Governance (Draft document for consideration)

The newly reconstituted MCRA is being created by the people reading these pages.

This is a continuation of a project that started over 95 years ago whereby a group of competitors got together to promote their industry and create opportunities for themselves and their employees. Their success created the IICRC and all the work there is for IICRC certified firms and technicians.  We owe it to those who came before us to continue in their work and to honor their memories.

We will need a new set of bylaws to structure the organization. A convention will be held, when conditions are right, to adopt a new set of by-laws and and policies that will inform the operations of the MCRA over the next period. Milestones must be met regarding the level of engagement necessary to create a new agenda and identify a new generation of leaders.

As part of the reformation of the MCRA interim set of by-laws will-be approved by the last properly constituted board of directors. It will remain in effect until such time as a new set of by-laws is approved by a convention of the general membership (hopefully Q4 2021).

The new by-laws will be prepared with the input of an interim board of directors and will cover all required areas of legal governance including membership rights and responsibilities, board members and officer’s roles and responsibilities, dues and fees, financial reporting, policies regarding communications, advertising, expense reimbursement, filling board vacancies and other matters of self-governance that arise.

A convention will be called when the organization has met the following benchmarks:

• 1.      100 Group Member Firms – at least 20 of which are primarily involved in cleaning and maintenance of the built environment, and 50 are primarily involved in loss mitigation, recovery, restoration, and reconstruction. Of those, at least 50% of them must be independents 
• 2.      10 Associate Member Firms primarily involved in providing goods and services to Group Member Firms, their employees or their customers related to inspection, cleaning, restoration, or certification training. Of those, no more than 30% can be material or equipment suppliers.
• 3.      25 Individual Members – Individuals employed by others to deliver cleaning, restoration and inspection services. They can be employed by either member or non-member firms. If they are self-employed, they must join as Group Member Firms.
• 4.      An interim board of directors consisting of at least 12 members is empowered with all the officer positions filled. Of the 12 board members at least 4 must be from restoration companies, with at least 2 who are not affiliated with a franchise network, 2 must be from the cleaning and care industries, 1 must be from an associated business and 1 must be an employee of a member firm representing the interests of technicians, tradespeople, or specialists. At least 1 of each board member must be from each of the 4 corners (NW, NE, SW, or SE) of Wisconsin and at least 2 from other states represented by the MCRA (Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota). [that could be challenging, but how else to guarantee representation?]
• 5.      The interim board has adopted an operating budget for 2022, the organization and board are properly insured for liability, all current annual filings are up to date, and the organization has at least $25,000 in cash reserves.

Expectations for Officers and Board Members:

Board of Directors:

The Board of Directors is responsible for the oversight of the MCRA. They are responsible for outreach, programming, administration, communications, and the financial management of the organization using the resources available to them from dues and other source of income they can develop.

The minimum expectation to be a board member is one 2 hour meeting a month, one hour of phone time each week, 1 hours of reading/writing time each week.

The two hour meeting is a combination of a board meeting and committee meetings.

Phone time could be related to either, or for recruitment.

Reading time could be related to either purpose or it could be a review of literature to share with members, or proposals by other members for programing or fundraising.

It is also expected that board members engage in continuing education, as that is one of the primary values we embrace.

A person unwilling or unable to make that minimum commitment can still be involved in the leadership of the organization by participating on a committee and all are encouraged to do so.

A member of the organization must meet minimum expectations for certification, continuing education, conformance to the MCRA Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and compliance with all federal, state and local laws and ordinances regulating the businesses they are in and the services they provide.

Officers

President – Presides at Board and General Membership meetings. Prepares an agenda, Represents the organization to the media – Communicates with members on behalf of the Board. Chairs the Government and Industry Relations Committee.

Vice-President – Provides back-up to the president – oversees event planning and logistics. Chairs the Standards and Training Committee

Secretary-Treasurer – Prepares and distributes meeting minutes, Oversees Website, Social Media, Service Contracts. Maintains the organizations books. Responsible for annual filings. Chairs the Finance Committee.

Shareholder Representative – Represents the MCRA at the IICRC Shareholders meeting and shares information from the IICRC with the Board and Membership.