CAFA Blog

Here are some pictures at a gathering with Janet Cowell a few weeks ago.

 http://picasaweb.google.com/owenjchen/JanetCowell

http://worldjournal.com/wj-at-news.php?nt_seq_id=1633972 

溫大嶺 任北卡三角區華聯會長

【本報記者王政賢北卡羅來納州報導】北卡羅來納州三角地區華人聯誼會日前在洛麗市漢語學校舉行年會，有數百名華聯會員及其家屬到會，會中並選出新會長溫大嶺、董事會主席陳劍文。北卡羅來納州三角地區華人聯誼會(Chinese-American Friendship Association in the Triangle Area，簡稱CAFA和華聯)成立於1996年10月5日，該會的主要宗旨是開闢華人聯誼橋樑，維護華人權益，協助華人融入美國社會，促進中美文化藝術和科學技術的交流。華聯目前是北卡州內人數最多的華人團體，擁有會員約兩千人。華聯每年都會舉辦各種大型的聯誼和娛樂活動，還積極參與當地的各種社區服務和活動。

年會由本屆董事會主席周大操主持，會長陳建報告本屆華聯的工作，並頒發獎牌給會員部周青部長以及安晏、溫大嶺、馬加、王殿霞、賈俊卿、郭倩、劉慧明等人，獲得本年度獎牌的還有本屆華聯董事會，成員包括姜海翔、龐濤、婁玉、夏育陸、謝衛華、嚴定、姚承偉、陳劍文、賈晶、章勇和周青。董事會主席周大操代表董事會接受獎牌，他感謝本屆執委會會長陳建、副會長姜海翔、秘書長郭旭光、財務長馮菊生和會計師劉佩珠的貢獻。劉佩珠和馮菊生接著報告本年度財務情況，結餘將留交給新一屆執委會。

華聯新一屆執行委員會由溫大嶺出任華聯新會長，幹部包括：副會長郭旭光、秘書長胡玉明及財務長馮菊生和會計師劉佩珠。溫大嶺感謝大家對他和副會長的支持，他也對上屆執委會的出色工作和給予的寶貴經驗表示感謝。溫大嶺表示，除了要把已經制度化的工作和活動做好外，更要把一些單項活動，如中文學校的比賽、文藝、體育俱樂部的活動等，納入到華聯的工作計劃中，要讓各個職能部門發揮更大作用，還要多聽取會員的回饋，加強溝通，讓華聯更像個會員之家，保存強大的凝聚力和向心力。

第十一屆華聯年會後不久，華聯領導層在離任會長陳建和副會長姜海翔工作所在的杜克大學，舉行了新舊董事會交接會議。經過早先的公開選舉，新一屆董事會由陳劍文、郭旭光、黃偉師、賈晶、龐濤、齊金根、溫大嶺、謝衛華、嚴定、姚承偉、張勇、周大操、周青組成。新一屆董事會一致推選陳劍文為第十二屆華聯董事會主席。陳劍文感謝大家對他的信任，他也表示，會發揚光大歷屆董事會的無私奉獻與積極參與的優良傳統，一如既往地維護和保持與執委會的合作。

Is anyone on Facebook?  You can find me on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=790149620

2008 Plan for CAFA Board of Directors (BOD):

1. To assist Executive Committee (EC) in executing EC’s 2008 Plan:
http://www.cafanc.org/events/EC_annual_plan_2007.htm

2. To improve the communication with CAFA members.
Emails and Web are the two most important channels to communicate with CAFA members. Will improve both of these channels through the following initiatives:

• Create an online Forum to allow CAFA members to exchange any information among them, as well as to provide feedbacks to CAFA officials.
• Create an online Blog to allow CAFA members to access what CAFA Board and EC are working on and to provide comments on some proposals.
• Use permanent CAFA email addresses for CAFA officials so that members can always reach CAFA officials and encourage members to send feedbacks to CAFA officials.
• Always inform members in advance on the upcoming events through announcements in Email and on the Web.

3. To make majority of documents online.
If technically possible, make CAFA Web two levels of access:

• Documents for general public: news, events, by-laws, guidelines, resolutions etc.
• Documents for CAFA Members only: finance reports, annual reports, budget proposals, board meeting minutes etc.

