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Here's the slide deck from today's presentation.

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Firespring_KHill_ANCA_2025-3-20_Boards and Executive Directors Driving from the Passenger Seat

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Here's a sample of an Individualized Workplan!

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More participation from all members instead of just the same 4-5 people every time.

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Designing a capital campaign and the role of the Board

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Designing a capital campaign and the role of the Board

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We have some new members who are excited about being involved. 

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We have some new members who are excited about being involved. 

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Structure, Committees, and Meetings - BoardSource

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There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to board structure, but there are some general principles that each board should keep in mind.

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Clarify Your Message Keynote

When you clarify your message, customers engage. But if your message is confusing, customers ignore you. In the Clarify Your Message keynote, Donald Miller walks your audience through the StoryBrand Framework and helps them understand how they can invite customers into a story.
The keynote is based on his book Building a StoryBrand which has inspired over one million business leaders all over the world.

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StoryBrand - Clarify Your Message - StoryBrand

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Clarify Your Message Keynote When you clarify your message, customers engage. But if your message is confusing, customers ignore you. In the Clarify Your Message keynote, Donald Miller walks your audience through the StoryBrand Framework and helps them understand how they can invite customers into a story.The keynote is based on his book Building a StoryBrand which has inspired over one million business leaders all over the world.

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Board Evaluation and Assessing Performance | BoardSource

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Board evaluation and assessing performance is the most effective way to ensure your board members understand their duties.

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Add strategic discussions to our meetings

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Add strategic discussions to our meetings

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We started doing this a couple of years ago. We ask each board member to assess their involvement and if they receive what they need from leadership to do their job.

ANCA Board Self Check-in

The ANCA Winter Meeting is coming up soon. In preparation for the work ahead, we are asking each ANCA Board Member to take a few moments to review the Board Member Job Description and reflect on the following questions:

1. Do I understand and support the mission of ANCA?

2. Am I knowledgeable about ANCA’s programs and services?

3. Do I follow the trends and important developments related to ANCA?

4. Do I act as a goodwill ambassador to ANCA?

5. Am I meeting the board and committee responsibilities?

6. Am I serving on the right committees, and am I engaged in my committees?

7. Do I show up for meetings prepared?

8. Can others rely on me to do what I said I would do?

9. Do I ask questions when I need to?

10. Are there additional interests, roles, or committees that I would like to participate in?

11. Am I receiving the support and communications I need to be an effective board member?

12. Do I provide annual fund and program support?

You do not need to share your answers with anyone unless you want to! If you want to discuss this with the Board President, Governance Committee Chair, or the Executive Director, please reach out. Our goal is to make sure all ANCA Board Members are contributing to the work, serving where they fit best, and being supported by the staff and board leadership. Thank you!

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13:56:07 From Dan Auer - ANCA to Everyone:
	Padlet
	
14:00:41 From Kiersten Hill to Everyone:
	Hello from Lincoln, Nebraska 
	Kiersten Hill
	Firespring Director of Nonprofit Solutions
	Kiersten.hill@firespring.com
	Linkedin.com/hillkiersten
	
14:00:46 From Nicole to Everyone:
	Nicole O'Brien with Oakland Nature Preserve in Central Florida
	
14:00:51 From Kelli Mincheski - Baird Creek to Everyone:
	Hi - I'm Kelli the ED at Baird Creek Preservation Foundation in Green Bay, WI.
	
14:00:51 From Heather Hahn Sullivan - DLC to Everyone:
	Heather Hahn Sullivan, Dunes Learning Center in Northwest Indiana
	
14:00:51 From Jim Martin to Everyone:
	Jim Martin from North East MD and the fair hill Nature Center
	
14:00:54 From Rebecca Minnick to Everyone:
	Hi everyone! Rebecca Minnick, Exec. Dir. of Louisville Nature Center in Louisville, KY. Happy spring!
	
14:00:55 From William Sprague to Everyone:
	Bill Sprague - Board member at Williamstown Rural Lands
	
14:00:55 From Jen Levy (she/her), ANCA to Everyone:
	Welcome Everyone! I am Jen Levy, the director of ANCA. Zooming in from northern Utah!
	
14:01:10 From Michelle Simpson to Everyone:
	Hi! Michelle from Southern Vermont, Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center. Spring thaw/mud season here!
	
