It is time for OhioSMART’s Annual Board Elections! Elections will be held on 1/18/2025, during our January Third Saturday event. At this time, we are soliciting volunteers to run for the OhioSMART Board.

As a member, you can run for an at large position, an officer position, or both. To run you must be in good standing at least 90 days prior to the January 18, 2025 event. Officers include the President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Along with the two at-large board members, these officers comprise the OhioSMART Board.

If you are interested in applying, please email info@ohiosmart.org and ask for an application.

The application process consists of a few open ended questions about your relevant experience and the energy you hope to bring to OhioSMART. Once you have applied,

the answers to those questions will be made public on Fetlife and our website so individuals are able to access the information and make decisions on who they wish to vote for. All answers are due by midnight on 01/03/2024 so that they can be made public on 01/04/2024.

Please note: Board Members are volunteers. All Board Members are required to be at multiple OhioSMART events which can include: First Friday, Third Saturday, OhioSMART Ties, Special Interest Group Events (Gamers, Queers, etc.), and OhioSMART Members Only Parties. Additionally, Board Members are required to attend board meetings once a month. As a Board Member, you will be asked to work a couple of hours for each party in some capacity. This can include: setting up, running register, resolving issues, working with presenters, etc.

When individuals have expressed interest, the OhioSMART Board Members have also appointed Board Alternates, which serve as individuals who are trained in some capacity on Board related duties, but are unable to fulfill a full Board Member role at this time. If you are interested in a Board Alternate role, please email into info@ohiosmart.org for the application.

At this time, we will have one or more openings on the OhioSMART Board and we are actively seeking applications. If you love OhioSMART and have time relevant skills in party planning, account, writing, PR, etc. we would love to see you run!

As a reminder, voting will take place on January 18, 2025 during our Third Saturday event. All members are allowed to attend and vote, however; all non-members are not able to enter the event until voting has completed. The party is free for those members who come to vote.

Each year at Fetish Flea, OhioSMART holds a raffle basket donation and drawing for its Coalition Partner, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF). This year we are starting the call for donations and the hype early! The NCSF will be tabling for Fetish Flea and we are very excited to have them!

If you would like to meet a rep in person on November 16, don’t forget to save the weekend dates!

Don’t know what the NCSF is? Check out the details below:

The NCSF’s mission states:

The NCSF is committed to creating a political, legal and social environment in the US that advances equal rights for consenting adults who engage in alternative sexual and relationship expressions. The NCSF aims to advance the rights of, and advocate for consenting adults in the BDSM-Leather-Fetish, Swing, and Polyamory Communities. We pursue our vision through direct services, education, advocacy, and outreach, in conjunction with our partners, to directly benefit these communities.

Want to learn more about the NCSF, you can find all their information here.
Want to friend the NCSF on Fetlife for updates? You can find their Fetlife profile here.

What does it mean for OhioSMART to be a Coalition Partner?

As a Coalition Partner, OhioSMART works with the NCSF to provide strategic and policy planning, set general goals for the Board to follow and implement. We also attend the Annual Meeting and quarterly Town Hall Meeting to discuss issues impacting us currently. In turn, they provide us with resources and guidance on how to best navigate political, legal, and social items as they come up.

Call for Donations, Raffle Items:

Each year, OhioSMART offers you the chance to win raffle baskets during Fetish Flea as a fundraiser to benefit the NCSF. This year, we are collecting donations at each play party until October 20. Theme baskets and items in the past have included: Coffee Baskets (coffee gift cards, tumblers, local coffee/teas), Aftercare Baskets (stuffies, blanket, handmade soaps, chocolate), Toy Baskets (handmade floggers, blindfolds, paddles).

General Information:

Yes, Cash and Card are accepted!
Ticket Prices:
$1 for 1
$5 for 6
$20 for a Chest Wrap or Root to Boot

Your next steps:

• Mark your calendar for the 2024 Fetish Flea Market weekend (November 15 - November 17)
• Bring your donation items to any of our upcoming play parties
• Save up some funds to help support a great organization

This thread contains the questions asked of the candidates, their responses, and the voting section of our by-laws.

Each applicant answered the following questions:

1. Are you interested in running for an Officer position, an At Large Board Member Position, or both/either?
2. List your history in the BDSM Community, including participation/leadership in special interest groups, volunteering experience, etc. Be sure to note any current BDSM leadership positions held.
3. List any other experience you have with non-profit organizations.
4. List any other leadership experience, in any setting.
5. List the top three areas you would like to devote your time and energy to in order to improve OhioSMART.
6. What specific goals do you have for your time in OhioSMART leadership?

