BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA
WINTER 2020
STRENGTHEN THE MOVEMENT PRIORITY 5
Deepening our engagement with our 24,000+ local board members and improving their impact at the local, state and national levels is vital to achieve our Great Futures 2025 goals and make local boards more impactful in all areas.
Membership Requirements Since the founding of our Federation, there has been no more important document than our Constitution and Requirements for Membership. Over the years, the National Council has amended and updated some of these requirements, but they have not been updated holistically in more than 75 years. The National Council consists of a delegate from each member organization, with each organization being entitled to one vote for any piece of business brought to the Council for election. In 2017, the National Board of Governors began looking at the requirements to determine if there was a way to improve Movement decision making, with a formal committee known as the Affiliate Membership and Standards Committee forming in 2019. Upon their recommendation, an Affiliate Membership Task Force made up of nearly 30 local Club executives and board members was created to review the requirements for membership and drive this work. Upon review, the Task Force recommended a full review of and updates to all requirements; since then, they have put in many hours developing, debating and refining recommendations.
Area Council Redesign to Improve Board Communications and Consistency Area Councils form a critical governance piece in our Movement. Comprised of board member representatives from local Boys & Girls Clubs, Area Councils help govern and set membership requirements for the entire Movement.
INCREASE
This evolving work is currently being circulated for review and input at Area Council Town Halls, “office hours� calls, live webcasts and more with the goal of incorporating feedback from across the Movement before bringing components of the revised Constitution and its requirements to a vote in May, and others to a second vote later in 2020. Learn more at BGCA.net/ProposedRequirements.
In 2019, 38 out of 56 Area Councils (68%) saw improvements in annual self-assessment scores driving higher performance internally to the Area Council, and also saw better communication and governance to their member organizations. In 2020, Area Councils will play a pivotal role in providing feedback and input on the new membership requirements. Usage of BGCABoards.org by board members across the country continues to grow with over 1,400 board members accessing the updated information and event calendar on the improved site, compared to 90+ average users during the same time period last year.
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