Membership Information
As a non-profit charitable organization that is run by volunteers, our members are very important to us. Stephen Leacock Associates has been awarding the Leacock Medal for Humour since 1947, and this has been achieved through the dedicated efforts of many members who have volunteered their time over the years. In order to keep the award going over the next years, we are looking for new members who are interested in promoting Canadian literature (particularly humorous works), and who can help with some of the tasks that this entails.
Running an organization like this requires skills in many areas:
- In order to fund the awards, we need people who can find sponsors to provide both the cash awards and the funding of all the administrative expenses. Members with fund-raising experience would be very welcome.
- The awards administration process involves the logistical aspects of receiving and acknowledging the 70 or so books that are submitted each year, and sending them out to the readers and judges as required.
- The awards are presented on a Gala Weekend in early June. Some of our members plan and manage the events, arrange venues and menus for the events and meals, and arrange for the sale of tickets.
- Our student essay contest administrator publicizes the competition with Ontario schools, accepts the essays and forwards them on to the judges.
- Our treasurer tracks and reports on income and expenditures, and manages our bank account and investments.
- We communicate with the public through our public relations and communication committee. Members with PR skills are very welcome.
- Keeping the records of past awards and activities is the job of our archivist. One of our major thrusts will be to digitize many of our archive documents so that we can make them available to our members.
- Various members have responsibility for managing and updating our web site on a regular basis. Anyone with computer skills would find a niche here.
The Board of Directors is elected by our members, and is composed of members who exhibit skills in the areas noted above. They meet on a monthly basis to plan and track progress on all our initiatives.
We maintain a number of standing committees with responsibility for ensuring that progress is accomplished in all the important areas. Standing committees are composed of members but may also include non-members in an advisory capacity.
Apart from participation in the more formal positions, we encourage members to become involved in short-term projects, or to simply help out on a temporary basis when needed.
