Move forward.

[Mongoose39uk]

What would you do as an individual committee member to fight for a enthusiastic , relevant GAGB and keep the momentum going?

[The Wombles]

I personally intend to support GAGB by offering to run a GAGB event and helping to update the agreements database where it is needed. This opens some questions that we will need to address, for example where the landowner contact is no longer available then what do we do with that agreement? Does it get deleted and what happens to the caches that were placed under that agreement? However we are in the best position to do this since we hold the backup records, contact details and in most cases relationships which enabled agreements to be made.

More generally, I'd like to support GAGB to have a wider appeal in the caching community with the ideas and a initiatives that I hope "new blood" on the committee and renewed member support will bring.

[geocaching womble]

I personally would seek to update the site improve the standing of the GAGB and try to increase the Membership by actively getting out amongst the cachers where possible and trying to keep the committee and site in touch as much as time and the caching commutity will allow to to do.

I know I've said this before but I want EVERYONE to feel heard, listened to and their opinions to matter to the committee

Thanks
Dominic

[Team Microdot]

I would say that the first decision from the GAGB should be - what are we going to be, moving forward?

At this point in time, that seems to be undecided.

I think that relying on a small number of individuals to generate momentum the perpetuate an organisation with a large body of members with diverse viewpoints probably won't work. What's needed is a snowball effect - where the enthusiasm of each member for the GAGB and what it offers multiplies as it rolls forward.

So, in my admittedly simplistic terms, I think the GAGB needs to focus on its service offering - offer the most useful services and tools that it can to the geocaching community so that the enthusiasm and momentum flows into the organisation from its members - rather than the opposite way round.

Of course the big question is - what services and tools would fuel that?

And at this stage I have to admit - that's a question I don't have any very good answers for - but I will continue to ponder and see what I can come up with :)

[mollyjak]

What would you do as an individual committee member to fight for a enthusiastic , relevant GAGB and keep the momentum going?

I believe I have been doing this 100% during this year as a Committee member and I will continue with enthusiam.

[sandvika]

I have a clear view of what I'd like our association to become and this came out pretty comprehensively in our hustings for Chairman. I've been repeating myself in these hustings, inevitably.

I'm very much open to 13 alternative views being proposed by our other candidates because I don't have a monopoly on this! I would like to be able to compare, contrast and take the best parts to make the best coherent whole, but this is Maple Leaf's remit for which she has an excellent mandate :)

Though I've not been elected as Chairman, I believe I can share the big picture with our Chairman as a committee member if elected and help wherever is needed to get the necessary traction to make progress. I would rather enable progress in all areas rather than take ownership of one chunky topic - maybe if elected I could be our next Secretary?

[Team Microdot]

I would rather enable progress in all areas rather than take ownership of one chunky topic - maybe if elected I could be our next Secretary?

Apologies for my ignorance here - this sort of thing is all new territory to me - What does that actually mean?

[sandvika]

Apologies for my ignorance here - this sort of thing is all new territory to me - What does that actually mean?

I view the role of Secretary as a facilitator - as well as doing calendar, agendas, minutes, etc. it should be to help figure out what to do when things are not working - to arrange / assist / introduce / encourage etc.: whatever can help.

[Team Microdot]

I view the role of Secretary as a facilitator... it should be to help figure out what to do when things are not working - to arrange / assist / introduce / encourage etc.: whatever can help.

Isn't that the sort of thing which happens organically within the committee anyway?

Surely everyone can be part of that process, rather than a single individual - isn't that the point of having the committee in the first place?

[sandvika]

Isn't that the sort of thing which happens organically within the committee anyway?

Surely everyone can be part of that process, rather than a single individual - isn't that the point of having the committee in the first place?

I wish it did but in my experience it doesn't: not in GAGB nor elsewhere - it is a fact of life that some people are more willing to get stuck in than others, some are willing to help in several areas, others are only interested in one.

If we look at the last year, our website and land owner database were to be updated but if there have been changes, they are minimal. Both are large tasks and why I think our approach has to be different in future. If Cass and Palujia were unable to allocate enough time, (hardly surprising given the size of their challenges) of course they could have asked for help, however, I think they should also have been offered help. This becomes more important as we engage more of our members in driving our association forward: an enthusiastic member could lose their enthusiasm if they feel unable to contribute due to an unresolved issue. I would like to help in these sorts of cases so that we make progress on all fronts.

[northking]

I believe that we have an opportunity to engage with the membership, try to build some bridges. Let's be honest, if the GAGB tried to charge for membership then there would be very little uptake. We have to understand what we are, and what we are trying to achieve. We need the membership to feel a part of the GAGB, to care about who they are electing and feel that they are being listened to. I would like to see the committee move forward in updating and maintaining the GLAD, this could be a regionalised responsibility with ongoing updates being made to the database, rather than it being the responsibility of one person.

I would like us to consider the Geography of our membership and acknowledge that there are areas that are not represented and clearly feel disenfranchised. Let's get a meaningful channel of communication open and work with the different areas to help them feel a part of the community.

I would like to explore the possibility of contacting each new player (or asking the listing sites to supply our details) upon registration so that they can be sent a letter of introduction/welcome pack and also supply them with details of local groups which may be of help or interest to them.

I believe that a regular GAGB meet or the attendance of a GAGB member at an event would be a good way to engage with players.

I would also suggest that a way of highlighting our presence would be to identify a number of excellent caching areas and place geocache trails in the name of the GAGB, using these hides to promote the product and our ethos, (if this has been done before, I apologise but it seems an obvious move to raise our profile).

I accept that ideas and ideals are just that, I am eager and have the capability to throw a lot of time and energy at these if I feel that others think it would be worthwhile. I am willing to listen to others too, and if I've come up with something completely out of the box, then let's try to build a bigger box together!