SAIMC - volunteers, members and communication all key
November 2011Analytical Instrumentation & Environmental Monitoring
SAIMC president, Johan Maartens, is someone committed to the goal of improving the value offered by the organisation to its members and patrons. In his communiquéé this month, he takes a critical look at transformation within the Society and the effectiveness of the various initiatives that have been put in place to ensure the process stays on track.
As an SAIMC member, I found it refreshing to see bureaucracy set aside in this honest attempt to evaluate the usefulness of Council’s initiatives over the last few years. As a council member, I found it satisfying to review the progress that has been made, and to realise that there is still a lot more that needs to be done.
Set up by Council to evaluate the Society’s performance against the objectives defined in its constitution, the SAIMC Innovations Committee identified last year that, while value was being added for members through the regular technical evenings, site visits and social events, these actually only honoured a small portion of the constitution. One of the key elements found wanting was an effective communication platform that members could use to share information efficiently. In order to address this, the website was redesigned to give members more interactive functionality and control. It is not ideal yet, but it is a step in the right direction.
Another useful communication initiative is the monthly newsletter generated by the various branch committees to keep members up to date of events happening in their region. Invariably, these form the bulk of the SAIMC news section published every month in this magazine and what stands out for me as editor, is the enthusiasm and diligence of the committee members who give up their time to author them every month.
Nelson (Horatio) once ruffled the feathers of the admiralty hierarchy with his outspoken views on the superior value of volunteers over ‘pressed men’ in battle. Our less bloodthirsty quest also depends on people willing to volunteer for the cause; what can easily get forgotten is that the Society would almost certainly cease to exist without the effort of those who give up their time to serve on the various committees. It is thanks to them that technical evenings and site visits get organised, golf days materialise and we get together at the end of every year at the annual banquet. That said, unlike those of a British man-of-war, the objectives of an organisation like ours can never be accomplished by the volunteers alone, success comes when these efforts are in harmony with the expectations of an interested and committed membership base. This is borne out by Johan in his conclusion: “There are still many items on our to-do list and some will have to wait until 2012. In the meantime I urge everybody who has great ideas to register on our website www.saimc.net. Go to Forum>Council >Strategy and let us hear your voice.”
I concur; there might be other ways to evaluate the Society’s performance realistically, but what better than direct feedback from the people whose interests it is there to serve. After all, since peer-group organisations like SAIMC ultimately belong to the members but rely on the volunteers to act as custodian, constructive communication between all is key for success. (See ‘From the president’s desk’ for more.)
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