I want to invite you all to an “Open House” conference call on Monday, where I will share some updates from this weekend’s board of directors meeting and introduce several of our newly elected directors.
The call is at 5 pm Pacific, 6 Mountain, 7 Central, and 8 Eastern. Call 866-501-6174 — 1892-005#. RSVP..
Congratulations to New Directors
Jonathan Ela of Madison, Wisc., Jessica Helm of Rocky Point, N.Y., Rob Wilder of San Diego, Calif., and Aaron Mair of Schenectady, N.Y. were elected to the Club board of directors in April, and incumbent Larry Fahn, of Mill Valley, Calif., was re-elected.
On Monday, we'll give the beginning of the call to new directors to introduce themselves.
Board Updates on Diversity Initiative and Chapter Fundraising
I'm writing this before the meeting, so I can't give a full report, but two of the important items we'll be addressing this weekend are next steps to implement the Club's Diversity Initiative and taking stock of recent work to facilitate and support chapter fundraising.
An important element in the plan for building inclusion and a diverse Club community is providing the necessary training and support to chapters to undertake this important but challenging work. The Diversity Steering Committee has been leading this process and will be launching the Pilot Diversity 101 Training in June.
Meanwhile the Advancement Department has been working to provide tools and support for chapters to seek grant funding, while fundraising trainings by the Chapter Fundraising Support Team have offered tips and tools for cultivating stronger funding support from individual donors. We will hear how well these efforts are beginning to bear fruit and consider ways to build on that progress.
More details about those items on Monday and in the next Power to Change.
Green Sneakers in Maine
I also want to take the opportunity on Monday to highlight the recent success of the Maine Chapter's Green Sneakers project. Their local public education and outreach promoting home energy efficiency was the catalyst for the first efficiency loan issued under Maine's new PACE program. I have invited one of the lead volunteers in green sneakers to join us and share some details.
Hope to "see" you on Monday!
—Robin Mann
P.S. I was recently in Louisiana commemorating the one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill and I learned about how residential curbside recycling had returned to New Orleans citizens. The program had been closed since Katrina, but Club Environmental Justice organizer Darryl Malek-Wiley and local Club leaders led a concerted grassroots effort to make it a big issue in last year's mayoral and city council elections. Read more here.
