----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Ross Creech <rcreech@...>
To: Executive Board <ExecutiveBoard@...>
Cc: Stephan Hienzsch <shienzsch@...>
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 11:08:10 AM
Subject: USDF Announces Dates for Two 2008 USDF Sport Horse Seminars

YEAH!!
 

Just learned this show isn't being held this year.

 

Sarah

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Kathie Robertson <krobertson@...>
To: Sarah Patrick <region4dir@...>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 9:45:53 AM
Subject: USDF Educational Opportunity Available with George Williams

You are receiving this email because you are on the email list of the United States Dressage Federation. If you do not wish to receive future emails from Kathie Robertson please click the link below. Click here The United States Dressage Federation invites you to audit the USDF FEI Jr/YR Clinic Series - Region 4 FEATURING George Williams WHEN Saturday, November 1, 2008 Sunday, November 2, 2008 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM WHERE Pine Hill Farm 8000 NW Mace Road Kansas City, MO 64152 RSVP Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Click "YES" for more information and to register. Click "NO" to decline.

Having trouble with the link? Simply copy and paste the entire address listed below into your web browser: http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?1Q,P1,8C31F3B6-9739-4709-BD90-E9A1C53649F9 If you do not wish to receive future emails from Kathie Robertson please click the link below. Click here

This is a nice news story about one of the Region 4 declared riders and her horse.
 

Submit nominations to the USDF office by August 31 (i.e. you could do it right now if you want!).

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Ross Creech <rcreech@...>
To: Executive Board <ExecutiveBoard@...>
Cc: Stephan Hienzsch <shienzsch@...>
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 2:05:00 PM
Subject: Revised Criteria for USDF Youth Volunteer of the Year Award

Katie Alms (originally from MO) rode for Region 4 on our NAYRC team in 2007 and is selected as a participant in the 2008 Olympic Dream program funded by The Dressage Foundation.  Mimi Stanley (ND) is a 2008 alternate.  Congratulations!

Four Young Dressage Riders Chosen for Program Funded and Administered by The Dressage Foundation
Four advanced young riders have been selected for the 2008 Advanced Young Rider Olympic Dream Program, which annually sends young riders to Europe for an intensive 10-day dressage experience. The program is administered and funded annually by The Dressage Foundation (TDF).  On May 7, an independent selection committee chose Emily Tears (CA), Katie Alms (CT), Jordan Meadows (IL) and Vanessa Simon  (CO) to make the eighth annual TDF trip to Europe. The committee chose Kristin Posner (KY) and Mimi Stanley  (ND) as the first and second alternates, respectively.  The selection committee based their decision on the candidates’ essays, competition scores, recommendations and signs of commitment. John Boomer, President and CEO of TDF said, “The committee was very impressed with the quality of this year’s candidates, and they have selected a wonderful group of young riders.”

The program, conceived by Olympic medalist and TDF board member, Michael Poulin (FL), will be led this year by mother-daughter team Cindy Sydnor (NC) and Eliza Sydnor (NC). Beth Baumert (CT) is serving, again, as administrator of the program. Poulin believes TDF’s Olympic Dream program helps American young riders reach their potential. He aims to fuel “the power of the dream” for young people, and help them “develop a sense of proportion, a sense of themselves and of being proud of who they are and what they’re doing.” 

The group will attend the European Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championships in Azeitao, Portugal. Chaperone, Cindy Sydnor who served in the same capacity on the 2004 trip, offers the advantage of speaking both German and Portuguese. After the championships, the group will travel to Germany. Subject to the schedules of German riders and trainers, the group will tentatively plan to visit U.S. team coach, Klaus Balkenhol, Spanish team coach, Jean Bemelmans and German Olympians, Ingrid Klimke and Hubertus Schmidt. While traveling, the young riders will record their observations in daily journals and chronicle the events with photos and video to share with their home dressage organizations.

"This annual trip, scheduled this year from July 17-27, 2008, is made possible by very generous donors,” said Boomer. “We’re very grateful to those who care and share in this special way."

