Re: [Organizers] dance group structure

For the Lenox Contra Dance, in Lenox, MA (far Western MA) we have a group of 6 people who help in various ways. The dance was started by a "b.d." (below) and he ran the whole show himself for about 3 years. That meant that he hardly even got to dance! But he eventually tired of that, so he invited people to join him in a committee. He asked 5 to help, and we asked a 6th because that person had web hosting and design abilities, which we needed. We helped to support the b.d. with decision making and taking some tasks off his shoulders. A year ago the b.d. decided to abdicate entirely, and we had a very smooth transition to the 6 of us continuing to run the dance. We each kept our portfolios of tasks, and shared out the tasks that Michael (the b.d.) had continued to do himself, and one of us (me) took on the job of overseeing the organizing. We keep in touch with our dance community several times a year with informational emails, and I think we make it clear that we see ourselves as custodians of the dance. We seek input and support, and occasional help when we need it. It has proved to be a very positive way, amongst ourselves as the committee, and within our dance community. People are very positive with us, many thanks on a regular basis, and little/no negativity. I imagine that we might have some turnover at times, but I think this will be handled in a less formal way than an election, but rather by asking around for people who might be willing and able to help. I will add that our b.d. did a lot just in his head or in very simple ways, because he really didn't have a need to communicate a lot, and that worked very well for him, and for the dance. My interest when the committee took over the entire job was to institutionalize the work we do so that we can move forward even if there are changes in volunteers. To that end we've documented a lot of what we do, we have agendas and minutes, and we've developed some forms that allow us to track our attendance and our money much better than previously. We would not be able to work if each person just did their own thing as Michael was able to do. We also meet every other month for probably two and a half hours or so, sometimes longer if there's a special event. These meetings are very important for our energy as a group, so not to be overlooked. Stephen Moore Lenox (MA) Contra Dance On Feb 5, 2008, at 9:55 PM, Rick Johnson wrote: