** Please visit our website: http://www.africanassociation.org **
Legally, there is no African Asscoiation of Madison.
Perhaps that should be the first crisis to resolve and
then all these brilliant ideas may follow.
--- PETER WUTEH VAKUNTA <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> ** Please visit our website:
> http://www.africanassociation.org **
>
> AAM is not and shouldn't be a sinking titanic. What
> members in good
> standing have to do in order to salvage the
> 'titanic' is to diversify
> fund-raising ventures in the community of Madison.
> We cannot count on
> AFRICA FEST alone as we strive to sell our
> image.AFRICA FEST is
> certainly an image-boosting event but we need to go
> beyond that. I
> believe in aggressive self-publicity. This can be
> done in a number of
> ways, one of which is to liaise with similar
> nonprofit organizations in
> this community to carry out projects that will have
> a noticeable impact
> on the lives of MADISONIANS. Then and only then will
> our fundraising
> drives have meaning to the average person in
> MADISON. So, the keys
> words are: COMMITMENT AND FORESIGHTED AGGRESSIVE
> Self-marketing.
>
> PETER VAKUNTA
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Aggo Akyea <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Thursday, January 13, 2005 4:41 pm
> Subject: AAM AT CROSSROADS - AN OPINION
>
> > AAM AT CROSSROADS - AN OPINION
> >
> > The African Association of Madison, Inc., has
> evolved after 12
> > years of positive growth in the community. AAM has
> reached a point
> > where it needs to change direction, mature and
> face its adolescent
> > years with gusto or confront irrelevancy and
> possible extinction.
> > If the overriding desire is to remain as a
> moribund group that
> > gets together every other weekend for a dinner
> party and
> > socialize, then the status quo can be maintained.
> >
> > The Association is now in the expected and
> laudable process of
> > analyzing what is working and what is not. A lot
> of things are not
> > working as exemplified by the inability to find a
> new President to
> > lead the Association into this New Year as
> required by the
> > constitution. This current dialogue and discussion
> must include a
> > serious consideration of the organizational
> structure of the
> > association; otherwise the end result will be akin
> to the
> > rearrangement of the chairs on the deck of a
> sinking Titanic.
> >
> > AAM should assess its organizational structure and
> initiate
> > changes immediately. The ability to adapt and
> strive for
> > excellence can only be a benefit; both to the
> organization and to
> > those it purports to serve. The current
> organizational structure
> > is not helping the Association meet its goals and
> needs a tsunamic
> > change.
> > In order for AAM to achieve its full potential as
> a respected and
> > effective organization in the community, there is
> a clamor for the
> > association to undertake several programs. These
> include an
> > African Center, cultural activities, a
> comprehensive support
> > system for Africans in the Madison area, youth
> guidance and
> > educational programs, to name a few. The current
> structure of the
> > Association cannot ensure the implementation of
> these lofty goals.
> >
> > The African Association of Madison should abandon
> current
> > executive-and-membership operated organizational
> format, and
> > embrace a board-and-executive type of non-profit
> organization. In
> > the board-and-executive format, the board members
> are the lead
> > volunteers who appoint paid or remunerated
> executives to manage
> > the organization. Dues paying members and other
> volunteers
> > function as the extended staff of the organization
> and are often
> > assigned to duties related to the programs offered
> by the
> > organization.
> > Non-profits live and die by the programs they
> operate and that is
> > how the executive can get paid. The meager
> membership dues under
> > the current system cannot begin to pay the
> executive to ensure
> > they deliver the programs. Other incentive plans
> may also be
> > considered however.
> >
> > The significant source of income for a non-profit
> organization
> > come from donors and funding sources who believe
> in and support
> > the goals and objectives of the organization. The
> other minor
> > source of income is payments made by recipients of
> products and
> > services that the non-profit organization
> provides.
> >
> > Currently the mainstay of AAM is the annual
> African Festival
> > celebration. One can use this one program to
> illustrate clearly
> > how the board-and-paid executive system would
> function in a non-
> > profit organizational setting to meet the goals
> and objectives of
> > the association.
> >
> > "Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid"
> > -- Goethe
> >
> >
> >
> > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> > Aggo Akyea
> > http://www.tribalpages.com/tribes/akyea
> >
> > "Instead of studying how to make it worth men's
> while to buy my
> > baskets,I studied rather how to avoid the
> necessity of selling them."
> > WALDEN by Henry David Thoreau ? 1854
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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