Changes in 2014

The ND Club of Austin in Review

This originally appeared as an email to the Notre Dame Club of Austin on October 15th, 2014. This has been formatted for Medium to reach an expanded audience, and to share our communication and governance strategies with others in non-profit leadership roles.

Dear Devin,

You might have noticed some major updates to the ND Club of Austin this year. I want to share with you some of the underlying changes we’ve made, reflect on the current state of the club, and invite you to participate with us.

One Change Leads to Many

When I took over the Presidency of the Club in January 2013, I spent my time focused on the operations: the nuts and bolts of our organization. I became aware of the good, the not-as-good, and the unknown. As I became more comfortable with our trajectory, the challenges and opportunities we faced became clear.

Our approach to governance mirrored the approach our founders took in March, 1994. Club officers met annually for a general planning session. This meeting was supplemented by more regular meetings, where a select group of individuals joined in planning and programming. In the twenty years since our founding, Austin has more than doubled in size and our base of alumni, family, and friends has grown even faster. Today, we have more than 1000 alumni and more than 500 friends and family in this community.

In January, we embarked on a new approach. Our belief: forcing momentum will energize this club. The officers began meeting every week, and we opened our monthly meetings to all members. These changes reflected the grassroots nature of our organization, and our desire to be more tightly aligned with the needs and initiatives of our members.

The result: our consistency has improved significantly, and we’ve turned from being reactive to being proactive. In this calendar year, the Notre Dame Club of Austin will deliver more than one event per week. Our website is redesigned with more major updates on the way (hat tip, Clinton Grady). Weekly emails are consistent and personal (ht, Steve Bonino). And, our local chapter of the Hispanic Alumni of Notre Dame has established itself as a national leader (ht, Stefan Molina).

Our team has humbly demonstrated an ability to self-reflect and an audacious commitment to self-improve. I’m proud of our team and what we’ve accomplished, and I’m eager to see what the future holds for this organization.

A Personal Invitation

In a recent email to our regular team leaders, I declared that our club cannot fully realize its potential without their voice, participation, and engagement. I want to extend that invitation to you, personally: please join us in sharing the University of Notre Dame, and Her mission, with central Texas.

There are two ways you join us, today. First, I’d like to invite you to participate in our events. Sign up here to join our Club as we support Ronald McDonald House’s Lights of Love 5k on December 5th. If you’re not available for this event, check your email tomorrow to see a full schedule of Club events through early December. We have some amazing programming coming up.

Second, I’d like to invite you to become a dues paying member. Our team and leadership is unpaid: your money goes to running our events and to key Club initiatives, such as the Student Scholarship Fund. Our commitment to this fund has grown by 66% in the last year. To become a member of the club, visit our website and click the PayPal button on the top-right hand side of the page.

In conclusion, I want to share that our engagement in this community has facilitated the development of strong relationships back in South Bend. The Office of Admissions, the Alumni Association, and our Region Director have made it clear in their feedback: Austin is a rising star.

Thank you for your support.

Go Irish!
Devin Fee

President, Notre Dame Club of Austin