Secretary s Department Newsletter

Transcription

1 Volume 8 Issue 2 September 2008 The United States Power Squadrons Secretary s Department Newsletter Next Page Greetings from the National Secretary Secretary s Department COMMITTEES Flag & Etiquette Historian Information Technology Operations Manual Publications Ship s Store The Ensign Headquarters Editor/Web Publisher Webmaster In this issue: Greetings from the Nat l 1 Secretary Communications 2 Headquarters/Marketing 3 & Development ITCom/ Flag & Etiquette 4 Com Ship s Store 5 The Ensign Com/Calendar United States Power Squadrons Trademarks Service, Communications, Simplification, and Fun Here we are preparing for the Governing Board in Detroit and this is my first opportunity to share my thoughts from this vantage point. When I joined the department one of the first things I learned was the department motto which you will find on these pages - Service is our pledge. Service Our role within USPS is to provide services to our members. Headquarters leads the way, serving as the repository for all USPS information and products. Each of our committees provides guidance, tools, or products to our squadrons and districts. As we provide these services, it is important that we do so with a smile on our face. Sometimes that may be difficult because you find yourself dealing with a problem. Just remember that when you re providing these services, you are the face of USPS. Communications Communications plays a major role in the success of any organization. When the organization is geographically dispersed, effective communications is required for survival. We have been tasked with the development of a communications plan for USPS. Technology will play an important part in the implementation of this plan but ultimately it will require hard work and creative ideas to make it happen. We are fortunate to have R/C Jean Hamilton chairing the ad hoc Communications Committee. Communications relies on valid addresses. You ve heard it before and you ll hear it again. Keep your address up to date. Simplification Today, more than ever, discretionary time is at a premium. Therefore it is imperative that we look for ways to simplify the job of running a squadron. One way to do this is to provide clear instruction on how to find things and how to perform those necessary tasks. One way of accomplishing this is thru discussion groups where members share their experiences and solutions. The communications plan calls for the establishment of forums or discussion groups. Our department should be one of the first to adopt and support this effort. Fun Each year, one of my goals is to have fun. All of us do a better job when we have fun while we re doing it. When the task is difficult or frustrating, it s hard to declare that we re having fun. Usually, when we look back, we can find satisfaction in overcoming obstacles and learning something. Let s have some fun. If you have the time and would like to help make a difference and have some fun, visit V/C Dave Hinders, SN National Secretary Privacy Statement Disclaimer

2 Volume 8, Issue 2 September 2008 Previous Next Page 2 Communications ad hoc Communications Committee Communication is the process of conveying information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood by both the sender and receiver. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, The problem with communication... is the illusion that it has been accomplished. It seems no matter what different departments and committees do in our organization, sometimes the word doesn t get to everyone it is no one s fault and it is all our faults! The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished The ad hoc Communications Committee held its organizational meeting in Dallas and is working to draft a communication plan for USPS. A short presentation in the DC-DXO and Open Secretary s Department meetings at the Detroit Governing Board will outline the committee goals, suggest preliminary recommendations, and request feedback in order to make a final recommendation at the annual 2009 Anaheim Annual Meeting. The Communications Plan addresses the following: Operation & delivery of USPS Bulletin, USPS News, & periodic broadcasts Discussion forum format, operation, & delivery Membership communication via The Ensign & Compass address integrity strategy Deployment of short term initiatives Initial long term communication strategy Comments and suggestions are welcome! Send to: ans@usps.org, physically speak to R/C Jean L. Hamilton, leave a voice mail at , leave a message with the barking dog at , or fax The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it. Edward R. Murrow Asst National Secretary R/C Jean Hamilton, SN USPS Trademarks The USPS Ensign (Flag Design), "Wheel-and-Flag Design", "Officer Trident Design","United States Power Squadrons", "USPS", "The Ensign", "the Squadron" with flag graphic, "Paddle Smart", "USPS University", "Boat Smart", "Jet Smart", and "America's Boating Club" are registered trademarks of United States Power Squadrons. The Squadron Boating Course is a service mark of United States Power Squadrons. The "USPS Trade Dress" is a trademark of United States Power Squadrons. Page 2 Previous Next Page United States Power Power Squadrons Squadrons

