The response so far to the new ideas for making CNCH more useful to all of its members has been great! The ideas, which began in the Advisory Council, were presented to Liaisons at the fall meeting, so they could get input from their guild memberships. Some Liaisons have had a few questions, so besides recapping the concepts here, we’re adding some details on how each new activity would work.
Inter-group Study Groups
CNCH would have a central coordinator who would help you create a study group! In this age of easy communications, geography is no longer an issue, and you can enjoy in-depth learning and swatch-sharing with a group spanning all of our member guilds! There’s no cost except swatch-sharing postage! And each independent group makes up its own timelines and parameters.
There will be two downloadable pdf documents on the cnch.org website, to help you get started. They give you guidelines on what your group will need to decide on. (Your Liaison has copies of these documents already.)
When someone decides to start a new study group, they email the CNCH coordinator with the topic. She puts this on the cnch.org site, with a 3 week deadline for sign-up. The first 15 responders (or another specified number) will be placed on a list and sent back to the creator of the study group. Then the group independently figures out the details of its study.
Your guild’s Program Person will tell you what a tough job this can be! Why not make it easier on ourselves by sharing information? It’s so easy to do, with a central CNCH coordinator, and it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Here’s how it would work: each guild would email program information to the CNCH coordinator as it becomes available (for instance, in one guild, everything is set up by June for the following Sept-June program year, but in another the programs are done a few at a time). The list would be kept up to date on the cnch.org site for any guild to look at. It will be full of great ideas, plus there might be a program speaker or workshop teacher you can “piggyback” on to lower the cost for everyone.
Knowledgeable Members List
This is along the same lines as the Program Sharing idea. If you have guild members who are willing to put on a presentation for other guilds, we would have a place to list them! There will be a form to fill out, available on the website (your Liaison has a copy of this form.) Both professional and amateur guild members could be listed. The form includes information on your special area of expertise, and also includes possible limitations such as a geographical limit that you’re unwilling to go beyond, or whether you charge a fee, or have other restrictions. The form is emailed to the CNCH coordinator and can be removed or updated at any time. This is a great chance to share your passion, and from personal experience I can say it’s beneficial to you as well as the guilds you visit! And it helps your harried Program Person!
Area Gatherings
This final idea is a little more undeveloped than the others. We could use input from your guild on how to make this work. We’d like to hold a free picnic in each of CNCH’s five geographical areas, so your guilds can get together and get to know each other. This will be helpful when the time comes to put on your area’s conference. Not to mention lots of fun.
These events would be coordinated through a central CNCH coordinator, and would use input from each guild regarding location and other event planning needs. We envision a potluck type of affair at a fun venue, and even an equipment swap/sale or other attractive activities.
Join us!
The bottom line is that CNCH is an organization with lots of untapped potential, especially when it comes to communication among its hundreds of members. We hope you’ll join us in creating a strong, lively network for the benefit of all! Please email Joan Near at nearfiberarts@gmail.com with questions or comments.