Contributor
LAUREN RICHARD
President/CEO
To say that 2020 was a challenging year for all of us is a huge understatement. While 2021 is projected to end in a much better place, we will all still be facing challenges related to the pandemic. So, how do we position our organization to come out of COVID stronger than ever? Glad you asked.
The board and executive leadership at Camp Fire First Texas are confident that focusing on the following three priorities will position the agency to do just that:
Clear and concise organizational messaging
A strong and robust fundraising plan and
A board/staff working group focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Clarifying a North Star
If you’ve ever asked someone what Camp Fire does, you have likely heard as many answers as people asked. I recently asked a nonprofit colleague if they knew what Camp Fire does and she replied, “Don’t they organize the Bluebirds?” Having been a Bluebird myself, I loved hearing this legacy in her answer but there’s just one problem with it: we don’t do that anymore!
With 106 years of history adapting programs to fit changing community needs, this confusion is expected. However, in order to ensure the community knows ALL that Camp Fire does, and to engage new champions of our mission, we are developing “north star” messaging that encompasses all of our programs. Be on the lookout! In the coming months we’ll roll out messaging that outlines what we do, how we do it, and why we do it. We want to equip all who love Camp Fire to be effective ambassadors of our mission!
Funding & Growing Support
Our messaging is also critical to our fundraising efforts, especially coming out of the pandemic. We are blessed with dedicated, long-time supporters of Camp Fire and we would not be where we are without them. We want to retain and reengage these champions while also engaging new supporters who are passionate about our mission. As such, we have crafted a 2021 fundraising plan that maps out opportunities to strategically involve all our donors, new and existing, as well as reimagining our signature fundraisers to increase engagement. This plan engages the highest levels of our organization with the creation of a new fund development committee on our board of directors. We believe we are stronger together and our development goals are best realized with the board and staff in lockstep together.
Digging Deep into our Values
Finally, and very importantly, we are convening a work group of both board members and staff to identify our path forward in ensuring we are an equitable organization in all aspects of our operations. Our strong commitment to inclusion dates back to our inception. This work will honor that longstanding organizational value while enabling us to self-reflect on our policies, practices and representation to make the necessary changes. We are not seeking to check a box here – we are committed to doing the hard work necessary to audit our assumptions and practices, illuminate our blind spots, and most importantly, taking clear action on what we learn. We look forward to sharing our learnings with our community stakeholders along the way.
While we are eager to explore more long-term expansion goals in the future, these three priorities are our pathway forward into 2021 and beyond. We hope you see yourself reflected in these guiding actions, because as a champion, alumni, community partner, supporter, and/or program participant of Camp Fire First Texas, you are!
Onward!
Would you like to get involved? 
