Signatories of Letters to Members

What does it say to your members if the senior staff executive (CEO, President or Executive Director) signs all the letters, but refers recipients to other staff members for follow-up or questions?  To make matters worse, perhaps that signatory is also generally inaccessible to the average member who phones or e-mails with questions.  Finally, does he or she know enough about the matter addressed in the letter to resolve it with the member?

A good rule of thumb for determining who should sign the letter is to look at who will respond to member inquiries about the contents of the letter.

Finally, your members will find the organization to be more accessible if they can have direct contact with the individuals that communicate with them.

FINAL NOTE: Don't lose sight of the fact that the senior executive will still need to sign some letters, but should perhaps be more accessible to members than they are currently.