14:01:13 From Kim Hargrave- Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center to Everyone:
	Kim Hargrave- Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, Mystic, CT
	
14:01:15 From Amy Sypher to Everyone:
	Laura Hannan ED at Fair Hill Nature Center in MD
	
14:01:19 From Kitty Pochman, (she/her), LLNF to Everyone:
	Greetings from Nantucket Island MA! I'm Kitty Pochman, ED of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation.
	
14:01:22 From Erin Knight (she/her) to Everyone:
	Iâm Erin Knight, Conestee Nature Preserve, Greenville, SC.
	
14:01:30 From Beverly James (she/her), Floracliff Nature Sanctuary to Everyone:
	Beverly James, Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, Lexington, KY. I may have to leave the meeting early, but hope to stay on as long as possible.
	
14:01:31 From Anne to Everyone:
	Hello, Anne Gellrich also from Fair Hill Nature Center.
	
14:01:36 From Robin Sears, Williamstown Rural Lands to Everyone:
	Robin here, ED for Williamstown Rural Lands, NW Mass.
	
14:01:37 From Asa Duffee (he/him) â ANCA to Everyone:
	Hey folks! Asa Duffee, ANCA Director of Marketing & Communications, tuning in from Springfield, Ohio
	
14:01:40 From Karyn Molines she/her to Everyone:
	Hi from Southern Maryland--Calvert County Nature Parks (two hats: Calvert County Parks & Rec Natural Resources and the 501c3 friends group Calvert Nature Society)
	
14:01:47 From Marla Layne to Everyone:
	Marla Layne from Blackland Prairie Raptor Center, Dallas area
	
14:01:57 From Kerry Kirk Pflugh to Everyone:
	Hi everyone, Kerry Kirk Pflugh here from the New Jersey School of Conservation.
	
14:02:05 From Ryan Walley to Everyone:
	Ryan Walley, Treasurer at Oakland Nature Preserve, Oakland, FL (just north of Disney)
	
14:02:11 From Amanda Subjin - PEEC to Everyone:
	Amanda Subjin @ Pocono Environmental Education Center with the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, northeast PA
	
14:02:14 From Barbara Carr she/hers to Everyone:
	Barbara - the Berkshires of Western Mass
	
14:02:15 From Robin Sears, Williamstown Rural Lands to Everyone:
	Yes, the wood frogs showed up on Sunday to our on-site pond. Robins, red-winged blackbirds. All happening this week.
	
14:02:41 From Abi Groskopf MSHI to Everyone:
	Hi all! Abi Groskopf, Mount St. Helens Institute in SW WA.
	
14:02:48 From Dr. Tami Christopher to Everyone:
	Hi. I am Tami Christopher, ED @ Hungerford Nature Center in Berlin CT Happy Spring!
	
14:02:50 From Karyn Molines she/her to Everyone:
	Although I saw my first Osprey on 3/7, I heard my first one calling in the wetlands behind my house today
	
14:02:52 From Sandy Brown (she/her) to Everyone:
	Happy first day of Spring! Sandy from Potomac Valley Audubon Society - WV
	
14:03:00 From Julie Uram to Everyone:
	Hello! I'm Julie Uram from Nature At The Confluence in South Beloit, Illinois
	
14:03:16 From Christie to Everyone:
	Christie Collins, Santa Fe Botanical Garden in Santa Fe, NM
	
14:03:42 From Canuche, Wenatchee River Institute, Leavenworth, WA to Everyone:
	Canuche Terranella, ED, Wenatchee River Inst., Leavenworth, WA
	
14:04:24 From Asa Duffee (he/him) â ANCA to Everyone:
	https://natctr.org/news/latest/firespring-benefit
	
14:39:01 From Laura Hannan to Everyone:
	Hi! Will these slides or a recording be distributed after?  It's so good, but I'm not taking notes fast enough :)
	
14:40:09 From Robin Sears, Williamstown Rural Lands to Everyone:
	For clarity: Kiersten, are you saying that the ED should do these things? Plan the treat, conduct one-on-ones with each board member?
	
14:51:43 From Dr. Tami Christopher to Everyone:
	can you give an example or two of a strategic discussion topic?
	
15:01:22 From Rick Hoffman to Everyone:
	How can you develop a whistleblower policy if everyone is a volunteer?
	
15:01:52 From Ryan Walley to Everyone:
	QUESTION: you showed the org chart (with no direct line within staff and BoD). How do you suggest the Board (treasurer/finance committee) and grant writer (staff) interact best? New board members have ideas and want more feedback FROM AND INTERACTION WITH THE GRANT WRITER
	
15:03:02 From Michelle Simpson to Everyone:
	As an educator, I always scaffold info for board members and deliver it in multi modal ways pre and post board meetings. And stillâ¦there is so much repetition in order for board members to digest and synthesize info. How to help with this? Consent agendas seem to helpâ¦any other tips?
	
