Description of the Bay Creek Neighborhood Association

Read about who we are, learn about our unique organizational structure, and read about how a Neighborhood Council is similar to, but different than a Board of Directors.

Who We Are

The Bay Creek Neighborhood Association (BCNA) consists of the many folks who live or work in Bay Creek (as defined by the "Membership" section in the bylaws). Many members try to maintain and improve the quality of life within the neighborhood. While the term Neighborhood Association sounds rather formal and business-like, we're actually quite informal, and are more like a group of friends -- who sometimes disagree -- than a business.

We meet monthly; check the Calendar of Events. At meetings, we:

• Share knowledge about committee accomplishments;
• Disseminate information sent to us;
• Sometimes have presentations and guest speakers;
• Sometimes discuss current and upcoming issues.

We'd like you to join us! Whether you have an hour per week or just an hour per year, your contributions of time are valued and appreciated.

If you don't like meetings, many projects are done outside of the monthly meetings, usually within committees (OK, this can be like a meeting too, but it's much more focused). Much of the work can also be done alone on your own time. Come to a monthly meeting or contact any committee chair for information.

Organizational Structure

The BCNA has a somewhat atypical organizational structure: we have no president!

Bay Creek had a president from our formation in 1990 through 1994, but to be more democratic and share the workload, we now divide the functions of a president up like this:

Leadership, Planning, Decision Making	This is shared among all who are interested. Leadership and planning usually take place at the committee level, but occasionally we brainstorm at a general meeting. Decisions are made at the monthly meeting.
Chair Meetings	We all take turns chairing neighborhood meetings.
Contact for Press, City, Other Organizations	On a yearly basis, we rotate a Contact Person position. Their primary function is to bring mailings to the next meeting, alerting key people beforehand if time is tight. If necessary, the contact person refers other organizations to committee chairs.

Not having a president has had several benefits for us: everyone is more invested and empowered, people gain experience facilitating a meeting, and it spreads out the load otherwise imposed on a single person.

While we have had success with this model, it is not without its faults. It can be hard for some people to accept a "leaderless" organization; they feel as if nobody is in charge and nothing will get done. Yet we do accomplish things. Also, at the end of a meeting the chair asks for a volunteer to lead the next meeting, and there is this awkward moment -- or minute -- of silence. But overall, we feel this has been successful for us.

Similar to, but Different than a Board of Directors

Many people are familiar with a Board of Directors. A Neighborhood Council (here is ours) is similar to a board, but strictly speaking, it is not the same. Here are some key differences:

• A board guides an organization in a top-down method. A Neighborhood Council does it in a bottom-up fashion, soliciting input from members.
• A board might hire, fire, and evaluate a paid executive director of an organization. A Neighborhood Association has no executive director. As mentioned above, Bay Creek doesn't even have a president.
• An organization with a board has paid staff to do the work. A Neighborhood Association has no paid staff, but instead, members of the Neighborhood Council do the work along with residents. A board usually does not do the work of the organization.
• A board generally doesn't welcome others to their meetings. Our Neighborhood Council rarely meets alone; instead it welcomes all residents to the monthly general membership meeting. A Neighborhood Association gives all members the right to vote on most things (with a few exceptions). A board votes alone.