AGM — survey comments and responses (part 3)
In part 1 and part 2 of this posting, I went over some of the comments that were submitted in the surveys that were sent out to parents in November 2009. In this final posting on the 2009 survey, I will review additional comments, provide explanations and responses as appropriate.
The Board
For those who are unhappy at some aspect of the club’s operation for whatever reason, the Board is a logical scapegoat. In some cases, the responsibility does fall on the Board. But, not always.
Of all the comments on the survey, and there were some pretty direct comments, this was the one that I felt was most inaccurate:
Don’t like the board politics — watched how you make decisions and it’s not in the best interest of the players or city, but of yourselves.
Here is my response:
- The average audience size of the Board meetings is between 1 and 4. There were a few cases in 2009 where the Board meeting was changed due to conflicts (for example, we rescheduled the February 14, 2009 meeting due to Valentine’s Day) — but notifications went out prior.
- Each of the Board members volunteers their time and energy on behalf of the kids and the community.
- I find that the operation of the Board is very task- and goal-oriented, without a lot of baloney.
Honestly, there are just too many things to get done to let politics get in the way. We need to get more people involved — and a Board that is focused on politics becomes one that is self-selecting (turns off the very kinds of people that you want on the Board because they get frustrated) and eventually exclusionary. We just can’t have that kind of me-first behavior — and I think the Board membership agrees.
Here’s a comment that, while direct, has some merit.
I don’t believe this club has shown any interest or support this season of the [my son's team]. The team is doing very well but I’ve never seen a board member at any games. The board hasn’t communicated well with the parents of competitive players. Many things changed within the league this year and that information never filtered down to the parents. I don’t believe it’s my coaches responsibly to keep up me updated, I believe it’s the league’s. Additionally, I don’t feel the league does enough to market itself to the community or recruit new players. The board needs to make an effort to invite all Dublin children to join the league. Take a look at Dublin Little League, they communicate very effectively with the community.
I have to be honest — between Board repsonsibilities and my own child’s games, it’s hard to carve time out to watch other teams play. I think most everyone else on the Board is in the same spot. Except for our House Director, Carrie Osmer, who basically lived at the fields this year. Despite that, I know that many of the Board members attended games this year — league games, tournament games, and so on — as observers, parents, referees, and in tournament roles. I am interested in all of the teams at all levels — but there is a time commitment balancing act between family, job, and soccer volunteering that has to be accounted for.
While I felt that we did a good job of communication this year, as indicated by the survey results, clearly some parents felt we could have done better. I agree that it’s the club’s responsibility to inform and there is room for improvement. I absolutely agree that we need to do a better job in marketing, not only for membership (tryouts and registration) but also within the business community. Dublin United joined the Dublin Chamber of Commerce in 2009 and we hope to begin to take advantage of the opportunities that the Chamber can provide us. And, we will work diligently this year to make sure that people within the City know about us. For example, we will have a St Patrick’s Day festival booth this year.
In short, I strongly believe that the Board is in place on behalf of the kids, not out of personal gain, glory, or any other self-serving reason. It is easy to blame the “Board” when something goes wrong — the reality is that the Board consists of a collection of individuals that are volunteering their time and energy to do the best that they can for the kids and the community.
I’m hoping that a positive leadership culture will encourage others to join us — in committee positions, Board positions, or other areas of responsibility and service.
“More hands make lighter loads.”
Positive Comments
I’ve spent two and a half blog postings and a chunk of my weekend pulling out some of the more critical survey answers along with some background and explanation. There were a lot of very positive responses to the survey and I’ve put together these representative quotes:
Thank you for all of the board’s hard work. It is very much appreciated.You are working hard to make this a great soccer club and your efforts are showing, many thanks to you all!
I feel many of the committee members have their heart in the right place.
I did think the club was more organized this year and I can feel that a positive shift has occurred.
Our league was well organized Carrie Osmer (House Director) often stopped by the game just to check in.
I appreciate the opportunity to express my feelings about this season as there were a lot of changes.
We thought the training programs were great – and it was, of course, because of the quality of the trainers. Always upbeat, prepared, engaged with the girls, and often ‘thought out loud’ so us coaches could soak up as much info as possible.
We are happy with the direction of the DUSL.
This was and is a great year. [We had] a great coach.
DUSL is doing a great job with improving the overall league! Keep up the great work!
Conclusion
I’d like to sincerely thank everyone that took time to fill out the survey. I thought there were a lot of good points raised. Even where I didn’t agree with a comment, it did give me (and others) pause to think about why we disagreed and how we can better explain our plans, policies, processes better.
While there is room for improvement — and in my next posting, I’ll talk a little about the plans for 2010 — there were a lot of things that went well and which were recognized by the membership.
Thanks!