 

Hi, Everyone,

 

Is there a willing volunteer to participate in the GMO Council representing large GMOs in Region 4?  Anne Sushko is representing small GMOs and doing a great job.  I occassionally have information that needs to go to the GMOs or ask for follow-up to questions they may have.  I used to be the small GMO liaison when my former GMO got started and really found it an enjoyable way to 'meet' (usually electronically) other like-minded people in the region.

 

To serve on a USDF Council you do also have to be a PM and it would be great if you intend to go to the convention in Denver so you can participate in the GMO Council meeting there.

 

The largest GMOs in Region 4 are (per the USDF web-site right now):  Central States Dressage & Eventing (501 members recorded with USDF), Kansas City Dressage Society (227 members currently recorded with USDF), North Woods Dressage Association (121), St. Louis Area Dressage Society (118), Nebraska Dressage Association (107), Eastern Iowa Dressage & Eventing (57), and Columbia Dressage & Combined Training Association (56). If you are a member of any of these GMOs and willing to help out please do let me know.  The majority of the input is by email.  THANKS!

 

Cheers,

Sarah
 

My thanks to John Boomer, CEO of The Dressage Foundation and a lifetime member of USDF and the Nebraska Dressage Association, for teaching the Region 4 GMO Leadership session on fundraising this past Wednesday.  We also had representation from Central States Dressage & Eventing, Dakota Dressage & Eventing, Eastern Iowa Dressage & Combined Training Association, North Woods Dressage Association, and the Ozark Dressage Society.  The South Dakota Dressage Society emailed in information about their fundraising success making a CD of training techniques and giving it away at a horse fair while asking for donations.  The donations totaled $300.

 

Attached please find the notes (thanks to Joann Messersmith) from this one hour session.  They will also be posted on the Region 4 yahoogroup under FILES.

 

As another 'tidbit' regarding fundraising, I am also including something (below) I received today from The Gifted Fundraiser, a new, free on-line newsletter available at www.giftedfundraiser.com.

 

Cheers,

Sarah

cell (573) 301-8828 

 

Board Fundraising: Four Fundraising Responsibilities of Every Board Member.

Posted on May 21, 2008
Filed Under Board Fundraising |

By Bob Zimmerman and Ann Lehman

A critically important part of good board management is ensuring the availability of adequate funds. What specifically should nonprofit board members do in this regard? As a nonprofit board member, you have four fundraising responsibilities:

Responsibility #1
To make a financial contribution to the extent of your capacity.
Some board members can make only token gifts annually; others can give $5 million. Each of you should make a “stretch” gift every year regardless of specific amount. Other funders- particularly foundations and major donors- will consider making contributions only if everyone on the board has made a capacity gift. It is much easier to ask for money if you have put your money where your mouth is!

Responsibility #2
To solicit contributions from your friends, relatives and colleagues.
The most important reason that a person makes his or her first contribution to a nonprofit organization is that the right person asks. You should be prepared to approach the individuals on your Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan or Solstice card list on behalf of your organization. These approaches may be for direct mail contributions, seats at special events, major gifts or planned gifts.

Responsibility #3
To recruit new members with clout and connections to your board of directors.
In order to achieve “critical mass” when it comes to fundraising, your board must contain at least a few people of means who have the ability to make sizeable contributions and the desire to “put the arm” on friends and colleagues. “Peer-to-peer” fundraising is the name of the game.

Responsibility #4
To oversee your organization’s fundraising efforts.
As a board member, it is not your responsibility to write grant proposals or enter donor information in the database (unless you are without a staff). You are responsible, however, for making sure that your organization is pursuing funds by every appropriate means. The board mandates the preparation of a written fundraising plan and reviews fundraising activities periodically to ensure timely and comprehensive implementation of the plan.

As fundraising consultants, we have worked with thousands of board members from hundreds of nonprofit organizations, and it is rare indeed for anyone to say: “Naturally those are our responsibilities! Lead on!” We face instead a variety of concerns about each responsibility.

