The difficult work of the budget committee during
this most recent round of the budget process has brought home to the Executive
Committee and the Board of Directors the need to focus with intention on the
revenue side of our balance sheet. We’ve
made a great start this year with the successful “Puttin’ on the Ritz" Fundraiser, and the Ways and Means Committee has committed to increasing their
fundraising “nut” for next year. But,
it’s important to think beyond that.
I’m delighted to announce that Joel Spenadel has
agreed to take on the task of working with me to form a new committee, which
we’re currently calling the Development Committee. We are imagining the mission of this
committee as being two-fold. First, the
Development Committee will serve as a clearinghouse for the various fundraising
activities of the congregation. So, for
example, if three different committees all want to hold fundraising raffles
within the same two month period, Joel and his committee will be able to
facilitate communication, to avoid fatiguing our members with too many “asks”
at once, and to avoid “clumping” our fundraising efforts and thereby
diminishing their effectiveness. Second,
the Development Committee is going to take on the task of seeking out new
sources of revenue that are external to our membership. For instance, this committee will work to
develop knowledge and expertise about grants that may help fund the work of the
congregation.
We’ve never before worked in a systematic way to try
to generate streams of income outside of dues and school fees, and this will be
the project of this new Development Committee.
Along with Joel’s excellent leadership, we are fortunate that Carol
Meyer has committed to working with the Development Committee. At our first meeting last week, the committee
members worked hard both to brainstorm and to figure out how to climb the
learning curve in this new venture. This
is all brand new, and as we continue to define and refine the mission of the
committee, and to learn, I will continue to communicate with you.