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At its January 2011 State Board meeting, the Society took a step toward fulfilling the goals in its Strategic Plan when the board approved establishing a fund to support its implementation.
Assisting with the fundraising plan is consultant Ed Conroy, who helped the Society create the long-range plan. Conroy also helped the Society obtain a $5,000 grant from the Dixon Water Foundation to offset part of the cost of the 2010 symposium in Denton.
At the State Board meeting, Conroy made several points:
- We seek long-term partnerships with foundations and corporations in support of our mission and strategy.
- Times are tough, and competition for limited grant money is intense.
- An important criteria used by potential donors is to ask if members of the requesting organization have “skin in the game.” Are the organization members putting up some of the needed financing themselves? The most important measure is the number of individuals participating.
- When we get a grant, we need to say “thank you.” This is most effective when it comes from individual members of the receiving organization.
A separate bank account has been set up to accumulate funds collected. To make a donation, specify it’s for the Strategic Plan Fund and send it to: Native Plant Society of Texas, P.O. Box 3017, Fredericksburg, TX 78624-1929. You can also donate online. Make a donation now.
In 2008 the State Board called for a rejuvenated strategy and action plans that would drive membership growth, strengthen both our local chapters and state-wide influence, and thus increase our ability to advocate for native plants and their habitats. In response the Strategic Planning Committee, composed of state and chapter leaders and assisted by Conroy, developed the 2009-2012 Strategic Plan, presented at the Annual Meeting in Jasper in October, 2008, and detailed in a 3-part series featured in our member magazine. The plan focused on three key areas for innovation: 1) Advocacy; 2) Chapter level goals and objectives; and 3) State-level goals and objectives.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: belindamclaughlin