3 Volume 8, Issue 2 September 2008 Previous Next Page 3 Headquarters Are you receiving USPS Compass, the electronic newsletter, which is distributed six times annually? Each issue contains articles, tips and standard hyperlinks to particular sections of the USPS website and to USPS partners. The distribution list has grown from 21,247 in January 2007 to 33,019 in August USPS Compass is sent to members, Boating Course students, and USPS partners and friends who have provided their address. To subscribe to USPS Compass or send a copy to a friend, sign up at national/natsec/newhome/compass.html. Did you know that 349 squadrons are now participating in headquarters anniversary billing? Remember, squadrons should check their dues status reports every month at If you have questions pertaining to headquarters anniversary billing, or your squadron is interested in joining, please contact Lena Padro at padrol@hq.usps.org or ext The deadline to join for 2010 is 31 Dec Please do not hesitate to contact headquarters at if you need assistance. You can also contact the headquarters staff by at hqcontactsheettable.htm Headquarters Director Mary Catherine Berube berubemc@hq.usps.org National Headquarters Raleigh, North Carolina Mary Catherine Berube Headquarters Director Marketing & Development Services The Ship s Store is making great strides toward streamlining inventory and increasing sales. We compared results for 12 months ending July 31, 2008 and July 31, 2007 and came up with some amazing results. The number of items sold increased to 11,600 units from 6,700 units as a result of the strong promotional activity begun in late Inventory turnover increased 25%. Number of days inventory in stock decreased by 23%. Total sales increased, up by 4% despite the fact of significant price reductions in merchandise to clear old inventory. As a result, new merchandise with a universal appeal is in stock and will be available for Detroit. It is already posted on the Ship s Store website. Or Call Customer Service Any questions or if you want more details, give me a call at (888) ext Tom Kemp Marketing and Development Services Previous United States Power Power Squadrons Squadrons Next Page Page 3

4 Volume 8, Issue 2 September 2008 Previous Next Page 4 Information Technology ITCom recently upgraded the USPS web server DB2000 has been enhanced ITCom Visit our Website at ITCom recently upgraded the USPS web server in preparation for some new web based facilities. In early July, Stf/C Miguel Long, JN installed the latest version of the PHP scripting language compiler and with it, the MQSeries connectivity extension. A short while later, an MQSeries queue manager was installed on the web server and configured to allow direct communication between the web server on Long Island, and the AS/400 mainframe computer at headquarters in Raleigh. A group of four committee members including P/D/C Ken Guscott, JN; R/C John Bradley, SN; P/V/C Robert Baldridge, SN and HQ Systems Manager Kathy Kesterson have been diligently working to enable some DB2000 enhancements. DB2000 has been enhanced to use a new way of maintaining the Job File. Previously maintained by submitting paper OD1 or OD2 forms, DB2000 now incorporates electronic submission of the contents of these forms reducing manual effort at HQ. For those with an installed MQSeries client on their computer, it will communicate directly with the headquarters computer. For the MQ challenged computer, it will invoke a web based MQ Proxy that will submit the contents on the user s behalf, much as the Merit Mark submission does. DB2000 has also been enhanced to support a number of new fields that members have been asking for, as well as now being able to import the USPS Jobs File. This latter enhancement allows it to automate much of the creation of the organization table which in turn further automates the creation of the Historian s Report. R/C John Bradley, SN Chairman, Information Technology Committee Flag & Etiquette Committee FECom Visit our Website at FECom has been reorganizing. The committee works between governing boards using electronic communication, not only for information, but for rapid response to questions for the whole committee and display of new and anniversary burgees for committee suggested changes or approval. We have four chapters in the Operation s Manual that are being reviewed for changes or correctness. We are looking for a few new members with interest in Vixillology, computer graphic skills along with an interest in yachting traditions and usage. Plans for the national meeting program will be formulated at the Detroit GB. At this time, we have approximately two new burgees and 4 anniversary burgees to process. R/C E. J. Sacks SN Chairman, Flag & Etiquette Committee Page 4 Previous Next Page United States Power Power Squadrons Squadrons

