Summer is coming. School is out or will be out soon. Thoughts are turning to graduations, vacations, and barbecues. Around ASPE-ville, our Chapters have held elections, and the transition to new officers is underway. At the Society level, the Board of Directors and Staff will disperse and take part in the Region Meetings this month. Let’s also not forget that Chapter Annual Reports are due at the end of June, and Treasurer’s Reports have a July 15 deadline.
Things are definitely heating up. What’s the best way to handle that?
I know what has worked best for me. As a former Boy Scout, the official motto “Be Prepared” has always stuck with me. That went for school, athletics, career, and family. I’m one of those people who does not like to be unprepared. It may be a control thing. I just prefer being the best-informed person in the room whenever possible. When the pressure of deadlines is on, I try to address things early and allow that pressure to escape. Try it for those aforementioned Annual Report deadlines.
The Annual Report system is available online right now. It’s a fairly short and very straightforward questionnaire. Go there now and answer the four questions. There’s one about outstanding Chapter members and one each on technical, legislative, and membership data. You probably have that information at hand now—so why wait until the end of the month to complete it? Page 3 of the online system is the end of the Annual Report. When you have completed that page, go up to the upper left of the screen to Chapter Report Status and scroll to change your status from In Progress to Chapter Complete. Then go back to the lower right of the screen and click Save. Voila. Your Annual Report has been submitted before the deadline. The Award of Merit questions can be completed at your leisure.
One deadline is crossed off your list, and you can feel the pressure subsiding. Next thing to tackle is the annual Treasurer’s Report. Believe it or not, your Chapter Treasurer can do some advance legwork on that. When I served as the Atlanta Chapter Treasurer, I kept a running account of the Chapter’s banking throughout the year. As soon as we got our June statements, I’d integrate the data into the report, get all of the required signatures, and submit it. It’s another way to beat the deadline and eliminate stress.
Those are just a couple of suggestions that can work for you. There is an ulterior motive on my part. The Board of Directors has to approve both the Annual Report and the Treasurer’s Report for all 64 Chapters. That alone is a considerable task, but when the reports are not submitted by the deadlines, the task becomes much harder. As an example, last year the Board was reviewing late-arriving reports through December, and a couple of Chapters didn’t get rechartered until March. That’s a long and winding road. We’d like to avoid all of that this year.
This is a Convention year, so it’s especially important for Chapters to be rechartered so they can send delegates to the Business Meeting. Thus, the goal this cycle is for every Chapter to submit their reports by the deadlines.
The Region Meetings will take place just after this article hits the ASPE Pipeline. These meetings are an important opportunity for Chapter leaders to review the past year, share ideas, and raise any concerns with the ASPE Staff and Board. They will be governed by your respective Region Directors, and the Society has put together a PowerPoint presentation as well. We update the presentation every year, and this year’s PowerPoint has some valuable information for both returning and new Chapter Officers to help you be prepared.
Speaking of preparations, things are being finalized for the 2024 ASPE Convention & Expo. It will be held at the the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio on October 18–23. The Expo will have more than 250 exhibitors ready to talk with you and offer a hands-on look at their products. More than 25 technical education sessions will help secure your continuing education units. If you are a Chapter Delegate, you’ll attend ASPE’s Business Meeting to exercise your privilege to vote for the 2024–2026 ASPE Board of Directors and help set ASPE’s course for the next two years. Meet old friends or make new friends at ASPE’s Sunday Night Party presented by NIBCO Inc. at the Center of Science and Industry. Don’t forget to make the rounds at the exhibitor parties on Monday night. There is something for everyone in Columbus. If you haven’t already registered, go to expo.aspe.org now. We would love to have you join us there.
It is time to wrap this column for June. Thank you for your time in reading this. Next month, I’ll have a run-down of our Region Meetings. Until then, be prepared. Signing off for now.
