Introduction

The following is a tutorial created to help a prospective board member learn more about what it means to be a member of the board. You can also see some of the committees we have on the board below.

If you have any questions about becoming a member of our board please contact Joy Perry via email by clicking here.

To nominate someone to be considered as a board member please use the nomination packet found here.

FOMH Board Tutorial

Friends of Mosquito Hill, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, supports Mosquito Hill Nature Center (MHNC), which is owned and operated by Outagamie County. FOMH provides this support by underwriting the salary and directing the activities of a volunteer coordinator, supporting a volunteer corps of educators and financially assisting Mosquito Hill Nature Center with projects, exhibits and improvements.

FOMH funds and publishes a newsletter to communicate with Mosquito Hill Nature Center supporters. FOMH provides professional development opportunities and support materials for MHNC staff, as well as training opportunities and materials for volunteer naturalists. FOMH purchases books for the MHNC library.

Funding sources include membership dues, contributions, and proceeds from fundraising activities and investments.

The Board of Directors meets approximately monthly to review and plan activities. Committees meet as needed. Communication is maintained with MHNC staff via periodic meetings and electronic means. MHNC staff and FOMH board jointly update the MHNC strategic plan.

FOMH Board FAQ's

Who serves on the board?

In the past and present, board members have been drawn from volunteers, Mosquito Hill supporters, and others with a specific interest in the Hill. The Director of Mosquito Hill Nature Center also serves as a member of the board with full voting rights. In 2006 the board undertook a self-study and decided to recruit new board members with specific talents and expertise even though they may not yet have a strong connection specifically to MHNC.

What does the board actually do?

The board sets an annual budget for FOMH and directs the uses of funds. Our single largest commitment is to hire, supervise, and pay the salary of the half-time Volunteer Coordinator. The Volunteer Coordinator makes sure that there are sufficient trained volunteers to assist the professional MHNC staff in offering school programs, helping at events and programs, and in maintaining the building and grounds. An ad hoc Human Resources committee communicates and meets regularly with the Volunteer Coordinator, carries out an annual performance evaluation, updates the board regularly, and makes recommendations to the board about pay, benefits, and other issues.

At our monthly meetings we review financial and committee reports, and make plans for events (e.g. FOMH annual meeting) and initiatives, such as fundraising activities. We also plan board development activities (participation in workshops, for example).

While we maintain active email correspondence as needed, most of our work is accomplished via these monthly face-to-face board meetings. These are times to share information, consider new ideas, discuss issues, and bring each other up to speed on happenings since the previous meeting.

What committees are active?

• Standing committees: Education, Newsletter, Building & Grounds, Membership, and Fenlon event committee (see below)

• Ad hoc committees: Annual Meeting, Human Resources, Finance While the ad hoc committees are composed solely of board members, the standing committees are composed at this time mostly of MHNC staff and/or volunteers, with a board representative on each

• A Marketing committee awaits activation

• The Spring Fever event committee (see below) is a quasi-separate entity that reports to the board via the MHNC Director

How do we acquire needed funds?

The largest amount of income is from FOMH membership dues. A membership renewal solicitation letter is sent to all members near the end of the calendar year and most of the renewals come in December-March. Contributions from generous supporters and memorials provide significant receipts. The Spring Fever committee (see below) has transferred several thousand dollars to FOMH general fund each year recently to support the Volunteer Coordinator position.

A “Friends of Mosquito Hill Educational Endowment Fund” is established with the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc. This endowment fund produces dividends that are reinvested in the fund. It was established to provide a secure source of income to benefit educational programs of FOMH and MHNC in the future; there are no plans to use this money for the foreseeable future, but rather, it is hoped that the fund will continue to grow. The FOMH board has decided to attempt to increase receipts during 2007 with new fundraising initiatives.

Fundraising? Uh oh. What fundraising does FOMH undertake?

