Our Annual Conference is here, a Community Connection from MASSB President Marquette Rogers, and tips for thanking your donors.
Our Annual Conference is here! Join us at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD, on October 6–7 for a full agenda focused on Eldercare.
View Agenda & Registration
As you know, we are planning a fantastic conference for you, and are excited to be seeing many of you in person after two years of virtual conferences. We are looking forward to the material that will be presented by our speakers on Elder Abuse Awareness and Queen Anne's At Home. But, to echo Marquette Rogers' comments below, there are many, many areas where we can collectively make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens.
For instance, The Pathway Home is a very moving account of an effort undertaken in Delaware to provide transitional housing for their homeless population. This short film, directed by Christina Reilly, has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy award. (Christina is the daughter of one of our members, Calvert County's Barbara Reilly Kete!) The film is excellent and well worth your time to view. Homelessness has grown significantly over the years, and affects us all in ways we don't even realize. This would be an excellent topic to address at a future conference.
Best regards,
Chris
Marquette Rogers, MASSB President & Montgomery County Advisory Board Chair
"One of my primary responsibilities as MASSB President is planning the annual conference. Our biggest challenge in planning conferences is finding areas to focus on that revolve around Social Services and that need a spotlight. Simply because there are so many areas and you can't just focus on one without thinking of how we can squeeze in another area of discussion. All areas are priorities that we want to focus on yet can't do in a 1 or 2 day conference. During this month's conference we hope to be able to highlight the ever growing concern of elder abuse. As I mentioned before, there are so many priority areas we like to cover. This one, elder abuse, we want to drill down into as the pandemic has caused an increase in abuse for some of our vulnerable citizens.
The best thing about being Chair of the Montgomery County board is that we are a large county which means there is no shortage of social services and organizations that are looking to bridge the gap for those needing assistance with various social services. We literally have a board, commission or committee to address a lot of areas under Health and Human Services.
My advice to a new chair is that going with your gut instinct is a good thing. Especially, during interviews for potential members. Resumes don't tell a story of who a person is and if they have that "want to". That special kind of personality that wants not only to help, yet also is hands on and active in every conversation. Finding that board member that will work to make a tangible impact is what you need to look for."
It's so important to develop good relationships with your supporters. Whether they are donating time or money they deserve to know how much we appreciate their support. A quick internet search will produce many creative ideas for how to say "thank you". Here are just a few:
Your "thank you" should be timely and provide some detail on how their contribution has helped your cause. Donors who feel appreciated and part of the solution tend to give again and again. Consider assigning a board member the task of recording donations. A multi-year spreadsheet is a good tool for identifying recurring donors and strategizing how to grow your base of support.
Another great fundraising idea: Harford County's Annual Mini-Golf Fundraiser benefits the Harford Family Assistance Fund.
