Dear NCNWR Members, The NCNWR Board of Directors met at The Well in La Grange, Illinois, in May. We had a very positive, forward-looking meeting. (In fact, several board members noted that even as we shared five bathrooms, we got along very well! That’s saying something.) We covered quite a bit of ground in our meeting and wanted to share an update. But first, we offer special thanks to the Congregation of St. Joseph and The Well for their wonderful hospitality. We had a chance to catch up with NCNWR Member Grace Skalski, who joined us for lunch. Grace had even made very thoughtful welcome bags for each board member that included bookmarks, note cards with our names, greeting cards, and chocolate! We also had a tour of the Congregation of St. Joseph building, their amazing chapel, the Ministry of the Arts, and St. Joseph Press (which is all on site). Here are some of the highlights from our meeting that the Board wanted to share with you: New Board Member Orientation
We officially welcomed Lisa Roberts and had an orientation for her about serving on the NCNWR Board. Balanced Budget is Approved
We approved a balanced budget for 2010-2011. Special thanks to Jennifer Roseman, NCNWR Treasurer, and the Finance Committee—Jean Merry, Paulette Gardner, SSA, Barbara Mullen, CSJ, and Susan Oxley—for all of their work in preparing the budget. In addition, the Executive Team had conference calls with two Certified Public Accountants. As NCNWR grows, the board determined that we need a CPA to audit our financial statements and ensure that we are complying with all government regulations. In addition, as we pursue development opportunities, the audited annual financial statements will be important and essential tools. Once we choose a CPA and complete an audit, we will be sharing an audited financial statement with the NCNWR Membership. Pre-Conference Workshop Moves Forward
We continued o ur research and discussion into a pre-conference workshop on communications and vocations. Julie Gilberto-Brady is heading this up and we formed a task force to work with her. We are going to develop a survey to see how much of a need and interest there is for a workshop such as this, as well as exploring funding options. We have been invited to attend NRVC’s “Moving Forward in Hope” Symposium that is being held in Chicago in September. As you may know, NRVC received an anonymous grant that they are using to help shape the future of religious life in the U.S. by developing new ways to attract membership. Julie will attend and represent NCNWR. Board Communication Goes High Tech
I shared with the board a new Yahoo! Group we have set up that allows board members to post files in a central location that we can all access, as well as sharing a central calendar of important dates. The Yahoo! Group will ensure that those who serve on the board (both now and later) can always access any needed files from previous years such as meeting minutes, agendas, budgets, etc. Tanya Mullin, our Website/Technology Manager, gave the board a demo on how to use DimDim, video-conferencing software that also allows the sharing of a whiteboard. We hope to begin using this for our monthly board conference calls. The Society of the Holy Child made a donation to the NCNWR Board that paid for a one-year membership to DimDim. NCNWR Website Being Enhanced
We discussed several enhancements to the NCNWR Website that our membership and marketing committees, as well as Tanya Mullin have been working on: - Revamping the Member Spotlight Form.
- Adding more original videos and those of our members to the NCNWR site. If you would like your videos featured on the NCNWR Website and YouTube Channel, just contact Tanya.
- Adding your congregation’s Facebook, Twitter, Blog, and YouTube URLs to the web page that lists the NCNWR Members. (http://www.ncnwr.org/who-we-are/member-sites.php).
- Updating the “Tip of the Week” feature. If you have tips you would like to share, please send them to Tanya.
Committee Reports
A ton of work is being done by our NCNWR Committees. We discussed all of the recommendations that have been made by the committees. We are grateful to all those who serve on our committees. Here is quick overview of our discussions: Membership — Chaired by Julie Gilberto-Brady, the Membership Committee has been working on: - Local structure of NCNWR (i.e., liaisons, ambassadors, welcome committee, etc.)
