Does IHCA need a full time employed Executive Director?

Does IHCA need a full time employed Executive Director?

A rather relevant question since it is no secret the main portion of the IHCA budget actually goes to the employment of an Executive Director.

To put things a bit in perspective we can tell our Executive Director, David Brookes, typically works 40-50 hours a week often including odd hours, weekends, and holidays carrying out the following duties and tasks:

1. Day-to-day staff operations/maintenance of the IHCA.

2. Maintenance/sustainment of the IHCA Website and more than 20 regional/national websites.

3. Maintenance/sustainment of IHCA social media.

4. Preparation and distribution of IHCA Newsletters.

5. Serve as liaison with World Sailing (for our World Sailing International Classes HC Dragoon, HC14 and HC16) and represent the IHCA at the World Sailing General Meeting.

6. Serve as manager of the World Championship bid process assists Regions in preparation of Worlds Bids using criteria as a guide.

7. Serve as liaison with the IHCA Executive Committee and World Championship Event Committees; supervise overall event budgets; and comply with IHCA Event requirements.

8. Serve as a liaison between the membership, the IHCA Executive, the IHCA Council and Rules Committee.

9. Coordinate communication, marketing promotion, and collection of membership dues, and maintain the official IHCA membership database.

10. Promote and maintain the Hobie Fleet charter program.

11. Distribute communications and IHCA reports to Regional, National, and Corporate members.

12. Manage IHCA merchandise.

13. Maintenance of photographs, social media, and video library.

14. Receive all monies of the IHCA and disburse them under the direction of the IHCA Council, be responsible for an accurate and complete recording of all organization receipts and disbursements; present a projected annual budget to the members of the IHCA Council; prepare and distribute quarterly financial reports to the members of the IHCA council.

15. Be responsible for the preparation and distribution of notices and agendas of official Executive Committee, Rules Committee, and IHCA Council meetings; collection and distribution of minutes.

16. Maintain Hobie Cat sailboat specification information.

17. Ad hoc tasks requested by the Executive Committee.

A quite heavy work portfolio we would say. The job furthermore requires a good network as well as solid knowledge and experience in many areas like World Sailing Rules & Regulations, website, and social media maintenance, race management etc.

Analyzing the duties and tasks of the IHCA Executive Director in combination with the time required to do the job, the IHCA Executive Committee has concluded a full time employed Executive Director is still vital and essential if we want to secure IHCA and its components (regions, national associations, divisions and fleets) remain a well working class association.
The salary for the Executive Director has for decades been covered by fees from the Hobie Cat Co. manufacturers. That changed drastically in 2021-2022. First with a 50% reduction followed by a complete stop at the end of 2022 after Hobie Cat Co. licensed out the production of Hobie sailboats.

For obvious reasons a substantial challenge to the IHCA budget and the ability to employ an Executive Director.
The higher membership fees agreed last year along with the Wildwind/JoyriderTV partnership have luckily provided the necessary fundament for IHCA initially to sign a contract with David full time until February 2024.

A huge thank you shall go to all you members who by paying the higher fee, which along with the Wildwind/JoyriderTV partnership have given us vital extra time to find necessary additional income (e.g. more members) and sponsors. Efforts that hopefully will succeed in making it possible to maintain the crucial employment of a full time Executive Director also in the longer run. This is for the fate and future of our class association.

Have a Hobie Day!

IHCA Executive Committee