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November 1, 2011
Dear DSC Community,
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Staff, I would like to express our sorrow for the loss of Steve Gross, and to recognize all that he has done for the organization, which has been both profound and broad reaching. There are only a few of our members that have been involved for so long and with so much impact. He will be missed. It is important that he be recognized for his efforts, and we are already working on ways to do so.
We have started a public forum on our website for friends of Steve to leave comments and memories. Many of you have made donations to the sailing center in memory of Steve, and we have set up a dedicated memorial fund and directed these donations towards the accessible sailing program.
It is especially appropriate at this time to include you in the efforts of the board to advance our mission, and to announce some opportunities for you to be involved. We have been working diligently on our strategic plan (click here for draft plan) to ensure a clear road map for the DSC in the short and long terms. As part of this process, we have undergone a Board and Staff Retreat, SWOT (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats) analysis, numerous strategic planning meetings (including membership, staff and board), and we have made great progress.
Thee core elements of our strategic plan are summarized below:
To be a world class community sailing center that enriches the lives of the individuals we serve.
The Downtown Sailing Center provides quality educational and life enriching programs that promote self-esteem and teamwork through the joy of sailing. The Downtown Sailing Center is committed to promoting an environment of inclusiveness and accessibility, especially to youth, persons with disabilities, and those with limited opportunity.
The Downtown Sailing Center Community is a group of members, participants, students, and volunteers, who come together through the sport of sailing.
DSC Functional Areas
We have identified the core functional areas of the organization and we have built our strategic plan and committee structures around them. Beginning in 2012 the following committees will be responsible and accountable for each of the functional areas of the DSC:
· Governance/Board Executive Committee
· Finance Committee (Board Chaired)
· Regulation Compliance/Risk Management Committee (Board Chaired)
· Fund Development Committee (Board Chaired)
· Strategic Planning Committee (Board Chaired)
· Human Resources Committee (Board Chaired)
· Fleet & Facilities Committee (Board Chaired)
· Program & Education Committee (Board Chaired)
· Marketing & Communications Committee (Board Chaired)
· Events Committee (Staff Chaired)
· Volunteerism Council (Volunteer Chaired)
· Membership Council (Member Chaired)
Our first order of business created the Member Council, which has been official for the past few months and is chaired by DSC member, Josh Ewen. This Council is making great progress, please visit their page on our website to learn more about them.
Board of Directors & Afterguard (Advisors)
Additionally, we have created the Afterguard - a group of advisors with the sole function of raising money for our programs who will commence in 2012. The 2012 Afterguard Goal is to give or get $2500 per member. This committee is a separate entity from the Board of Directors and does not have governance responsibility for the organization. Some of our current board members are moving to this committee, opening up board member positions.
The Board of Directors will be organized by functional area beginning in 2012 and we have also created new Associate Board Member roles, where Associate Board Members will serve on committees for one year and offer their expertise, as well as have the opportunity to attend board meetings, but will not have the same voting privileges as Board Members. Our hope is that the one year term limit will allow us to include as many program participants, members and volunteers as possible, and we envision that some of the Associate Members may become Board Members.
We are recruiting for the following specific roles:
Board Member - Fund Development Committee Chair - this person will work closely with the Executive Director and will be responsible for creating the fund development plan for the DSC. We are looking for direct knowledge and experience in non-profit fundraising and someone with prior outside board experience.
Board Member - Fleet & Facilities Committee Chair - this person will work closely with the Fleet & Facilities Manager and the Executive Director to assist in creating a vision for upgrading our fleet and facilities, as well as working with the Fund Development Chair to create a plan for upgrading our docks and fleet that will ultimately result in a Capital Campaign to raise money to complete the effort.
Board Member - Marketing & Communications Committee Chair - this person will work closely with the Executive Director and all committees to assist in branding the DSC and ensuring that our message is clearly delineated in all of our marketing materials, website and documentation. Ideally, this person will have marketing or public relations experience.
Board Member - Programs & Education Committee Chair - this person will work closely with the Director of Programs and Education and will work to update our curricula, ensuring consistency across all programs, as well as create program evaluation and research to measure the impact our programs. Outside experience with similar program development is important.
Associate Board Member - Volunteerism Council Chair - this person will work closely with the staff and Board Member to create a vision for our volunteers, including volunteer training, recruitment, policies and procedures.
Associate Board Member - Program Committee Accessible Representative - this person will be someone who has experience with our accessible programs and will work closely with the Director of Programs & Education and the Board Chair of the Programs and Education Committee. This person will offer experience and expertise in developing our accessible programs.
Associate Board Member - Program Committee Youth Representative - this person will be someone who has participated in our youth programs and will work closely with the Director of Programs & Education and the Board Chair of the Programs and Education Committee. This person will offer experience and expertise in developing our youth programs.
If you are interested in applying for one of the Board Member or Associate Member positions, please forward your resume and/or cover letter explaining your proposed contribution to the specific position to me at ssmith@gaylordbrooks.com, no later than November 18, 2011. We are recruiting new Board Members from our membership, as well as from other professional board development organizations, qualified candidates will be interviewed for each of the positions.
Let us all think about what we can do to help the DSC, in a meaningful Steve Gross kind of way. It is very appropriate that there is no "I" in Steve's name, there also was no I in who he was. It was always about what he could do to help others. This commitment to service is something that we should hopefully all want to model, and this letter presents the opportunity to do so. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Steve Smith
President
Board of Directors | 
