12-12-17
Friends and volunteers,
As you may have heard, Family Promise of Sarasota is in the process of some reorganizing and re-evaluating. We want to update you on our process and ask for your input and help.
Our executive director, Becky Taylor, has taken a medical retirement, and our network assistant, Maureen Martin, is also leaving to focus on her writing career. We are grateful for the passion and dedication both women have brought to Family Promise and to our guest families, and we wish them all the best.
Before we hire new staff members — and while we have a rare window between guest families — we’re going to take some time to look at our processes, our facilities and our needs. The stars have aligned to allow us to hit a quick pause button and regroup, and we’re going to take full advantage of it.
We’ll be doing some deep cleaning and improvements at Promise House and will be asking for volunteer help to get some of that work done.
We’ll also be going over our processes and systems for family intake, volunteer support, fundraising and other office functions. We’re checking in with each congregation and are reliant on their input.
We’re also talking about how to best recruit more volunteers, congregations and community groups. We need a few more to avoid over reliance on existing volunteers.
Here’s how you can help:
- Apply to serve on our volunteer board of trustees. We’re looking for people willing to help us set the vision and direction for this organization we all believe in. If you have expertise in finances, fundraising, nonprofit management, communications or volunteer support, that’s welcome We welcome applications from anyone who brings passion, leadership and a willingness to help us move forward. The only scheduled time commitment is one monthly evening meeting (currently held the second Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m.).
- Get involved in a specific element of our program assessment. Are you willing to help us recruit volunteer organizations, do some clerical work in the office, or go through donations? Do you have input to share on fundraising or outreach? We welcome your help, feedback and suggestions.
- Help spruce up Promise House. We’ll be looking for volunteers soon to get our facilities ready for new guests, including some furniture replacement and potential painting.
Our board’s process will be transparent, and we wholeheartedly invite your involvement in it. Our board meetings are open, and you’re welcome to attend. The next one will be at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11 at Temple Beth Sholom, 1050 S Tuttle Ave, Sarasota.
Get in touch with us at
info@familypromise.org or call the office at
(941) 952-1800. Until we hire new staff, board members will be taking turns monitoring the email and voicemail, and one of us will get back to you. Our priority is to lay the foundation for an organization that supports its volunteers and functions smoothly.
Happy Holidays from all of us! We’re grateful to have such a dedicated community supporting us so we can continue to help struggling Sarasota families regain their stability.
From the Family Promise of Sarasota board of trustees:
Sandee Davis
Wendy Leventhal
Shawna Machado
Joy Mayer
Meredith Strahle
Toska Strong
