OYO Works When You Volunteer

OYO Fans,

Nearly two years ago, the OYO Board of Directors began a new term prepared to tackle some new challenges in hope of creating greater opportunities by tweaking for relevance and adopting a six-decade-old premise, “Do not ask what OYO can do for you, but what you can do for OYO?”

On countless occasions over the past 20 months, my fellow board members have received positive feedback about the league’s organization, preparedness, program variety, park maintnenance, alignment, balance, inclusivity, communication and so much more. Perhaps, you have been one of those thoughtful individuals, and we thank you for your kind words and input.

Now, I acknowledge we have sent multiple emails throughout August about the OYO Board of Directors. Yet, please read this message to understand why your volunteerism is so important now.

THE DIFFERENCE! Do you know what makes this possible year-in, year-out for the past 50 years? It’s simple. Behind the scenes, an amazing team of volunteers work tirelessly, collaborate remarkably, rally around challenges and celebrate the joys and thrills of youth baseball and softball. This team works together to manage a youth program like a business as we define our values, listen to our customers, monitor our finances, maintain our investments, think strategically, communicate broadly and respect all our internal and external stakeholders — including you!

OYO is your youth baseball and softball program. And you may have experienced the league grow exponentially — or even been part of the 26% growth during the past five years. In that time, naturally, our league’s needs also have grown.

To better modernize and align the OYO Board of Directors with the programs, services and resources necessary to meet your expectations and keep the league affordable for all, we’ve revamped and expanded the OYO Board of Directors. We want you on our team, too!

EXPANSION MATTERS. Conceptually, this is a sound and practical expansion. However, it will not succeed without the volunteer support to carry out the vision and duties to serve every ballplayer of every level.

The 2025 elections are Tuesday, September 10 — just one week away — and we need your help!

CURRENT STATE. So often we hear about the 80/20 rule. At OYO, we would be thrilled to have 20 percent of our families volunteering in some capacity on the OYO Board. In one way, we have achieved that — overall board member retention. In another way, we’re coming up short — meeting the board expansion’s needs.

This year, the OYO Board is represented by only 2.8% of our families. While that equates to 43 board members — the largest total in more than a decade — it’s simply not enough.

So, to fully staff the expanded Board of Directors for 2025 (and beyond), we enjoy 3.3% of all families stepping up to fulfill the duties of 56 roles through an 81% retention rate of current board members and 19 new board members graciously volunteering for the first time. Yet, that’s also not enough.

FUTURE STATE. So, what do we need? We need a minimum of 4.0% of all participating families — or 60+ unique volunteers — to ensure OYO thrives and succeeds to not only meet, but exceed, your expectations. That’s just an additional 0.7% of all households to volunteer and make a difference!

More board members equate to less overall demands on each board member/position, more visibility, more ideas and more direct interaction with families. Just as our schools believe greater success can be achieved through lower child-adult ratios for our resilient youth, then so should our sports program we come to value each winter, spring, summer and fall.

YES, YOU CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION! It should not a big lift to go from 52 to 60 volunteers — but we’re at a standstill. We’ve made calls, talked to families at the park, sent personal texts and circulated individual and leaguewide emails. With nearly 1,550 families, can we find just eight volunteers to join the 2025 OYO Board of Directors? Say “yes” and be part of the 0.7% solution!

WHAT’S ARE OYO’S NEEDS? As of September 5, the four remaining positions on the 2025 OYO Board of Directors include:

ACTION! Reply to this message or email me directly to join the board.

OUR GRATITUDE! Thank you for your continued consideration and support! We appreciate your family choosing OYO as your place for baseball and softball!

With much appreciation and gratitude,
Michael DeSanto
OYO President
oyopresident1@gmail.com