4. To formalize and to document every major decision in a resolution.
Here is an example:

• Resolution No: BOD-2007-11-13
• Title: CAFA Financial Guidelines
• Content: ……
• Sponsors: ABC, XYZ
• Last change: 2007-11-13

5. To revise and amend CAFA By-laws
Form a by-law amendment sub-committee to study and propose By-Law amendments. Certain provisions in the CAFA By-Laws are a little out-dated. Here are some of the examples:

• ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP (need to add life-time membership and honorable membership)
• ARTICLE IV, Title 2. Representation (need to modify county representation)
• ARTICLE V. Title 6, terms (need to change term limit for Secretary, Treasurer & Accountant)
• ARTICLE VI. Title 2 Membership (need to change term limit for SC members)
• ARTICLE VI. Title 3 COMMITTEES (need to update the list of the Standing Committees)
• ARTICLE VII. Title 1 (send nomination to the Election Committee rather than to Secretary)
• ARTICLE IX. MEETINGS (removing or changing annual meeting timing)

6. To review and revise existing CAFA Guidelines and make them available online as resolutions:

• Financial guideline
• Election guideline
• Mailing list guideline
• Club guideline

7. To propose new CAFA Guidelines

• Board Committee Guideline 
• Membership guideline
• Fund-raising guideline (example: general sponsors with different sponsor levels, event sponsors etc.)
• Discipline and ethics guideline

Need form a sub-committee for each of the above guidelines:

• Sub-committee on the Board Committee Guideline: 
• Sub-committee on Membership Guideline:
• Sub-committee on Fund-raising Guideline: 
• Sub-committee on Discipline and Ethics guideline:

Each sub-committee will propose a draft guideline for the Board to discuss and to vote as a resolution.

8. To Improve the effectiveness of the BOD Committees
In the past, the BOD committees have been working very closely with the corresponding Standing committees. Need to have this close working relationship while maintaining BOD committees’ independence and oversight responsibility.  Need to clearly define each BOD committee’s mission statement, role and responsibility. Focus more on the dual duty of policy-making and oversight.

• BOD Membership Committee:
  · Review and revise membership policy on how to grow our membership base
  · Create new membership types to attract other members, such as youth membership, senior membership, student membership and life-time membership,
  · Create and review membership report
  · Assist and oversee this Standing Committee: Membership
• BOD Internal Committee:
  · Review and revise related guidelines and policies
  · Assist and oversee these Standing Committees: Communication and Publication, Culture Promotion, General Affairs, Science and Technology, Business, Sports
• BOD Finance Committee:
  · Review and revise finance guideline
  · Review and revise fundraising guideline
  · Quarterly financial report
  · Audit income statements
  · Audit expense claims
  · Assist and oversee these Standing Committees: Finance, Fundraising
• BOD Public Relation Committee:
  · Review and revise related guidelines and policies
  · Assist and oversee this Standing Committee: Public Relation

9. To publish a CAFA annual report and distribute it to all CAFA members:
· Major event report
· Membership report
· Financial report
· PR report
· Board report

The above plan was proposed in the CAFA Board Transition Meeting on 11/13/07. Does any board/EC member have anything else to add or have any comments on the above plan?

Thanks.

-Owen

Here is the report that JB wrote on Board/EC Transition Meeting:

华联执委会董事会工作汇报和移交顺利完成

欢声笑语中,第十一届华联执委会和董事会汇报和总结完本届顺利开展的一系列工作后,将华联领导责任正式移交给第十二届执委会和董事会。离任董事会主席周大操主持的二零零七年汇报和移交会,十一月十三日昨天,在离任会长陈建和副会长姜海翔工作所在的杜克大学举行。三个多小时的会议上,新老交替的两会成员济济一堂,认真总结过去一年的得失, 仔细构思下届一年的新图。

在十一月十日举行的会员年会上,陈建会长已汇报了执委会过去一年的务实工作,包括圣诞新年舞会、传统春节晚会、夏季野餐会、和中秋文艺晚会等。昨天向董事会再度逐一汇报后,陈建希望华联能继续主办这些已成传统的活动。圣诞新年舞会要继续与活跃在本地的兄弟团体华美协会协办;连年举办的传统春节晚会可考虑开发新颖节目;深受欢迎的夏季野餐会一定要继续,也可以定在春意盎然的四月底举行。从第十任胡晖会长开始的回中国签证登记和护照收集工作，给会员提供了极大便利,如果适当收费,也可面向非华联成员。因每次还是协办性质,仍需获得中国驻美使馆授权,为此还须保持与驻美使馆的正常联系,争取能一直获得使馆的信任和授权。陈建提请董事会注意,华联章程中对华联非政治非宗教团体的定性,决定了华联在主办或协办的所有正式活动中,必须慎重考虑排除政治偏向和宗教色彩。

