[Exiles Members] Important Message about the Exiles

[Ms. Cat]

Dear fellow Exiles Members: 
I'd like to share my experiences with volunteering for Exiles over the years. 
My first Exiles event I attended I was so nervous...I emailed before hand and asked questions....so many in fact that they eventually solicited me to volunteer to sell raffle tickets.  (Back then we did that at every program). Thank goodness!  It gave me a job and an excuse to flirt and meet everyone! And woman, did I! The fact that I wore a shirt that had "I (heart) Pussy" on the front definitely helped! 
Today,  I'm one of those long time members that still attends business meetings and loves it! Forgive me for aging myself, but over 10 years ago after being very active with the Exiles for about 3 consecutive years I was then adopted by the Citadel family when I was given the opportunity to host a play party,  Eclipse.  I moved from actively organizing for Exiles to expand skills and better serve my community.  But they also birthed me...I truly feel like I'm a child of the Exiles.  They've taught me so much over the years...not just about kink either.   I've remained an active member of the exiles until present day by volunteering when and where I can because I strongly believe you make your community yours! 
This last year I've found bandwidth to rejoin the business meetings and become a voting member again (woo hoo)! I love being able to be a part of prestigious and longest running and women's BDSM educational group in the San Francisco Bay Area.  
Why am I not an officer? Like many of you, my efforts are focused elsewhere at this time.  And whether it be life,  love,  family, or community - know that your contributions - no matter how small you think they might be - are valued!  Always and over the years.  I'm proof.  And it's fun!  Make your group yours! 
Respectfully, -Ms. Cat
-------- Original message --------From: Marilyn Hollinger <marilyn at marilynj.com> Date: 2/15/17  2:36 PM  (GMT-08:00) To: exilesmembers at theexilessf.net Subject: [Exiles Members] Important Message about the Exiles 
Members: PLEASE READ the message below. It’s
 really important that you all understand the current state of the 
Exiles. There is a core group of about 5 or 6 who have been running this
 group for the last few years, and there is serious risk of burnout. We 
are coming up on elections in a month. Although many of the current 
officers are willing to continue as officers, some are not. We need new 
people to start coming to the business meetings and volunteering on a 
regular basis, or the club can’t continue to function. Please think about if you can contribute. Even if you 
can’t consider being an officer, coming to business meetings and 
volunteering for one-off jobs can help the club. 
Please contact Pat or me or any of the current officers if you have any questions about this.I
 love this club, and have been a member since it start 20 years ago. I 
want to see a place for women in the SF leather community, and this is 
it. Decide if you want this too.Marilyn----- Original Message -----
From: "Pat Collins" <collins.pat0108 at gmail.com>
To: "exilesmembers" <exilesmembers at theexilessf.net>
Sent: Thu, 12 Jan 2017 14:42:03 -0800
Subject: [Exiles Members] Annual Elections and Officer Positions
All,As you know, the Exiles Elections are coming up in March and April. You should have received an email about the open positions, I am including the information in this email in case you missed it. As stated below, it is important to consider running for an officers position this year, especially the co-coordinator positions. I will not be continuing in this capacity and as you know, Jak has stepped back from that position due to personal reasons. So the club will be without any coordinators; both positions need to be filled. In addition, there are many other key roles in the organization that keep things running.

The Exiles is the only leather/BDSM 501(c) educational organization in the bay area for self-identified non-male members. It is an important part of the leather community and would be a big loss to the community if it could not continue its mission. The club is made up of all volunteers and consistently it is a small group that keeps the club going, but that is not sustainable. They will eventually burn out. We have been increasing our PR, and reaching out to younger and POC members of the community and hopefully that will lead to new members in the future, but hopefully you, the existing members, will consider stepping up.

If you receive value from our educational programs and believe the organization is an important part of the community, please consider running for an officer position. They are listed below with a brief description of the role. Of course, we will support and help new officers in any way needed and there are detailed descriptions of the job responsibilities that will be provided to new officers in our Policies. 

We will vote on key officers at the March program, and appoint other officers at the April business meeting. As is often the case, some of the officers have served for a while and are ready for a break, and we have some open positions, so we are seeking members who are interested in helping keep the Exiles alive and well by serving as an officer.  These are the officer positions that will be voted on at the March program: Coordinators (2): Manage the administration of the organization.Membership Officer: Manages membershipsTreasurer: Manages the financesRecorder: Manages minutes and communications, except the newsletter These are the officer positions that will be voted on at the April business meeting: Newsletter Editor: Prepares and distributes The Lunatic FringeOutreach/PR Officer: Manages publicity and outreach.Orientation Officer: Responsible for Orientation Doorkeeper: Manages the door at programsSergeant-at-Arms: Provides security at the door for Exiles functions.Web Site Manager: Maintains and manages the official Exiles website.Volunteer Coordinator: Recruits and manages volunteers
Again, please consider running for one of the positions. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and give back to the community. If you are interested in a position and want more details about the responsibilities, please feel free to contact me at pat at theexiles.org. I would be happy to discuss the position and send you the detailed information. 
Let’s keep this club alive and serving the leather/BDSM women in the bay area.

PatCoordinator Exiles
It’s your club, help make it what you want it to be.
Volunteers are not paid, not because they are worthless but because they are priceless.

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