Growth and Success at ASMP: The Real Story

Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to speak directly with a number of members who have expressed concerns regarding the allegations of financial impropriety and adverse board and staff policy alleged by ASMP member Scott Highton in a succession of emails. The following narrative is the result of those many discussions which I believe have contributed to a more accurate understanding by those concerned with the facts and circumstances.

The conversations frequently began with members asking about the accusations which have been leveled. They’ve said, “Hey! What’s up with ASMP? Directors being paid for work and lining each others pockets; a call for a dues increase when ‘they’ had $1.3 million in the bank; tax returns amended, and the Library of Congress paid ‘them’ $422,000.00! I thought this was supposed to be photographers helping photographers, why isn’t ASMP as it has always been?”

Well, just as technology has changed, just as the marketplace has changed, things have also changed at ASMP and they have changed for the better! Membership has increased, our educational outreach has expanded and our advocacy work is stronger than ever.

Why a Presidential Stipend?

In the late 1980s the presidential stipend was created. As ASMP has grown, so have the responsibilities of the ASMP president. Having served as a national president, I can say without reservation that the job had a substantial negative impact on my photography business and to some degree my personal life. The time commitment is substantial, amounting to at the least a part time job if not a second career! The payment received — $15,000/year — is small compensation for this commitment. A current referendum effort proposes an end to this payment. This stipend provides small compensation for the level of commitment required. The ASMP president is the only board member who is compensated for his customary board service.

Why Are Presenters Paid?

The scope and scale of our educational programming efforts changed dramatically in 2003. As part of ASMP’s strategic plan, we wanted to become the primary information resource for photographers and their related constituencies. This information would be delivered primarily through our web site and a series of educational programs delivered by working photographers, not established superstar speakers. We wanted photographers to be able to relate to the material being presented and see how it could in fact work for them. We wanted to provide turnkey programming for our chapters.

We looked for speakers who could create programs of interest and value and who were willing to make at least 10-15 presentations between Sept. and June of the year. Each two-hour evening presentation would take between 36 and 48 hours of the presenters’ time between travel and the actual presentation. There were no fees paid for content creation, and the programs were delivered on our schedule. The first series was delivered by Judy Herrmann & Mike Starke and Blake Discher, with significant outside sponsorship being provided by Olympus. The content centered on the business of photography and the tools needed to adapt and succeed in the move to digital. The programs were a success, were self-supporting, and provided the seed money for the next series of programs.

Over the years these seminars and the number of offerings have expanded to include not only ASMP-produced programs, but also programs vetted and recommended by ASMP. To see the current offerings go to http://www.asmp.org/education.

This is very different from what was being done eight to ten years ago when volunteers and staff delivered educational programming without compensation and, locally, chapters were primarily on their own in the creation and production of meetings. They relied on local speakers or speakers provided by major industry sponsors, by and large.

We are in debt to our current presenters who have labored at below-market rate for their presentations. They have given us great value. During the term of the presentations, some of these educators have become members of the board of directors. Most were presenters first and rose to volunteer for the board because of their special skills, knowledge base and volunteer spirit. They act as educators, ambassadors and researchers. They are able to bring back to the board the most current information on trends in the market place and business conditions around the country.

I believe that commitment to this level of work goes beyond the usual and customary work of a volunteer and that these presenters should be compensated. Under the current by-laws, such compensation requires approval of the board of jurisdiction. If the presenter in question is a member of the board then he/she recuses him/herself from the deliberation over the payment authorization. Fees are determined after careful review of market rates for educational presenters and payments are well below those rates.

Beyond approval, there is no constitutional requirement for disclosure. However, in the interest of transparency of operations, the ASMP board has asked that these payments be noted on the Web site at http://asmp.org/articles/financial-information-members.html. Additionally, there is a link at http://www.asmp.org/articles/proposal-process.html with information for those interested in becoming presenters. Finally, board and staff continually reach out to the chapter leadership to identify successful programs and presenters for future nationally produced efforts.

What About Payments to Directors?

There have been a number of allegations about payments to individual directors. Please refer to the information posted on the ASMP Web site at http://asmp.org/articles/financial-information-members.html and you can see every payment made within the last fiscal year.

How Does dpBestflow Fit In?

The two largest payments, totaling $86,971, were paid to Richard Anderson and Peter Krogh for the dpBestflow project. Over three years ago, Richard Anderson, then head of the ASMP Digital Standards Committee and chief architect of the UPDIG Standards, and I were invited to a Library of Congress (LOC) symposium in Los Angeles titled Preserving Digital America. Subsequent to that event, Richard was invited to submit an award proposal under the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). He formed a team of experts to create digital standards and presentation resources for ASMP members and the industry overall. Because of the immense scope of this effort, he reached out to ASMP for both administrative and financial support.

The award received from the Library of Congress is a three-year $422,000 matching award. ASMP did not simply receive a check for that amount. All money is issued through reimbursements that are managed by a government contractor, CACI, which is charged primarily with the oversight of defense contracts. All contractors must be pre-approved for reimbursement at a pre-established rate, with all work and equipment purchases documented. For every dollar ASMP receives, we must give a dollar either in kind, cash, or through products — it’s a matching award! Most of our match comes from contributed or discounted services.