NymphBella or just Bella

1. Officer Position
2. I have been in the BDSM scene since 2015. I began volunteering early on for large events like KDM and fetish flea, and eventually took over the TNG sig in 2019. During the pandemic I was approached to join the board, as a board member was leaving and have served as a board member since then and currently am the Chair.
3. N/A
4. In my day to day job I am in charge of direct management of staff and daily planning. I ran the Smart TNG group for SMART and have been on this board for a few years as well.
5. This year I would really like to focus on consent based safety initiatives in the space/bringing back consent liasons, new ideas for volunteer incentives/volunteer coordination, and community engagement ideas with our SIG groups.
6. I would like to spend my last year on the board helping create lasting protocols to keep SMART the consent based ecducational space it is but also finding new ways to bring in lasting educational opportunities for our membership to grow in their journeys. I would also like to bring back consent liasons and work through our consent policies to make them more thorough and also open and accesible to the community and those with concerns that need to be addressed.

Stahr

1. Officer position
2. I've been an OhioSMART member for approximately 9 years, and if elected, this will be my third calendar year serving this organization. Prior to my appointment to the board, I volunteered regularly at the space, and ran the kitchen for several years for the Flea.
3. I have volunteer experience in special interest committee for a professional organization I belong to, and a many hours of science and women's health outreach volunteering experience under my belt.
4. In my professional life, I have been a long-term executive chef, a chef de cuisine, a team lead, lab coordinator, and manager. I have managed teams of up to 15 individuals.
5. I think the next big frontier for OhioSMART is focusing on growth, so the thre areas I am interested in working on this year are:

• Expanding membership, including increasing accessibility and inclusivity.
• Continuing the trend of innovative education for the membership.
• Increassing the number of events to keep the community involved.

1. Using the three objectives above, my main goal during my tenure would be to continue to help provide the local community with a safe and welcoming place to learn and grow.

Korvin

1. Officer position
2. I have been attending BDSM events for over 10 years. I have primarily attended OhioSMART but have also attended larger events such as Winter Wickedness, Southeast Leather Fest, Power Exchange Summit, and more. I have been on the board for SMART in 2022 as well as a prior year of which I don't quite recall. I served in an At Large position both times. I am also the coleader of the SMART Queers SIG
3. I have been on the board of directors for OhioSMART
4. I was part of a planning committee that developed a large first-year event which continued for at least the following 2 years which I also helped to plan. I have been both an assistant instructor and full Black Belt instructor at a martial arts school in which I was in charge of leading classes for a variety of ages and skill levels. I have been on the OhioSMART board of directors twice prior.
5. • I would like to see party attendance grow

• I would like to do more community outreach.
• I would like to help minimize volunteer/board burn-out"

1. I would like to help our organization continue to grow and develop. I want it to continue to be a safe place where people can have fun, feel safe, learn new things, and feel welcome.

ServiceElevator

1. At-Large position

2. So far, I've only ever volunteered and been an attendee at kink events.

3. Much of my research work was done in partnership with for profit orgs and non-profits, whose mission statements include a focus on community building, education, and sex positive expression at any age.

4. Many of the things I do have experience in supervising, expense report/book keeping, leadership skills but much of that work was done in for profit academia or corperate without any title or prestige attached to it.

5. I notice a ton of folks come to hangout, which is nice. Community and connection is so important. However, folks are paying to come and play or learn at the space. There's a ton of factors that stop folks from playing together. However, I think the biggest barriers fear of rejection and not knowing the socially appropriate 'rules' of negotiating with folks you know or have watched before but aren't in a dynamic with.

• Participation and engagement at events;
• Potentially the TNG group as I was told that needs more help there;
• expanding the courses taught and networking for guest speakers.

