VIBC Board of Directors and Other Important Fun Things
Kelton here — I hope you are having a great start to 2024. There has been a lot of exciting work going on behind the scenes here at the VIBC and we wanted to let you know about some of the changes coming up as we move into spring in the coming months. Of course, spring means it’s going to be warmer and when it’s warmer we’ll be camping under the stars.
After much thought, we’ve decided to incorporate the VIBC as an official Society in BC (often referred to as a non-profit). This was done to help ensure longevity of the organization through a formalization of our mission, and the establishment of a robust governance structure that allows for official delegation of duties to board members. This als provides an avenue for our membership to have a say in the future of the organization.
Another reason for becoming a Society is the ability to be able to officially raise revenue that we can then spend to enhance the experience at events, float campsite reservation fees, and cover overhead (membership cards, stickers, behind the scenes tech stuff). Traditionally, I’ve just converted these costs on my own and eventually reimbursed myself once the events happened (which was a bit of a pain). Our goal is to have more financial security at the start of each year to pre-plan and book campsites as well as being able to offer funds to help people to host their own events. We’ll share more details on how we imagine this to work in the future.
In the coming months we will be launching a new website with the ability to support the VIBC, including purchasing a membership ($20 annually). Purchasing a membership is not necessary for participating in events, nor does it give you priority in attending them. Rather, an annual membership allows you to vote in our annual general meeting as well as run for a position on the Board of Directors (read “fun administrative nerdy stuff”). Through our website you will eventually be able to purchase merchandise, such as t-shirts, and hats and will also have the ability to make a one time donation. All the proceeds raised will go towards events and covering operational overhead, and other essentials (e.g. firewood and donuts). Events will continue to be low cost to ensure access. Accessibility continues to be a guiding value of the VIBC and if costs are prohibitive for you please don't hesitate to contact us — we can always make it work.
I’m excited about the future of this work with our new Board of Directors and I hope you are too. Please welcome our new Board:
Kelton Doraty, President
Matthew Poirier, Vice President and Treasurer
Alex Piros, Communications Director
Kendall Hammond, Secretary
Joel Barrette, Memberships Director
We are currently looking to fill our vacant Partnerships Director position, so if you are interested in that please reach out to discuss it with us! This role would be responsible for maintaining and developing relationships with sponsors etc... The length of an appointment is for a one year term, or until or first AGM.
Otherwise, if you’ve attended an event before you can expect things to pretty much stay the same — riding bikes with buds, probably eating some doughnuts, likely a lot of laughs, and sleeping in your tent at some of the beautiful campsites our region has to offer.
The board is working to finalize our list of events for 2024 and those will be communicated shortly. If you have an idea for an event please reach out! You can reply directly to this email, or join our Discord server (if you haven’t already.
Thanks everyone and I’m SPOKED to hang out this year
Kelton Doraty
Co-founder and President
VIBC