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This presentation by Barbara Wyckoff of Dynamica Consulting gives an excellent overview to achieving your organization's outreach goals.  New organizations just beginning and organizations looking to re-engage members and volunteers will find step by step advice from vision to planning to budgeting and implementing your plan.

Prior to 2000, San Gorgonio Wilderness Association funding was mostly provided by merchandise sales, funding from the Forest Service, and a program that permitted organization camps to pay a non-profit in-lieu of paying a lease to the Forest Service.

Funding from the Forest Service was slowly reduced year to year in response to budget cuts. SGWA was able to make slight adjustments to programming with little noticeable impact.

In 2000, a regional decision determined that SGWA was ineligible for the in-lieu payments due to being so closely tied to the agency. A third of our operating funds were lost in one fell swoop.

This seemingly devastating development turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The steps SGWA took in reaction to this funding crisis made the organization much stronger and sustaining, and better prepared to satisfy its mission.

This case study examines several steps SGWA took as it may be of value to other organizations facing budget issues.

A special issue of Friends Forward (the National Wildlife Refuge System's Friend's newsletter), now online, focuses on membership development and retention. Friends will find articles about choosing software to manage membership information, gathering new members online, organizing members-only events, retaining members, recruiting out-of-state members, and reaching more diverse members.  Please check out the link below:

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/Friends/pdfs/FFSpecialIssueMembershipSpr_2011.pdf

Internships can be a good way to increase the capacity of your organization.  Interns can offer fresh ideas and insights while gaining experience and training from your organization.