In response to Andy noting that SSC has so many more members than PASS does (and that's despite Steve's constant plugs 😀 ), I'd like to note that there may be many like me who are developers, not DBAs. Why should a developer join PASS, especially since Andy's article suggests PASS is a DBA-oriented organization? Doesn't look like I'd get much benefit from belonging, nationally or locally - pizza and pop notwithstanding.

The other item that really caught my eye was related to board meetings. I belong to a number of non-profit and for-profit organizations, and I've never known one that doesn't publish meeting minutes! If that's not in the charter or by-laws, it should be. And aren't all the board meetings open to any member? Why should Andy need to request that chapter leaders be allowed to attend? If a board claims to be representing it's members (and these ARE elected board members), how can they bar the membership from meetings? If I was a PASS member, I'd be asking for and reviewing the by-laws right now to see what's in there regarding how board meetings and communication thereof are to be handled.

I think a lot of Andy's ideas sound real good on paper, and if the PASS members think they're important, I'm sure those members will step up and volunteer to get the ball rolling. So I wish you luck on improving the organization, which obviously you folks really care about (that's a wonderfully detailed and organized article, Andy, and I know how much time it can take to put one of those together!)