Hi Doug:

I think we agree on your first few points totally. The ChipBoard is NOT the place to post a note or suggestion to the BOD. But I do think it is the better place to say “Hey, what about this idea…” then get help and suggestions from other club members. Then finally make a formal suggestion to the BOD on the club board.

I also agree that disparaging comments about the club board are unnecessary and don’t help the situation. I wish the club board was more active, but I don’t know how we can get there. I loved your posts a few years back about showing “your favorite” chips. But it seems like after you finished that program the posts tailed off again. Just frustrating that it cannot stay active.

The part that upsets me the most is the fact that we are losing money. I have to admit I haven’t paid too close attention to the numbers for the last few years. It seems like we were treading water for so long that I stopped looking at them.

It must be incredibly difficult to make the decisions you have to make; I know I couldn’t do it. But shrinking and cutting costs, shrinking and cutting costs seems like a slow death for sure. Not the BOD’s fault by any means, but I wonder at what point do we say we have to take some risks and see what happens. Maybe a 1/2 page ad running for a year in the ANA’s “The Numismatist” or hiring a professional non-profit fund raiser isn’t so crazy. If it tanks maybe we have to cut out the banquet, and make the magazine go digital. Go out like a supernova rather then a 1973 Chevy Nova :-)

Hope you don’t think I’m railing on you or the BOD, it’s just frustrating to see a hobby that is so interesting not get the attention it deserves! It’s funny when I talk to friends about this hobby, they all give me that same “yeah, sounds cool” response. But I know they are really thinking “boy I can think of a lot better things to spend money on!” So I guess maybe after I write all this, that is the point, you can’t MAKE people like something.

Too depressing to go on. :-(

Todd