Membership Meeting & Changes at SELP
Membership Meeting Report
SELP's Annual Membership Meeting was held on November 22 as part of our 2008 conference. The following business was addressed:
- Mark Trechock, Elise Jones and Adam Snyder were each confirmed for another term on our board of directors. Debbie Parker was welcomed on as a new board member to finish out the term vacated by Lana Pollack. Thank you all for your service and dedication to the organization.
- The bylaws were ammended to allow the board to increase from 15 members to 19 members.
- A revised budget was approved for 2009. Revisions focused on eliminating all unnecessary expenses in order to protect staff positions.
Changes at SELP
Despite the efforts to avoid cuts, we regret to announce that we have had to lay off one staff member. Kim Lasdon, our Office Manager, will be leaving SELP as of February 1. We're sorry to see her go and wish her the best. |
More than Muddling Through: Getting Through Tough Times Strategically
 We could all use a little help sometimes. If that sometimes is now for you, know that you are not alone. Your fundraising struggles, your stress headaches, your sleepless nights spent worrying about the future of your organization or staff have all been lived through by others. The bad news is that many of us have been there. The good news is that... many of us have been there. Which means we can provide the support and resources you need now to get your organization through these difficult times today and set your organization up for success tomorrow.
If your organization could use a little help, below are a few resources we recommend.
Getting Through Tough Times Strategically Conference Call
Monday, February 23 (3 pm EST, 2pm CST, 1pm MST, Noon PST, 10am HAST) The first in a series of calls to provide guidance in managing in tough times, this conference call will be led by SELP Director Bill Davis with input from other seasoned leaders and experts. This initial call will cover topics such as the best financial tools to use for your organization right now, how to talk to and manage your staff in tough times and the best ways to communicate with others about your organization's situation. Your questions and input are encouraged. To sign up for the call, contact Melissa Gavin at mgavin@selp.org or (608) 268-1440, ext. 13.
The Strength Of The Network
An SELP conference attendee once commented that the other Executive Directors in the room knew more about her than her own family in some ways. Being an Executive Director can be an isolating job, but internalizing the stress and not knowing where to turn for help can be a detriment to both you and your organization. SELP's network of seasoned leaders is here for you and your organization. The SELP list-serve allows you to post questions and link up with others who are facing similar issues. Tap into this communal wealth of knowledge by using the list-serve, free for our members. For help connecting with other members, or if you would like to use the list-serve but do not currently have access, contact Michelle Watkins at mwatkins@selp.org or (608) 268-1440, ext. 14.
Peer to Peer Mentoring
Need help creating a contingency budget? Figuring out how to manage your 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 finances? How to conduct a meeting with a potential major donor? One of our most popular programs, SELP's peer to peer mentoring program matches SELP member groups with senior staff at other SELP member groups to facilitate learning in one of the most effective ways- from each other. Whether you need help with fundraising, personnel management, board management, technology, financial management or more, SELP can match you with seasoned leaders and experts from other organizations to answer your questions, help you learn new and better approaches to old problems and increase your effectiveness. Best of all, this program comes at little or no cost to you. For more information about SELP's peer to peer mentoring program, contact Michelle Watkins at mwatkins@selp.org or (608) 268-1440, ext. 14.
SELP Healthy Organization Initiative
The Healthy Organization Initiative can help make a shrinking pool of resources stretch even further while helping to ensure the long-term success of your organization. Our organizational assessment can help organizations ensure they are doing all they can to be strong, sustainable and effective. This organizational assessment consists of a thorough document review, an onsite interview with staff and a final written report that details our assessment, suggestions and recommended resources. The assessment examines: Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, Mission and Vision, Planning, Personnel Policies, Internal Communication, Financial Management and Board Stewardship. This program is offered at free or reduced to cost to SELP members. For more information on this program contact Melissa Gavin at mgavin@selp.org or (608) 268-1440, ext. 13.
Managing in Hard Times
This free publication from the Institute for Conservation Leadership and the Environmental Support Center brings together wisdom from other leaders and senior staff of advocacy organizations as well as independent consultants to provide timely and practical advice on getting through tough times. With advice on how to assess your financial situation, exploring your options, creating and following good decision making processes, and managing yourself, this publication can help you navigate through rough waters. The publication also includes helpful materials and worksheets as well as a list of sources for more information. Download it free at: http://www.icl.org/toolkits/hard-times.php
In-House Expertise
Our staff can provide the guidance you need on personnel management, financial management, strategic planning, board management and more. Contact Bill Davis at bdavis@selp.org or (608) 268-1440, ext 17.