5 Volume 8, Issue 2 September 2008 Previous Next Page 5 Ship s Store is combining its efforts with that of several people from the headquarters staff to make the Ship s Store an efficient, business-like operation. In doing so, we hope to make it into a more profitable identity and be able to send more money into the coffers of USPS. At this meeting in Detroit, we have many items at a reduced price to clear inventory which has been on the Ship s Store books for a long time e.g. odds and ends of polo shirts, other clothing items, some gift items, the Anniversary Prints and the famous Cook Books. You might be interested to know that since December, 337 cook books have been sold. Last year, only 165 were sold the whole year. We have found a supplier of clothing which allows us to purchase small quantities at reasonable prices with a relatively short turn around time. Tom Kemp, Marketing Manager at headquarters, is constantly looking for suppliers of this caliber. Our aim is to have less number of items on inventory and greater turnover so that new merchandise can be introduced. We have several new items that are being introduced at Detroit and more in the works for Anaheim. The Ship s Store website continues to be our best source of income. Approximately 2/3rds of our sales come from the website sales. Headquarters staff assists our very capable webmaster, Ralph Daniels, in keeping it current by getting photographs of new items and the information about them to him. Jacky VanDoren, the customer service representative at HQ, is invaluable to Ship s Store as she is the voice and contact person for our customers, lets us know when inventory is running low and assists in choosing new items. We also appreciate the co-operation Ship s Store gets from the Purchasing Agent, Doug Sessoms and the Warehouse Manager, Art Stevens. One of the problems I am having right now is the recruitment of people to help Ship Store become a major revenue source for USPS. If you would like to help, submit your resume to ComNom. Your District can earn 20 percent of total Ship s Store kit sales from it s District meeting? Pique Polo Ladies Classic Polo Ship s Store continues its mandate to provide USPS quality merchandise at the best possible prices while returning an optimum profit to USPS. R/C Louise Rea, SN Chairman, Ship s Store Committee Search Light Pique Polo Crewneck Sweatshirt Ladies Polo Previous United States Power Power Squadrons Squadrons Next Page Page 5

6 Volume 8, Issue 2 September 2008 Previous Next Page 6 FEATURES NEW PRODUCTS STARGAZER HOT TIPS M AILBAG The Secretary s Department Open Meeting is a great time for all of us to meet and discuss items of interest to all members and our committees. So The Ensign Committee would enjoy using this opportunity to meet with all squadron and district newsletter editors in an open forum. It would be our pleasure to discuss how our Committee Reader program is designed to help you, the editor, be involved in making The Ensign a true member magazine. The Operations Manual can be found on the USPS Website Click Here Photo below: The Parade of Publications at the Dallas GB. The exhibit is where squadrons and districts can leave (or send) copy of their publications to share with visitors. Look for more photos from the Publications Committee on their web site at Please plan to attend and meet with us in Detroit on Friday, 5 September. R/C Marjorie Baraff, AP Chairman, The Ensign Committee baraff.katz@juno.com National Meetings Calendar 2008 Governing Board Marriott Renaissance Ctr Detroit, MI 2009 Annual Meeting Hyatt Regency Orange Cty Anaheim, CA Governing Board Kansas City, MO Sep Feb United States Power Squadrons Sep Thank you to our Newsletter Article Contributors Annual Meeting Orlando, FL Governing Board Bellevue, WA Annual Meeting Orlando, FL Feb Sep Feb P/D/C Gloria Schulke, JN Editor/Web Publisher Contact Gloria.Schulke@att.net Governing Board Sep Greensboro, NC Previous United States Power Power Squadrons Squadrons Home Page 6 9