Happy Holidays tSB Community!
On October 26th, members of our community, the tSBoard of Directors and tSB staff gathered at the 2100 building to have a conversation about the recent transitions at tSB and the future of our organization. We appreciate those of you that attended and all the invaluable feedback we received. We truly believe that any steps that we take toward strengthening and maintaining tSB must reflect the voices and opinions of the community that we serve.
We understand that there were many who were unable to attend. We still want to ensure that all of our members are informed of our work and have the opportunity voice their feedback as we move forward to continue our great work at tSB.
What happened over the past year:
– Leadership transitions over the last several years have been challenging
– Previous operational expenses and staff demands exceed current capacity
– Less aggressive fundraising
– Needed to cut expenses, which led to tough decisions – we had to lay of a staff member and reduce other staff hours
– The Board led an emergency fundraising campaign over the summer which raised $82,000 between July-September
– Interim ED, Chiloe Barrera-Cloyd left in August to go back to school. You can read more from Chiloe here.
– Lacie West started at the end of September as Interim ED to plan Soiree and manage current staff. You can read more about Lacie here.
– Sara Bloom departed tSB at end of September. You can read more from Sara here.
What are we doing now:
– Reducing expenses, conserving resources and securing budget relieving items
– Applying for more grants through utilizing an experienced grant writer
– Focusing on sustainability and fundraising and re-engaging with donors who have become disconnected from tSB
– Hired part-time development assistant and program assistant
– Greater utilization of volunteers
– Reduced program, which includes shorter timeline and smaller group of prophets, mentors, and snowboard instructors
– Asking for help from the community
What the next few months and beyond look like:
– Soiree was critical! Our goal was to raise $75,000 (we exceeded our goal!)
– Creative funding strategies: Creating formal, long-lasting partnerships and sponsorships to cut costs, prioritize funding research, solicitation and professional -grant writing, greater stewardship and diversity of funding sources
– Utilize volunteer base: Develop long-term volunteer/intern roles to be filled regularly
– Ensure that current staff members receive adequate support (includes professional development)
– Recruit board members that reflect the communities we serve : Actively utilize alumni and community networks, have a clear ideal profile to identify potential nominees, use our local networks (corporate and community), increase board visibility and transparency
– Keeping the community informed: email lists, alumni databases, reports/updates, media page on website
– Increase visibility: frequent website updates, updated collateral materials and more presence within community events/activities
Thank you for the incredible support you’ve given to tSB in many ways. During this year of transition, we’ve asked a lot of the community and haven’t always communicated with you as openly or as quickly as we should have. We’re committed to improving our lines of communication and are looking forward to this next chapter of tSB!
In community,
tSBoard of Directors
