PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Dear JLC Members and Friends,

Dear Members and Friends,

A good friend and fellow JLC leader asked me about a year ago what my theme was for the year. While “themes” have been something we have done in the past, my personal belief is that being a leader for this organization is like being the conductor of a moving train. My job - and all JLC leaders’ and members’ jobs - are to help us get to greener pastures. In my analogy, we can call this “keeping us on the train track” versus derailing the train. There is no theme that could encapsulate all that our organization is doing, but there are plans in place that are intended to help us get to the next place on our long journey. Buckle up!

Our Strategic Plan, which is meant to be a 3-5 year outlook and is set by the Board, has five set focus areas of Culture, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB), Member Development, Community, and Duty of Care. Just to note, our Strategic Plan is being redefined now for implementation in the next three years, starting in June 2023.

The Annual Plan is set for this League year by the Executive Management Team (EMT) and approved by our Board. It is summarized below:

Meaningful Work: Connecting our events/activities to our mission and/or our project, establishing and living new JLC values, and raising awareness of our new mission (voted on in September) with members and in our Cincinnati community

Belonging: Implementing a DEIB plan with consultant support, providing ways for our members to make connections with each other, monitoring satisfaction of our members, and celebrating committee & member successes

Leader Support: Ensuring our leaders have the training and resources they need to be successful, providing “soft skill” training, and using project management tools when planning events & activities

Collaborative Effort: Planning JLC events at least 6 weeks in advance and breaking down silos of councils and committees so they work together to achieve our goals

Financial Wellbeing: Creating a large donor program, meeting our revenue goals while being mindful of our spending, and increasing our Columbia Center rentals

A few examples of the great work being done to help us achieve these plans:

• Created an anonymous listening form to allow members a safe space to provide feedback. You can find it here: https://form.jotform.com/223052838597061

• Implemented a new way to communicate and connect with members via text

• Board & EMT participated in a consultant-facilitated DEIB discussion to improve on our DEIB efforts

• Trained members on DEIB related topics in our January & February GMMs - with a packed house

• Hosted two “She Inspires Me” parties, which are special events meant as a thank you to members who have done extraordinary work

• Completed a beginning and mid-year leadership retreat for Chairs & Vice Chairs

• Facilitated soft skill training at two GMMs to learn about communication and balancing workloads

• Raised over $24,000 with the Tour of Kitchens fundraiser

• Met 70% of our Annual Fund goal (please join us by making a pledge!)

• Served 298 hours supporting 12 nonprofits, including our partner, Family Nurturing Center.

• Voted on a new leadership slate… and our Nominating committee is now hard at work on the spring vice chair application process

• Found a permanent renter for unused space in Columbia Center, Oakley Soaps

• Started a test for the New Member curriculum with halfyear coursework and a half year of committee placement

Thank you again for being here and caring about the JLC mission. Thank you for your contributions you’ve made on our Annual Plan.

Wishing you a warm and healthy winter. I hope to see you at our upcoming events including our community-based March GMM, the Fashion Show fundraiser the Annual Meeting, and more!

Kate Fortlage 2022-2023 President

The Association of Junior Leagues International is an organization of women whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training.

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