Kare

1. Both/Either
2. I started at OhioSMART in 2018. Throughout that time, I volunteered as a PSM, at Fetish Flea, and assisted in opening and closing at the old dungeon. Prior to COVID-19 I assisted in a Board Alternate role and came back in 2022 as the Munch Coordinator after the position became vacant. During this past year I have assisted OhioSMART with their marketing, planning for Fetish Flea, and taught two educational classes at the new space. Outside of OhioSMART, I attend Dark Odyssey Summer Camp (2021 – 2023) and Fusion (2023) events. When attending, I stay with a group called The Compound and remain socially engaged with the group throughout the year. When at camp, I tend to act as a runner for supplies and generally volunteer when my skills and time align with group need. Finally, when individuals from other orgs need a hand and reach out, I will work with them on mini projects. For example, I just completed a small marketing insert for Titans of the Midwest.
3. I have professionally worked with and in nonprofits for over 14+ years. In addition, I have a Masters in Nonprofit Administration with an emphasis on a Leadership in Nonprofits. I have planned events for over 2,000+ individuals and delt in annual budgets over $100,000+ in my roles. As far as staff and vendors, I have led staffs of over 30+ and have vetted vendors from start to completion in all my roles post grad school. I have experience handling professional debit/credit cards and with reconciling budget lines with accounting. Finally, I have volunteering for nonprofits in some capacity since high school. Outside of kink, I currently am volunteering with Flaming River Con (which I hope you all came to the recent Panel OhioSMART hosted with them!).
4. At work the sole administrator of several systems, so I lead multiple projects on those systems throughout our company. As a project lead, I am often heading up multiple plans in other departments that involve the system I work in (In addition to my own system projects). In my previous field, I was a mentor to younger professionals in the field and sat on a nonprofit leadership council in a strategic role which was responsible for a membership of over 6,000 individuals.
5. Disclaimer: These areas are not listed in order of importance, but just listed.
   My first area would be outreach and education. I would really like to get OhioSMART back out to presenting at local CONS. Prior to COVID-19, we were presenting at Flaming River Con, Con on the Cob, etc. and I would like to see OhioSMART get back to that.
   My second area would be education. I would like to see presenters coming in with a diverse range of topics from all over that are interesting to our membership.
   My third area would be garnering feedback from membership. I think there are a wide range of topics which need to be readdressed and reassessed in the new space: educational opportunities, accessibility, volunteering, SIGS, etc. But we can’t do that without membership feedback. "
6. Specific goals which align with the areas mentioned above, if you have additional questions, please ask, I can get more in depth: Have a specific feedback form for individuals to fill out to garner feedback on topics pertaining to OhioSMART, then have an Open House to address, assess and vote on possible outcomes from feedback. Get us back to hosting panels on consent and basic BDSM principles at Cons, starting with Cleveland Concoction in March (if we are accepted). Outline classes for the year, starting in earlier and months in advance to help us pinpoint who can come and teach to budget and get presenters in on time.

Vexation_

1.Both/Either
2. Current at-large board member of Ohio SMART
3. Treasurer of CLE local body of OTO (fraternal org) for 9+ years, facilitator of Our Proud & Pagan SIG at CLE LGBT Center
4. -
5. Business operations, POS workflow, Outreach through adjacent groups
6. Keep this bird flying

Each Active, Founding and Emeritus Member shall have one vote in the election of the Board of Directors. Such votes may be conducted during the annual meeting of the membership as permitted by resolution of the Board of Directors.

No member may vote whose annual membership dues are unpaid. Membership must be current as of the Monday of the week voting occurs.

All members in attendance will first have an opportunity to ask questions of any of the candidates on the ballot, though members are encouraged to ask questions via the online forums ahead of the meeting time.

Members will first receive a ballot to elect up to 3 individuals from the Officer ballot. If someone attempts to elect more than 3 individuals, that ballot will be invalid and not counted in the final results.

Once the Officers are announced, voting will then commence for the At-Large ballot. If a candidate is listed on both the Officer and At-Large ballot, but is elected on the Officer ballot, they are no longer eligible for an At-Large position. Members may vote for up to 2 individuals on the At-Large ballot. If someone attempts to elect more than 2 individuals, that ballot will be invalid and not counted in the final results.

Post questions to the candidates below, reach out to us on FetLife or email at info@ohiosmart.org for questions about the meeting itself, and we hope to see you on Saturday, 1/20/24!

It is time for OhioSMART’s Annual Board Elections!

Elections will be held on 1/20/2024, during our January Third Saturday event**. At this time, we are soliciting volunteers to run for the OhioSMART Board.

As a member, you can run for an at large position, an officer position, or both. To run you must be in good standing at least 90 days prior to the January 20, 2024 event.

If you are interested in applying, please email info@ohiosmart.org and ask for an application.

The application process consists of a few open ended questions about your relevant experience and the energy you hope to bring to OhioSMART. Once you have applied, the answers to those questions will be made public on Fetlife so individuals are able to access the information and make decisions on who they wish to vote for. All answers are due by midnight on 01/05/2024 so that they can be made public on 01/06/2024.

