Page 3 - BSAM 2015 Q4

President’s Message
This is my third year as president to report to our clubs and individual members about the status of our organization, Bonsai Clubs International (BCI), and the progress we have made in the last twelve months. We continue to make signi cant progress on several important fronts due to the efforts of our board members, the dedication of our editor, Joe Grande, and business manager, Carole Roske, and many volunteers. One of our many accomplishments achieved this year was raising the visibility and awareness of BCI worldwide. is was done through a multi-pronged e ort using social media, publications and increased presence at meetings in di erent countries.
Our new BCI web site launched this year, resulted in a sharp increase in the number of visitors that are spending more time exploring the site, rich in new content with more to be added every month. Likewise, the increased popularity of our BCI Facebook page has been extraordinary. Earlier this year, I asked former board member, Rosemarie Voelker, to take a leading role in posting photographs on our website. Many of her excellent photographs are now attracting from 8,000 to 22,000 views each as compared to just several hundred views in the previous years.
Our agship publication, Bonsai & Stone Appreciation Magazine, continues to grow in stature and importance in the world wide bonsai community. We are successfully completing our rst full year in expanding our magazine to 72 pages per issue instead of 64 pages as in previous years. is is due to our improved nancial situation, to the e orts of our editor and editorial committee, and to many authors who contribute articles and news events. is year, we welcomed three new authors to our contributing writers. I am grateful to the many positive comments I have received from our members concerning the improvements in our publication. One long-standing member even made a notable contribution to BCI in recognition of the e orts of our editor, Joe Grande.
We are in the process producing our second book, Bonsai and Viewing Stones from BCI Members’ Collections 2015, resulting from our biennial photographic contest. Earlier this year, we had a member’s contest and 207 photographs of trees and 86 photos of stones were received. A panel of three judges was selected for each category, one from Europe, one from Asia and one from North America. ey rated the entries and the highest scoring entries will be published in our new book. Our new book will have photo representing trees and stones from nineteen countries. This book containing photos of 120 trees and about 60 stones will be available in early 2016. is gives us another opportunity to recognize internationally the artistic e orts of our members.
I, along with several of our board members, participated in major bonsai events in various regions of the world. We have disseminated our magazine, presented BCI Medals of Excellence, and promoted BCI. As a result, we are seeing growth in our organization in countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In 2013, Helen Su and Glenis Bebb and I signed an agreement with the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture to establish a BCI-China program. Prior to this, we were very poorly represented in the country
Today, September 10, 2015, the BCI bank balance is $130,262. This has been achieved, in part, by having board- approved operating budgets for each of these years and speci c e orts to increase income.
with the largest number of bonsai hobbyists in the world. anks to great internal leadership, BCI-China has grown to approximately 380 members in just two years and BCI is becoming much better known in China.
When I became President of BCI three years ago, our nancial situation was precarious. anks to the help of many board members and others, we have reversed that situation and now BCI is in a strong nancial position. is is the result of broadening our sources of income— conventions, auctions, and book sales. In April, 2011, BCI had a bank balance of just $23,543. at bank balanced increased to $37,759 by the end of 2012, and by August 13, 2014, that balance had increased to $85,000. Today, September 10, 2015, the BCI bank balance is $130,262. is has been achieved, in part, by having board-approved operating budgets for each of these years and speci c e orts to increase income.
We still have important challenges ahead. BCI must provide better services and products to our clubs and individual members. Our improved conventions, magazines, and web site are important; but we must look at developing new educational materials, more online information and more creative ways of disseminating quality information to our members. Our improved nancial situation gives us the opportunity to invest in these areas to bene t our members.
By providing better member services, we can also focus on another challenge facing BCI. In the last three years, we have stopped the decline in membership and have begun the process of building our membership base. at progress must continue as we seek ways to retain existing members while adding new ones. We are truly an international organization and our membership should re ect the global demographics of the world’s bonsai and stone appreciation enthusiasts.
Tom Elias, President Bonsai Clubs International
October/November/December 2015 | BCI | 1