Spring Fever

This event began in 1997 to raise funds for construction of the science wing, which was dedicated in 2003 and then granted to Outagamie County. Although technically an activity of FOMH, a separate committee (with FOMH board representation) has planned and carried out this successful event annually. Revenue and expenses are tracked separately and Spring Fever funds maintained separately from Friends general funds. Since completion of the building project, the funds raised have been used for displays, projects, and occasional repairs; a significant amount is invested and awaiting use for future initiatives yet to be determined. MHNC staff are heavily involved in the fundraising associated with this event. Because of this, the Outagamie County Parks Director maintains some approval authority over use of these funds. The FOMH board is drafting a Memorandum of Understanding that would clarify the delicate relationship between Outagamie County and FOMH regarding the control and use of the Spring Fever funds and other revenues.

Art Fest raffle

While the Art Fest event has morphed somewhat each year, FOMH has carried out a raffle of donated items at the event. Vendors donate small items, but the major prize has been art work donated by the featured artist. This activity usually raises several hundred dollars.

Shopping spree raffle

New in 2007 is a major fundraising project running from Winter Family Fun Day January 27 until Harvest Moon Fest on September 28. A maximum of 1000 raffle tickets ($10 each) are being sold; grand prize is winner’s choice of $4000 shopping spree at Appleton Powersports or $3500 cash. Second prize is a Wenonah canoe, third a Trek bicycle, fourth $250 cash. We’re looking for this first-of-its-kind fundraiser to provide several thousand dollars of receipts, but we must sell 500 tickets to cover expenses.

Other

The “Human Race” is a fundraising event sponsored by the Volunteer Center of northeast Wisconsin. In 2006 a team from MHNC and FOMH walked in this event; each walker gathered contributions, with proceeds being split between the Volunteer Center and FOMH. This event is held annually and FOMH could choose to participate again in future years.

Where does the money go?

The greatest expenses are for Volunteer Coordinator wages and payroll taxes. Business insurance, fundraising and marketing, and the Transportation Fund are other significant expenses, followed by mailing costs for membership letters and newsletters and MHNC staff support expenses.

What is the “Fenlon event”?

Dr. Chick Fenlon established a fund at the Community Foundation in honor of his deceased wife, Charlotte Bates Fenlon, a longtime Mosquito Hill volunteer. Each year the Fenlon committee brings a nationally or regionally-known speaker or other program to the Fox Cities with expenses paid by the Fenlon fund. The committee selects and plans the events. FOMH handles the financial arrangements, paying the associated bills and being reimbursed by the Fenlon fund. The event is not intended as a fundraiser but as an educational event for the community and a way to promote MHNC and FOMH.

What does the board hope and plan for the future?

An active and enlarged board of directors will have the capacity to assume leadership of nearly all committees.

A board Governance Committee will provide recommendations toward reviewing and updating the board’s statement of roles, responsibilities, and expectations of individual board members; to periodically help clarify the areas of focus for board work, to identify and recruit new board members; to provide an orientation for new board members; to periodically assess the board’s effectiveness, and to act as a nominating committee for board leadership.

The FOMH board and membership will actively promote Mosquito Hill Nature Center to Outagamie County government members, especially during budget deliberations.

FOMH will have an updated, succinct, relevant mission statement that is easy to communicate to others.

A “culture of fundraising” will be established and is not an onerous burden but rather an unobtrusive part of nearly everything we do. Board members will be excited about our mission and that of MHNC and communicate that excitement to others. We will cultivate donors (i.e., “friend raising”) assiduously, and work hard to keep donors well-informed about the impact of their donations.

Membership has been slowly declining , and a comprehensive plan to boost membership and interest will be instituted. While many people are currently unaware that FOMH and MHNC are separate entities, a marketing campaign for both organizations will be developed and generate increased FOMH memberships and contributions. (Program revenue will increase for MHNC as well.) Several attractive effective publications (print and online) will stimulate the public to be informed, interested, and active participants.

In 2007, FOMH cash management policies and procedures are being strengthened and a FOMH office is being established at Mosquito Hill. These will safeguard the organization, provide more accountability, and centralize resources to provide more continuity as board membership changes. Reforms and changes instituted now will be monitored and adjusted in the future to provide maximum benefit to the organization.

In 2006 the MHNC staff, FOMH board and the Volunteer Coordinator updated the MHNC Strategic Plan. Four strategic issues were identified, with initiatives and action steps detailed for each. FOMH board members will lead task forces to address and develop responses to each of the strategic issues. This work is vital to the continued success and existence of MHNC and FOMH and further delay in beginning this work diminishes the relevance of FOMH.

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