SUBMIT A PROPOSAL
The Introduction of Proposals and the Proposal Process.
The UPA proposal process is an important part of your membership in the Ultimate Players Association. Through this process, any member can impact the overall direction of the UPA, and voice his/her opinion on how the organization should be run. Any group or individual may introduce a proposal to the UPA. All proposals should be sent to the UPA national office, attention Executive Director.
There are two types of proposals: policy and operational. Policy proposals deal with setting UPA policy, whether by establishing a new policy or changing and existing one. Policy proposals can only be decided upon by the board of directors. Operational proposals have no effect on policy but rather deal with implementation and procedures. Operational proposals can be decided upon by the UPA staff and/or director(s) who oversee(s) the area the proposal addresses.
The executive director is responsible for tracking all proposals and maintaining the UPA proposal file at the national office. The president of the board is responsible for directing the proposal process and communicating the status of proposals before the board. Final decisions are submitted in writing and are included in the proposal file.
Proposals may be submitted at any time during the year, although it is strongly recommended that those proposals having budgetary impact be submitted at least six months prior to the start of the fiscal year (January 1) to ensure adequate time for review and possible inclusion in the following year’s budget.
Information to Include in a Proposal. The following information provides guidelines for writing and submitting proposals to the UPA board of directors. Its goal is to assist UPA members in preparing proposals that are brief, but thorough. It is recommended that proposals be no longer than one to one and a half pages in length. All proposals should be presented in electronic format via email or disc. The essential components in the proposal are as follows:
Background: Provide a brief situational background, particularly as it relates to ultimate, as well as information on why the proposal is being submitted. Outline the problem/opportunity that is being presented.
Proposal Wording: This is the actual text of the proposal, what the board is being asked to vote on. For lack of a better way of saying it, this is the “legalese”. Be very careful in this wording to ensure that the intent is well captured and understood by those who will read and review the proposal.
Pros/Cons: Outline the reasons why the proposal is beneficial to the UPA and some of the reasons why it might not be beneficial. This should be kept to two short lists of bullet points of about three to five items. Each bullet point should be no more than a couple sentences in length.
Financial Implications: Many proposals require a level of financial commitment from the UPA. Provide a best estimate on how much implementing the proposal would cost the UPA. On the other hand, what are the potential benefits to the UPA? Is there a potential revenue stream?
Conclusion: A simple summary paragraph tying the entire presentation together and supporting the proposal.
Once a proposal is complete, it should be submitted to the UPA executive director at
ed@upa.org.
The amount of time for a proposal to reach the final stage will vary depending on its path. There are, however, general time guidelines for each stage.
Step 1: Tracking and Routing. All proposals are overseen by the executive director at the UPA national office. Once a proposal is received it is logged in at HQ and a copy forwarded to the president of the board within one week from the date he/she receives it.
Step 2: Assessment. The president has one week to assess the proposal and do at least one of three options:
- Put the proposal before the board or the executive committee for discussion;
- Send the proposal to a committee for review; or
- Send the proposal to the executive director for budgetary and administrative impact statements.
If the president sends the proposal to a committee or to the executive director before consulting with the rest of the board, then the president must inform the board of this action. Two or three of the options may be exercised before the policy is ready to be voted on, and the order in which this occurs may vary. The president should notify the executive director of his/her decision immediately; the executive director then notifies the proposal author within 48 hours of receipt of the president’s notification.
Step 3: Notification. Notification of the proposal status must be given to the executive director no more than 30 days after the proposal has been received by the president. The executive director must notify the submitter within the next seven days of the status (i.e. it has been received and is being reviewed by the board or a committee, etc).
Step 4: Review. A proposal may go directly to the board for review, but in most cases, it will need other evaluations before it can be voted on. Discussions do not necessarily have to be in the form of meetings and may take place in an email forum rather than a conference call.
Step 4a: Committee Review. The proposal may be sent to a committee for review to make sure that all sides of the issue are addressed, to seek player input, and for overall evaluation and advice. It is the discretion of the president to set a deadline for the committee review process (60 days or less).
All committee reviews must be in writing to the board president, a copy of which must be included in the proposal file. A committee may submit a summary report with a recommendation or just an evaluation of the issue, depending on the subject and how thorough the proposal was in addressing relevant matters. The committee is encouraged to work with the author of the proposals as much as possible.
Key points for committees to address and weigh when evaluating a proposal:
- Pros and cons of the proposal
- Who may benefit and who may suffer if the proposal is adopted
- Whether various regions and divisions may be impacted differently, and, if so, how they will be impacted and the relative degree of impact
- Other related issues
Step 5: Impact Statements. As appropriate, proposals may require budgetary and administrative impact statements -- which estimate short and long term financial costs as well as staff and administrative resources that may be required -- before they can be voted on. The executive director is responsible for the impact statements, and should consult with UPA staff and the finance committee to complete the evaluations. The president requests this from the executive director. Upon completion, the executive director submits the impact statement to the president. On average, impact statements should take about two weeks.
Step 6: Decision Stage. The proposal has received all appropriate review and is ready to be voted on. Meeting schedules have an impact on when a proposal can be voted on, but, in general, a proposal should be voted on within 30 days of reaching the decision stage. The executive director should be notified of the final decision by the president within two days after the vote. The executive director notifies the author of the proposal, in writing, within two days of notification by the board president. The decision is included in the proposal file.
