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RE: Missing Summit
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cur-@md-bicycling.org
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Mar 16, 2007 07:41 PST
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I applaud what appears to be more openness and transparency, but have to say
that more is likely wrong than losing the grants. Either the grants were
properly monitored, but covered core administrative/program expenses and
they could not cut back quickly, or someone failed to prepare for the loss
of the grants.
I completely agree with hiring a professional grant writer, but from
experience on both sides of the grant process (helping to prepare the grants
and allocating and reporting expenses on the back side), few grants that are
written for will pay much of your core expenses. Those expenses are supposed
to be covered largely or entirely from your base when you are talking about
membership organizations. The vast majority of open grants are for projects
and programs and if you are trying to cover programs that are core to your
organization, the chance that they will not be covered is greater.
I don't agree with some that have said that the salary structure is
out-of-line: if anything, for DC and an organization the size of LAB, they
are a bit low. The only way IMO to bring the core expenses back into line
and to stop these regular issues with shortages is to move back to
Baltimore, MD, where the entire expense structure is more in line with LAB
revenues, or to a place like Columbia, MD, where the older areas give you
good value in build-outs and set-asides, while being closer to DC than even
Baltimore.
Still, I can appreciate the apparent openness of their comments.
Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...
| | -----Original Message-----
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...
| | The LAB Annual Meeting on Wednesday night was interesting.
About 150 people were there (nearly all of them LAB members).
Amanda Eichstaedt kept the presentation positive &
productive; however, the treasurer's report was not the
best news I'd heard that week. Apparently LAB had to tap
the credit line for $150K for the past fiscal year due
to the League not getting some anticipated grants. LAB
stated that they'd do some belt-tightening at the office,
but also announced the hiring of a staff member who is
experienced in and focused on successful fundraising
& grant application. I'd anticipate some more fiscal
discussion at the Board meeting on Saturday. They also
invited one and all to sunny Tucson for the Annual Rally,
to be held in conjunction with El Tour de Tucson on
November 15-17, 2007.
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