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An Open Letter to the NAA, its Board of Governers, and Executive Director

12K views 54 replies 29 participants last post by  CloverArchery 
#1 ·
Dear NAA, NAA Management, and Board of Governers:

I have a number of concerns regarding the operations and management of the National Archery Association. Let me start by stating that I have been a member for a long time, and I am very fond of the NAA. Nevertheless, I am concerned about a number of recent events. It is unclear whether these events are all related, but I find each to be troublesome. More troublesome still is the level of secrecy and the lack of flow of information. Many have called for more transparency, and I have to agree. The NAA is a not for profit organization in place for the benefit of its dues paying membership. It has a dual role in that it is also the National Governing Body for archery in the United States, and so it therefore also has obligations to the USOC. My concerns:

1. There is supposedly a new set of by-laws. These are published on the www.usarchery.org website, but they are described as "proposed." The old by-laws stated that any change to the by-laws requires a two-thirds vote of the membership. The new by-laws were never put to a vote of the membership, but were supposedly instead required by the USOC. Now, which set of by-laws is the NAA operating under?

2. Why have the Board of Director elections postponed? Some of the director positions expire this year (supposedly in August), and others are lame duck in accordance with an agreement with the USOC. So after August 9, 2007, will there be any properly elected directors? Who will have the authority to oversee the management of the NAA after August 9?

3. Who is on the Nominating Committee? This committee is charged with selecting the board of director candidates that the membership will ultimately vote upon. Why should the membership of this committee be secret? The selection of director candidates is probably the most important function within the management of the NAA. Why is this process done in secret? Shouldn't the nominating committee be accountable for the slate of candidates that they present to the membership?

4. Who is responsible for oversight of the finances of the NAA? This is a particularly important question in light of the recent arrest of the former director of finance on alleged embezzlement charges. I understand that former President Lloyd Brown's efforts to examine the books of the NAA were thwarted. Why wouldn't the President of the organization be allowed to look at its books?

5. Why was Lloyd Brown removed from his position of President of the NAA? Was this related to his efforts to examine the books?

6. What is the present financial health of the NAA? Can members look at the books? Isn't a not for profit membership based organization responsible to its members?

7. Why does the NAA operate in such secrecy? We are often told to trust those who represent the membership of the NAA. But in light of recent events, this is becoming more difficult.

I love archery, and I love the NAA. But I am disturbed by what I am seeing. More disturbing is the fact that there is little or no information forthcoming from the management of the NAA. As such, this is an open invitation to the NAA, its current board of governers, and its management. Please take a few minutes and answer the concerns of your membership.

Sincerely,

Chris Olsen
Member since 1988
 
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#50 ·
I can't argue with anything you said. I do, however, want to clarify some stuff from my view as a prior member of the board because I do believe the NAA tries its best to be as transparent as it can be. Now, that might sound like more politics; but it's true. There are many things that occur day-to-day in any organization (or business) that the general membership need not be made aware of lest some members try to micro manage the organization. It's like a tournament, and I speak from experience of having run the Indoor Nationals in Andover for eight years and one Outdoor JOAD Nationals, many problems pop up behind the scenes but you handle them as quickly and efficiently as possible, and never let them influence the athletes. From the front it seems like the tournament ran smoothly. That being said, the office can only do so much. The true face of the NAA (and the problem) is the elected regional representatives and the committee chairs and it's members, and here is where the system begins to fail. With a few exceptions, our elected representatives only act as such when the board meets twice a year. Trying to get a return call or email any other time is like "pulling teeth". We never hear from committee chairs and/or their regional representatives either. Wouldn't it be nice if your regional JOAD rep contacted all the clubs in your area and offered assistance in training on how to grow your club, or even asked for suggestions (paying a visit to the area once a year would of course be asking too much)? How about the membership director calling the members at random to inquire how the NAA could better serve them and their family? I could go on and on with examples. As the first (and short lived) director of membership and resource development (the original name of the committee), I was told by our then Presdent that you could not resonably expect that kind of effort out of a volunteer network or require state associations to do things like progress reports, hold tournaments, or even require loyality to the NAA. When I disagreed with him, I was canned for "not being a team player". The attitude continues today, and has gotten worse. According to my sources, JOAD's new Star program was still being evualated by the committee when Lloyd gave the contract to NADA. This caused a lot of tension. How about asking the member clubs if they would like a change? Sorry, that would entail a certain degree of effort from the regional representative that cannot be expected. Or how about a senior officer of the NAA going to an event on NAA funding but representing equipment manufacture(s) once he got there? That's a good one! He didn't even wear an NAA pin at least. Or, how about going to Germany on an NAA ticket representing Archery Focus without the NAA being reimbursed by Archery Focus for that ticket (the ticket was purchased in his name earlier when he was an officer of the NAA).
Farming out the management of the JOAD program means that the committee has reduced authority (if any) over the program. Lloyd gave it away for a piece of the pie. Our NAA Level 1 & 2 instructor program no longer belongs to us. The manual has been changed so much that I doubt our copyright would be enforceable if push come to shove. I'm so glad the NADA has to hire more employees because their growing (using our materials and smart business planning - things the NAA should have had the foresight to do) so quickly.
So now, under this new arrangement with the USOC, we are going to give direct control of the Board to those very committees because only the members of group can vote within their group, and if you belong to more than one, you have to choose your loyality. How stupid can we be.
 
