In the two weeks since we launched the CoCo, players have clamored for information about just about every aspect of the organization, and that’s a good thing. The enthusiasm and interest have blown us away. We want to do this right, from the very start, and that means thinking hard, thinking ahead, experimenting, and soliciting other views before we charge forward or make significant decisions. It takes time and thought to build an organization and we're building the foundational components as quickly as we can. We have been tracking your comments and are working hard to catalog and respond to them in an organized way, all while working on other aspects of the CoCo that will be crucial to its success.

Here’s a sample of what we’ve been doing in key areas in the past two weeks (in addition to our day jobs): 

• Technology: Developing the programming code for the CoCo’s new rating system. Exploring options for pairing systems. Identifying potential CoCo programmers and building out the technology infrastructure for our forthcoming tournament results page.

• Fundraising: Personally thanking the supportive players who have donated to the CoCo. Thinking through membership fees. Building a Finance page to provide transparency into the organization’s finances and tournament budgets.

• Legal: Researching options for legal incorporation. Connecting with an employment law attorney who offered to help us make sure we handle sexual harassment and discrimination complaints right. (She’s also a casual Scrabble enthusiast!)

• Communications: Adding calendar export links to the Tournament pages, in response to a player’s suggestion. Setting up CoCo social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and developing a media strategy.

• Tournaments: Responding to comments about the limited capacity of our initial six tournaments by working with our existing directors to explore larger venues and to increase capacity within current venues. To start, we have increased the capacity for the MOCO. We are also in talks with interested directors in new regions to expand our geographic reach into Canada, New York/New Jersey, and the South.

• Recruitment: Reaching out to and enthusiastically welcoming the support of inactive players who are energized by the CoCo and look forward to playing again.

And, we’ve been refining our vision for the CoCo’s leadership structure. The CoCo is a new, independent organization, and that’s exciting because it means that we are starting out with a clean slate and can build a modern organization to deliver what players want. As a democratic organization, we have plenty of ideas for what the CoCo can be and where it may go, but we don’t claim to have all the answers today - and we shouldn’t. Inclusion and the innovation that comes with casting a wide net for ideas are central to the CoCo. We can and will evolve based on feedback and the chance to tackle emerging opportunities and challenges. We have already started to do that in response to comments about the website and our tournament list.

All that being said, we do have a vision for the CoCo’s leadership structure. To best serve the current needs of our community, we envision a structure consisting of five teams that advance these strategic priorities: 

• Communications and marketing

• Growth, outreach, and recruitment

• Fundraising, sponsorships, and budget

• Legal accountability

• Tournaments

There will be one team dedicated to each priority, led by a team chair. The five team chairs will together comprise the CoCo’s Executive Team. In the months to come, we plan to open nominations for elected positions and the CoCo’s Executive Director. We commit to holding elections on a recurring basis at least once every two years to ensure that our elected leaders are accountable to the players, and to provide opportunities for new leaders to step up and influence our community.

In the meantime, you can learn more about the functions of each team on our new Governance page. If you would like to shape the future of tournament Scrabble by serving on or leading a CoCo team, let us know - we could really use your help!