If NeighborLink is going to continue running well and growing, we need even more help from great people that have a heart for our model of ministry and neighborhood development. NeighborLink has a long history of having an Advisory Group made up of individuals that meet once a month to discuss what's been going on, work through challenges, and to help create new programs to further our mission and support our Board of Directors.

Heading into 2016 and our 13th year as an organization, we are excited to launch a new, comprehensive committee structure that aims to bring in quality individuals from diverse backgrounds to help shape what we do, how we do it, and who else needs to know about it. Below is a complete outline of those committees and what's involved. We hope you'll consider joining us on one of those and contributing the skills, knowledge, and energy you have.

Committees:

• Team NeighborLink
• Marketing/Communications
• Website
• Volunteer Engagement
• Events

Introductory Meeting Times (Location is at NL Office - 2826 S Calhoun St):

• Team NL Tuesday, February 2 at 6p.m.
• Website Friday, February 12th at 12 (noon) - Ruby Tuesday - please let me know if you're coming
• Volunteer Engagement Tuesday, February 16th at 5:30 p.m.
• Events Wednesday, February 24 at 5:30
• Marketing/Communication Tuesday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m.

If you can't make these intorductory meetings, but you still have interest, we'd be happy to meet with you one-on-one at a more convenient time. That way, you can still decide if you're interested and we can get info on what days/times work best for you for future meetings.

Team NeighborLink: The Team NeighborLink committee will be charged with overseeing Team NeighborLink events, recruiting new Team NeighborLink members, and increasing awareness of the organization throughout our community. This group will require a diverse group of athletes that can talk about merchandise, events, communication, fundraising, and team leadership in various athletic disciplines.

Marketing/Communications: NeighborLink's Executive Director will work with this committee to develop and implement a marketing plan that identifies the needs of vulnerable homeowners and volunteers and addresses how to meet those needs through the website and opportunities NeighborLink provides. This committee will constant evaluate how well we're telling our story and eliminating communication barriers between homeowners and volunteers.

Website: Up-to-date and effective technology is key to NeighborLink's daily operations. The website committee will research and implement new technology as needed, assess volunteer, recipient, and staff feedback on current technology programs, and keep NeighborLink operational from a website standpoint. We're redesigning our website and mobile web platforms early in 2016, so now is the time if you have a desire to engage around the web experience.

Volunteer Engagement: NeighborLink is primarily a volunteer-driven organization. The volunteer committee will seek to recruit and engage new volunteers as well as connect with churches, education systems, diverse people groups, etc. to increase the number of recipients NeighborLink can assist. It'll do a little recruiting and a lot of discussion on the best ways to make the volunteer experience as great as possible.

Events: It will be the job of the events committee to plan and create events that will increase awareness of NeighborLink in our community and secure additional funding. The committee must identify new events and potential donors to support the work of the organization. This is one of our greatest areas of growth in 2016.

Duties of Members:

Committee members are to attend scheduled meetings, participate in discussions and share the workload. Each member's expertise, knowledge, background, etc. is imperative to the committee's success. When assigned a task, it becomes each member's duty to complete the task and report back to the committee.

Chairmanship Duties:

Each committee will have a chairperson to lead the meetings. The chairperson will be responsible for setting meeting dates, preparing agendas, and keep minutes (or assign someone to keep minutes). The responsibility to report progress of goals and committee work to NeighborLink staff and board also is required. These tasks may be delegated to other committee members if the chair and committee agree.

Committee Structures:

Committees need to be large enough to divide tasks and successfully complete their goals but not too large. Committees should be no less than 3 people and no more than 10. Meetings will be scheduled as needed to accomplish the committee goals. Committee members should commit to attending the majority of all meetings. One staff member and one board member should sit on each committee to increase communication and awareness at various organizational levels.

We know this is a lot to consider, but we know from experience that investing your time in helping organizations like ours at this level is time well spent. Our desire is to see more neighbors in need receive the love and help they need from concerned neighbors. We need your help to do that.

If you are interested in joining or learning more about each committee, please contact us.

Andrew Hoffman, Executive Director

260.710.7611 - Andrew@NLFW.org