#51 ·
Thank you so much




This is like a breath of fresh air... how nice to hear some common sense and logic.

I don't believe that any company,group, or organization should have the power to make changes to policy or format without assuring that the membership has been advised well in advance as to what is being proposed, and have the opportunity to vote on each important change.

These outdated, tired committees (and sooooooo many of them) that continue to maintain decision making powers without public knowledge and imput not to even mention accountability......until well after the fact should be replaced by a system (especially in this day and age of modern communication capabilities) that can access the membership quickly to gain insight, wishes and advise on matters that affect us all.

I agree that we have to run the organization without day to day interference (even tho well meaning). That doesn't mean that we need to carry that over to the extreme of not having accessibility to our board members and our reps. when ever we need to.... if they can't or won't be an accessible to the membership they represent, then they should be replaced with someone that will... if we did a real poll of our members, I am betting we would have no trouble finding many competent members that would love to offer their time and effort to creating a new NAA image. On a volunteer bases, as needed.

The NAA needs to retake control over the Level 1 & 2 certification program and restructure it to reflect modern teaching techinques and coaching theories that come from appropriate accredited educational sources, along with as experienced archery educators.

I don't know how many of you have seen the new Level 1 & 2 material and tests... but, it is gonna be interesting to see how that plays out.

There should never be a change in our teaching format, theories and materials that hasn't been overseen and approved by specific representation that covers all disiplines, that representation really should come from properly educated, experienced coaches and again, accredited education sources. After all, this is OUR future we are diddling around with.
 
#52 ·
Those of you who know me know that I don't post to this very often. That it exists is a fact of life. This thread has grown to be so horrible in it's mis-representations, bitterness and accusations that it's amazing it's being read by adults.

Normally, I wouldn't care what you all say about each other, or about other archery organizations, but when NADA is brought up in such a mis-used and un-factual way by people using nothing more than screenames, I feel I must respond. Here is my response:

Whatever challenges USA Archey, or any organization for that matter, is facing right now have nothing to do with NADA. Likewise about any issues we have from time to time...no one's problem but ours. I respect USA Archery very much, as I do the other organizations. I count myself fortunate if I earn their respect in return.

Our organization has always represented itself as a neutral alliance of certified instructors and coaches who work for the betterment of those in the field. We do not involve ourselves in any way in the inner matters of any organization we work for or with. We work under the full authority of the partner organization, and regularly communicate back and forth to insure their needs are met. These agreements are publicly stated, and often come after extensive review and comment.

Since we are a public charity, our tax returns are available for public viewing on any number of websites. These returns clearly state what we earn and what we spend. If you have any questions about this organization, I suggest you contact us for direct information, and if you need verification as to what we tell you, then direct your questions to an official of any of the other organizations who has direct knowledge of what we are doing.

In terms of this previous post: NADA was approached by members of the JOAD Committee last summer, as has been publicly stated before, about assisting in the marketing and daily fulfillment of certain limited JOAD services. I put together a proposal, with input from the JOAD Committee, and presented it in person to the USA Archery Board of Governers last October for consideration and discussion. Mr. Brown did not partipate in the discussion, nor in the voting, even though he has no actual conflict of interest. The contract Mr. Camp signed was read and agreed upon by Neal Foster and Guy Gerig who were assigned by the BOG as our overall supervisors.

Mr. Brown is not on the NADA Board of Directors, and his influence upon NADA is the same as any other coach we work with.

Currently, we pay for and manage the JOAD section of the USA Archery website, we publish and distribute promotional materials, we fullfill orders for Stars pins as well as the cloth patches we were sent, and we process some of the club sign-ups for the full club and some of the camp clubs. We maintain a seperate phone line for this, and answer the phone "USA Archery JOAD", as per the agreement with the BOG (try it sometime). We maintain JOAD billing, email addresses, and mailing labels...all to protect the interests of USA Archery. We work under the supervison and authority of the USA Archery BOG who have assigned a staff member to act as our laison. I attended the JOAD Nationals to answer questions and find out how we could best serve. My display table had nothing but USA Archery materials on it.

Contrary to the previous post, we did not hire additonal staff because of JOAD, and have not syphoned off any of the profits or copyrights that belong to USA Archery. When you take into account the expenses and the labor that USA Archery would have to devote anyway, I feel we have provided them the best service we can, while protecting their rights, authority, name recognition, and profitability.

Also contrary to the previous post, the Stars Pin program had already been voted on and approved several times by the JOAD Committee and the BOG long before we submitted our proposal.

