In August, 2004 I posted the following: At 10:09 PM -0400 8/25/04, Martin Epstein wrote: >According to the forms 990 the AOS membership total receipts from >dues and assessments has remained fairly constant from 1998 to 2001. >This is in spite of regular increases in dues. I paid, for a two >year membership, $65 in 1998, $72 in 2000 and 2002, and $84 in 2004. >Over the same period pledges have dropped every year, from $860,000 >at the beginning of 1998 to $246,000 at the end of 2002. The liquid >assets have dropped from $7,200,000 to $3,100,000. while the fixed >assets (largely the new building, I presume) rose from $200,000 to >$6,100,000 over the same period of time. > >Building the new facility is clearly a strain on the organization. >Services have been cut and dues and fees have been raised. A less >ambitious undertaking would have been more prudent. > >The organization is still solvent but is sliding down hill from a >financial point of view. The rapid changes in information >technology have brought into question the nature of the future of >the society. The elected and managerial leadership must take a hard >look at where the organization is going and how it conducts its >business. > >After a long career in industry I spent a number of years doing pro >bono consulting work, largely in planning, for non-profit >organizations. In both venues I have seen organizations get in >trouble by running on momentum in a changing world. > >I have felt for a long time that the AOS leadership is not totally >in touch with the realities of the situation. From my point of view >they seem to have adopted a bunker mentality. Too bad. I suspect >that the real reason for passing over Howard Bronstein has to do >more with disagreements on the new building and the society's >financial situation than anything else. > > Martin Epstein
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