Update 2015-06-12: This outline is still good, but we're looking more to Waterkeeper and national River Network and local Chambers and foundations for assistance than to GRN.

See discussion in board list:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/wwalsboard/Qo5RrByPnhw

Synopsis:

Jesslyn Shields, Watershed Support Coordinator for Georgia River Network, is aware that the WWALS board already voted to raise money to hire executive director.  She wants to be sure the whole board on board with the amount of work it will take.

Here's a rough outline of the process.

1. Raising money
   • identify proportions of:
     1. memberships,
     2. grants,
     3. major donors (corporate sponsors and the like)
   • have people actively communicate with each of the above.
2. Hiring
   • personnel policies
   • operations manual (everything the E.D. will need to know)
     Gretchen remarked: Having had a former life that included management jobs, I can help with this
   • strategic plan: Update 2015-06-12: See revised mission statement
     • issues: can draw from our list of 9 goals
     • goals: what to do about each issue (see above)
     • tactics: how to get there
   • hiring process:
     We have offers of assistance from Clay Montague and Ashby Nix of Satilla Riverkeeper, and Gordon Rogers Flint Riverkeeper is always very helpful, plus we know other Riverkeepers.
     • job posting: we can crib from the one Satilla Riverkeeper used
       Jesslyn will send some more examples
     • venues for the job posting
     • questions to ask applicants
       
3. Training (a year)
   e.g., Clay Montague has helped Ashby Nix with this
   and of course the whole board will be involved right along
   Plus we can draw on experiences of GRN and other Riverkeepers.

Timeline. When are we aiming to have 1, 2, and 3 done?
E.g., mostly finish Alapaha River Water Trail before shifting to these things.

And what do we want Jesslyn and GRN to do?

• Identifying potential funding sources?
• Contacting them?
• Training for us?
• Other?

Jesslyn would also like to come down and meet everybody at some point, maybe around the time of the 8 April 2015 board meeting. Maybe we could do a small workshop with her at Reed Bingham earlier that same day. Or a different day.

She agrees much can be done via email and telephone, but she'd also like to come meet everybody.

What sayeth the board about all this?