What Is the Future
of the NCCNA?

 

President Anderson to Retire

In January 2010, NCCNA President and Founder Bev Anderson informed the NCCNA board of directors that she wants to retire from her board duties at the end of the year.

Board Plans Shutdown

The board accepted Bev's resignation, and also passed a motion stating, “because the NCCNA has been unable to develop or recruit sufficient volunteer leadership to handle the increasing needs of the organization, or sufficient funding to hire staff, we will take deliberate steps to legally, carefully, and methodically close the corporation by the end of 2010.  If possible and acceptable to the boards of both organizations, governance of the support groups will be transitioned to The Neuropathy Association.”  

Board Reconsiders

The board has since given the matter more thought.  The NCCNA has accomplished many great things in the last few years, including:

In addition, the NCCNA has an unmatched focus on support groups, providing them with funds, insurance, and personal care and attention.  We also have a distinct knowledge of California, and the unique issues facing neuropathy patients in our state.  These intangible assets are worth preserving.

The Challenge Ahead

The challenge is finding people who can do the many jobs required to keep this organization going.  We have become somewhat a victim of our own success.  We are now large enough that the workload is more than a few people can do, but not large enough to have the funds to hire assistants.  Bev works more than full time to tend to all the tasks she does as President, Group Development Coordinator, Assistant Administrative Director, and many untitled functions.  Penni Smith, our treasurer/secretary/technology director, works almost full time, as much as her health allows.  Other board members have jobs, school, or health concerns that are their primary focus, so that although they work hard, they can only do so much for the NCCNA.  Many members have joined the board in the last couple of years and then left in a few months, as the reality of the workload sinks in.

People Needed to Fill Bev's Shoes

For the NCCNA to continue, we need several people to step up to do the jobs Bev has been doing.  We need a president to handle the governance of the organization.  We need regional directors to handle group development and support.  We need clerical help.  Bev is not going away—she will be around to train and advise for some time. 

Who Can Help

Please consider if you or someone you know can assist the NCCNA as a board member, or in a supporting role.  Our board members need not be local to Sacramento, as we can hold most of our meetings via phone conference (though they would need to attend periodically).  They do, however, need to use e-mail and have a general knowledge of office software applications, such as word processing and spreadsheets.  Having neuropathy is not a requirement.

Join the Discussion

We will be discussing the future of the NCCNA in detail at our annual meeting.  Please register online now to attend or call (877) 622-6298.  Be a part of this essential dialogue.  If you cannot come, please call (877)622-6298, e-mail info@pnhelp.org, or write us as PO Box 6985, Auburn, CA 95604 with any comments, questions, or suggestions you may have.