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Exciting Times: CRF Chapters Unite In One Statewide Organization With Regional Councils By Singer, Kevin*
Over the last three years the California Receivers Forum (CRF) State Board has discussed the “state of the chapters” at each board meeting. At the January 2020 Loyola Symposium board meeting, the board members discussed the concept of how to make all of the local chapters more successful and provide more member benefits. They worked through pros and cons of options. The common challenges all chapters faced included reducing administrative burden while prioritizing proper corporate governance, offering more education and networking benefits, and recognizing that when the members get busy with their “day job” there is less time left for volunteer service. The motivation for these discussions was to build a better organization to fulfill our non-profit mission. After a thoughtful review of options, the board selected a one-organization model. The board also decided to retain counsel with substantial experience in non-profit governance to draft a new corporations code-current set of bylaws for the organization, and corresponding Policies and Procedures Manual. By having one set of current bylaws, a Policies and Procedures Manual, and a single administration, regional councils could greatly reduce their administrative burdens. Local councils can re-focus their time and energy on providing educational and social events or community service and philanthropy. The rapid technology advancements such as Zoom, that are easy to operate and modestly priced, came at the right time! Everyone can now collaborate and share in programming statewide. More events for our members means better value for the membership and fulfillment of our mission. Members want to connect with receivership professionals who can support their expanding businesses. All the Chapters participated for the last eight months to make this transition a reality. CRF hired Joel Corwin, Esq. to draft the revised bylaws and Policies and Procedures Manual. The local boards reviewed and offered suggestions to tailor these documents to meet the needs of all corners of the state. There were regular meetings of the Reorganization Committee members and representatives of chapters to refine these guiding documents. Every chapter was valued in the discussion, and local leadership with regional autonomy to “do it their way” was ensured in the reorganization concepts. Committee members include Scott Sackett (Sacramento Chapter), Red Griswold (San Diego Chapter), Gerard Keena II (Bay Area Chapter), Chris Seymour (Central California Chapter), Dominic LoBuglio and Richard Ormond (Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter), and me as Chair. I want to thank each of these leaders for the countless hours of work they invested to make this a better organization. I also want to thank the individual chapter leadership who were advocates and sounding boards and challenged the group to improve the governance documents. The new organization’s structure provides more opportunity for leadership and volunteers to get involved. There are now 25 board seats available on the California Receiver Forums Board of Directors. Currently, only 12 of those board seats are in use. The open board seats will be filled over time with representatives from across the state. There have been five regional chapter corporate affiliates including Central Valley, Sacramento, Bay Area, San Diego and Los Angeles/Orange County. Under the new reorganization, each group still exists as a Council, but the local corporation is no longer needed. Each member of a Chapter is now, automatically, a member of the state organization corporation and remains affiliated with a Regional Council. If you were already a member of the board of directors for a chapter, you are
automatically a leader on the Regional Council for your region. The Regional
Councils are already scheduling meetings to continue conducting local events. If
you want to get more involved in the organization, please reach out to your
Regional Council or the California Receivers Forum. These are very exciting times for the California Receivers Forum with this new structure and more events such as the popular and very-well received Call Connect programs; webinars featuring statewide professionals that are broadcast statewide; Receivership News seeking more authors; and a renewed commitment to diversity of all types. The (seemingly endless) statewide Covid-19 restrictions have yielded an uptick in receivership appointments and work for the professionals who support this industry. As the state court system is able to operate remotely more effectively and matters in addition to criminal can get hearings scheduled, the receivership work appears poised to expand. What’s New?
Last, but not least, on behalf of the entire organization, I want to thank
the team at JBS & Associates, Jeanne Sleeper, Deborah Kincade, and
Rebecca Meekma for all their support, guidance and leadership to make the
California Receivers Forum a success. Without their help, this restructuring
process and services enhancement that started this summer could not have been
accomplished – Thank you! |