Richard and Peter have made dpBestflow their primary professional focus for the last year. They have created the dpBestflow Web site (dpbestflow.org) and Richard has co-authored a book with Patti Russotti of RIT, titled Digital Photography Best Practices & Workflow Handbook, published by Focal Press. The Library of Congress established the level of compensation for Richard and Peter at $165/hr. They have both been paid at $60/hour and have donated the remaining $105/hr to ASMP towards the ASMP matching component.

DpBestflow is one of the most significant projects in the history of ASMP. The depth of the created resources is fantastic and is currently being coupled with a series of educational presentations around the country at chapters, universities, and trade events. DpBestflow has created a lasting resource not only for ASMP members, but for the entire trade, and the numbers prove it. Since its start up in November, the dpBestflow website has had 46,000 unique visitors and 226,000 page views. The project has been praised by the LOC, commented positively on the Web, and groups in China and Australia have shown great interest. I cannot recall ASMP creating a more significant educational resource in our entire history.

What About Other Payments to Board Members?

The remaining payments to board members for the current year were either for the presidential stipend, previously discussed, or for educational presentations, also previously discussed. There is no basis for the accusations of impropriety or board members “lining each other’s pockets.”

Former board member Susan Carr is currently compensated by the ASMP Foundation as Educational Director for ASMP. Susan is almost singularly responsible for bringing ASMP into the business of education. She was involved from their inception with the It’s Your Business seminars, edited the acclaimed 7th Edition of the Professional Business Practices in Photography and produced the very successful Strictly Business 2 seminars. She is paid a part-time salary for what has become a full-time job, and she does it with grace, efficiency and intelligence. She is a model staff person for ASMP.

How About the Authors Coalition Funds?

Upon the unexpected receipt of $1.3 from the Authors Coalition in December of 2007, ASMP reached out to the leadership of the Authors Coalition and various coalition members to determine exactly how these funds could be spent. In January, we confirmed that these funds may be used only for advocacy and education efforts that benefit the industry.

They cannot be used for ASMP overhead and, thus, did not diminish the need for a dues increase. In hindsight, it would have been better for ASMP to have publicized the receipt of the $1.3 million sooner. This was a lesson learned, and since the receipt of the $1.3 million, ASMP has consistently issued either a press release or member communication promptly upon receipt of any distributions from the ACA. ASMP also provides information periodically regarding the uses made of these funds.

What About IRS/Financial Issues?

Much has been made of the revision of our Form 990 tax returns, so let me be clear: There has been no inquiry from the IRS regarding our tax filings. When it was pointed out that some of the supporting detail in the informational portion of the return was incomplete, we took steps to provide complete information. The numbers as originally reported were correct and never changed or revised. There was never any intention to deceive or hide information. There was, however, a lack of sufficient oversight and steps have been taken to correct this situation. In the future, all tax returns will be circulated to the entire board of directors for review prior to filing. The forms have changed almost every year and there are significant changes to the forms this year. Our Certified Public Accountants have been familiarizing themselves with ASMP’s history as well as with the new requirements in order to advise us properly.

There has been no impropriety, no quid-pro-quo, no lining of pockets. Board members are not paid for the usual and customary work of the board. They are, each and every one, well-intended volunteers who bring their work and life experience to the board room and exercise their good judgment on behalf of ASMP. They are men and women of integrity and do not deserve the cloud of distrust created by one misguided member’s efforts.

Half-truths and Innuendos Hurt ASMP

One member has waged an obsessive campaign of half-truth and innuendo that has siphoned financial and human resources from the Society. He has managed to plant the seeds of distrust in a membership put upon by the economy and changes in the marketplace, and has damaged the reputation of the Society. And, he has done all this with total impunity. He is accountable to no one and epitomizes the essence of “yellow journalism” defined in part by Wikipedia as, “It may feature exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, sensationalism, or unprofessional practices…”

This one member is once again trying to bring a referendum to the membership after previously being defeated by the membership on the same question. He invites signatories to the referendum to be listed as “declarants” as part of the Opposing Points of View process even though he knows it is not within the ASMP By-laws to do so. He then goes on to criticize the board and staff for not allowing him to violate the constitution. This one member has consumed countless hours of staff and board time with his deceitful accusations. He is trying to pull ASMP into the past, back to the most contentious days of the Society.

There has to be room for disagreement within ASMP, but it must be done from a position of honesty and integrity, not innuendo and half-truth. It is up to you the members to evaluate the information in front of you and make good decisions regarding your membership and the future of ASMP. Don’t let one member with skewed and erroneous information make the decision for you. Talk to your chapter leaders and national officers. Talk to me and the staff to learn all the facts. Be informed, not deceived.

The ASMP of today has grown, matured and is rapidly evolving into a world-class organization. I am proud to represent ASMP and want to thank those of you who have been kind enough to send messages of support. ASMP succeeds when our members are successful, and we will continue to work hard to provide the resources our members need in this challenging environment.

Very truly yours,

Eugene Mopsik
Executive Director, ASMP