On Elections...

An open letter from current board president, Phill Arensberg

Community,

Recently I've been talking to folks about upcoming INW elections. I've found that a few issues seem to be fairly common and I wanted to both adress them here in one fell swoop. My aim in this is to inform, encourage and, hopefully, inspire people who are interested in taking an even more active role in the evolution of our community.

First, the questions:

What does an INW board member do? This is by far the most common question I get. The short answer is, whatever you want. The longer, more involved answer is that just being on the board doesn't convey any special responsibilities beyond participating in our monthly meetings. Like most other endeavors, however, one gets out what one puts in. People step up and claim responsibility for the things that need doing, depending upon their abilities, their availability and their passion. We are very mindful that stepping up and taking a leadership role confers a certain expectation of action, even though the scope of that action is not always implicit at the outset.

How much time does it take? Again, beyond the monthly meetings, that depends upon one's level of involvement. Our busiest times are in the Fall and in the Spring. We generally don't do anything in August.

So, that's sort of the cut and dry. My own personal experience is that serving on the board is not a big time suck. It requires commitment and follow through and openness more than a clear schedule.

Should I run? The tough question. If you have something to offer. If you are passionate about this community on a larger, long term level, if you want to learn and to lead, then I would advise, yes. We're in a very exciting phase right now. We've set up our structures, tested them a little bit and now we're moving on to developing programs and projects, endeavor that will actively serve our community.

Again, on a personal level, serving on the INW board has been an illuminating, transforming and energizing (and sometimes incredibly nuts-making) experience. I love it. If the only thing that's holding you back from exploring this level of involvement is uncertainty, then again, I advise you to run towards it and jump in at the deep end.

I'm happy to talk with anyone about this, please feel free to drop me a line.

As always, info can be found at www.ignitionnw.org

Questions, Comments, Culottes can be sent to me or to board@ignitionnw.org

Thanks everyone.

Phill Arensberg
President
Ignition Northwest