Spring 2010 NEC Agenda & Winter 2009 NEC Minutes

[JC004]

How about paying attention to the 2nd largest paying customer base CAP, Inc. has: it's volunteer members.....

:clap:

[lordmonar]

Did you people notice page 10. Is there now an Air Patrol Ribbon, or is it the new HLS Ribbon?

Yes...the chose the name Air Patrol Ribbon because it will cover all other operations not DR/SAR or CD not just HLS missions.

I wish they would devote their energy on things that really benefited the membership. How about the issue of reducing the dues of those members who chose not to receive the magazine? How about polling the membership about where to spend the kick-back from Vanguard? How about creating and funding real medals to go with all those fancy ribbons they keep dreaming up?

Has anyon communicated these desires up the chain?

[RiverAux]

Live stream underway.

National commanders report:
Cadet membership has been growing.
Accident rates dropping
5 AEO schools planned this year.  Except for HI, they're all in the east for some reason.
1600 AEMs and growing.  100K students impacted through program
ACE program in 23 states, 6500 students, 62 schools
250 teacher orientation flights in 09 in 19 wings
K-12 AEX program, 657 classrooms, 40K students involved

[Capt Rivera]

Thanks for the reminder River... I would have missed it otherwise...

[Capt Rivera]

Anyone know how to get this in full screen?

or a better link then this one i could use to have full screen?
http://www.capvolunteernow.com/live/index.cfm

[RiverAux]

control +

[Pingree1492]

Live stream underway.

National commanders report:
Cadet membership has been growing.
Accident rates dropping
5 AEO schools planned this year.  Except for HI, they're all in the east for some reason.
1600 AEMs and growing.  100K students impacted through program
ACE program in 23 states, 6500 students, 62 schools
250 teacher orientation flights in 09 in 19 wings
K-12 AEX program, 657 classrooms, 40K students involved

Any updates on the agenda items and debate after the obligatory commander's update? 

[A.Member]

A "ribbons" officer?  Are they serious?

Maybe one step better than spending the entire NEC meeting talking about uniforms, but ribbon devices, ID cards, and awards still aren't exactly the long-range strategic planning expected of a massive non-profit's executive board.  In fact, there really is no long-range strategic initiatives in there at all.  And I'd personally argue that most of the awards stuff is similar to uniform stuff, in that, no other organization would spend this much time at the most senior executive level of their board discussing this.  It's a staff-level or executive director (in our case, maybe National Commander)-level responsibility at most.

You and I are very much on the same page with this.   It's probably our greatest issue.  Yet, it remains rather puzzling to me that it continues to go on unaddressed.   We need some clear strategic planning from our "leadership". 

[Tubacap]

I didn't catch it all, but there is some sort of personnel management system called AMS.  Anyone have information on the capabilities/potential uses of this system?  Timeline?

[RiverAux]

They're going to use it to manage just about all individual CAP member information.  I think they said it would be totally in use pretty soon.  Evidently the same system that the Girl Scouts use. 

[Tubacap]

Any changes to the end user?

[RiverAux]

They didn't say other than all our info would be in one place.  Sounded like the separate ops qual system would be combined in with the regular personnel records. 
I would guess that the CAPWATCH download system would change.  This would be a good thing cause working with the text files is a pain compared to the old system of just downloading an Access database. 

[Capt Rivera]

Anyone taking notes?

[RiverAux]

If any of the topics were of any interest I probably would, but the agenda is so weak that its not worth my time, much less worth the time of the NEC.

[Capt Rivera]

Missed most of it but it looks like they are taking steps to finally stop hemorrhaging money on replacement ID cards...

- No more free replacements effective immediately ( i believe)
--- Replacements will cost you $3.00

- No more new ID for each promotion, each member gets 1 ID card per year as part of their membership.

- other stuff to reduce wasted money was also done/will be done... 

I know its still not the grand things we want and you wouldn't think it would take the NEC to make the above changes... but at least we will stop some waste...

[a2capt]

Ironic. they're concerned about ID card waste, but they have no issues wasting members money.  Thats just lovely.

I hope the ID card that looks like a cracker jack hack improves over all this. Probably not.. but one can hope.

..and while they are at it, they can do without these swank meetings.

[Capt Rivera]

Ironic. they're concerned about ID card waste, but they have no issues wasting members money.  Thats just lovely.

..and while they are at it, they can do without these swank meetings.

ID card waste was a waste of membership dues... Check out the numbers in the previously posted file... 80,000 extra cards produced in a year? We have roughly 57,000 members...  If I remember the wording wrong then there 23k extra cards produced... That's just ridiculous... and each card costs over $1 to produce... that's a lot of waste.

I can tell you without a doubt that at least one cadet in my squadron has gone through 3 or more cards due to losing the card or damaging it in the clothes dryer... People don't learn when they just click a button to get something for "free". I bet people will take better care now that it will cost them...

We are also standardizing on the photo id card i believe... with senior members being required to have pictures on file at some point in the future...

With that said... I don't know how much member money was spent to have the meeting. Since they had it... and will likely continue, I would prefer to focus on whats being done then just idle complaints being repeated... (swank meetings have been beaten pretty good) - Feel free to encourage your Wing Commander to bring up a motion for video conference use and greater use of military facilities...

[RiverAux]

Although I don't imagine they cost as much, they can also do away with that little plastic card they send out with various CAP telephone numbers on it.

[BillB]

The main problem seems to be doing a new card when a member transfers or gets promoted. In 1966 the front of the ID card did not have unit charter number or the members grade. The back of the card was blank and a sticker was sent each time a promotion or transfer occured. Sticker cost 2 cents, a new plastic ID card costs CAP $2.11. Even sending out a new plastic ID card with just the members name and serial number and a sticker on the back costs $165 (according to one card manufacturer) Postage for a plasic card may or may not be 42 cents, but a sticker to show changes would cost the minimum. And it's cheaper to send out the sticker annually to show renewal than to produce an expensive plastic card.

[JC004]

Ironic. they're concerned about ID card waste, but they have no issues wasting members money.  Thats just lovely.

I hope the ID card that looks like a cracker jack hack improves over all this. Probably not.. but one can hope.

..and while they are at it, they can do without these swank meetings.

Pretty much...
"Alright, now that the ID card waste is dealt with, let's move on to having the National Board meeting in Puerto Rico, then make a couple uniform changes..."   

Although I don't imagine they cost as much, they can also do away with that little plastic card they send out with various CAP telephone numbers on it.

I think that I could get behind that, actually.