Am I getting panicky over nothing? Long sorry!

[jerseygrl]

I'm asking because I panic and worry by nature. I have always been this way and since being in therapy I've been tackling this a little bit at a time.

I am currently the board president for a society. The society is big and it's members are many people from all over the state.

I have a VP, Treasurer and Secretary plus a past-pres which has been really helpful up to this point.

The VP's only duty is to plan the annual meeting. That's it. She has to secure a keynote speaker and the rest is ordering the invites, and stay in touch with the location coordinator regarding the specifics.

All summer long the VP has been MIA. Endless emails, phone calls and everything. It was really starting to make me worry so I went ahead and researched a keynote speaker. We had a board meeting on Aug 2 which she showed up. I thought everything was ok when she started to become a little more responsive but she fell off the face of the earth again.

I sent her an email yesterday asking her to confirm that she received the invitation information and let her know they need to be ordered ASAP since it takes time to process and ship. I want to make sure they go out promptly at the end of October. I have not received a response. Now, normally this wouldn't bother me (it's been less that 24 hours) but given her track record, I worry

My other concern is for next year. I have board members breathing down my neck because they don't feel she is equipped to handle the President's role for next year. I kind of agree, it just sucks that I am the one that has to talk to her about this. Then again, I cannot get a hold of her to even talk to her about it.

I guess with all of this I've been in a panic and in worry mode. It sucks that I stress over this more than I stress over my job that I get paid to do but I have a responsibility to this society and I don't want a poor reflection on me. Now that we are in September I guess I should start thinking about the board slate for next year.

Thanks for letting me vent. Do I have a reason to worry/panic?

[MWOS]

She knows she isn't going to be President next year. Trust.

[Deleted]

I don't know that I'd panic but I'd go ahead and assume the VP's duties since you're heading up to the wire and homegirl obviously ain't doing shit. She might pull something out of her ass last minute but you're the president. Do you really want to close your eyes and hope for a miracle here?

[Deleted]

I say just handle it yourself. She's obviously uninterested.

[hubes]

Just do it. I don't think you need to talk about it with her- I think the entire board needs to officially act on it, whether through a special meeting, a letter or something similiar. Don't muddy your hands with this.

[jerseygrl]

Habs - that's the other issue. I emailed her endless times asking if she got a list of speakers. No response. So I went ahead and found a couple myself.

At the meeting, she shows up with a list of speakers she contacted.

This is my issue with the invitations. I'm afraid of attempting to get in touch with her to see if they were ordered and she fails to respond. I decide to do it and I receive an invite in the mail.

It's stupid issues but in the end annoying and can be prevented if she would just send a damn email.

[laptopvixen]

Boards suck, lol.

I'd speak with her privately and tell her that her lack of communication is concerning you, and is there something wrong that is preventing her from carrying out her duties as VP, because you don't want to micromanage her, but she's making you feel like you have to.

I sent an e-mail to our board over a week ago asking about bad e-mail addresses in our gmail contacts list and one person out of ten bothered to answer it. Interestingly, our current VP is also incapable of handling the job of President and I'm really hoping she'll defer. Incapable being that she's insanely busy with her job, moreso than most people; I like her a lot and I really hope things don't get ugly.

[laptopvixen]

And obviously you have to telephone this person, not wait for e-mails.

[Deleted]

Sept 5, 2012 10:23:48 GMT -5 jerseygrl said:

Habs - that's the other issue. I emailed her endless times asking if she got a list of speakers. No response. So I went ahead and found a couple myself.

At the meeting, she shows up with a list of speakers she contacted.

This is my issue with the invitations. I'm afraid of attempting to get in touch with her to see if they were ordered and she fails to respond. I decide to do it and I receive an invite in the mail.

It's stupid issues but in the end annoying and can be prevented if she would just send a damn email.

send another email. tell her this (but professionally). tell her "in order to run this organization effectively, i have to have timely responses to my emails. if i don't hear from you by X, this is how i will proceed and i will not be able to take into consideration any later-provided information or other changes."

and then do the "if i don't hear from you by X" in every email, from now on.

[jerseygrl]

LTV - The phone is another issue. She recently switched jobs and she never handed over her new info. We've been in contact through her personal email.

My Treasurer finally had to call the company directly to get transferred to her work line where we left VM's and still no response.

I do like your wording though and will try to form a letter and send it to her. I am also going to contact the past-president personally and see if he has any insight

UGH. Thanks everyone!

[laptopvixen]

It's possible she's feeling overwhelmed with her new job, I suppose.

Is it totally volunteer, a.k.a. impossible to crack the whip on people?

[jerseygrl]

This is completely volunteer and according to a colleague of hers, her attitude is no different at her new job which I find slightly surprising