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A letter of farewell from your Membership and Outreach Coordinator
Dear TT members and Community;
Your Membership & Outreach Coordinator must bid you all farewell and thank you for the opportunity to work with you.
BTT is at a PIVOTAL MOMENT, and you are needed!
Our Board numbers have dwindled, and for far too long, I’ve been wearing way too many hats! Three out of four of our current board members’ terms expire in the next few months. If those folks leave the board on schedule, that would leave ONE wonderful new board and community member, Denise Glover, alone, at the beginning of her term.
For a year, BTT has been without a Treasurer or a President. I have been filling in all the gaps that I can: filing taxes, keeping records and files in order, staffing the office, communicating with members, doing the banking, keeping track of member dues, setting up new systems, doing orientations, working with our landlords, organizing and running events and fundraisers, handling as much outreach and tabling as I can, posting to social media, coordinating and caring for the BTT Garden and offices, sending out newsletters, and so much more. For an $11/hour, non-benefitted, 20-hour/week position, this obviously became totally unsustainable – both personally and professionally.
Aware that the Time Trade has been so important to this community, I held the organization afloat like this for as long as I possibly could, managing to raise $10,000 of BTT’s $17,000 budget in 2017 through online fundraisers, events, bake sales, and members subscriptions.
However, with no grants or other fundraisers sought out in 2017 beyond those I personally organized, our bank balance began to run dangerously low. We ran out of funds for member scholarships. Looking at the prospect of a second paycheck late and yet unpaid, I let BTT’s board know it would have to terminate my position, rather than have unaddressed and outstanding payroll checks to an employee.
In the short term, I encourage the membership and board to immediately focus on raising emergency funds. Donna has been making calls to members, and if you didn't get a call yet, here's your scoop: the board really needs your help.
As your departing coordinator, I want to emphasize what a great opportunity this can actually be for the Time Trade to begin an important organizational shift in its structure and board!
BTT operations will be divided up into smaller tasks that many different members can help out with in exchange for time trade hours. For the next few weeks, while I'm packing up boxes and moving across the country, our Board members will be actively looking to identify members who want to help. The Board is holding a planning session this week, along with a membership/annual meeting on March 18th to solidify that transition.
Once I'm settled on the west coast, I’ll be helping remotely to transition the many tasks and responsibilities that I've been holding over to folks who've stepped up, and will be happy to answer questions and be a resource to new board members and office staffers. While I won't be in Brattleboro, I'll still be around for a little while as we figure it all out together.
Here are 3 ways YOU can support BTT’s continued efforts to be part of growing a more resilient and connected Brattleboro and surrounding areas throught BTT, sans a paid coordinator.
If you want to help with any of these things, please email board@brattleborotimetrade.org or call (802) 246-1199
- When you get that BTT Membership Subscription reminder, or you discover your account was disabled due to non-payment: renew your subscription. (You can also drop by or mail a check to the office.)
- Consider joining the board and/or taking on a volunteer role or task.
BTT needs:
- Grant writers
- An accounting whiz to handle our QuickBooks Online
- Fundraisers and Event Planners
- Tabling volunteers
- Graphic Artists & Videographers
- Gardeners for our edible garden
- Office Staffers (this can be once a month, or more often)
- A new website
- Members to attend the planning session AND annual meeting
- A team of members to Livestream the annual meeting to Facebook and read questions and comments there to maximize participation
- A team of people to help with large group orientations for Omega Optical Employees
and most especially…
- BOARD MEMBERS
BTT is in critical need of board members. We need folks who are do-ers and leaders to be on this working board. Especially those with financial and budgeting skills, collaborative leadership experience, fundraising, socially aware marketing skills, and social justice organizing and events experience.
- Support BTT’s fundraisers!
But, how…? Here are some ways:
- Volunteer to help / attend board and planning meetings
- Buy and/or tell folks about our gift bags and our remaining BTT T-shirts
- Spread the word on your own platforms and share our news
- Encourage folks you know to support BTT
- Help BTT identify new sources of funding/fundraising events
- Set up a raffle for BTT at YOUR event!
- Create your own Facebook on other online fundraiser for BTT to share with your friends and family near and far.
Several members, in hearing about BTT’s financial struggles, have renewed their dues at the top of the sliding scale and/or mailed in general donations. This is so helpful, and every bit of support is much appreciated!
I want to especially thank the BTT members who welcomed me into this quirky, big-hearted time-trading community and made Brattleboro a warmer place for my spouse and I as we tried to adjust to the culture(s) and realities of rural small-town life – after many years spent living in huge and diverse international cities. It was your friendship and openness that gave us glimmers of love and acceptance here. Thank you!
Warm regards and best wishes to all of you in continuing this great community-building adventure.
Very truly yours,
Maya
(Please excuse typos as there is little time for edits this week!)
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