Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America
Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America
2010 Annual Board of Directors Elections

Dear:  :

Greetings from ABANA!  The 2010 Annual Elections are currently accepting candidates
for your Board of Directors.  If you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors,
the term of office is three years.  We are seeking to fill five positions on the board with
this election.

The duties of a Board Member require a minimum of one hour daily or four hours
per week participating online in the discussion of Board business.  Because much
of the work accomplished by Board Members  is done over the Internet, it is essential that candidates have computer equipment and skills necessary to participate in online discussions.  Good organizational skills to manage the volume of information that directors receive is also essential.

REMEMBER, a seat on the Board of Directors is NOT limited to professional
blacksmiths
.  A passion for the craft, strong desire to promote education and a
willingness to go the extra mile so that others may benefit are the key ingredients!

This is an exciting time to be involved with your association, we are building for the
future, adapting what has been learned from the past and forging stronger ties with
the membership.  With the ABANA Conference coming up in June 2010, we are
working hard for the "Love of the Craft".

All you need to do to be a candidate is to get the signatures of 10 ABANA members
in good standing, provide a Statement of Qualification/Interest that will be published in
the Anvil's Ring.  Also, please provide a "High" resolution digital portrait picture for
the publication.

Board Members are required to attend the Board of Directors Annual Meeting,
usually held in Memphis, Tennessee in off conference years.  During a conference
year, the Board of Directors Annual Meeting is held in the host city.  The association
provides a partial travel reimbursement and partial lodging reimbursement for the
Board Members attending the Annual Meeting.

It is helpful to have a broad variety of skills and experience as a Board Member.  In
addition to describing your background in blacksmithing, please include in your
Statement of Qualifications/Interest a description of any other skills and experience you
have that might be helpful to ABANA.  Examples of skills that might be helpful include a strong understanding of the current office technology products such as Microsoft Office or Open Office, business knowledge and experience, experience with budgeting, marketing, web design, database management and development, graphic design, non-profit governance, filings and compliance for 501(c)(3) non-profit associations.

Election Schedule to be Published in the Anvil's Ring
2010 "Summer Edition"

Wednesday, September 15 Anvil's Ring Publication date.
Wednesday, September 21 Anvil's Ring in the mail
This mailing date starts a 30 day clock - per bylaws article XI.
Wednesday, September 29 Members receive Anvil's Ring (+/- 5 days)
Friday, October 22 Ballot Postmark deadline
Thursday, October 28 Count ballots and notify election winners to make travel
reservations.  Board Meeting on November 11-14.  Starting  on Thursday at 6 PM
and continuing through Saturday not later than 9 PM Board Member departure for
home on Sunday morning November 14


There is much work to be done and we invite you to become involved with the
future of your association.  In addition to the five Board of Directors positions
we also are seeking candidates for the following:

ABANA Endowment Trust - Trustee, Off-Board Committee Members

If you are interested, please contact any board member, the ABANA Central
Office or the Election and Nomination Chair:

George B. Matthews, Chairman
Election and Nomination Committee
PO Box 25
Saluda, NC  28773
Home: (828) 749-2346
Cell:  (828) 243-6579
vlgsmithy828@msn.com


Of course you can also contact me directly:

Rome H. Hutchings, ABANA President
Chairman ABANA Membership Services
The Prairie Forge
13633 Ferman Ave NW
Clearwater, MN 55320
Home: (763) 878-1694
Cell: (763) 482-1181
rome@abana.org
Quick Links...
On behalf of ABANA, we thank you for your
continued support of ABANA's mission to
further educational opportunities for blacksmiths
and share this information with all who are interested

 
Sincerely,
Rome Hutchings
Rome H. Hutchings, Member Services Chair