Common concerns about responsibility #1
“To make a financial contribution to the extent of your capacity.”
First, with reference to making their own financial contributions, typical objections and complaints voiced by board members include:

“I give my time, and that’s more valuable than money!”
“What difference can my small gift make to a huge nonprofit like this?”
“I serve on three nonprofit boards. How can I contribute to each one?”

While we certainly appreciate the time that board members donate, this does not replace money. If you are a consultant in the field of public health who bills at $350 an hour and you spend five hours per month on nonprofit board work, this does not equate to $1,750, because $1,750 does not appear magically in the organization’s bank account. Of course volunteer hours matter-but so does money.

If your organization has an annual budget of $10 million, why should anyone care about your contribution of $250? Two reasons: first, the huge majority of that $10 million may be restricted to particular projects, and your $250 unrestricted contribution is therefore extremely helpful in meeting such mundane expenses as utility bills and purchase of copy paper. Second, your modest contribution is vitally important “philanthropic advertising.” Prospective major individual donors are likely to ask solicitors from the board if they have made contributions themselves. The right answer? “Yes, and my gift was the largest I’ve ever made to a nonprofit organization” or “Yes, and it was a real stretch, but that’s how much this organization means to me.” Some nonprofit board members serve on more than one board, and their largesse is therefore spread thin. We appreciate this problem and ask only that board members do the best they can to bolster each organization’s revenues.

Common concerns about responsibility #2
“To solicit contributions from your friends, relatives and colleagues.”
The very idea of asking friends for contributions fills many board members with fear and loathing. When we conduct board fundraising trainings, we always ask the following question: “How many of you would rather ask a stranger for a large gift than a friend?” Inevitably, the majority of the folks in the room raise their hands. Our response? “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re going to have to get over it.”

Why? Because the most important tactical issue in fundraising is access: How do you gain access to folks with money and the desire to help worthy organizations? You clearly do not have access to strangers; sending a letter to Mr. and Ms. Dinero on Plush Drive requesting a contribution is pointless unless someone in your organization knows Mr. and Ms. Dinero personally. We understand that not every board member has well-heeled friends and colleagues, but everyone knows folks who could make modest contributions. The folks whom you know will at the very least grant you an audience or be willing to read a request letter to which you have appended a personal note. As we discuss later in this book, you must learn to overcome the fears that keep you from asking your intimates for contributions.

Common concerns about responsibility #3
“To recruit new members with clout and connections to your board of directors.”
Board members at small and medium-sized organizations are often reluctant to invite folks with money and connections onto their boards. This reluctance is equal parts fear of being intimidated and what we term “reverse chic.” Current board members worry that someone with money and clout will so intimidate them that they will never again speak at board meetings. Conversely, they honestly believe that a person of means could not possibly relate to the work of their organization!

For example, one client, a small modern dance company in a large city on the west coast, called us for a board consultation. The dance company was five years old at the time of our meeting; its initial funding included grants from foundations and government agencies, as well as modest contributions from local businesses. The board was made up of dancers, choreographers and friends of the artistic director. The grants and contributions were drying up, and they needed advice on what to do next.

We suggested that they needed to raise funds from individuals, and, in order to do so, it was vitally important to expand their board. “How about asking the manager of the bank branch at which you do business to join your board?” we suggested. Their reaction spoke volumes about intimidation and “reverse chic:” “What,” said one of the current board members, “could a bank manager possibly know about modern dance?”

There are two issues here. First, the bank manager is not being asked to choreograph a production; what matters is that he or she cares a great deal about dance. More important, to dismiss the idea of a banker serving on the dance company’s board is to deny the board a powerful fundraising ally.

Common concerns about responsibility #4
“To oversee your organization’s fundraising efforts.”
Finally, board members are often uncomfortable in the role of overseers in the development effort. They would rather cede this responsibility to staff. “Thank heavens we’ve hired our first development director,” board members often say. “No more fundraising for us!” In fact, a good development director will make your board work hard and consistently at fundraising. In addition, the development director and executive director will look to the board for guidance in planning and implementing all facets of your fundraising effort.

