What it's like to be a board member
By Erin Butler
In just over a month, we’ll be kicking off the annual HUG Conference and celebrating 30 years of bringing Host users together. For this newbie, it will be only my third conference and will mark the near completion of my first year on the HUG board. And what a year it’s been! Thinking back to last year, completing my paperwork to run for the board for the second year in a row (yes, that’s correct, if at first you don’t succeed), I realize just how clueless I really was! I had no idea what it really meant to be part of this team. But honestly, I wanted the opportunity to be part of something I found unique in the world of systems, a community of users.
So, here we are, weeks away from three positions opening up on the board. And I saw this as an opportune time to throw some knowledge your way, in hopes that some of you are considering a run for the board and wondering what exactly to expect.
Here’s the scoop: as a “newbie” be prepared to feel overwhelmed, but embrace it, it’s natural! You’ll be sitting on a board with great people who have been committed to serving the HUG community for many years, collectively. This crew is well versed in planning the annual conference, in fact it’s second nature to many of the board members! For me, it was a big learning curve so I spent the first meetings taking it all and gleaning as much information as possible from the team. I’m rarely silent for long, as the other board members can likely tell you, but I have found that new ideas and suggestions are welcome. It’s a group effort not only to put together the HUG conference, but also to identify potential resources to make available for HUG members and to continue the valuable dialogue between the board and the SMS team.
For anyone who may not know, as was the case for me initially, your HUG board is currently comprised of eight industry leaders who were brave enough to run (hint, hint to those interested) and were elected to serve the HUG community. There is a chairperson, a vice chair, a past chair, a treasurer, and a secretary. Important nugget of information, during your first meeting in January the board votes to elect the vice chair, treasurer and secretary for that year. Speaking as your current HUG Secretary, raise your hand, get involved, be prepared for a lot of work and maybe for a few swag discussions, it’s worth it!
You’re going to travel a bit, and it’s quite lovely! SMS is installed in some amazing locations and beautiful properties. You’ll travel for four on-site board meetings, which include the January meeting, March or April meeting, the pre-con meeting and for the annual conference. You’ll kick off the new year with an on-site planning meeting in January with the entire HUG board and the SMS liaisons (I’ll talk more about these great individuals shortly). Bring a notepad, a laptop, a box of pens, or whatever you would’ve brought to your first three-hour lecture as a freshman in college! Seriously, the amount of information will make your head spin and you’ll want to remember it, because it’s awesome information! We’re all in the industry, so there’s likely no need to key in on the finer points of travel. But know that your HUG Chair will do a great job of keeping everyone in the loop on dates, travel planning, transportation, etc. And your HUG Treasurer will be there to step you through everyone’s favorite, but necessary item…expense reports! The veterans on the board (aka: everyone who has been on the board for a year or more) will do a great job of talking you through what is covered by HUG vs. what needs to be covered by your hotel or company. Ultimately, if you have questions, just ask and remember everyone else was a “newbie” once too! Final travel housekeeping note, if you raise your hand to assist with site visits in order to determine where the next year’s conference will be held, you’ll clearly have a few more travel requirements than the ones I’ve mentioned above.
Don’t worry, we don’t wait for every third month to talk to one another. There will be monthly board meeting conference calls, and again your amazing HUG Chair will communicate with you every step of the way. You will even have your own email specifically for SMS HUG, and it’s an ideal way to stay in the loop on all things HUG related. Another important nugget: embrace Smartsheets and Google Docs, these are your friends! We all have full time jobs, lives outside of HUG, families, friends, pets, and whatnot. So the teams of people who have served on your board in previous years have done what they can to make information readily available and easily accessible to accommodate everyone’s crazy schedules. And again, if you have ideas on how to continue to improve the current processes, run for the board and tell us about those great ideas!
As promised, let’s chat about the SMS liaisons. These amazing individuals are the voice of SMS and work in conjunction with the board. HUG, as you know, is a membership of users of the SMS Host system and other SMS products. We are not funded by, nor governed by SMS. They are our absolute partner. They are as committed to the success of the HUG conference, the HUG board, and the overall HUG community as your board members! These individuals assist with conference planning, to include leading the charge for SMS-led sessions, they work side by side with the board to market the conference and identify possible vendors that will provide you the best experience for the users.
I could ramble on, but I think you get the gist! Take it from a newbie, if you have any interest in running for the board, do it! If you’re nervous, or have questions before you take that plunge, talk to any of your existing board members or past board members, we’re all willing to share our experiences and answer any questions. It’s a great opportunity to work with some great people (if I do say so myself!)