Recent elected leadership and the new executive director have already done the heavy lifting toward a leaner SND. They've made hard choices by reducing staffing and cutting fixed costs of office space and other overhead. They've streamlined expenses and kick-started new ways of generating revenue. They've done a great job, especially given the circumstances.

They're on the right track.

But SND needs to build on that momentum, by offering even more creative solutions to cut expenditures without damaging the value to the members.

Some possibles: Insist that all programs hold to a cost-effective standard. Dig for new revenue streams, or use technology to cut the cost of old standards (offering an e-edition of Design magazine or the Best Of book would cut handling and printing while improving the content). Put an even sharper pencil to managing the major events (a fixed location for the conference; use pdf/jpgs rather than tearsheets for the print contest).

Clearly, I haven't explored the ramifications of all of these ideas in detail. In truth some may be non-starters, while others may be ideas that have already been dismissed for cause. But ideas along these lines should be put on the table as possibilities.