the station started.

I'm sending this reply to the RFU-station list, because it contains info 
that every programming group should be aware of, but only about half 
seem to pay attention to. If you'd like to discuss this issue in 
general, then please send your replies to the main RFU list, NOT to 
RFU-station.

If you haven't already volunteered to be a part of at least one RFU 
working group, then you should do so ASAP. If you want to participate in 
discussion on the different working groups, then join their email list, 
all of which can be found at:
http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo

Look down that page to where the RFU groups are listed and you can 
easily join in. In the next few days, I will be adding those of you who 
expressed interest in joining a working group on your renewal form to 
the email list for that group.

As I noted at this week's meeting, I will no longer by acting as the 
spoke for various working group after January 1. I have other 
obligations that I need to attend to.

Each of our working groups -- Finance, Membership, Tech, Library, 
Automation -- needs at least one spoke who will take responsibility for 
calling and organizing meetings and keeping the essential functions that 
each of these groups contributes to overall station operations. So often 
we hear at the station meetings that such and such a thing needs to be 
done. Almost every one of this issues is a result of lack of enough 
active participation by members.

EVERY programming group needs to remember that part of the bargain in 
being granted air time on RFU by the membership at station meetings that 
put your show on the air comes the obligation to take on at least one 
other task -- active participation in a RFU working group.

As part of the renewal process, we've been asking members which RFU 
working group they are participating in or want to participate in. 
Please take this obligation seriously. We have begun keeping track of 
attendance at and logging of your shows. We have also begun tracking 
meeting participation. Especially if you can't make the first and third 
Tuesday station meetings, you should be actively participating in a 
working group in order to satisfy your meeting participation obligation. 
Enforcement of this obligation by Membership will begin soon and could 
threaten your show if you aren't taking care of business.

Finance has been meeting irregularly on Wednesday evenings, but has been 
getting things accomplished. It should choose at least one spoke so that 
meetings can occur more regularly, but has otherwise done a good job.

Tech has been keeping up with the pants-on-fire tech issues. But it 
needs more participation to keep the equipment in better order and 
initiate station improvements that I'm sure everyone would like to see. 
The biggest project they have on their plate is getting the new tower 
up, once we've raised the funds. I will be available to help with this, 
but someone else needs to take the lead on this very important project.

Membership has been meeting regularly (at noon on Sunday's before 
station meetings) and taking care of business. It could still use more help.

Automation has been getting things done, but I don't think is meeting 
regularly. With a little more effort, we could be adding local music to 
the system and other things that make us more attractive to listeners 
and valuable to the communities we serve.

The Library group looks like it will be getting off the ground, plowing 
through the massive stack of CDs we now have to create a much larger 
music library.

In many ways, things are really starting to come together for Radio Free 
Urbana. If you're not sure how to get involved with a working group, 
just ask. And things could be even better if every programming group 
meets their obligation to help with at least one of these essential 
stations tasks by getting involved with at least one working group.
Mike Lehman

RANDALL R HAWKINS wrote:
> Hi, to the group.  I have announced and arranged the last couple of 
> finance group meetings, and I have enjoyed working with those that 
> have attended.  I am going to concentrate on working with the 
> Membership Group and the soon to be formed Library Group.  If someone 
> else wants to begin coordinating the efforts of the Finance Group, 
> that would be great.
>  
> We are still in the fundraising campaign, and efforts for this need to 
> move forward.  I am willing to help in any way, and may even attend 
> the meetings as a member, if I am able to, but I will not be 
> announcing them, or setting up an agenda.  underwriting and grant 
> writing really need to addressed.
>  
> Lavana Hawkins
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------