INTERNAL NFC FAQ
Internal FAQ
NFC’s mission and methods have been very successful over what has been a relatively short period of time, and at a time when more new conservation NGOs fail than succeed. We have put a lot of wins on the board, influenced or initiated some important changes, and otherwise made a difference in the way that folks view wild native fish.
Our biggest accomplishment may be in regard to helping brand the term "native fish" and bringing it into the mainstream fishing and conservation vernacular. Like anything else, folks won’t support that which they do not understand. Explaining what is and is not native and why it matters is critical in regard to gaining support for wild native fish.
NFC has gained solid support from the fishing and outdoor products industries, as well as the fly fishing and to some degree the general media. We have also been successful in regard to working with government agencies, Native American tribes, NGOs, and sporting organizations.
We have been successful because of what we do and how we do it, not in spite of it.
WHAT IS THE MISSION OF NATIVE FISH COALITION AND HOW DOES THIS AFFECT HOW WE OPERATE?
NFC’s mission is clear, clean, and without conflict or contradiction: PROTECT, PRESERVE, AND RESTORE WILD NATIVE FISH POPULATIONS THROUGH STEWARDSHIP OF THE FISH AND THEIR HABITATS.
NFC is a conservation organization not a fishing organization. We do not participate in fishing-related outreach of any type or at any level. Board and Advisory Council (AC) members can do whatever they choose as long as it doesn't involve NFC, imply such, or be misconstrued as such.
NFC does not support the idea that "naturalized natives," or wild nonnative fish, have any ecological value. They do not, and they all exist at the expense of native species to at least some degree. This is not subject to debate and at the very heart of who we are, what we do, and why we do it.
WHAT IS NFC’S LEGAL STATUS?
NFC is a national 501(c)(3) incorporated in Maine. State chapters fall under the National status.
All accounting, membership services, website, national media contact, national vendor relationships, and store items are handled through at the national not state level.
Social media is at both the national and state level. However, state social media must follow the template put in place by national.
HOW DOES NON-BOARD OR ADVISORY COUNCIL NFC MEMBERSHIP WORK?
Passive members (members of the public who pay for a membership) belong to National NFC, not a specific state chapter, regardless of their mailing address or state of residency. All email communication members and donors is handled by National. We do this to support centralized accounting and because NFC has members in non-chapter states. We get donations and sell NFC-logoed products from our online store and at shows to people in even more states. In some cases, such as those who donate or buy logoed merchandise at shows, we do not know what state they are from. And some who list Florida as their address spend their summers in northeastern states. Keeping this all at the National level also eliminates the need for accounting and membership services such as welcome letters, renewals, etc., at the chapter level.
WHAT IS THE PROTOCOL IN REPRESENTING NFC AT SHOWS AND EVENTS?
State chapters are expected to attend shows and events in their respective states with the goal of recruiting new members, soliciting support for what we do, forging partnerships, and raising money.
Online logoed product sales are handled at the national level. We do however provide chapters with product to sell at shows and presentations and at no cost or risk.
All money raised at shows, including local events staffed by state Board members, will be deposited into the National account.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF STATE CHAPTERS?
State chapters are responsible for initiating, planning, and executing project initiatives specific to wild native fish conservation in their respective state. National NFC provides some level of oversight and expertise for state projects and is ultimately responsible for project and funding approvals.
While NFC has state chapters, they are not afforded the level of autonomy that some other non-profit groups are (e.g. TU). This is because we are very narrowly focused, and everything that chapters do reflects on the organization as a whole.
To ensure that chapters stay within mission, avoid any replication of prior or current efforts, and avoid mistakes or oversights, all projects must be approved by the Executive Director (ED) in advance. The same is true with regard to shows and events, press releases, etc. In most cases this is a formality as our chapters know what is expected of them, but in rare cases, a project might not be approved.
Local business and media contacts are done at the chapter level, but all press releases must be submitted to the ED in advance for comment, change requests, and approval.
HOW DOES NATIONAL NFC SUPPORT STATE CHAPTERS?
All state chapters will be provided with the proper legal status under our 501(c)(3), liability insurance, a state logo, and state level webpage on the NFC website.
All state chapters will receive a state-specific banner for use at state shows and events, a laptop projector and remote if needed, as well as a table and other equipment for shows.
NFC will help with regard to project funding, contacts, and coordination.
HOW DOES NATIONAL APPROVE PROJECTS AND FUNDING REQUESTS?
