2010 Executive Committee Retreat

leads a discussion.
photo by Paul Cooley Mike Sappingfield leads a brainstorming session on fundraising.
photo by Paul Cooley

Every year, for two days in January, the Angeles Chapter Executive Committee invites the entire Chapter membership to a retreat held in the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena.

Much of the work of this year's retreat was done by members of the Angeles Chapter Planning Committee (ACPC), a group formed last year to address some of the most urgent and persistent needs of the Chapter.

The retreat began with a report from the ACPC. Contributors to the presentation included the ACPC members (Judy Andersen, Darrell Clarke, Hersh Kelley, Mike Sappingfield, Kent Schwitkis, and Ron Silverman) as well as our Communications chair (Sandra Cattell) and our Membership Chair (Donna Specht).

We presented a vision of what the Chapter might be after successfully dealing with the issues and goals to be discussed during the retreat:

• That within 3 three years we will have achieved a sustainable economic balance while increasing our cost-effectiveness.
• We also hope to play a significant role in the national Climate Recovery Campaigns, while actively seeking better integration with the national club.
• We will initiate a movement which we hope will lead us to a more diverse future membership.
• We also expect to significantly improve our communications with members and the public and to find significant cost reductions from our current practices.

To achieve this vision, we acknowledged that we the Chapter does not exist in a vacuum, and that we are still in the process of surmounting a series of longstanding challenges, including the following:

• Reduced funding from our national club which is further complicated by the manner in which our chapter and its groups and entities manage their reserves.
• Our recognition that our membership does not mirror the youth and diversity of our two county area.
• Our dependence upon volunteers and the need to recruit them and to effectively communicate with them.
• A desire to improve our current organizational structure.
• Our need to actively maintain Angeles Chapter relationships with other parts of the club.
• Our dependence upon effective communications with our members and with the public.

After the ACPC presentation, the retreat focused on a number of interactive discussions and breakout/brainstorming sessions. Topics included fundraising, conservation, membership, shared values and asset management.

ACPC members led retreat participants in the discussions. At this time, the ACPC is reviewing the results of all that brainstorming. Once the committee's analysis is complete, look forward to reading the results of what your fellow Chapter members came up with to help the Chapter achieve the vision presented at the retreat.