Please note: Board Members are volunteers. All Board Members are required to be at multiple OhioSMART events including: First Friday, Third Saturday, SMARTTies, and OhioSMART Members Only Parties. Additionally, Board Members are required to attend board meetings once a month. As a Board Member, you will be asked to work a couple of hours for each party in some capacity. This can include: setting up, running register, doing an odd PSM shift, resolving issues, working with presenters, etc.

Officers include the President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Along with the two at-large board members, these officers comprise the OhioSMART Board.

When individuals have expressed interest, the OhioSMART Board Members have also appointed Board Alternates, which serve as individuals who are trained in some capacity on Board related duties, but are unable to fulfill a full Board Member role at this time. If you are interested in a Board Alternate role, please email into info@ohiosmart.org and someone will take down your name and information.

At this time, we will have one or more openings on the OhioSMART Board and we are actively seeking applications. If you love OhioSMART and have time relevant skills in party planning, account, writing, PR, etc. we would love to see you run!

**As a reminder, voting will take place on January 20, 2024 during our Third Saturday event. All members are allowed to attend and vote, however; all non-members are not able to enter the event until voting has completed.

We are excited to have @haifisch- and @KaRe_B teaching October's class on Monster play! You don't want to miss this one!

Dreaming of Dracula? Tantalized by tentacles? Wanton for werewolves? Then this class is for you!  we dive into all things Monster Play!

At the end, we have carved out a class show and tell portion. Feel free to bring all your favorite play items to show off and talk about - we can't wait to see them!

@haifisch- (she/her) is a Cincinnati-based submissive and ropeslut. she has been active in the scene for over 5 years and loves to soak up knowledge offered by others while giving back to the community. As a fat, queer woman practicing consensual non monogamy, she strives to create inclusive spaces and promotes active unlearning of societal standards of beauty and sexuality. she was awarded the inaugural Cincinnati Critter Title in 2022 and World Pet in 2023. her professional background is in bioethics, gender affirming care, and HIV care and prevention. This unicorn believes in the power of laughter and experiences the most joy when pursuing absurdity through kink.

@KaRe_B (they/them) is a Cleveland-based agender switch and wax enthusiast. They have been active in the Cleveland scene for over 6 years and have been bopping around to regional events for the past 4. Kare enjoys creating inclusive spaces for kinksters over food and drink as OhioSMART's Volunteer Munch Coordinator. Their passions include: accessibility in kink and mutual aid within general Cleveland community. Much like their co-presenter, Kare loves pursuing laughter and experience through wild and imaginative scenes.

You can register and pre-pay right here - https://ohiosmart.org/event-5400005

Hello folks

We do not normally comment on political things, but this one affects us and it affects you. As you most likely are very aware of, the Supreme Court has struck down Roe v Wade. We write this because this has the potential to affect us and our membership rather directly. We are not telling you what to do or how to feel. This announcement is to warn what could happen next, and what steps we might have to take.

Abortion is not directly an issue of OhioSMART. However Roe v Wade was a foundational decision that is directly cited as precedent in a number of other decisions. Fundamental in Roe v Wade is that it enshrined an implied right to privacy, which informed many later cases. This overturn could affect a number of rights including:

Buying and owning contraceptives (Griswold v Connecticut, Eisenstadt v Baird)
Interracial Marriage (Loving v Virginia)
BDSM, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, generally referred to as "sodomy" (Lawrence v Texas)
Gay Marriage (Obergefell v Hodges)

The things that we do in this community, both with parties and with education, are absolutely at risk now. BDSM in general has always existed in a sort of legally grey space - the court has held repeatedly that you do not have a protected right to BDSM most recently in 2016 (Doe v Rector & Visitors of George Mason University). There's a whole history of court cases that deal with a variety of situations, but most of it isn't entirely applicable to what we do at SMART.

So at this point we on the board have to consider certain possibilities. If what we do becomes illegal. If we can no longer rent a space. If we have to disallow certain activities. All of this is, of course, subject to the interests of local and state law enforcement. It just takes one city or county making a law, or our state making a law. Or it might just be a matter if the law enforcement agencies in our city decide to focus on groups like ours. We cannot afford to just assume that these things cannot happen to us - we must be prepared.

We are a community largely of marginalized people. This decision has no doubt affected a lot of our members personally, and we don't want to add on to your stress. Instead we want to show you that we are aware of what this means. We are monitoring it. We will do everything within our power to keep going, we will adjust things if we have to. We will communicate these things to our members as we do, usually via our home website and through email.

