Dealings With The AFA

[Irrev-Black]

@two dogs - if it's gotten to the point where truth isn't exactly clear, and the funds are simply being Smauged upon, it really seems to be time for DoritoCo to fuckin' well call it a day.

[two dogs]

This email was sent to AFA members at 11:00 am (AEDT) yesterday.

Here's my first draft of an intended response:
...

I decided that the only change to my first draft before sending a response would be removing the world "Frankly" from the beginning of my third paragraph:



Of course, I doubt that I'll receive any response to my question about how they will use their accumulated funds to further their aims!

Off Topic

Loving the new PDF inline imbed BBCode!

[two dogs]

@two dogs - if it's gotten to the point where truth isn't exactly clear, and the funds are simply being Smauged upon, it really seems to be time for DoritoCo to fuckin' well call it a day.

I don't know how the current AFA Committee of Management cannot see that they do fuck all and provide bugger all of value to their fee-paying members?

I don't know if my mostly critical (but sometimes helpful) emails are discussed at the AFA CoM's (bi)monthly meetings, but I hope they are.

I'll continue to try to keep the bastards honest with my constant criticism, as it really shits me that an organisation that I put my heart and soul into for nearly a decade has devolved into this fuckin' clown show!

[two dogs]

...
Yesterday evening I sent this email to the AFA regarding problems with their website.

Whatever the problem was, it was rectified late this morning. Of course, I've not (yet) received a response to my email, to thank me for bringing the problem to their attention.

How do I know that my email resulted in the problem being fixed? Could it be a coincidence that a post for the PressMedia Release discussed above was added their Media Releases page after me pointing out that their last Media Release was in August 2021?

Jesus fuckin' Christ, what a clown show!
...

Sorry, but I enjoy trolling the ineffectual AFA. Here's an email I sent a few minutes ago.

Here's a follow-up email I sent yesterday evening, providing more information on the second website problem outlined in the email linked to above.

The problem was rectified sometime this morning, but my contribution to reporting and diagnosing the problem has yet to be acknowledged.

This is the third time this year that I've had to point out problems with the AFA website! The first time, Andrew Skegg did thank me for my report/diagnosis, albeit it taking over a fortnight to fix it!

The behaviour of a website doesn't change for no reason; the first problem I reported was due to an update to the site's WordPress theme, and I suspect the most recent ones are also.

Andrew is a good bloke and smart, but I'm disappointed that he apparently doesn't do any testing of the website after implementing changes!

AFA website problems continue to go unnoticed by Andrew until I bring them to his attention! At least my report was acknowledged this time, and the problem quickly resolved. 

[two dogs]

Still trying to keep the bastards honest:

[two dogs]

Still trying to keep the bastards honest:

They pulled the same stunt with the reports last year, albeit that I waited another day, until Saturday evening, to bitch and whinge about it bring it to their attention. Surprisingly, on that occasion, I received a response within the hour, but it wasn't until 4 pm the following Monday that I received the reports.

This time, I've not (yet) received a response or the reports.

How fuckin' hard is it to meet a stated commitment to members to deliver the reports? Then again, they really don't seem to give a shit about their members, as they seldom communicate with them and provide nothing of value in return for the yearly membership fees they pay.

I'm not sure what the delay is? They did fuck all last year, so they'd have bugger all to report on?!

If/when I receive them, I wonder if I'll have to report errors in some of the reports as I did last year, viz.:

After searching the interest for a variety of potential solutions we canvas the top 4 candidates, who each presented their platforms and supplied indicative quotes for implementation and ongoing costs.

Further details on income and expenditure can be found in the AFA 2021 Financial Report.

[Irrev-Black]

@two dogs - Betcha your copies are late.

Would Hanlon's Razor apply?

[two dogs]

I'm fucked if I know how the AFA thinks it has any credibility with members when they're unable to respond to a (life) member's request in a timely fashion!

[Irrev-Black]

I'm fucked if I know how the AFA thinks it has any credibility with members when they're unable to respond to a (life) member's request in a timely fashion!

Did you manage to get a look in at the AGM, Julian?

Credibility may have left the building some time ago. Viability is a concern: have there been any signs of life lately?

[two dogs]

Did you manage to get a look in at the AGM, Julian?

Credibility may have left the building some time ago. Viability is a concern: have there been any signs of life lately?

I didn't attend the AGM; I only say that I'm going to attend so that I'm eligible to be sent the reports to be tabled (although I usually have to prompt the Secretary to do so when I don't receive them within a week before the AGM as "promised").

The only reports tabled at the 2024 AGM were:

• President's Report
  Secretary's Report
  Incorporated Association Report (formerly the Financial Statement)

I'm buggered if I know why their accountant, Anthony Pickham, who has been doing their Financial Statement pro bono since at least 2007, continues to support this clown show!

The layouts of the President's and Secretary's reports are unprofessionally very different! FMD, apparently, the concept of a template for consistency of the appearance of publications has been lost since I left?

At the 2023 AGM these reports were tabled:

• President's report
  Secretary's Report
  Treasurer's Report
  Communications Report
  Financial Statement

For anyone interested, here are copies of documents for the 2023 and 2024 AGMs (apart from the yet-to-be-received 2024 minutes).

When I was involved in the AFA, these are the reports that were usually tabled at the AGMs:

• President's Report
  Secretary's Report
  Treasurer's Report
  Membership Officer's Report
  Magazine Editor's Report
  Website Administrator's Report
  Forum Administrator's Report
  Communications Team Report
  Social Media Group's Report
  Financial Statement

They're still unprofessionally whingeing that that they don't have the time and dedication needed!

The past year has been challenging for the Atheist Foundation of Australia. The committee is a very small, but dedicated group of volunteers, each with their own commitments and obligations. While we have had many discussions on what the AFA could and should be doing, finding the time and dedicating the resources to achieve these goals can be individually and collectively difficult
...
However, the efforts of a handful of people is not enough to sustain the AFA, let alone grow its impact and influence. The AFA desperately requires an influx of fresh, enthusiastic members if it is to remain relevant. I encourage all members to reach out and provide support Even the smallest contributions can make a massive difference.

Last year, the whinge about the lack of time/dedication required included the possibility of a "merger" (effectively a windup) but that longer seems to be on the cards?

On a related topic, the AFA desperately needs an injection of young, eager, and motivated members to join the Committee. The AFA is run by volunteers, and while we all have the best intentions it’s not always possible to dedicate time to the AFA after contending with work and family. Finding people who are invigorated by the aims of the AFA, and have the time to dedicate to its success is challenging, so I urge all members to consider how you may help the AFA succeed and get involved. I fear that if this does not happen the future of the AFA may be in jeopardy.

On that note, the AFA Committee has had many discussions regarding merging with a like minded organisation whose goals align with our own. There are several candidate organisations who we feel would be a good fit for our members. However, if we travel down this path there are many considerations and obstacles to be overcome. This is not a decision that would be made lightly or without consultation with existing members, but no matter how difficult such a decision may be - it may be the only path forward.

Their 2024 Financial Statement lists their assets at $246,244, which I believe is mostly due to recent and past bequests of shares and money. Their membership income for their financial year is ~$10,000!