American Canyoneers - Mission Statement

[SRG]

Maybe the two ideas need not be mutually exclusive.

I think Tom is right that the numbers of canyoneers and independent groups just aren't there, so out of necessity (for the mean time at least) the new organization needs to be nationally/possibly Utah focused(if representative).

I don't think this is necessarily at odds with an approach of local organizations backed by a national one. As local organizations pop up naturally they can affiliate/ work with the national organization if they'd like, if not thats fine too.

I personally think that if both national and local groups stick to a policy of "education, not legislation", meaning they don't set lots of rules (preferably no rules) for their members and they don't try and influence legislation (with the possible exception of truly local/canyoneering specific issues), that the relationship between the national and local groups will be naturally cooperative and mutually beneficial.
I support Shane's vision of a new org that "will NOT be telling anyone what to do."

-Sam

[Scopulus]

...maybe this is a bit early but I was bored...

Not early at all. I think this should actually be first and foremost. The purpose -- expressed in a mission statement -- is the first thing to be determined. Everything else flows from it. There's a lot of talk about what a new org might do or how it might do it (perfectly natural). The "what" and "how" should flow from the why - or the purpose (expressed as a mission statement). With out a clearly defined purpose, questions like certification vs no certification, social events or not, local chapters vs national only, etc, etc, are impossible to answer -- except they be answered incorrectly. Clearly understanding the purpose first, the question simply becomes "does [insert the 'what' or 'how' here] support the purpose?" If not, it gets crossed off the list. Those "whats" or "hows" left on the list then advance to the next round of scrutiny to determine which best support the purpose.

Crash and burn of an organization is most commonly attributed to either not understanding or not following a purpose. Purpose is the "why" of what we do and how we do it. (btw, a good book on the topic is "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek -- no, I don't get a kickback).

OK, I'll admit it sounds like some mantra you might hear at the company retreat (maybe we could sing kumbaya now), but the gutter is littered with orgs that skipped that first step.

Steve L.

[hank moon]

From the NSS website (www.caves.org)

Mission Statement:
The National Speleological Society (NSS) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the scientific study of caves and karst; protecting caves and their natural contents through conservation, ownership, stewardship, and public education; and promoting responsible cave exploration and fellowship among those interested in caves.