There has been a lot of positive developments at the AANR level.
What has happened: There was an extra Fall Board Meeting on November 15th to discuss some the ideas that were presented at the AANR Convention. This added board meeting gave the incoming board of trustees a chance to look at these ideas and begin implementation of the proposals that they deemed of highest priority. The board meeting was in Las Vegas. The location was chosen because of cost. There are inexpensive rooms and meals. And airfare to Las Vegas is generally low priced. Most of us never left the hotel. Some of us started at 7:00am and went until Midnight. The board came together and worked cooperatively and effectively on the many issues. I was incredibly proud that various members from the Northwest came and participated, paying their own way. What a great region we have!
Bev Price appointed six advisory teams to look at the six proposed changes. Five of the teams were made up entirely of trustees who were given the opportunity to work on those issues that most interested them. The regional presidents worked on the Pricing Structure team. These teams prepared reports during the time from the Convention until the Fall Board Meeting.
The Adult Clubs Team looked at the feasibility of including clubs that want to pursue sexual activities in AANR. The outcome from this meeting was that AANR will not be including ‘X’ rated clubs. It was recommended that an ad hoc committee revisit core values and devise methods that will differentiate us from those clubs. For example, swingers have taken over the meaning of a lifestyle club. We should be mindful to not describe ourselves as part of the nudist lifestyle.
The use of the Carver model of governance for non-profit organizations had been proposed. The team identified that AANR currently uses a constituency model, but not to its best advantage. It was decided to learn more about how to be more effective using the constituency model, rather than changing how AANR is governed. An ad hoc committee is working to identify a trainer to help AANR improve
The Name Change Team advised that it was too early in the process to change our name. We need a clearer idea of what we hope to accomplish. However, it was noted that when it is time to change the name, we should be aware that AANR encompasses more than just ‘America’. Yes, we are all part of North America, but citizens of other countries equate the word American with US.
Creating a Trade Association, that could be where the ‘X’ clubs could participate had been suggested. The Trade Association Team identified club benefits that could be moved to a Nudist Trade Association if something like TANR was resuscitated. No recommendation for creating a separate Trade Association was made..
Selling the Kissimmee building which houses the headquarters of AANR had been recommended. The Facility Team recommends selling the building. The staff will do the necessary research to determine how best to proceed.
Simplifying the member rates had been proposed. The Pricing Structure Team analyzed the various rates and made several suggestions about how the rates could become less complex. The biggest difference in rates across the country is that regional dues are not standardized for several of the membership classes. Regions will not cede the power to set their membership rates. This committee was comprised of the regional presidents. Any proposal to act on simplifying the rates must be led by the board.
Additionally, the board decided to not proceed with an updated Park Guide without more investigation about cost and printing techniques. The Life Membership fund is now capped and the excess is added to the Capital Improvements Fund.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
What is going to happen: On February 11, 2015, the Beach Education Advocates for Culture, Health, Environment & Safety Foundation Institute (http://beachesfoundation.org) is holding the first one-day Naturist Unity Summit at Haulover Beach Park. The name of the summit is United Naturist/Nudist International Trade/Travel Educational Events (U.N.I.T.E) ( http://beachesfoundation.org/unite/)
This summit is an opportunity for those from all of the naturist/nudist organizations to come together and work on our common goals. Two in particular were highlighted: media driven marketing events and nude-friendly legislation. Both are great goals. I am very lucky because it is several days after the AANR Mid-Winter Board Meeting. So, I get to stay and then travel to Miami to participate. The summit is capped at 100 people, but if you are interested, you could contact the organization and see if there is room. I know this is late notice, but it has been reported on in the Northwest Nude News.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
The Northwest Nude News is a weekly email newsletter controlled by AANR-NW (your name and email will NOT be shared). Each week it has the schedule for the following two weeks and a couple of articles of nudist interest. I encourage you to sign up for this newsletter if you don’t already get it. http://www.aanr-nw.org/?page_id=588016 . And we’re always looking for articles and opinion pieces, so send your ideas to nudenews@aanr-nw.org
Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions.
