Here we are at the end of the club’s fiscal year already! Doesn’t take long, does it?

At the beginning of the year, I set out a list of objectives that I hoped to accomplish during the year. They are:

Here we are at the end of the club’s fiscal year already! Doesn’t take long, does it?

At the beginning of the year, I set out a list of objectives that I hoped to accomplish during the year. They are:

1) Increase membership
2) Increase member participation
3) Develop committee concept
4) Increase quality of meetings
5) Develop activities between meetings
6) Publish bulletin in color
7) Modernize

How did we do? Quite well, I think, but only because I received an unprecedented level of help from you! At the beginning of the year I asked you not to bolt for the door when we needed volunteers, and you didn’t; you stepped forward and built a better club!

Back to the objectives, 1) we did increase membership and that’s just the beginning of what is yet to come. With the new programs we have going, such as the membership competition and the new recruiting brochure, we should make vast strides in this very important area.

2) As I mentioned above, I am overwhelmed by your willingness to get involved and participate in this club! Thank you so very much!

3) We now have twelve committees manned and functioning! The number is impressive, but the key word here is “functioning.” Every member of each of these committees is busy working on a project for the betterment of the club.

4) The quality of our meetings has improved, largely due to moving the competitions and field trips to days of their own. This has freed up the regular meeting nights for more educational lectures. There is much more that can be accomplished in this area.

5) We are holding N4C competitions and field trips between regular meeting dates. Both have been very successful in terms of participation.

6) We decided that we couldn’t afford to print the bulletin in color, so we did the next best (or maybe even better) thing and published it on our website in color. Thanks to your cooperation in signing up for the internet bulletin in lieu of the mailed version, we more than paid for the new, larger website and domain name, www.lincolncameraclub.org, in postage savings. A big “thank you” for that, as we can do so much more with the new website beyond just publishing the bulletin in color.

7) With the new website and e-mail capability with most members, we have certainly modernized. Now, we can post notices instantly and/or send out e-mail notices quickly. This is invaluable in times of change, such as: cancellations due to storms, changes in venue, correction of published errors, etc.

In addition, in a function of the club that many of you do not see, we have used e-mail to speed up board decisions and approvals. This has enabled us to accomplish goals in hours that previously would have taken days and weeks.

In that regard, I want to assure you that no major decision has been made that affects the club, without first obtaining the approval of a majority vote of the board of directors.

In addition to these accomplishments, you and your fellow members have stepped forward and accomplished incorporation of the club (now officially Lincoln Camera Club, Incorporated) and given us the capability of pursuing grants for special projects. It only took seventy or so years to get around to this very important step, but, due to your efforts, it was accomplished.

During this year, you also approved a complete overhaul of the bylaws of the club. That might seem like a tedious step, but it is very important. The bylaws are the rules that we follow in all club activities. The largest effect of this action was the establishment of a whole new roster of committees, the groups that actually do the work of the club.

I have certainly enjoyed serving you this past year. It has given me the opportunity to know you so much better. In this year, I have seen you solve problems and accomplish things that I would not have thought possible at the beginning of the year. You are truly an outstanding group of people, with a terrific potential.

My only hope is that this club can go on to reach its full potential in the years to come!

Thank you for your support.
Clark Springman