President’s Report–Summer 2020
OK, everything’s different… Now what?
Like everyone else, we at Umpqua Watersheds are trying to navigate the Coronavirus landscape in a safe and proactive way. Face to face meetings are a fading memory, replaced by small pixelated images on screens from our home offices. Traditional social events are canceled or postponed indefinitely, and we’ve all had to add masks to our ensembles. And no one knows how long this will go on.
And like everyone else, we are watching our cash flow slosh around, and trying to figure out how to channel it back into a predictable flow. Thanks to a successful Brew Fest and your awesome response to our year-end donor appeal, we are keeping our lights on and our staff paid. But with the loss of revenue from our Annual Banquet and Auction, and with few prospects for our signature fundraising events in the foreseeable future, we clearly need to redesign our funding strategies.
We also appreciate that many of you — our financial supporters — are in the same situation, and we certainly encourage you to make sure your oxygen mask is secure before you assist others. But for those of you who are still able to work or who have income from investments or retirement plans, please consider donating some of your stimulus money to UW.
Better yet, consider setting up a monthly auto-deposit to Umpqua Watersheds’ account at Cascade Community Credit Union. Many of you are reminded to give to UW at our various annual events, and we are truly grateful for your sustained support over the decades. But this has always created peaks and valleys in our cash flow, and things have gotten a tad stressful here and there over the years. You’ve ALWAYS come through, and we’re going strong at 25 years because of that loyalty. But sporadic influxes of event revenue and random acts of generosity make budgeting very challenging.
So even if you only give the minimum $35/year membership fee, considering setting up an automatic transfer of $3/mo. to our account. Ten dollars a month will provide $120 over the year that we can count on as we plan for the future. Our new membership and donor tracking software, Bloomerang, will assure that any and all of your tax-deductible donations are recorded accurately, with direct acknowledgement and documentation back to you.
Through our donor appeals, these newsletters, our Watershed Moments emails, and KQUA radio, we will continue to keep you informed of the progress we make in our Conservation, Outreach, Restoration, and Education initiatives. For a quarter of a century, you have recognized the important role Umpqua Watersheds plays in protecting our natural heritage and maintaining our quality life in the 100 valleys of the Umpqua. Please consider continuing that support by adding UW to your monthly budget. Thank you!
