Stick a Fork in Me, I'm Almost Done!

Duke DuTeil, Treasurer of the VGEC, has been cooking the books since 2010. Here he is also cooking communion bread for the 2012 Annual Conference in Lakeland, Florida

By Duke DuTeil, VGEC Treasurer and Training Advisor, [email protected]

Friends, it has been a joy serving as your Treasurer for the past six and a half years. I was elected to fill an unexpired term at the Annual Conference in October 2010. There have been many ups and downs as the guild has grown and we integrated to a computerized financial tracking system. While I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure on your board, my time is soon coming to a close.

Don’t panic, I’m not quitting mid-stream, I’m not dropping out of the guild, and I plan to remain as the Training Advisor for the foreseeable future. However, I will be stepping down as your Treasurer when my board term expires at the 2018 Annual Conference in Denver. While this is a year and a half away, we need to start thinking about our next Treasurer NOW!

One of the things I learned as I came onto the board is the difficulty of learning how the guild functions, its policies and guidelines, and integrating myself into the board while trying to stay on top of the new financial obligations as your treasurer. While it is second nature to me now, know that it was a tough start. It really would have been a blessing had I had a year to serve on the board; to learn its ins and outs before jumping into the Treasurer’s job. This is why I strongly believe that we need to start thinking about a successor now. And that process starts with you!

In the coming weeks you will be hearing from the Nomination Committee. They will be soliciting nominations for individuals to stand for election to the board at the 2017 Annual Conference in Atlanta. I challenge you to think hard and pray about who might a good fit for the board now and would be able to step up into the Treasurer’s role when I step down in the fall of 2018.

Remember, we are looking for someone who is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. Oops, wrong organization. We should be looking for someone:

• Possibly with a banking or accounting background
• With a small business management background
• Who can spend about 20 hours a month with our banking and accounting system
• Who can control the off the wall spending habits of certain board members (not to mention any Scott Austin Smiths by name)
• Who has to know, or be willing to learn, how to use Quicken
• Who is computer literate and comfortable with using new web-based technology and tools

If you think this might be you, here are some things you ought to know about the job:

• You will spend a joyous amount of time working with Quicken
• We operate the treasury through a Bank of America checking account with 3 savings accounts
• Five board members have debit cards and you will get to have fun tracking down receipts from them
• You get to spend a bunch of time each week in the Guild Shop Shopify account reconciling shop deposits into the operating account
• PayPal needs to be reconciled and funds transferred monthly
• You will have me as a backup (if you can find me, I’m retired with 20 grandkids)
• You will never hate and love a job more than this one.

If you are thinking about someone for this position or think it might be you and want to talk, email me at [email protected] and we will set a time to get together.

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The 2017 VGEC Annual Conference will take place in Atlanta, Georgia from October 12th through October 15th.  We hope you can join us!  Click the big red button to register today.  You can also read more about the conference and book your hotel.

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Abstract: Duke DuTeil, current Treasurer of the VGEC, will complete his board term and tenure as Treasurer in 2018. It's not too early to start thinking about who will replace him in that role. What is the job really like and what are the characteristics of a good treasurer for the VGEC?