AA's 70th Anniversary — June 10, 2005

"It was on this day 70 years ago that Dr. Robert Smith of Akron, Ohio, went the first time for an entire day without taking a drink. That event is considered the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, by Smith and New York stockbroker William Wilson. In the years since, AA has helped millions of people and now has some 2-million members in 150 countries. Membership is voluntary, and there are no dues or fees — only a shared desire to be sober. Nearly 734-thousand people are treated for alcoholism each year in the U.S.; and in over a third of fatal traffic accidents, there are high levels of blood alcohol present. The average American drinks some 22-gallons of beer annually, along with 2-gallons of wine and just over a gallon of distilled liquor. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at http://www.census.gov/. " Info thanks to U.S. Census Bureau.

Is it a national phenomina? Are nonprofits having a hard time filling seats on their boards??

Nonprofits are having a hard time filling their board seats....it seems that there are several reasons. In some cases, what used to be a feel good proposition has turned into alot of grueling work that seem to revolved around finances and accounting.

- Some corporations have downsized and the xecutives left must focus on their jobs rather than a board/volunteer position.

- Others are jsut simply over-extended and time is so valuable.

- And then others just don't want to deal with the scrutiny that the Sarbanes-Oxley Act has spilled over into the nonprofit arena.

An answer could be to look at small business for players - people who are jsut growing and want to get their name out there in the community. Sitting on a great nonprofit board can be a great asset to your resume.