By Bruce Ross, Executive Director – (262) 224-4949 or bruceross@wi.rr.com
This article originally appeared in a March 19, 2020 Special Edition Wisconsin Waterfowl Association Newsletter to our chapter leaders.
It will be important to keep family and friends safe and protected during the course of this epidemic. As I noted earlier, these are appropriately your first priorities and there will be many challenges we can’t currently foresee that you’ll need to rank first on your list of “special effort required.” We’re confident you’ll support each other in being attentive to health guidelines, being good neighbors, and finding new ways to greet each other at an appropriate distance! If you think we can help, let us know.
When you have all personal responsibilities well in hand , we also hope you can find a way to help WWA weather this storm. Over the years, you’ve committed a lot of your time, money and energy to this organization because you believe in its missions. WWA hopes to survive this period with its organizational health, too; the better to serve our collective waterfowling passions that brought us together with WWA in the first place. WWA will also likely need some special effort to be in a position to do that. If your personal situation allows, and you have the opportunity and inclination, please consider the following ways to help position WWA for success in a post-Coronavirus world.
- Continue to plan your fundraising events consistent with health advisories. When we are on the other side of the pandemic curve, there will be a lot of things going on in our lives, so this is an opportunity to plan ahead for those events that will take place shortly after the lifting of the advisories (whenever that is).
- Consider how you can make your chapter stronger—and how the state can help you be more successful in leading your chapter.
- Create – or at least promote – Class A events (State hunt, UTV, Chapter Raffles) on-line, with your social media accounts and with your community.
- Consider becoming a sustaining member – and encouraging others.
- Connect us with a corporation that may value a partnership with WWA, especially in this challenging time.
- Consider creating a personal legacy with WWA – or connect us with someone who may not realize the impact their resources can have on wetlands conservation and preserving a Wisconsin waterfowling tradition. Contact me to explore this possibility with our financial planners.