Sean Kershaw's Weblog
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December 29, 2008
As 2008 becomes 2009 -- Thanks!
As the year ends, I want to offer a sincere thanks to all of you -- members and non-members -- for your interest in the Citizens League and your contributions of time, ideas and insights, community and individual connections, and financial resources during 2008. It was a turning point for us as an organization, and for me as part of this work.
I am proud of what we've accomplished this year, excited about the work ahead of us in 2009, grateful to my staff and Board leadership -- and humbled by all of this.
- We've surpassed our membership goal. We're now at over 2,100 members, the most in over 10 years. If you are considering joining, now is a great time to do so. And if you are considering a year-end financial contribution as a current member, remember that this contribution can come in the form of "gift memberships" for friends and peers. Contact our office if you have any questions on how to do this.
- We've had an impact on public policy, and have a great agenda ahead of us. In health care and in transportation, 2008 was a year of genuine impact -- turning your work and your innovative ideas into policy impact at the Capitol and in all types of institutions. The involvement of our members, from many ideologies and many interests, makes our work more credible -- and better for Minnesota.
- In a time of real challenges to all nonprofits, our financial capacity has grown in the past year. We still have a great deal of work to rebuild our reserves and our balance sheet (recovering from a loss in 2007), but we are ending the year not only having recovered from our short-term financial concerns this summer, but having put in place the internal practices and processes that make us a much stronger organization in the future. We set and achieved a goal of raising over $250,000 in unrestricted contributions, which creates momentum going into 2009.
In 2009 we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate how our guidelines can improve the public policy process -- and outcomes. We'll apply these guidelines to work in water policy, poverty, immigration and higher education, and regional policy issues. In these and other policy areas, we will increase the ability of our members to become engaged in our work and more connected to each other, building active citizenship and civic leadership skills.
Next year clearly brings with it unparalleled challenges, but also great opportunities for innovation and system-change.
Thanks for your interest, your involvement and your support. Thanks again for making our success possible in 2008, and for raising the bar for 2009.
Happy New Year!
Sean
P.S. (If you are able to make a year-end contribution, you can click here to do so.)
Posted by Sean Kershaw at December 29, 2008 11:40 AM