I’ve been asked, “What does a District Director actually do?” These duties can be read in the ARBA Constitution which is available on the ARBA website, however, I’ll try to highlight some of them here.

The Board of Directors shall have charge of the various business transactions, authorize the expenditure of monies, and vote on various legislative matters. They can make contracts in the name of the ARBA. They can require the books of the Executive Director and Treasurer to be audited. The Board of Directors has the authority to revise the Executive Director’s salary and the various fees paid by members such as license and membership fees. The Directors also appoint state/provincial representatives for each state/province in their district.

The above are some abbreviated descriptions of the Directors’ duties. The DOMESTIC RABBITS magazine reports the board meeting minutes. These reports also detail various issues that the Board votes on.  I urge every member to view the ARBA website in order to read the complete section for Director, and other officer, duties.

Considering the role the District Director plays, I can’t stress enough just how much I believe that he/she needs to be available to the membership. While phone calls, letters, and emails are important, I don’t believe one can beat face-to-face contact. Communication is a two way street. The Director needs to keep members informed, but he/she also needs to listen to what the members are saying. Today’s economy places so many challenges on every individual and family, and the ARBA is no different. Monies that the ARBA receives, and also spends, must be watched closely. Budgeting is always important, but it’s even more so in today’s economic climate.

I hope that I’ve answered many of the questions our members have had on this subject. Thanks for taking the time to pose this question to me.