Executive Committee Communication
Executive Committee Communication
Dear Valued Members –
It is with great pleasure and honor that I write this communication to you. As many of you know, NWHA like many other horse organizations, struggled financially for several years. There are many reasons and factors that contributed to the struggles – however in the end, the reasons are not that important. What is important is what we have done and will continue to do to address the issues. Every great organization will struggle. They come to forks in the road where very difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions need to be made and it’ s what that organization does at those critical junctures that sets them apart and propels them forward.
There’ s no doubt that a lot of difficult decisions have been made over the last couple of years, but each have come from strong financial analysis and input across our committees and membership. For example, our National Show Committee, consisting of over 20 NWHA members, took a detailed look at our National Show data over the last several years. After review, they proposed alignment and consistency across our divisions which also lead to cutting of some classes. They also reorganized the week schedule and altered the fee structure and paybacks. This was difficult and time-consuming work that involved a great deal of discussion and frankly some rigorous debate. But this committee made recommendations and key financial decisions that paid off in two very successful and lucrative National shows. Proceeds from both of these successful events allowed NWHA to completely pay off our credit card in two years that once had over $ 20,000 on it! A debtfree organization has far more flexibility to offer programs and valued benefit back to the membership.
Our organization must be run and managed as a business. This is a simple approach, but can often be easier said than done. So as a Board of Directors we have continued to challenge ourselves in several areas. Communication and transparency are critical. We have raised the level and frequency of our communications to membership. We took a stand for the sound horse and principles that drive this organization with the proposed ruling. And now, we have the opportunity to further solidify our financial foundation – with the decision to close the office at the Kentucky Horse Park office this month. As many of you know, we have been successfully operating without a dedicated employee in the office for several months, and with that we chose to hire a contract employee who will work out of their home office. Again, we realize this may not be the most popular decision, however, we believe closing the physical office is the right financial decision for our organization. This will save our organization more than $ 10,000 annually.