Other Volunteer Opportunities…

It’s never too late to start thinking about our Grant Awards/All Member Meeting, which will be held on May 29 from 6:30 to 9:00 at the Newton Marriott. If you’re able to help with the myriad tasks involved in making this evening a success, please contact Caroline Boeckman at carollama1@gmail.com.

Former TPC grantee Doc Wayne has let us know that the organization is looking to fill a few open Board seats. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact David Cohen at dcohen@docwayne.org.

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A non-profit governance committee performs many of the same duties and has many of the same responsibilities as a governance committee for a for-profit corporation. TPC’s governance committee adheres to its charter, which lays out its main duties and responsibilities. The overarching goal of the committee is to support the Board of Directors in its efforts to lead TPC as an organization toward fulfilling its mission.

Along with periodic reviews of TPC’s committee structure, policies, and organizational documents, the key responsibility for TPC’s governance committee is to oversee the process for the selection and nomination of Directors and Officers. This includes recruiting and interviewing candidates who are then recommended to the board for consideration. Along with Director positions, the three Officer positions are President, Treasurer, and Clerk. Each year at its annual meeting in November the board votes on each slate of candidates. A TPC Board Director term is three years for a +35-year-old member and two years for a Young Philanthropist (YP); Officer terms are for one year. Directors are limited to two consecutive terms.

We are pleased to announce that we are welcoming 6 new board members in 2019, bringing our number up to a robust 14. For those of you who haven’t already met these dynamic women, we invite you to read the bios for each of: Caroline Boeckman, Caitlyn Clarke, Erin Cooper, Cathy Konicki, Sue Meehan, and Cassandra Trujillo. We are also particularly delighted that the YP community is well-represented around the table. We are also happy to tell you that Susan Benford was elected President, our Treasurer is Barbara Gaskin, and Cheryl Wakeham will serve as Clerk.

We invite you to read the charter for the governance committee for a deeper understanding of the work it does in ensuring the board is populated by a well-rounded, skilled group of women bent on fulfilling TPC’s mission today and far into the future.

On a cold December morning, TPC liaisons Leslie Levenson and Mary Ryan chatted with Kathleen Graham, Executive Director of School on Wheels Massachusetts (SOWMA). Founded in 2004, SOWMA supports the academic, social and emotional growth of students impacted by homelessness. Kathleen became Executive Director this past June, succeeding SOWMA’s founder, Cheryl Opper.

What inspired you to join School on Wheels?

I have always been passionate about helping children, especially those who need us most…and who needs us more than a child experiencing homelessness? I’ve dedicated my career to working in youth services and most recently spent 12 years at the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, where I started as a Program Director and eventually became Executive Director. I was drawn to the grassroots beginnings of School on Wheels and was excited to join as Executive Director in June 2018 and even more excited to lead its growth and expansion.

Continue interview with Kathleen Graham

Since TPC was started in 2012, we have held constant the amount each member donates to support our mission-related and operational expenses. These contributions – $100 for those over 35 and $50 for Young Philanthropists – cover just 53% of what it takes to deliver what you’ve come to expect from TPC: the all member Grants Awards Meeting; Philanthropy Dialogues; Connect the Dots events; funding 8 to 10 Fellows’ memberships annually; Volunteer Days; and other educational events like film screenings and book discussions. In addition, this fee pays for the valuable time and skill of our extraordinary administrator, Alison, as well as costs for bookkeeping, accounting, and required legal filings.

While our sponsors underwrite some of these initiatives, the time has come for us to raise this portion of our dues by $75 and $25, respectively. Effective January 1, 2019, total membership dues will be:

• $1,175 for those over 35 years of age, with a $25 discount for payment by check, and
  
• $575 for Young Philanthropists
  

Please know that the Board and Development Committee debated this increase at length, and realized that none of us could think of any other pricing that hadn’t risen in seven years, including the costs for services provided to TPC. Though we of course would like to hold steady on our membership dues, we believe this increase is a reasonable one. Most important, it will help us continue to provide a high level of educational programming for our members, which ultimately benefits our grantees.