Capacity Building

Capacity Building, Sustainability, Organization Responsibilities and Maintenance

Conduct activities undertaken to maintain the organization’s capacity, effectiveness and sustainability.  Some activities are required by law or organizational by-laws; others are necessary to ensure the WRRC&DC’s future success.

Goal:

Increase the ability of the Council to serve the entire diverse region while developing funding sources to allow the Council to become self-sustaining with a goal to increase the Council’s operating funding by 10% each year.

Objective:

Carry out ongoing administrative responsibilities on an annual basis while adhering to organizational by-laws and state and federal requirements.

Strategies:

  1. Maintain bookkeeping system and work with CPA firm to provide financial assistance services to Council each year.
  2. Follow Financial Policies by providing oversight on a monthly basis to review credit card and checking account expenditures.
  3. Prepare Annual Budget to be approved at December Executive Council Meeting.
  4. File all forms necessary with IRS, State of Ohio, and Lake County for tax purposes and to retain non-profit status by May of 2015.
  5. Conduct quarterly Full Council meetings and monthly Executive Council meetings.
  6. Complete an audit annually.
  7. Produce newsletter 3 times per year or as funding allows and distribute hard copies through USPS and electronic versions online. 
  8. Produce annual report by midyear.
  9. Produce Annual Plan of Work in accordance with Area Plan.

Objective:

Ensure future expansion and success of the Council by developing new methods to expand Council membership and funding sources with a goal to increase sustainable funding sources by 10%.

Strategies:

  1. Continue to implement the recommendations of the 2004 Strategic Planning Process and 2005 and 2006 Council planning sessions by:
    a. Increasing the effectiveness of Council meetings by changing the meeting format and locations on a quarterly basis.
    b. Creating additional work committee groups to involve more people in projects. This will be done using county capacity to host conference calls to get the work done with a goal of organizing each committee per major RC&D project.
    c. Including RC&D members and non-members to work on such committees to create a more diverse approach to problem solving.
    d. Reviewing By-Laws to consider adding new at-large members in an effort to diversify council membership and to expand capacity.
  2. Review Employee Policy Council Ethics Policy, and Outreach and Equal Opportunity Policies.
  3. Explore and ascertain the viability and appropriateness of an endowment, membership, or annual fund drive to create a stable source of funding. Form a committee to review/or set up this process.
  4. Establish a fundraising committee and meet annually to develop a methodology of a gift giving program to the RC&D to help make the Council more sustainable.

Objective:

Provide representation to local, state, and national groups for outreach and training opportunities on an annual basis.

Strategies:

  1. Provide representation and input from Northeast Ohio to the National and Regional RC&D Association as travel funding allows.
    a. Represent Council and take advantage of training opportunities at the National RC&D Forum in Washington with a goal to send at least 1 member.
    b. Represent Council and take advantage of training opportunities at North Central RC&D Meeting with a goal to send two members.
  2. Provide support to the Ohio Association of RC&D Councils and serve on State Association Marketing Committee by annually selecting two representatives and having at least one representative attend all Ohio Association meetings throughout the year.
  3. Provide representation at State County Commissioner, Tri-State Diversity Conference, Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Districts, and State Township Trustees Conferences.
  4. Select representatives to attend the annual National RC&D Meeting and submit success stories for presentations at the National meeting.

Objective:

Improve communication and outreach among our members, partners and other RC&D organizations.

Strategies:

  1. Update NRCS website for Western Reserve RC&D Programs quarterly.
  2. Update national RC&D database with progress semi- annually.
  3. Update the mailing list annually to include minority organizations for outreach purposes.
  4. Maintain new RC&D website; link members to projects on the website.
  5. Executive Council will determine a strategy of the RC&D to reach out to county commissioners, educating them about regional conservation problems, a new RC&D dues structure, and potential solutions that have been researched by the RC&D.
  6. Orient new members and commissioners on an annual basis to who and what the RC&Ds are and what they do by providing a council handbook, meeting new commissioner representatives, and providing training for new SWCD Supervisors at NRCS/SWCD meeting opportunities.

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