1. October Board Meeting
October 20, 2017

2. I have traveled over 2200 miles in my 2
I have traveled over 2200 miles in my 2.5 months– visited every office at least three times, and every jurisdiction except NY and DE at least once.

3. UPDATES from around the watershed:

4. al·li·ance: a relationship based on an affinity in interests, nature, or qualities
WHAT

5. improved water quality. improved quality of life
improved water quality. improved quality of life. communities and local government. inspired to take action. protect and restore. enjoyment and stewardship.
vision
mission
values
leading, supporting, and inspiring local action to restore and protect the lands, rivers, and streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
WHY
build strong partnerships
inspire people to be stewards.
create innovative programs

6. Who do we partner with? I’ve heard quite a few times that “The Alliance will partner with anyone!” Which is not an accurate description of our strategy for partnerships. We partner with
partnerships

7. opportunities
I’ve spent the first 71 days of my tenure on a listening tour, doing many one-on-one conversations with staff and Board
I was talking to Jenna this week, and she accurately stated that “ideas are our currency” – and she couldn’t be more spot-on.

8. 1. diversifying and increasing revenue
The areas of opportunities here are large and exciting!
Our current split of revenue sources: JAJA!
There are three major areas here that I see:
The creation of a major donor program
Individual giving is on the uptick, accounting for 72% of all contributions received to non-profits in Currently, we are XX% federally funded
Exploring a “fee-for-service” business model
Expands on our current programs, and changes the “ask” that we are making of our partners
Business partnerships and engagement – looking beyond just the B4B program. Can we be a technical service provider for businesses that are an innate part of the work that we do? For instance, the implementation grant we have, and built in Turkey Hill. How can we grow that relationship with the organization as a whole, beyond the great work that Jenna and the PA staff are doing?
Challenges:
Growing the number of contacts in our database – procurement, cultivation, and stewardship will become paramount tenants of the work we do moving forward, both as staff and as board
Telling our story in a clear and compelling way that will invite new donors to the table

9. 2. attracting, and retaining, great staff
In 2017 alone, we saw XX staff leave, and welcomed 9 new staff members including myself.
Staff retention is important part of the strategy moving forward, for many reasons. It keeps the risk to the organization lower and keeps us focused on our important work. It helps improve morale with other staff.
I have heard a few times that the Alliance is a springboard for professionals to use to launch into another organization – we need to change that thinking. The Alliance is an employer that empowers staff to work creatively and collaboratively, and values cross-pollination across programs.
I envision creating a cross-training program where staff from the various geographic offices/programs can have a meaningful exchange.
Increasing financial literacy of staff so they can understand the current state of the Alliance. Made the budget creation a transparent process. Coordinated a presentation of the 2016 audited financials to staff.
Beefed up our orientation program, requiring all staff to travel to headquarters for the day so they can better understand how their program fits into the organization as a whole
For the two employees that left in early September, I conducted exit interviews, collecting important information on how we can improve benefits and culture of the organization to better retain staff into the future
As you can see from our budget discussion earlier, we have built in 5% salary increases for staff, and are actively exploring the expansion of the benefits we are able to offer our staff

10. 3. telling our story

11. telling our story
staff talent
diversified revenue

12. thank you!
Thank you for this opportunity to lead!