All state chapter initiatives, projects, and outreach must be approved by the ED.
The ED must approve all written partner correspondences (to both potential and current partners), press releases, and general outreach. Simple email responses are excluded from this requirement.
All state chapter fundraising initiatives, grant proposals ,and project funding must be approved by the ED. Routine updates on all approved fundraising initiatives and grants must be provided to the ED on a monthly basis.
Please see Protocol for Managing State Chapter Projects, for more information.
HOW ARE STATE PROJECTS FUNDED?
Funding for small projects, those under $1,000, will be provided by National if the chapter is not able to self-fund.
Larger projects such as habitat work and ongoing studies must be funded at the state level via grants.
National level grants such as USFWS will be managed by National with help from the respective state chapter.
State level grant applications must be run by the Executive Director for initial review prior to submission. The ED will involve the National Board where appropriate.
NFC does not provide cash for other organization’s projects.
NFC will help procure equipment, provide manpower, etc., where it makes sense to do so.
When purchasing equipment for NFC projects, as a rule the equipment belongs to national NFC and is loaned out to chapters accordingly.
HOW ARE NEW BOARD MEMBERS CONFIRMED?
New members of State Boards must be vetted and approved by the respective chapter and the national board prior to assuming a position on the Board. Vetting will be the responsibility of the applicable Regional Vice Chair who will utilize the National Chair as needed.
Board and Advisory Council members in good standing who move will be automatically transferred to another chapter if they wish to maintain involvement. The receiving chapter chair will be notified, but no vetting will be required. In cases where there have been issues, the receiving chapter will be allowed to vet the candidate before accepting them.
All prospective Board members and newly elected Officers will be provided with, and expected to read and understand, the following documents:
NFC Bylaws
NFC Overview presentation
FAQs (online document)
Policies and Procedures – Internal FAQs with attachments
All state officers and members-at-large serve at the discretion of the National Board.
WHAT IS THE VOTING PROCESS FOR OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL AND STATE BOARDS?
Where needed, NFC adheres to a simple majority vote, not a quorum, unless the Bylaws require a different percentage for passage.
Votes can be conducted in person, via remote meetings or by email. If an issue is put to vote electronically, a response timeframe must be provided. Votes are tallied at the closing time and the result is based solely on who voted, not who could have voted. A lack of any response is implied to be concurrence, although only actual votes are counted and recorded. This allows us to make timely and efficient decisions.
Depending on the issue, voting members of the National Board include the ED, National Chair, and National Vice Chairs. In some cases, State Chapter Chairs are asked to opine. If any person holds more than one position on the Board (e.g. an officer position and a state chair position), they get only one vote. In the case of a tie, the ED’s vote will serve as the tie-breaker. This allows us to move forward when we have an even size deadlocked board. The ED must recuse him or herself from voting on anything that would impact their compensation or removal.
HOW DOES NFC ELECT OFFICERS AT THE STATE LEVEL?
Officer elections are conducted per a standard nomination process. Any voting member of the Board in question (National or State) may nominate someone to serve as an Officer. Unless approved by the ED in advance, nominees must be a current board member of the respective chapter.
HOW DOES NFC MANAGE EMAIL CORRESPONDENCES?
All emails to NFC go through a single email address, Info@, to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. Incoming emails are addressed by the ED who will involved other NFC members where appropriate. Emails directed to a specific state will be automatically forwarded to the respective state chair. The ED must be copied on subsequent responses from the state.
Anyone responding to NFC emails must have the appropriate NFC logo as well as their name and title in the tagline.
NFC maintains a master email list. It includes members, donors, inquiries, volunteers, random sign-ups, and those who have purchased products from NFC’s online store. The list is fed by the website (Squarespace), newsletter app (MailChimp), and manual input from shows, events, and presentation sign-up sheets. While we always try to get a state associated with an email address, people don't always provide one.
National NFC is unable to easily provide state level email lists due to technical limitiations and manpower issues. While we can do it of needed, we ask chapters to use social media (Facebook and Instgram) to comminicate with the public. This helps lessen email intrusions which result in opt-opts preventing us from reaching out to people for membership renewals, donations solicitations, etc.
All external NFC group emails must go through a newsletter app, MailChimp in this case. This creates a professional look and feel, while providing stats and information needed to keep the list clean (such as bad addresses).
Questions about this and other important issues can be answered by reading our online (public) FAQ.