Purpose of Trip: Capital Campaign Workshop (2 Days)
Dates: January 17 -20, 2012
TLAM Members: Omar Poler, Louise Robbins, Robin Amado, Troy Espe, Jacob Ineichen, Jessica Miesner, Sarah Morris
On January 18th and 19th, individuals invested in Ginanda Gikendaamin, the proposed Red Cliff community center and library, attended a two-day capital campaign workshop at the Legendary Waters Resort and Casino in Red Cliff.
Boris Frank, who has had invaluable experience in a number of fundraising projects, including eighty library capital campaigns, led the workshop. Those in attendance included: Rose Gurnoe-Soulier, tribal chairwoman for Red Cliff; Randy Hella, tribal planner; Dee Gokee-Rindal, Early Childhood Center & Education Division Administrator ; Carmen VanderVenter, Red Cliff Education Specialist; Patricia Aiken-Buffalo, community member; and two librarians from the Northern Waters Library System as well as a Red Cliff police officer and Bayfield community member.
Our goals, by the end of the two-day workshop, was to create an action plan for the capital campaign, decide who in the community will lead the campaign, and discuss possible prospects for donations. Throughout the two days, there was a great sense of excitement and positive energy about the project. Students furiously took notes as Boris spoke about the process and etiquette of fundraising, ideas on who to ask and how to raise money, and stories of other successful campaigns. Patricia, Dee and Rose are sharing leadership in the capital campaign. Patricia volunteered to be the campaign administrator. Her duties include maintaining contacts with volunteers, keeping the financial records, creating campaign reports, and more.
TLAM members were able to attend the workshop and return to Madison with the wonderful and safe mini-van driving skills of Mr. Poler, who braved snowstorm conditions each way. Those in attendance were a great sampling of TLAM members: Omar and Louise have been instrumental in initiating and continuing the Red Cliff/UW relationship; Sarah, Troy, and Jessica are invested in the project as they were students of the TLAM class in the spring of 2011; and Robin and Jake are new TLAM student group members who are eager to become involved in the project.
When we were not in the workshops, we enjoyed time on the casino floor, exploring the workout center and food/drink options, and relaxing with our laptops and books. On Thursday night we attended a lecture by Al Gedicks at Northland College in Ashland. He was speaking against the proposed mine at Penokee that would affect much of the land and the Bad River band’s wild rice growing area. Mike Wiggins, Jr., tribal chairman for the Bad River reservation, was in attendance with many other community members from the surrounding area.
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Following the trip to Red Cliff, several TLAM students met Boris at the Grant Center in Memorial Library on January 31 to learn about how to use the center. This meeting served as a starting place for grant research and writing.
Tasks underway include:
- Setting up an account where donations will be kept;
- Creating a space for record-keeping of donations;
- Confirming a functional plan, which includes the square footage allotted for each part of the space.
If you have any questions or comments, or would like some more clarification on our trip and what we learned, please don’t hesitate to comment below.
– Robin Amado