June 2009 
AAI E-News  
A quarterly e-newsletter from Advancement Associates, Inc.
In This Issue
MW USA holds visioning retreat
Mission-driven ministry
Is there grant funding for my advancement project?
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Featured Client
Who: Tabor Community Services
 
What: Financial and homeownership services 
 
Where:
 Lancaster, PA
 
 
 Upcoming Events
See us next at:

MC USA Biennial Convention
 
June 30-July 5, 2009
Columbus, OH

Our Team
Richard L. Gerig, MEd, Principal
 
Rebecca S. Drumm, CFRE,  Principal
 
Sherilyn R. Ortman, BA, Associate

J. Daniel Hess, PhD, Associate

Michael D. Wiese, PhD, Associate
 
Rebekah N. Mast, Office Manager

AAI logo
Mennonite Women embark on visioning process
 
Regina Shands Stoltzfus

In late March, 30 women from across the nation gathered at Amigo Centre (Sturgis, MI) for a visioning retreat led by AAI principal Becky Drumm. The group, representing Mennonite Woman USA, worked on a vision statement for the next three to five years.

 

Themes that emerged included

  • "advocating for women in the church,"
  • "taking risks,"
  • "empowering women,"
  • "working from the margins to the margins,"
  • "valuing our diversity" and
  • "using the prophetic voice of women."

To read more about the MW USA's visioning retreat, click here.

In Theory & In Practice
Mission-driven ministry
 
Camp Deerpark rope activityOrganizations periodically need to assess how effectively their current programs support their mission. Which drives which? In some cases this reflection takes place in an intentional and structured setting like a weekend visioning retreat. Other times it's a stirring in the hearts of a few people over a period of time, as in the case of one AAI client preparing to make a radical programmatic change.
 
Founded in 1969, Camp Deerpark (Westbrookville, NY) is the only Mennonite camp owned by and dedicated to serving inner-city Mennonites. Each summer, Camp holds seven week-long sessions for inner-city children ages 8-17.
 
In many camp settings campers do most activities (recreation, meals, worship and educational sessions) together; this is commonly referred to as "centralized camping." In contrast, Camp Deerpark's program staff has concluded that urban youth are better served by a decentralized program, in which campers spend more time in small groups and their counselor provides most of the supervision and programming. 
 
To read more about Camp Deerpark's new camping model, click here.
Ask the consultant
 
Q:
Is there likely to be grant funding for my advancement project?
 
A: There is no "one size fits all" answer to this question. The likelihood of grant funding depends on a host of circumstances, including the nature and timeframe of the project, the location of your organization, and the amount and quality of your planning. However, with the right tools and some basic knowledge, you can get a better handle on the number and size of grants that might be available for your specific project. To read more about grant research and how AAI can help in the process, click here.

Do you have a question to "ask the consultant?" Email us!

Building relationships. Advancing your mission.