We don't know exactly what the future holds, but we are preparing for worst case scenarios. And we will fight however we can. We know that this organization has existed for 27 years - prior to Lawrence v Texas, and we have changed a lot over those years. We have a certain level of adaptability, so there is nothing imminent here. But we have discussed certain failsafes - some of which we cannot discuss in writing.

This is a big deal to us for a variety of reasons. We preach consent a lot in our space and part of good consent is that it be informed. You are taking a risk engaging in kink here, elsewhere, and even in the privacy of your own home. We would not be doing our job if we weren't keeping you informed of that risk, and telling you what you're consenting to by attending our events. We hope you keep coming, and we hope that the community we build will someday help rebuild the rights we all deserve to have.

Hello all,

As we all know, COVID cases have been off the charts due to Omicron. Not only have folks been unable to attend parties due to safety, the grief and burnout isn't helping. While we don't feel the need to close completely, we will be condensing our schedule.

The schedule for the next few months is as follows:

> January 2022: will go on as usual with 1/15 Third Saturday and 1/29 Fifth Saturday Members Only w/Annual Meeting

> February 2022: 2/6 SMART Ties and 2/19 Third Saturday

> March 2022: 3/19 Third Saturday

> April 2022: Re-assess, potentially going back to normal schedule.

We understand this will disappoint some folks. To make up for it, we are working on a project that will hopefully make these remaining Third Saturday parties better and more engaging for everyone, especially beginners. Think of it as quality over quantity!

While we have your attention: don’t forget our 1/29 January Members Only Party will be our Annual Meeting where we will vote in a new Board of Directors and make some important policy changes.

Applications for board candidacy are open again, due 1/22 -- you can read more about what's required and submit your application here: www.ohiosmart.org/2021-board-elections

Your membership must be up to date by 1/24 to attend January Members Only. Membership expiration was frozen while we were closed, so if you aren't sure of your membership status, you can email info@ohiosmart.org and we can help.

We will try to keep the Meeting portion as short as possible so everyone can get to playing. As a reminder, those present will be considered quorum and the decisions made can be contested via e-mail. If 10% of membership contests, it sparks another meeting.

Thank you so much for your support during these stressful times. We hope to see you soon!

OhioSMART Board of Directors

Hello all,

January 29, 2022 is a Fifth Saturday and thus a Members Only event. We will be taking a half hour from the beginning of the party to hold our Annual Meeting make-up date where members in good standing vote on policy changes and on the 2022 OhioSMART volunteer Board of Directors.

A full announcement is on FetLife as well as in the inboxes of all members as of 12/30/2021. If you are reading this having become a member after this time, send an email to info@ohiosmart.org and we can send it to you as well.

As a reminder, your membership must be up-to-date no later than 1/24/22 to participate!

See you there!

OhioSMART Board of Directors

After much consideration, OhioSMART has revamped our volunteer program!

Our new volunteer reward system is as follows: every four (4) full PSM shifts you work earns you free admission to a First Friday or Third Saturday play party. 

The rationale behind this change: the Board as well as SIG leaders get free admission to events that they host. A play party is usually four hours (9pm-1am). Therefore if you as a member volunteer for OhioSMART for the length of a party you get into the next one free!

Furthermore, all those that attend an OhioSMART PSM Training class will earn three out of four (3/4) towards a free party! This part of the volunteer program is not new, but definitely bears repeating for interested persons.

In summary: if you attend PSM Training, and afterwards volunteer for a fulll PSM shift you earn a free party admission

ps. When you take volunteer shifts for OhioSMART, please notify board personnel and sign up on the official sign up sheets (where applicable). Without you writing it down we can’t possibly keep track of everyone and we’d really hate to not reward members for their time and effort.

Speaking of: if you have PSM’d at the new space and your name is on the PSM sheet, you are already on your way to a free party!

A big thank you to all volunteers past present and future!

See you soon,
OhioSMART Board of Directors

Friendly reminder that we will be throwing a Halloween-themed Members-Only party on FRIDAY 10/29/21. Costumes are encouraged; masks and proof of vaccination are required!

Usually, Members-only parties are the fifth Saturday in every month, but we had to move it to the Friday due to the holiday.

Your membership must be up-to-date by 11:59pm on Thursday, October 28. You can apply for membership at ohiosmart.org/join -- we fixed the form so it should work now! If you don't have a printer, we will have forms at the door as long as you've paid your dues online in advance. We won't be accepting any payment on Friday!

We've also solved the technical issues with the OhioSMART phone number and will keep a close eye on it and info@ohiosmart.org if you run into any trouble.

See you on Friday!

OhioSMART