I’d like to introduce you to our two new board members, Kaitlin Bishop and Laura Youngberg!

A little background: this past Saturday, June 25th, was our annual meeting and board retreat. Highlights include kayaking on the Skokie Lagoons with Northwest Passage, taking part in a revitalizing vision and strategic planning session led by Corinne Pierog of Sustainable Leadership Solutions, and installing two lovely new board members. These past few days following the meeting have been very busy as we attempt to sort through our goals and objectives and assume responsibility for each one. Suffice it to say that we have a lot to accomplish in the next three months before the trade show, and it won’t be slowing down anytime soon!

Kaitlin has been working with us since September 2010. She came to BHF after having suffered the unexpected and devastating loss of one of her Argentinian Dogo pups, Opie, to an arrhythmia earlier in the year. Needless to say, Kaitlin is very dedicated to our mission and she has been an invaluable asset to us ever since she began working with us! She draws on many skills from the creative arena – she is a professional dancer, and participates not only in the creative performance aspect of her non-profit dance company, but is also involved with its business relations and event planning. In addition to helping us organize our very first fundraiser back in February, Kaitlin has also written a dynamite first grant proposal for BHF, which was sent to the Banfield Charitable Trust earlier this week. Kaitlin and her fiance Mike have two adorable Argentinian Dogos, Jax and Louie, whom they constantly shower with love and attention and refer to as “the boys.” Additionally, if you ask Kaitlin about her boys, she will enthusiastically tell you hilarious stories for hours-on-end!

Laura comes to us as a friend of Christy’s, hailing twelve years of experience working for non-profit organizations. She has participated in organizational development, financial oversight, staff management, communications creation and production, event and fundraiser planning, leadership training facilitation, and collaboration with organizational stakeholders in her various positions over the years. Needless to say, she is a huge asset to BHF as we “ramp up” for our second fiscal year. Laura and her husband Chris have two little boys, a four-year-old and a 6-month-old, and an 18-year-old kitty named Hippolyta, named by Chris in her youth for the energetic queen of the Amazons in Greek mythology. Now she is less a fierce warrior than an expert bed-sleeper! Laura’s 4-year-old son is also pushing his parents for a pair of twin rainbow kitties… we’ll see how soon his wish is granted!

Welcome Kaitlin and Laura – we are so glad to have you both on board. Already fiscal year 2012 is promising to be an exciting and busy one.

Here is a picture of Laura, Katie, Brandi, Melissa, and Des after kayaking: (not pictured: Christy and Kaitlin).

This colloquial and utterly brilliant statement was made yesterday by Jeffrey E. Faulkner in his presentation I had the pleasure of hearing at the “Self Generated Income: Surviving or Thriving, A Strategic Path To Sustainability and Mission Enhancement” day-long conference at the Axelson Center for Non-Profit Management.

Mr. Faulkner is the President of Ways to Work, a unique economic empowerment program that helps working poor families solidify position in the workforce, build financial literacy and capacity, and attain self-sufficiency. His organization provides small scale loans to working poor families, and then supports them in learning how to manage that money.

What does this have to do with The Big Hearts Fund? Well.

The entire conference yesterday was focused on how Non-Profit businesses in today’s tough economic environment should explore self-generated income as an essential revenue stream for the future. We heard from several speakers, all of whom were directors of successful organizations that have embraced this idea (Ways to Work, Seguin Works, The Cara Program). I felt encouraged that The Big Hearts Fund is beginning with a business model that includes the sale of well-designed products to fund the charity. Because from what we heard yesterday, charities that have become “addicted” to government hand-outs (grants) are going to be SOL when this new federal budget passes.

I could go on and on about how great I thought this conference was, and how inspiring it was, and how many great ideas I have for our annual meeting/board retreat etc. etc. But I’ll spare you. Suffice it to say that the biggest thing I took away was this: “Non-Profit” does not mean “For Loss.” Non-Profit ain’t nothin’ but tax status… The Big Hearts Fund is a business that in order to do the most good, must have a sustainable way to operate in the black.

On that note, the order for the bowl stands has been placed as of today. The laser cutter estimates a 5 – 6 week lead time… but I can tell you, definitely, that THIS IS IT. We WILL have these out to you, this summer.