The MASSB Minute

Greetings Everyone! As we close out 2025, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the extraordinary work happening across the state. Your dedication, volunteer spirit, and deep commitment to Maryland's most vulnerable residents have lifted lives in meaningful and measurable ways, reflected in Lifting Lives Award winners from every corner of the state.

As we prepare our annual report and future grant proposals, please make sure to prepare your year-end data. Your feedback is critical for clearly communicating the impact of your volunteer efforts and guiding our collective decisions that strengthen our shared mission. With that in mind, thank you as well to everyone who completed the post-conference survey. The insights provided will shape next year's conference, ensuring we continue to equip volunteers and boards to better serve those in need. Finally, please consider putting any uncommitted county funds to work through housing support, warm clothing drives, shelter donations, or holiday assistance. Your compassion transforms and lifts lives. Wishing you all a warm holiday season and a bright New Year.

Best,
Tony

Throughout 2025, your projects and fundraisers have lifted the lives of Marylanders across the state. Notably we had Lifting Lives award winners from each region! With your help we are turning our vision into reality: a quality of life in Maryland in which individuals are healthy and safe from abuse, neglect and financial distress. Congratulations on a job well done!

Quantifying how many people we helped is critical for describing our impact in the annual report and grant proposals. Please be on the lookout for an e-mail from Nate Poerio asking for this data in the coming weeks. Thank you!

Use your page to easily share information with prospective board members, donors and your community. Get started by e-mailing basic information to massbftrustee@gmail.com and add additional content when needed.

Don't let your board's funds sit in the MASSB Foundation bank account! During the winter, help is needed more than ever. If you are a county in the enviable position of having uncommitted funds in your account, please make a plan to expend at least 30% of these funds over the next few months. Here are some ideas:

• Help DSS customers with rent, mortgage, utilities or taxes; or seniors that need hygiene or safety supplies.
• Coordinate a donation of warm clothing to your local school.
• Donate supplies to your local homeless or domestic violence shelter.
• Support Angel Tree or Holiday Meals programs.

E-mail Nate Poerio when you have a plan and he will help you move the funds. The process is easy, and the gratitude beyond measure.

Thanks to everyone who completed our post-conference survey. We take your feedback seriously, and will incorporate it into planning for next year's conference. If you missed the survey and have suggestions for next year, please e-mail us at massbftrustee@gmail.com.

What we heard — the most valuable aspects of the conference were:

• Real life stories
• Being able to get expert advice, speak with MASSB people and other county boards
• Keynote speaker Kathryn Marsh was the uplifting inspiration I needed
• Legislative updates
• Effective Board Management / Strategic Board Membership
• Development/Fundraising as a Means for Advocacy

Some suggested changes:

• Consider a one-day, workshop style conference
• Have basic and advanced training tracks

Developing or revitalizing a non-profit board can be hard! Experienced MASSB members are available for training or coaching sessions. We are all volunteers so help is free of charge. Reasonable funding for training offered by other organizations such as Maryland Nonprofits is also available. Please e-mail massbftrustee@gmail.com.