HSMG Personnel

The activities and day-to-day functions of Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild are carried out by elected officers who serve in a voluntary (unpaid) capacity, member and non-member volunteers and contracted individuals or businesses. There are no employees.

President

The President is elected by the membership and serves for a two-year term.

The President is responsible for oversight of the day-to-day operations of the HSMG and generally seeing to it that what needs to get done does get done. The President also serves as the spokesperson for the HSMG.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of 6 members who are elected for two-year terms, along with the President. The terms are staggered, so three seats are up for election each year. Generally the Board meets every 4 to 6 weeks and has full responsibility of the affairs of the HSMG between annual meetings.

Executive Committee

From within the Board, the Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer are appointed (by majority vote of the Board). Along with the President, they make up the Executive Committee, which is responsible for taking care of things in between board meetings (but only to the extent authorized by the Board). Generally the Executive Committee meets twice a month.

Standing Committees

In additional to Board duties, each Board Member is also the Chairman of a Standing Committee. Each committee is manned up by volunteers who work together to accomplish the aims of that committee. In some cases they do the actual work, in some cases it is done by contractors, depending on what it is and the available budget.

Administrative Services

To handle the day-to-day activities (answering the phone, receiving mail, paying bills, processing memberships, etc), the HSMG has hired an Administrative Services Company. While not employees of the HSMG, they are contracted to take care of the general necessary administrative duties. The company is bonded and insured and is paid for their services by the HSMG.

Contracted Services

The HSMG hires contractors for certain activities that are imperative to the operations of the HSMG and far exceed the amount of time that could be reasonably expected from a volunteer . Selection of contractors is based on the Hiring Policy of the HSMG. Wherever possible, the Board looks for candidates who are not only qualified, but who have a passion for soapmaking and are willing to contract to do work for the HSMG at a substantially reduced rate.

Currently the HSMG has the following functions being done by hired independent contractors:

• Attorney (as needed)
• Accountant (Joe Serpico)
• Mailing Services (Vrla Mailing Services)
• Webmaster (Marie Gale)
• Event Planner (Leigh O'Donnell)
• Journal Editor (Marie Gale)