USA Archery hasn't conducted Level 1 Basic courses for many many years. Prior to NADA being formed 7 years ago, Easton Sports Development Foundation conducted the courses for the previous 15 years. Back then, it was a financial break-even for USA Archery, and since NADA has conducted the program, USA Archery enjoys a healthy profit. Regarding Level 2 Intermediate, NADA has facilitated this for the past 7 years, and requires a membership of either NFAA or USA Archery before we send out credentials. Those of you who work with us as instructor trainers know how dilligent we are in our requirements, per the requirements we ourselves have gotten from both USA Archery and NFAA. We routinely send both organizations the databases of new instructors, and make suggestions on how they can market to these people. The new materials are a real departure from the older ones, in that they reflect teaching new archers the BEST method. If you ever see one of these manuals, you will plainly see the copyright information inside the front cover. The only part that is NADA's is the "Drills & Skill" section that was reviewed and approved by your National Coach and adopted by the BOG. Here, we have managed to link both organizations in recognizing a common certification once the membership requirement is fullfilled. I applaud both organizations for agreeing to this since it makes it much easier for the recreation agencies and the coaches who teach the classes. I also thank Easton Sports Develpment Foundation II which paid for the printing of the new materials.

The previous poster mentioned Mr. Brown has somehow gotten a "piece of the pie"---I fail to see how. It's true that when we want something done, we tend to pay for it. It's called "work for hire," and Mr. Brown has indeed been hired on several occasions--but be very careful about singling any one coach out for uncalled-for criticism. At last count, NADA has "hired" over 25 other coaches from time to time, to do everything from creating curriculum, magazine articles, attending trade shows, conducting NASP pilots, conducting youth specialty camps and corporate teambuildng events, creating website content...you name it, we need it. These coaches are sent 1099 forms at the end of the year like any other contractor. Those of you who are NADA members often get press releases from our office announcing our needs, and the ability to earn some money doing them...no secret.

As of today, NADA has 541 dues-paying members. We serve the teaching needs of any coach, however, whether they are NADA members or not. Since we are neutral, we accept members who are already certified instructors of USA Archery, NFAA, 4-H, and NASP. If you feel we have somehow been overly successful, it's due to the efforts of these coaches...all we do here is answer the phone and provide what they need to do what they do for the organizations for which they do it. Also, if you think we have been unduly successful, I challenge any of you to come to the office on temporary duty and go through what the staff goes through on a daily basis--recruiting host sites, tracking down information, arrangement of resources, tracking down people, researching future growth, entering in countless databases, etc. The NADA staff works hard and gets paid little.

On the plus side, the course instructors have completed another successful summer camp training season, and we in the middle of our summer Air Force specialty camp season. A complete run-down of NADA activities are posted using our traditional communication methods.

As I've said before, you are free to contact me directly if you have questions or want to help. If you feel I have not been forthcoming, or have given unaccurate information, you can contact me at the below phone number or email address and I will respond, since I do not frequent this discussion forum.

Best Regards,
Doug Engh, NADA
doughengh at teacharchery dot org
(352) 472-2388
 
#53 · (Edited)
Howdy Eveyone,


For those of you who were not at the NAA Nationals in Colorado Springs and did not attend the meeting are now left in the dark.


Several of the above questions were asked and answered in this meeting held at the OTC in Colorado Springs.


As to the financial health of the NAA the reports are being prepared and will be available for all to view ASAP. They were unable to print out a report as done in years past to pass out at the meeting due to a new financial accountant that is still reviewing the books. The statment prepared stated that the NAA would break even and possibly make a small profit for this coming year.


A small statement was made by Brad Camp regarding the recent alleged (innocent until proven guilty) theft of funds from the NAA's past financial director. The NAA's present attorney has advised the NAA Board of Directors to not speak to much into depth on this until the Criminal Case goes to court in September. After the case goes to court the NAA will determine whether Civil charges will be brought against the individual. There was a lot of unrest and I can assure you that the board did hear an earfull from several of the members that were there.


In regards to Lloyd being removed as President of the NAA BOD, a simple answer was given that he was not satisfactorily completing the requirements of this position. Details were not given in this circumstance either.


The situation with NADA was addressed and NADA is only there to offer assistance with the JOAD programs. They have not taken over this program.


A vote was taken on the change of the bylaws at the meeting. It was approved by 2/3rds majority to keep the voting rights of the four representatives along with the 20% athlete representation. In my opinion this is not going to make the USOC very happy and I am concerned with them withdrawing funding from the teams outside of Olympic years.


There are still many more questions to be asked and many to be answered, Due to the heated debates that were going on, the meeting was set to rest and I can only assume will be continued at a later date. I hope that that information I have provided can help.


It was made quite clear by Neil and Brad Camp that if you have any questions regarding the NAA and any positions about anything you should send an e-mail to your regional rep. Reminder that two reps have resigned and they are looking for replacements at this time. You can find all contact information located on the NAA website. If you have any complaints take it there first... If they do not receive anything from you then you are wasting your time complaining on here about it.

CloverArchery
 
#54 ·
A vote was taken on the change of the bylaws at the meeting. It was approved by 2/3rds majority to keep the voting rights of the four representatives along with the 20% athlete representation. In my opinion this is not going to make the USOC very happy and I am concerned with them withdrawing funding from the teams outside of Olympic years.
CloverArchery
The vote was not to approve the amendment and thus the amendment did not pass thus we are in complete compliance with the USOC. Therefore there is no threat to funding from the USOC.
 
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