Advisory Board
What do we do about people who have name recognition and who support the FAIRtax but do not have time to devote to the cause? Someone like Mike Huckabee might come to mind. Having such people formally associated with the FAIRtax movement would give us some much-needed visibility.
The FAIRtax Board of Directors thinks it has the answer. The Board recently approved the creation of an Advisory Board. Serving on the Advisory Board would be an honorary position, and we hope it will attract people who are willing to lend their name recognition to the FAIRtax movement.
The Blue Avocado, writing about “What is an Advisory Board and Should We Have One?” notes that there are four types of advisory boards:
- Fundraising.
- Programmatic.
- Letterhead.
- Fiscally Sponsored.
The type of Advisory Board under discussion here probably best fits under the third type: Letterhead.
The discussion about an Advisory Board started when a member of the Board of Directors (which we shall call the “working board”) advised us that circumstances may compel him to step back. To keep that board member engaged, we offered to place him on an advisory board.
This Advisory Board would be separate from the working board in several ways. The working board is elected from a Board of Delegates whose members are delegates from state organizations. The working board meets monthly, and members are expected to attend Zoom meetings and carry out tasks that are action items.
The working board also votes on policies that govern AFFT and are responsible for the consequences of those votes. Advisory Board members will have no binding say in the governance of AFFT, and they will also have no corresponding responsibility for the consequences of those decisions. Advisory Board members would receive invitations to – and minutes of - most meetings but would not be expected to attend.
While financial contributions from Advisory Board members would be welcomed, they would not be required, or even expected. The working board recently had 100% participation in financial support of Americans for Fair Taxation (“AFFT”), the sponsoring organization for FAIRtax. Board members are FAIRtax ambassadors in their home states.
The working board did not establish a precise number of positions on the Advisory Board, but its sense is to have around twelve to fifteen.
At the moment, the only member of the Advisory Board is the member of the working board who is stepping back. If you have a candidate in mind for the Advisory Board, here is the process. Before speaking to the candidate, contact Marketing Team Leader, Randy Fischer, or President Steve Hayes for approval before approaching your candidate.
If the nomination receives preclearance from Randy or Steve, then approach your candidate to ask if he or she would accept an invitation to join the Advisory Board. If the candidate agrees, then let Steve, Randy, or me know. We will then put the nomination on the agenda for the next meeting of the working board. Let the candidate know that the nomination will be acted upon at the next board meeting.
We ask people to pre-clear their potential nominations with Randy or Steve before approaching the candidate to avoid the awkward situation of a nominee being rejected by the working board. While preclearance does not guarantee a candidate’s acceptance by the working board, it greatly increases the likelihood that the working board will act favorably on the candidate’s nomination.
Please let us know if you might have a candidate in mind for the Advisory Board.
Take Back Control!
Jim Bennett
AFFT Grassroots Coordinator & SecretaryThe discussion about an Advisory Board started when a member of the Board of Directors (which we shall call the “working board”) advised us that circumstances may compel him to step back. To keep that board member engaged, we offered to place him on an advisory board.
This Advisory Board would be separate from the working board in several ways. The working board is elected from a Board of Delegates whose members are delegates from state organizations. The working board meets monthly, and members are expected to attend Zoom meetings and carry out tasks that are action items.
The working board also votes on policies that govern AFFT and are responsible for the consequences of those votes. Advisory Board members will have no binding say in the governance of AFFT, and they will also have no corresponding responsibility for the consequences of those decisions. Advisory Board members would receive invitations to – and minutes of - most meetings but would not be expected to attend.
While financial contributions from Advisory Board members would be welcomed, they would not be required, or even expected. The working board recently had 100% participation in financial support of Americans for Fair Taxation (“AFFT”), the sponsoring organization for FAIRtax. Board members are FAIRtax ambassadors in their home states.
The working board did not establish a precise number of positions on the Advisory Board, but its sense is to have around twelve to fifteen.
At the moment, the only member of the Advisory Board is the member of the working board who is stepping back. If you have a candidate in mind for the Advisory Board, here is the process. Before speaking to the candidate, contact Marketing Team Leader, Randy Fischer, or President Steve Hayes for approval before approaching your candidate.
If the nomination receives preclearance from Randy or Steve, then approach your candidate to ask if he or she would accept an invitation to join the Advisory Board. If the candidate agrees, then let Steve, Randy, or me know. We will then put the nomination on the agenda for the next meeting of the working board. Let the candidate know that the nomination will be acted upon at the next board meeting.
We ask people to pre-clear their potential nominations with Randy or Steve before approaching the candidate to avoid the awkward situation of a nominee being rejected by the working board. While preclearance does not guarantee a candidate’s acceptance by the working board, it greatly increases the likelihood that the working board will act favorably on the candidate’s nomination.
Please let us know if you might have a candidate in mind for the Advisory Board.
Take Back Control!
Jim Bennett
🇺🇸 Call For Pictures & WriteUps - When others see your activity, they are inspired, the process snowballs and Representatives, Senators and, yes, even the President start to listen to you and me. Please send your material to me at Jim.Bennett@FAIRtax.org.
🇺🇸 The Official FAIRtax Store - Don’t forget to order your FAIRtax gear from the FAIRtax Store.🇺🇸 We've Got You Covered, If You Let Us Know - If you are planning an event, we have event insurance coverage available for you. Email me the "who-what-where-when" and I will obtain for you a COI. Once the event is underway, it's too late.