September 27, 2007

EW Quarterly Board Meeting Saturday, September 22, 2007 2-4pm

After a very busy Summer season of outreach event and new program developments, EW held the first of its new series of Quarterly Board Meetings in Los Angeles, as it welcomes new, extraordinary members. Historically, EW’s board has been based in Santa Barbara, where EW is forming a local action committee. This special meeting marks the exciting development of EW’s LA based board and welcomed new member, Adam Krim. This special meeting doubled as EW monthly strategy meeting. Next month’s is scheduled for Weds, Oct. 17th. Venice/Santa Monica Location to be announced. If you want to be included in this, e-mail a note to melanie@empowermentworks.org

Meeting Minutes: Melanie St.James & Jeff Buderer

1. Welcome & Introduction of participants (15 minutes)

§ In physical attendance: Adam Krim (Incoming Board Member), Jay Levin (RealTalkLA), Brooklyn Sparling (Public Health Intern) , Anthony Marsh (non-violence peace project), Kevin Kraus (guest), Francisco Rocco (Child Psychologist), Rick Pinckert (Annenberg School of Communications/ USC), Melanie St.James (EW Executive Director).

§ Called in: Dianne McCutchan (Co-founder/Board Member), Jeff Buderer (EW Sustainable Development Research Strategist), Courtney White (Community Liaison)

2. Review 2007 global milestones (25 min)

§ Global Sustainability Think Tanks 1,2,3

§ World Social Forum- Kenya which spurred later development of the Global Summit

§ Digital Earth SF – Adam Krim asks about achievements / EW’s involvement. Answer: EW’s multi-sector collaboration workshop was presented in afternoon w/ 30 participants (actually larger than avg. turnout for that conference) and M. St.James Co-Chaired (w/ David Whortley) and Moderated Day 3 AM Plenary Session.

3. Program Summary – issues faced & action plans (50)

§ Senegal – EW music’s development and eminent launch of Diola Compilation CD. This is a running project and great example of EW’s philosophy in action. Melanie shares experiences in Casamance region.

§ Zimbabwe – challenges faced are huge but how can we learn from these people’s exp especially given that its possible that their situation will become more widespread within humanity. Also discussed Craig and David and how their stories inspire us.

§ South Africa – Links to SA discussed Juliana and Court’s background. Courtney White (EW grant manager/ Community Liaison has been working with Brooklyn (UCLA MA in Public Health Intern) on program for past year. Now Juliana (PhD in sexual education) has joined team and working full time fundraising and going in one month to lay foundation for next year with local partners.

§ SUDAN – Sudanese solution tour overview – description of 37 year veteran ecologist, Dr. Suad Sulaiman is EW program director and is involved with Sudanese Environmental Conservation Society, which will be EW local implementing partner. EW is taking pro-active peace building role in Sudan in regards to sustainable agro-forestry/ reversing desertification.

4. Upcoming Events:

- A Few Good Men (Extraordinary Bachelor / Date auction) to be organized for Valentines Day, February 14th, 2008! (needs chair, committee, etc.)

- Artists In Action Caribbean Celebration w/ Renegade Pictures previewing Haitian Women Documentary Screening (Follows Bohemian Nights tradition) VENUE CONFIRMED: Fais Do-Do DATE: NOVEMBER 29th, Cover: $10, Live music dancers, slide show begins at 8:30 pm.

- DJ Club Benefit w/ Seven Star Events/ Joseph Malki – EW reports on Venues Opera & Boulevard 3 (setting date/ venue)

5. RECOMMENDATIONS/ ACTION ITEMS (for development between the next meeting and further discussion then. Please let us know if you want to be involved in any one of the teams):

i. Establish volunteer committees (board & volunteers) to include:

§ Web Development team,

§ Grant and Fundraising Team

§ Strategy and Planning Team – Biz Plan/ Organizational Structure

§ Promotional and PR Team - to review & upgrade marketing and communication materials.

§ EW Consultancy Development Team (EW Workshop Delivery, Corporate Social Responsibility, social enterprise income generation)

ii. Jay Levin recommends forming volunteer online marketing team to identify and promote top 300 words of EW in major search engines. + Promotion & update of EW on myspace and other online community forums.

6. NEXT STEPS > Breif review of core agenda items for Next Monthly Meeting: Oct. 17th 7pm L

Development strategy 4 EW USA operating & Global Program support

Review of Budget 2007/8

Assess income sources

Direct contributions through EW Program Staff & Board

Grant writing

Corporate alliances / IGIVE (PIE)

Special events

Income from BFT/ EW Music, etc.

EW workshops & Moderating fees at conferences, etc.

Identify & define key roles, activities and skill set needed to fulfill board and staff

Review, Advise & Prioritize Marketing Materials

a. Purpose: General Fund raising, Promotion of EW Model support development of EW Ambassadorial Programme & PIE Critical Mass campaigns

b. Tools: PSA, brochure, PDF Overview/ Exec. Summary, Website Architecture, PowerPoint show & projector

7. Feedback – Participants commented throughout the meeting. Some time was provided at the end of the meeting for feedback and the way forward. Participants and other interested parties are also invited to share their comments on the blog.

This special meeting doubled as EW monthly strategy meeting. Next month’s is scheduled for Weds, Oct. 17th. Venice/Santa Monica Location to be announced. If you want to be included in this, e-mail a note to melanie@empowermentworks.org

EW USA - Call for Board Member Candidates

EW has a unique global interdependence respecting local leadership in our program areas, with 3 oversight structures:

US board (founded in Santa Barbara 2001)
Country Action Teams - Local Program Boards (1st International Board of est. 2002 in Zimbabwe)
Global Circle of Trustees with representatives from EW country action teams, est. 2007

Within this beautifully growing global community, EW USA is the official 501c3 non-profit fund raising vehicle, legal entity and original driving force.

Empowered to reach new heights and solidify its LA base, EW USA is seeking extraordinary, dedicated and financially savvy board members to serve on this new dream team to create an unprecedented force for global sustainability.