15:04:42 From Asa Duffee (he/him) â ANCA to Everyone:
	Hereâs info about the ANCA Discussion Forum, which Dan mentioned
	
15:04:46 From Ryan Walley to Everyone:
	QUESTION: Any ideas on when and how to bring in an advisory board member (needing expertise in a certain area) for an immediate important issue?
	
15:05:16 From Canuche, Wenatchee River Institute, Leavenworth, WA to Everyone:
	What does your workplan look like as an ED, in other words, how much of my time should I dedicate to board work if things are going well?
	
15:05:47 From Harry MacArthur to Everyone:
	Very solid presentation! Where does one get started to conduct a comprehensive gap assessment for an existing board?  What resources are available to do this?
	
15:07:15 From Heather Hahn Sullivan - DLC to Everyone:
	Replying to "QUESTION: Any ideas on when and how to bring in an...":
	Do they have to be a board member to give advice?
	
15:07:32 From Christie (she/her) to Everyone:
	Question: Do you recommend staff and the board working together to find sponsorship for events? The reason for the question is because currently various staff are tasked with finding sponsorships for events because board members are not doing it. And board members come to staff to tell them of individuals or organizations the staff member should contact when this is not part of the staffs responsibility. How should this be handled?
	
15:11:02 From Ryan Walley to Everyone:
	Replying to "Very solid presentation! Where does one get starte...":
	https://boardsource.org/board-support/assessing-performance/
	
15:13:14 From Kiersten Hill to Everyone:
	Thank you everyone! It was great to be with you today!
	
15:13:28 From Dr. Tami Christopher to Everyone:
	This was a fantastic presentation! Thank you
	
15:13:33 From Asa Duffee (he/him) â ANCA to Everyone:
	Padlet for this program
	
15:13:46 From Christie (she/her) to Everyone:
	I actually need to leave. Sorry! Thank y
	
15:13:48 From Kelli Mincheski - Baird Creek to Everyone:
	Thank you - this was great! I have another m
	
15:16:04 From Dan Auer - ANCA to Sandy Brown (she/her) (direct message):
	Hello Sandy, if you canât get into a breakout room let me know.
	
15:28:46 From Dan Auer - ANCA to Everyone:
	Padlet
	
	ANCA CONNECTS
	
15:29:37 From Dan Auer - ANCA to Everyone:
	Discussion Forums
	
15:29:49 From Jen Levy (she/her), ANCA to Everyone:
	Thank you Kiersten!!
	
15:30:10 From Environment for the Americas, Christina Costabile, She/Her to Everyone:
	Thank you!
	
15:30:14 From Kitty Pochman, (she/her), LLNF to Everyone:
	Thank you  Kiersten!
	
15:30:16 From Canuche, Wenatchee River Institute, Leavenworth, WA to Everyone:
	ðð½
	
15:30:20 From Rebecca Minnick to Everyone:
	This was great, thank you!
	
15:30:28 From Karyn Molines she/her to Everyone:
	ð
	
15:30:42 From Barbara Carr she/hers to Everyone:
	Thank you!
	
15:30:55 From MJB to Everyone:
	Thanks Bunches from Matt at Dunes Learning Center
	

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ANCA Committee and Board Opportunities Interest Form 

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ANCA Committee and Board Opportunities Interest Form 

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We did some work to make the process of becoming more involved in ANCA more equitable in the past few years. The creation of this form is one of our successes.

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Association of Nature Center Administrators - ANCA Committee and Board Opportunities

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Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) is a professional association dedicated to leaders in the nature and environmental learning center profession, including directors, managers, senior administrators and board members.

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I draft six different versions that I will present to the board to discuss and refine.

Here is one: Calvert County’s forests, fields, wetlands, bordered by the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay, provide a rich environment for both people and wildlife, but these natural treasures require ongoing stewardship to remain healthy and accessible. Calvert Nature Society engages the community through conservation, education, and sustainable practices to protect these landscapes while supporting recreation, tourism, and environmental health. As a result, Calvert County continues to thrive as a vibrant, safe, and environmentally responsible place to live, work, and explore for generations to come.

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Develop an Onboarding File Folder on our Google Drive

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Develop an Onboarding File Folder on our Google Drive

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I started collecting the info we provide and will put into the Board's Google Drive