Late Night Musings
by Todd Reemtsma, NBS Section Chairperson
Late – As usual, I was supposed to turn in my article for the newsletter several days ago.
Late Night – Yes indeed it is another late evening as I finally sit down to pen my article.
Late Night Musings – While I certainly mull over many ideas for topics ahead of the due date, it is almost always as I sit down to my computer that extemporaneous thoughts find themselves on the page.
Hello. My name is Todd. I am a procrastinator. I’m afraid I always have been. I know plenty of people that have always been very methodical with their projects and have a plan to complete them in a timely fashion and have always had a certain jealousy for this type of personality. It’s not that I am not thinking about the project, but quite often I feel that I need thoughts and ideas time to gestate for full creativity to happen. Perhaps there is a certain amount of adrenaline rush in the anxiety to finish a project at the very last minute.
Before I go any further with this article, I just want to say a great big thank you to everyone who attended the Northern Boundary Section meeting at the USITT Annual Conference in Cincinnati for sharing your “origin” story during the introductions. I hope everyone else enjoyed hearing them.
And speaking of the USITT Annual Conference, I would once again like to congratulate all of our scholarship winners and hope you enjoyed the conference. I look forward to reading articles on your experiences.
As of the writing of this article, it looks like we owe a great big debt of gratitude to Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota for volunteering to host the 2015 USITT Northern Boundary Section Fall Conference on Friday, September 25th and Saturday, September 26th. Please let us know if you have ideas for topics or presenters that you would like to see at this year’s conference.
Since we also had a brief visit from some of our USITT National officers during our meeting, I also wanted to clarify for those that may have been confused, the changes that are happening over the next several months in our section relationship with the USITT organization. For a variety of reasons, including tax and liability implications, the USITT parent organization has been exploring a revision to the structure of its relationship with the various sections around the country. For all intents and purposes, this should mean very little change to the Northern Boundary Section or any other section for that matter. There are essentially two models to choose from and the best analogy that I have heard used to describe the scenarios is the example of a brand name hotel – a brand name hotel may be owned by the parent company and fall under the auspices of that organization or can possibly be owned by a franchise owner who agrees to follow the guidelines set by the parent company. During the NBS Member meeting at the 2014 Fall Conference it was voted on that membership would support the decision of the NBS Board of Directors. The NBS Board of Directors has indicated to USITT that we are interested in continuing our section relationship as an affiliate member.
Please take a look at the draft of the following Affiliate or License Agreement and let me know if you have any questions.
And continuing to look into the crystal ball and the future of NBS, what can we do to make the organization more relevant and more useful to our membership and to encourage folks to join us? No one rolls their eyes more than I do at the idea of committee meetings, but should we consider sub-committees on topics such as membership, emerging professionals, and professional affiliations? Your thoughts – all of you – are valued and appreciated to help keep the Northern Boundary Section as one of the best!
If it’s not fun, why do it? - Ben & Jerry (of ice cream fame)
-Todd
USITT SECTION AFFLILIATION LICENSE AGREEMENT
Draft 3/20/15
Prepared by Martha Marking (VP-Members, Sections and Chapters) in consultation with David Grindle (Executive Director)
Obligations of the Sections
Affiliate Agreement
- Provide all materials for USITT to file 990 on section behalf.
- Adhere to all IRS restrictions on charitable organizations, including without limitation lobbying, fund raising, conflict of interest, governance, and whistle blower rules, regulations and guidelines.
- Provide two reports to USITT describing key activities during the fiscal year. One report will be filed September 15 that verifies the section is in good standing with USITT, i.e., 15 national members, ensuring all section officers are members of USITT, and other requirements as per USITT Bylaws. The other report will be filed, no later than February 15 and will include financial information required for 990 tax filing and information for Vice President for Members, Sections and Chapters board report.
- Provide periodic semi-annual financial statements to USITT as noted above.
- Restricted use of the name and/or logo of the USITT. Only in furtherance of the USITT's mission. Perhaps only with prior approval (or require prior approval only if the use of the name and/or logo is outside of certain defined parameters). (When might this be necessary? Is there something we should be identifying specifically?)
- Advocate on behalf of and actively support USITT, its mission, membership and programs.
- Identify the section as a USITT affiliate, displaying the name and logo on signage, advertising, stationary and/or newsletters.
License Agreement
- Must meet all of the above qualifications EXCEPT for providing the periodic financial statements. These sections do not have to provide a copy of the Form 990 but must notify USITT 990 has been filed.
Obligations of USITT
Affiliate and License Agreement
- License to each section the right to use USITT's name and logo, subject to certain restrictions (as referenced above).
- Promote the sections and their regional representation as part of the benefit of membership to USITT.
- Respect each section’s autonomy in determining its own policies/activities within the scope of its organizational mission/charitable purpose.
Affiliate Agreement
- Prepare and file a group exemption letter with the IRS covering each Affiliate section as part of the group exemption.
Obligations of Each Party
- Commit to an internal culture that emphasizes accountability and continuous improvement.
- Maintain responsible volunteer Boards of Directors committed to the highest standards of governance.
- Commit to inclusiveness, affirmative action, and non-discriminatory practices. USITT’s diversity statement can be found at: http://www.usitt.org/diversity
- Comply with all federal, state and local laws and regulations, including all IRS rules and regulations relating to tax-exempt organizations.
- Conduct an annual audit to be shared with the organization's Board of Directors; maintain a complete and accurate statement of accounts and financial records; practice full voluntary disclosure for public trust and accountability. A sub-committee of the board, or a sub-committee of the membership, must be designated by each section in section by-laws. This sub-committee must not include the treasurer or financial officer.
Termination
- USITT may terminate the Affiliation Agreement upon a 90-day notice if the section fails to comply with its obligations thereunder and declines to work towards compliance. Upon termination, the section will no longer be covered under USITT group exemption, and the section will surrender the right to use USITT’s name, logo and any other resources.
- The annual term will automatically renew for successive periods unless either party gives written 90-day notice of its intent to terminate.