- New Member Orientation prior to the start of our Annual Conference
- New ways for members to share expertise with one another
Special thanks to the members of the Membership Committee: Linda Behrens; Mary Conarchy; Joanne Gallagher, CSJ; Sarah Jenkins; Karen Katafiasz; Therese Meyerhoff; and Rosemary Steers. Marketing — Chaired by Leah Wand, the Marketing Committee has researched promotion of NCNWR. We will advertise on the RNA website, as well as doing welcome bag inserts for this year’s NRVC Convocation. The committee is also considering ways to upgrade the NCNWR display that is used when we exhibit at the National Assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. (This display is usually at our Annual Conference.) Special thanks to the members of the Marketing Committee: Anne Boyle; Jean Dennison; Jennifer Kaminski; Beth Kress, PBVM; and Nathan Mihelich. Development — Chaired by Debbi Della Porta, the Development Committee has been working to recruit sponsors and exhibitors for this year’s conference, researching grant possibilities, and managing the Silent Auction for this year’s conference. Special thanks to the members of the Development Committ ee: Christine Cox, Jean Merry, Nick Rodi, and Patricia St. Amand. Policies & Procedures Moves A Step Closer
As you know, one of the board’s goals this year is to develop a Policies & Procedures Manual. The Executive Team has drafted the manual, which is close to 50 pages, and shared it with the board during our meeting. The Board will continue to review sections of the manual during each of our monthly conference calls. Once the board has reviewed the entire manual, we will be asking those who are on the NCNWR Policies & Procedures Task Group to review. Conference 2010 is ready to Move Mountains
We finalized details for this year’s conference in Denver, which has shaped up to be quite extraordinary! Jean Merry and her committee have done a wonderful job. We look forward to seeing you all there. Conference 2011 is in Motion
Special thanks to Barbara Mullen, CSJ and Paulette Gardner, SSA, who earlier this year agreed to serve as the Chairs of the 2011 Annual Conference Planning Committee. During our meeting, they shared the research they had completed on different locations for the conference. The locations they researched were based on the feedback from the membership survey that was done a couple of years ago. Details are still being finalized, but we expect to announce the location and dates shortly. Also, be prepared for an exciting performance by the board about the 2011 Conference at this year’s conference. Hearing All the Latest from LCWR and NRVC
Annmarie Sanders, IHM, our liaison to the Leadership Conference of Women Religious joined us for our meeting to give a report on LCWR. In addition, though Carol Schuck Scheiber was not at our meeting, she sent a written report of the latest happenings at NRVC. NCNWR Board 2011
We also discussed the ideal number of board members for NCNWR and whose board terms are ending this year. For next year’s board, we will likely have two-three open seats. Pl ease consider serving on the NCNWR Board. It is a wonderful and enriching experience that can help all to grow professionally and personally. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to speak with me or any member of the NCNWR Board about what’s involved. By-Laws Changes
We discussed a couple of needed changes to the NCNWR by-laws that we will be sharing with you prior to our Annual Conference. We will then be asking you to vote on the changes at the Business Meeting held at this year’s conference. All in all, our time together was very productive—and we did take a few minutes for celebration! During one evening, we had a surprise baby shower for Board Member Leah Wand, who as many of you know, is pregnant and due this fall. Though there was a ton of work, the board commented on the feeling of unity and respect that exists among us and how refreshed we felt by the end of our meeting. The board works incredibly hard to ensure that we are best representing the NCNWR members. We rely heavily on the input we receive from you—both from the many surveys we send (thank you for always taking the time to complete them!) and from the ideas and suggestions that you share throughout the year with board members—and we work hard to ensure that we are always incorporating your feedback into the decisions we make. Know also that we always keep you in prayer. Please feel free to contact me or any member of the board should you have any questions or concerns. With gratitude, Kim Cavallero
2010 NCNWR Board Chair | 
Sister Marlene Schemmel, CSJ (right), executive director of The Well, leads NCNWR board members on a tour of the Congregation of St Joseph ministry building. The altar in the chapel (above) was designed by Mary Southard, CSJ, using wood from oak trees on the property. 
As part of the tour, board members also visited St. Joseph Press (above) and Ministry of the Arts. 
Tanya Mullin offered a demonstration of dimdim videoconferencing during the board meeting NCNWR Board 2010 Kim Cavallero, Chair Debbi Della Porta, Vice Chair Jennifer Roseman, Treasurer Paulette Gardner, SSA Julie Gilberto-Brady Jean Merry Barbara Mullen, CSJ Tanya Mullin Lisa Roberts Leah Wand Liaisons to the Board: Annmarie Sanders, IHM (LCWR) Carol Schuck Scheiber (NRVC) |
Debbi Della Porta