New York State Board Vice President -  Chip Mclean

Charles ‘Chip’ McLean, Jr.
Vice President NY State Board
 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for electing me to the position of
Vice-President and I pledge to you that I will work with all of the enthusiasm and
dedication that you have become accustomed to from me.
Since the July Convention the Executive Officers of the State Board have worked hard to make
a smooth transition. I would like to welcome to the Board our newest member Jim Burke as
Treasurer and of course thank our Immediate Past President John Hennessy for his dedication
and leadership that he provided so skillfully.
One of the first goals the new Executive Board was determined to institute was a sense of
fiscal responsibility. Recognizing that the Charities of the State Board are in need of our
continued support we sought to find alternate sources of fundraising to allow us to keep up
our level of financial support without placing additional burdens on our budget and not
having to raise per-capita contributions. In fact, we have instituted a program via a
by-laws amendment at the July convention where divisions would be able to reduce there
per-capita payments to the State Board by filing there annual report and paying their
per-caps within certain time frames. The State Board has instituted fundraisers that will be
held in different parts of the state which will allow different local jurisdictions to work
as partners with the State Board to raise these funds.
Another challenge that your Executive Board has recognized early on is the ’08 National
Convention in New Orleans and the honor that we have as a state to have 4 candidates running
for national office. It is imperative that we work together as a unified state to get all 4
candidates elected. We owe it to these distinguished Hibernians and we owe it to ourselves
as testimony to the fine work that is done throughout this great state. We have identified
that it is imperative to get as many N.Y. Delegates to New Orleans as possible. As such we
have developed a program where we will be offering stipends to various jurisdictions that
are sending delegates to New Orleans. The particulars of the program will be delivered to
each of the division & county presidents before the end of the year, and they will know how
to participate so that the delegates from their jurisdictions will qualify for funds that
will help offset expenses incurred by sending those delegates to New Orleans. In order to
have those funds on hand we have decided to sponsor a
JUMBO RAFFLE This raffle will consist of selling raffle tickets for $10 each with cash
prizes of $5,000 and two $1,000 prizes. Further, the seller of the top prize winner will be
awarded $200 and the sellers of the 2nd & 3rd prize tickets will each be awarded $100. The
tickets are being distributed and will be available through your District Directors or any
State Board member. The more you all support this raffle the more funds we can raise and the
more funds that will be made available to the delegates. Please…get behind this and make it
happen big! You can sell the tickets to anyone; they don’t have to be Hibernians. Sell them
at work, at church, through your family & friends, of course through your division…..but
sell them. The drawing will be held at the Semi-annual State Board meeting in E. Durham on
May 3rd, ’08. Ticket stubs and checks should be returned to me at my address: 75 Silver Lake
Rd., Staten Island, NY 10301. You can get additional ticket by contacting me via e-mail or
phone at the contacts listed in this newsletter.
Congratulations to all of the division officers who are being elected during the coming
month and I look forward to working with all of you as well as participating in as many of
your installations as I possibly can. “Keep those invitations coming.”
As always I extend sincere thanks to those members who have shown great Hibernian
hospitality to me during my travels throughout our great State. I look forward to continuing
to visit as many jurisdictions as possible and ask that all of you continue to advise me of
your events. May God Bless each of you and your families and on behalf of myself as well as
my family I wish you a very Blessed & Holy Christmas with all great joy and happiness in the
New Year.

 

RECRUITMENT GRANTS

Last May the State board voted unanimously to allocate $3000 to a grant program aimed at assisting local divisions in the areas of recruitment and retention. So far, the organizer and I with the approval of President Hennessy have approved two grants. The first was a grant of $687.50 to the Watertown division to assist them with recruitment efforts in March, in conjunction with the North Country goes green Irish Festival. The division purchased signs welcoming people to Watertown, and promoting the AOH. They also took out ads in several church bulletins and the local paper. As of this writing I have not received a final report on these activities but through conversations with the Division President I am confident that their efforts have produced positive results for our Order.
The second grant was provided to Albany Division #5, to assist with a recruitment table at the celebration of the Celts in Chatham, design and purchase signs promoting the AOH at the entryways and exit points from the City, and to purchase ads in the Diocese Newspaper and the Albany Times Union. This was approved for $750.
It always takes time for a program to get going, but interest in this is strong and over time I am convinced our efforts will bare fruit. I strongly recommend that we reauthorize this program for 2007-2008 for $3000. If anyone would still like to apply for the grant program, the forms are available with our State Organizer’s report or through the state website www.nyaoh.com

RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION HANDBOOK

At the fall meeting I presented a draft of a recruitment and retention manual for your consideration. The manual also included recommendations for the State Board in terms of costs associated with Public relations, the extension of the Per-Capita deadline and penalties and incentives regarding the payment of Per-Capita Taxes. The manual seemed to be largely acceptable to people but does include the following items which change our current procedure and require approval of the State Board. These specific changes are:
1) Fact Sheets about the AOH, its goals, charitable works and traditions will be designed by the State Organizer and his committee and printed and made available throughout the state
2) The State Organizer shall establish an 800 number through an appropriate telephone service. This number will be published as the NY State Board Recruitment line and will be usable by all local jurisdictions as well as the State in advertising and marketing.
3) A Public Relations professional will be interviewed and selected by the State Executive Board to serve the needs of the State Board and all State jurisdictions.
4) Starting in July the Appointed State chair of public relations will be in charge of internal publicity, keeping and up to date state e-mail list for updates and work with the editor of the State newsletter and website.
5) Starting in the fall or winter of next year the State newsletter will be sent to the top four officers in each county and division, as well as the state Board to improve communication. Those wishing to receive a copy by e-mail rather than post can contact the newsletter editor and go on the electronic list and off of the snail mail list. This will be included as a check off sheet to accompany the annual mailings of form nines and financial forms by the Secretary.
6) E-mail will be permanently added to the form nine.
7) The State Webmaster and Organizer will be authorized to create a recruitment information web page that will provide information and forms for Divisions and counties as well as other interested parties. This will be a part of the nyaoh.com site but will be a separate link.
8) Divisions not submitting their per capita taxes by March 31st will be assessed a late fee of 50 cents per member not to exceed $250 total. Jurisdictions paying in full before this date will receive a 50-cent per member rebate not to exceed $250. Both the penalty and the rebate will be available on dues paying members only; the rebate can be deducted from a per-capita check, as long as the form and check are received by March 31st. The Secretary will add a line for the rebate to the financial forms and will keep track of any penalties or rebates affecting the bills of each Division.