Two weeks ago I was fortunate to be able to spend the weekend in Santa Cruz with our Board of Directors at our annual Board Retreat. This group of individuals made the trek from both near and far so that we could dedicate an entire weekend to reviewing our mission and programs, and making plans for serving youth for years to come. I invite you to learn more about our Board members on our website blog – they are a pretty neat bunch!
We focused our weekend on discussing two topics that are essential to ensuring we continue to achieve our founding mission: Diversity & Inclusion, and Fund Development.
We drilled down and made both long and short-term goals for how we can make our programs more accessible and welcoming to people of all backgrounds. From campers, to staff, to Board members, to grey beards, we know how important it is to stay true to our roots as a multi-cultural program and make sure that each and every one of us is appreciated and respected for our differences.
We also laid the ground work for a fund development strategy which will not only allow us to continue to provide a wilderness camp experience to youth from all economic backgrounds, but also ensure that Camp will be financially stable in an emergency and funded into perpetuity.
It was hard, rewarding work. Planning for the future (and playing a little too) with these people who are so dedicated to providing a wilderness experience to campers from diverse backgrounds, and to offering an opportunity for them to grow through personal challenges, learn about cooperative living, and become stewards of the natural world, was heart warming. It made me excited to see the magic happen once again at Camp this summer.
218 days and counting!
Sarah L Camp
The last two years the members of our community (all of you guys) have been rock stars on #GivingTuesday. Last year 73 people donated and we were able to raise $9,562 on this one day alone. Then, on top of that, our Board of Directors matched $5,000 of it. We especially thank those who got the word out to their friends about the work we do and asked them to join us on this day of giving – last year 47 people who had not donated the year before gave on #GivingTuesday.
Now let’s do it again! Our Board of Directors has once again been able to come up with a match for this year’s #GivingTuesday! This year they will match up to $4,000 donated on this day. But that doesn’t mean we have to stop at $4,000. Let’s mobilize our community and raise more than we did last year! Look for an e-mail next week with the specifics of how to get your friends and family involved in this day of giving and where to give!
Although the monetary donations made through #GivingTuesday, our annual membership drive, fundraising events, and foundations are essential to the financial health of our organization, we also want to recognize that without the time given to Unalayee we could never achieve all that we do!Are you an expert or professional in website design, mobile website development, SEO, endowment planning, fundraising strategy, fundraising marketing, outreach to under-served communities, training in diversity, or event planning? We could use your experience and advice to help us reach our goals!
Use one of the buttons below to learn more about how you can help Unalayee achieve it’s mission by donating your time and expertise, or reply to this message and let us know what skill you’d like to donate!
Yes! You can start planning for summer 2016! Our 2016 dates, fees, and programs are set. Check them out today and get ready to sign-up. Last year some programs were enrolled to capacity starting in mid-March – get ready to claim your spot for your favorite program!
Enrollment opens January 1st!
What was the Unalayee favorite from the September/October Newsletter?Good old Statue Lake.
Let’s stretch our legs a little… Hiking campers step up! What lake is this one?
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