January 15, 2015

WILPF US Board Meeting

Tuesday, January 20, 2015
5:30 pm PT/8:30 pm ET

Non-board members: If you want to be on the call and receive reports, please register at president@wilpfus.org before MONDAY 5 pm your time zone.

Dial-in: 857-232-0158
Conference code: 921818
Self-mute 4* Raise/lower hand is 5*

Dear Members:

How is it possible we are in the middle of January already! The New Year feels not quite so new, but at least there's a possibility of regeneration and resolute determination to do better and be better, individually and collectively.

After the egregious assaults against humanity and freedom this week in Paris, we can see even more clearly why an organization like ours exists and the imperative for us to do better.

In Amy Goodman's book Static: Government liars, media cheerleaders, and the People who fight back, the last chapter is "Voices of Hope and Resistance." One of those voices belongs to Alice Walker, a longtime WILPF sponsor. Amy asks the question — "What good is the anti-war movement if it has failed to stop war?"

Alice Walker replies that we need to stop the war within ourselves. "Until we can control our own violence, our own anger, our own hostility, our own meanness, our own greed, it's going to be so, so, so hard to do anything out there. So I think of any movement for peace and justice as something that is about stabilizing our inner spirit so that we can go on and bring into the world a vision that is much more humane than the one we have dominant today."

A good resolution to start another century of the pursuit for Peace & Freedom!

Contents:

Growing WILPF! Campaign
Transition Work
WILPF US Board Election
WILPF US Board Special Session — Capacity building in Houston, Texas
JAPA/WILPF update

Growing WILPF!Campaign: Our campaign budget was passed in the Special Budget Session of the WILPF US Board on December 29, 2014. The session was well attended by non-board members, which is always encouraging to see. We will be getting materials and information on our website in short order. The budget focuses on monies for IT enhancement, branch support and outreach (with field organizers and membership coordinator), Programs, Capacity Building, and Centennial for U.S. and International. NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRESS!!

Transition Work: Heather Harker, Director of Consulting and Executive Transitions for Third Sector New England (TSNE) and a six-member Ad Hoc Capacity Building Committee began their work this week. They will be gathering names of people and organizations to reach out to for an assessment of WILPF US's work and impact in order to build a common understanding and goals for WILPF's future. This is the prepare phase: assessing our organization, e.g., decision-making process, organizational and board culture, governance and staffing models appropriate to WILPF, and increase number and diversity of members.

WILPF US BOARD ELECTIONS: Ballots are coming out shortly! A MEET & GREET the candidates has been rescheduled for next week. WE WILL SEND OUT AN ALERT. The meet & greet this week met its demise in a confusion of scheduling — we are sorry to inconvenience you!

CAPACITY BUILDING SESSION for WILPF US: Celebration of a new board and the way to a better future. Houston, Texas here we come! Full of hope, ideas and desire to communicate and strengthen our connections: the WILPF US Board will be the beneficiary of Heather Harker's (TSNE) expert advice and she will be sharing her assessment of WILPF's internal and external possibilities for improvement and movement in a common, positive direction. Thursday, February 26 — Monday, March 2.

JAPA/WILPF: The accountant reconciliation meeting will be held on Tuesday, FEBRUARY 24 in New York — 777 UN Plaza.