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SELP Conference
SELP's 2008 conference in Pacific Grove California kicked off with a review of the 2008 elections and from there touched on topics as diverse as fundraising, workplanning, communications, water quantity issues, engaging youth, and many others. Participants reported gathering concrete ideas to take back to their organizations, as well as building valuable relationships with other attendees.
"I said I would, I came back motivated, I got the staff on board [with fundraising ideas]....So we really, really, really are off and doing this! Stay tuned to see if we keep this up but we are already $5k better off than we were on Saturday at the conference."
-Dru Schmidt-Perkins, 1000 Friends of Maryland
"We're in the middle of an ambitious strategic planning process at present and have begun incorporating many of the ideas I picked up at this year's conference. Particularly the information on websites, constitutent communications, and fundraising from major donors."
-Rob Moore, Environmental Advocates of New York
Confe  rence 2009
Save the date for our 2009 conference, November 11-15 at the National Training and Conservation Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Watch for a survey soliciting your input on topics for the '09 conference to arrive in your e-mailboxes shortly. Your feedback helps us ensure the
conference is relevant to your needs.
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Spotlight on SELP's Healthy Organization Initiative
The Healthy Organization Initiative, outlined above in the "Getting Through Tough Times Strategically" article, was the subject of follow-up discussions with a number of people whose organizations recently undertook the process.
Suki Molina, Deputy Director of the Idaho Conservation League, admitted to dreading what she feared would be a tedious process, "but Bill [Davis] had done a good amount of homework, so we could focus in on the areas that needed it. The stuff we have to work on, we have a really good reason for. And we also now have some prototype language for potentially how to do it."
The Conservation Council of North Carolina also recently went through the organizational audit. According to CCNC's Executive Director, Carrie Clark, "having an outside person look at the nitty gritty is just really helpful in terms of recommendations for how you can clean things up...and to make sure you're not doing anything overtly illegal." Carrie also noted the importance of the follow up support and of "getting a big chunk of help on how to make those things better."
In Suki's words, "it's a totally needed service whether you're 2 year old or 35 years old. Having been around all these years it seems like we should have it all wired, but you never have it all wired."
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Grasstops and Power Mapping Trainings Available
SELP helps our members build power because powerful organizations accomplish more. They are more capable of achieving policy goals, strengthening their member base, and increasing their fundraising. Through grasstops development and power mapping SELP can help your organization accomplish bigger wins for the environment.
What is grasstops development?
Grasstops are influential people who your organization can count on to weigh in on important environmental issues. SELP's grasstops program helps organizations build a systematic, sustainable, and strategic grasstops network. By consistently growing its grasstops base in these ways, an organization builds its power.
What is power mapping?
Power mapping is a strategic exercise aimed at a particular campaign. By assessing how much power an organization has and where that power comes from, it allows the organization to more strategically plan a campaign.
SELP offers trainings to member groups on both grasstops development and power mapping. Through these programs your organization will:
- Be better able to prioritize programmatic and power building goals
- Learn how to create more targeted, effective campaigns
- Increase fundraising potential
- Learn how to more efficiently use time and financial resources
- End each campaign stronger, regardless of winning or losing
- Be better poised to cope with economic or programmatic challenges
From Traci Sheehan Van Thull, Planning and Conservation League, whose organization recently went through SELP's power mapping training: "This is the best tool we could have right now to really drill down and to win the votes we need to win. We now have an in-depth campaign plan that focuses on 3 target districts. It also trained a new leadership team on how to implement this program in all future campaigns. Hilary was the impetus and the know-how that we needed to switch our way of doing business and get a winning plan."
If you're interested in learning more about how this training could benefit your group, the cost of the training, or have any other questions, contact Hilary Carroll at hcarroll@selp.org or 608-268-1440.
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Federal Budget Project Update
As SELP's Federal Budget program enters its 5th year, the eight participating organizations are encountering many new opportunities and challenges. The federal stimulus package that congress is working on includes funding for a long list of environmental projects such as upgrading public transit, updating water treatment facilities, making buildings more energy efficient, and much more. However, Congress is likely to give money to states without much direction on how exactly to spend it. SELP member groups are preparing to weigh in at a state level on how to spend federal dollars in a way that will both stimulate the economy and positively impact the environment.
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