昨天的会议也仔细审核了华联的财务,达成了如下共识,符合华联宗旨和广大会员利益的活动,即使亏钱也可量力为之,比如今年华联首次参办的RALEIGH国际节。本届和新一届执委会有信心在明年的国际节上，无论是在参与内容,参与形式和财务收支上,都获得更大的成功。会议也讨论了姚承伟董事的提议,希望华联能更广泛地向年轻一代开放,使华联的总体和各组织机构内充满新鲜血液和活力。会议也讨论了前董事薛兰茜和会员李维炯的建议，希望华联更努力地面向整个社区,鼓励华联成员多多介入社区服务,尤其是在对社区中不甚幸运阶层的关爱和对我们自己生存环境的关怀上。

周大操代表董事会向忠于职守竭诚服务的第十一届华联执委会致谢后，也陈述了本届董事会的工作。本届董事会与执委会紧密合作，继续发扬董事会监督之外也务实管事的好作风，在华联各项活动中均全力投入，以刚结束的第２２届国际节为例，每一位董事都各尽所能积极参与。这一优良传统将保持下去。董事会也注意到新时期华联尚需进取的地方，比如加强华联网站与会员联系互动的功能，事先拟定并确保落实各常务委员会的目标和职能，完善并落实对属下各俱乐部的会员组成和财务管理，也完善并严格遵循接纳和管理新俱乐部的程序。陈建感谢董事会过去一年对执委会工作的正确指导和不懈支持。

两会感谢离任会长陈建和副会长姜海翔多年来为华联和社区做出的无私奉献，感谢期满离任的夏育陆董事和娄玉董事数年如一日的默默奉献，也欢迎连任董事庞涛和周青，及新任董事黄伟师和齐金根。

新一届董事会一致推选陈剑文为第十二届华联董事会主席。陈剑文感谢大家的信任，并代表新一届董事会感谢上届董事会在周大操领导下所作的出色工作，表示会发扬光大历届董事会的无私奉献与积极参与的优良传统，一如既往维护和保持与执委会的合作，大力加强华联网站联络会员和储存文件的功能，适时适当修改华联章程，完善包括财务规则在内的各项专题规章制度，以及健全或完善包括年度和财务在内的报告。新任会长温大岭表示，已经开始酝酿工作的新一届执委会，拟定了本届工作计划，将继续开展已成传统的各项活动外，也会仔细考虑上届执委会和董事会的上述提议，并大力拓展包括艺术表演，球棋比赛，滑雪娱乐，和卡拉 OK 等各类文体活动，活跃华联会员的业余生活。执委会运作将充分透明，通过华联网站和电邮网络，维持与广大会员的联络和互动。 ( 胡玉明整理 )

CAFA Board of Directors has four sub-committees: public relation committee, internal committee, membership committee and finance committee.   As decided in last night’s Board meeting (11/13/07), here is the BOD committee member assignment:

Public Relation committee: Owen Chen (chair), Tao Pang, Dacao Zhou, Daling Wen, Weishi Huang

Internal committee: Weihua Xie (chair), Ding Yan, Jing Jia

Membership committee: Qing Zhou (chair), Yong Zhang, Chengwei Yao, Xuguang Guo,   

Finance committee: Dacao Zhou (chair), Jim Qi, Jusheng Feng, Peizhu Liu

As mentioned by many board directors, the challenging questions for these BOD committees are how to define the mission of each of these BOD committees and what the role and the responsibility of these BOD committees are.  

What is your thought?

 -Owen

Welcome to the CAFA Blog at www.cafanc.org/blog

In order to facilitate the communication between CAFA Officials (Board of Directors and Executive Committee) and CAFA members, we will use this CAFA Blog as an interactive communication platform.

CAFA Board of Directors and Executive Committee Members will post some of our internal proposals, discussions, and plans on the CAFA Blog.  We welcome all CAFA members to comment on these Blog postings.

-Owen Chen

On behalf of CAFA Board of Directors and Excutive Committee