The Board of Directors (BOD) met in San Francisco on Nov 19-20. Due to scheduling constraints, board members arrived prepared for two long and jam-packed days. Reminder that agenda and supporting materials are available on clubhouse in advance of each meeting. It was mostly work , with only a little play. We met with our colleagues on The Sierra Club Foundation Board for a brief joint session and then greeted some Bay Area friends of the Club for dinner. Carl Pope spoke about the Club's effort to address climate change with a positive impact on our economy. This waslikely Carl's final address to both boards as Executive Director.
Executive Director Search Update
The Board of Directors interviewed three candidates with strong qualifications. We are moving forward with additional due diligence and reference checks. Interviews went well - board members engaged in robust dialogue and deliberation. The search is open until a new ED is hired - the search firm has been instructed to continue to receive and follow up with interested applicants. We hope to make a decision by end of year or early in 2010.
2010 Budget Approved - Chapter Funding Changes and LeConte Lodge
A primary focus of the November Board meeting is adoption of a budget for the upcoming year, which is the culmination of several months of work by many club leaders - staff and volunteers. Derivation of the 2010 Budget that was approved was every bit as difficult as anticipated. The biggest change to accommodate was the shift to an increasing proportion of restricted revenue streams, as we have been discussing throughout the year. Two areas I want to specifically touch on are chapter funding and LeConte Lodge.
Funding for chapters comes from a variety of sources - membership revenue, bequests sharing, life member dues allocation, the field recruitment inceptive program, and the state lobby program. We have previously addressed why the chapter allocation from membership is reduced next year and how the allocation formula has been changed. The 2010 budget includes restoration of the chapter share of the c(4) bequest pool. Additionally, the BOD has approved "bridge" funds to soften the allocation reduction for chapters. A memo summarizing chapter funding support in 2010 is posted on clubhouse (12-1-09: Chapter-Affecting Memo), along with details for the new chapter funding allocation (Worksheet A), chapter bequest revenue sharing (Worksheet B), and chapter bridge funds (Worksheet C).
The 2010 budget includes funding for the LeConte Memorial Lodge Program. The BOD also passed a resolution to set a $50,000 fundraising target for LeConte. Board members will be looking for volunteers to lead this fundraising charge, from among the 130+ club leaders who expressed strong support for the LeConte Lodge; many of whom also made funding pledges. Thank you for speaking up!
Apprenticeship Program
A defininte bright spot in an otherwise densely packed agenda was a brief Q-and-A session with the second class of Sierra Club Apprentices.
Clockwise, starting from the front left position: Alda Chan, Kesaaraa Wijeyewickrema, Lisa Fouladbash, Jeff Speir, Debbie Chong, and Justin Guay.