As discussed in Chapter 5, the board should commission a written fundraising plan to be prepared either by the development director or a consultant. This plan ought to provide your organization with its fundraising “marching orders” for three years. As a board member, it is your responsibility to review this plan periodically and to interview staff to determine whether all necessary steps have been taken to implement it.

–
This article is an excerpt from the book Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide for Your Board. Written by Robert Zimmerman and Ann Lehman—leading experts in the field of fundraising and board development—Boards That Love Fundraising: A How-To Guide For Your Board not only shows that all board members (no matter the level of experience) can learn to raise funds, but also provides effective tips to the more experienced fundraisers.

Robert M. Zimmerman, Fundraising Specialist and President of Zimmerman Lehman, has 35 years of experience in the field of nonprofit administration in the areas of fundraising, organizational development and executive search.

Ann W. Lehman, Planning and Policy Specialist and Partner at Zimmerman Lehman, has worked in the public interest arena for more than 30 years.

Zimmerman Lehman
582 Market Street, Suite 1112
San Francisco, CA 94104
www.zimmerman-lehman.com

 

Nation’s Top Dressage Horses & Riders Invited to the USEF Selection Trials for Dressage at Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

Release: June 04 2008

By Joanie Morris Lexington, KY - As per the Olympic Selection Procedures, the USEF is extending an invitation to the top dressage horse/rider combinations in the U.S. to participate in the 2008 USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship/USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Olympic Team in Dressage. These horse/rider combinations are the top 12 from the 2008 USEF Grand Prix Dressage and Selection Trials Ranking List as of June 2, 2008. The following combinations have been invited (in ranked order): Ranking/Rider/Age/Hometown/Horse/Sex/Age/Breed/Owner 1. Debbie Mc Donald / 53 / Hailey, ID / Brentina / M / 17 / Hanoverian / Peggy Thomas 2. Steffen Peters/ 43 / San Diego, CA / Ravel / G / 10 / KWPN / Akiko Yamazaki 3. Courtney King / 30 / New Milford, CT / Idocus / S / 18 / Royal Dutch Warmblood / Christine McCarthy 4. Sue Blinks / 50 / Encinitas, CA / Mark / G / 14 / KWPN / Louise Leatherdale 5. Debbie Mc Donald / 53 / Hailey, ID / Felix / G / 12 / Hanoverian / Peggy Thomas 6. Steffen Peters/ 43 / San Diego, CA / Lombardi 11 / 17 / Holsteiner / Akiko Yamazaki 7. Courtney King / 30 / New Milford, CT / Harmony’s Mythillus / 14 / Royal Dutch Warmblood / Leslie Malone 8. Michael Barisone / 43 / Califon, NJ / Neruda / 13 / G / Royal Dutch Warmblood / Jane Suwalsky 9. Kristina Harrison-Naness / 36 / Burbank, CA / Rociero XV / S / 13 / Andalusian / Margaret Carrera 10. Leslie Morse / 46 / Beverly Hills, CA / Kingston / 16 / S / Royal Dutch Warmblood / Leslie Morse 11. Lisa Wilcox / 41 / Loxahatchee, FL / Naomi / 13 / M / Royal Dutch Warmblood / Janet Bell 12T. George Williams / 52 / Delaware, OH / Rocher / 17 / M / Westphalian / Charles Smith 12T. Heather Blitz / 38 / Denmark / Otto / 12 / G / Danish Warmblood / Heather Blitz This Championship will be held during the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions in San Juan Capistrano, CA on June 21-22 and June 27-29. This unique championship festival will also award National Championship titles for the Intermediaire I, Young Adult “Brentina Cup”, Young Rider, and Junior divisions. The USEF would like to congratulate all qualified horses and riders, and invitations for the top 12 horse/rider combinations in each division have been distributed with final ranking lists are now posted on the Federation website, http://www.usef.org/contentPage2.aspx?id=dressagefestival.