Marching to Spring

March General Meeting

Our next General Meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning, March 21 at Bridge City Café located in Bridgeport Village. Come at 9:30 am and grab a coffee or one of their many delicious bakery items before the meeting starts at 10:00 am in the back room. The Philanthropy Committee has a guest speaker scheduled for a brief presentation, and there will be some important LOWC committee updates so we hope to see you there. After the meeting, why not take a little time for yourself before spring break and have lunch, see a movie, or do some shopping? The address for Bridge City Café is 7211 SW Bridgeport Road, F103 Tigard, OR 97224

Julie Lester
Meetings Chair

Save the Date
Champion for Children's Luncheon
May 8th, 2013 at 11:30 am

May 8th is the annual Champion for Children's Luncheon at the Oregon Golf Club where there will be raffle prizes, a delicious lunch and inspiring speakers. The featured speaker is Drew McWilliams with special guest Tracy Barry from KGW NewsChannel 8.  I will be hosting a table and seeking out members who would like to attend, enjoy the program and hopefully are inspired to give since it is also a fundraiser for the Center.  If you come, I promise it will be memorable and it will make you feel good about LOWC's partnership with the Children's Center.

If you would like to learn more about Children's Center or the luncheon, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Lori Faris
Children's Center Liaison

Philanthropy Committee Invites You to Join Us On a Site Visit

We have now received grant requests from eight local non-profits and one city agency for review in our 2012-13 LOWC grants cycle.  All of the organizations, and the projects they've outlined, are wonderful and offer tremendous support to the those in need in our area.

As a part of the process to make the final selection of which non-profits will be awarded a grant, we're conducting on-site interviews with executives at each of the charities.  This is an opportunity for us to understand in more depth how these groups accomplish what they do and how LOWC funds can help them deliver much needed services.

The Philanthropy Committee invites you to be part of the process. Please contact us at grants@lowomensclub.org and let us know you'd like to attend one of the site visits.  We're scheduling visits between March 12th and April 11th and most will be during daytime hours.  This is a great opportunity to see how we, as LOWC members, can make a powerful contribution to our communities.
Please join us!

Virginia Rubin
Philanthropy Chair

LOWC Joins Nonprofit Association of Oregon 

The Nonprofit Association of Oregon (NAO), formerly known as TACS, is a statewide network of nonprofits, foundations, business partners, and individuals dedicated to supporting Oregon’s nonprofit sector. NAO serves as a resource for nonprofit organizations and a central source of information about the nonprofit sector. The organization connects nonprofits of all sizes, missions, and geographic locations. NAO offers programs and services that enhance the capacity of nonprofits to fulfill their essential missions. While their role as a statewide membership association is a relatively new one, they have over 30 years of experience providing consulting and training to nonprofit leaders, staff, and volunteers.

NAO offers the following programs and services:

• Trainings, workshops, webinars, and conferences
• Organizational development consulting
• Technology consulting
• Executive Transition Services
• Information and resources on nonprofit practices
• Public policy monitoring, reporting, and advocacy
• Membership benefits and discounts

NAO Member benefits extend to all LOWC members. If any LOWC member wishes to attend NAO training, you are eligible to receive the discounted rate offered to NAO members. (LOWC members will be required to pay for the cost of their training.)

Many workshops are under $100 and there are multiple training options under $50. For a full listing of upcoming events, view the Event Calendar.

If you are interested in learning more about the NAO, please contact me at admin@lowomensclub.org.

Lori Malone

Bylaws / Business Policy Update

In December, Denise and the LOWC board asked me to chair the Bylaws Committee and the Policy Committee. Our current bylaws have not been reviewed or updated since 2003. The goal of the committee is to update our current bylaws to (1) clarify a few issues, (2) address some issues that are not included in our current bylaws (especially those relating to technology),  and (3) ensure that our bylaws are compliant with all federal and state laws. In addition, we plan to create a formal policy document, which will outline many of LOWC's long-standing policies. Many of these policies have been passed down verbally through the years, but have never been formally documented. It is our hope that by creating a written policy document, many of our members questions will be answered before they arise.

As a benefit of joining the Nonprofit Association of Oregon (as mentioned in the preceding article), LOWC qualified for pro bono legal services through the Multnomah Bar Association. The bylaws committee will be working with an attorney from Davis, Wright, Tremaine, LLP to ensure that we are proceeding with these important tasks in a judicious and prudent manner.

In addition to myself, the bylaws / policy committee includes Lisa Rainer, Robin Tremayne, and Garlinn Story. Please contact me at admin@lowomensclub.org if you have questions or concerns.

Lori Malone

Tech Help Wanted 

The Online Communications Chair is recruiting members interested in being part of the Online Communications Committee for 2013-2014. The Online Communications Committee will assist with administration of Wild Apricot (our website service), Google Apps (our email service), and Blog management (we use Blogger). Above average skills with software and computers is highly desired. A learning curve is expected and you will be mentored until you feel confident enough to work independently. (In other words, you won't be thrown in unless you feel you're ready!)

Any basic knowledge of HTML is a plus, but not required. Members of the committee will work closely with the Directory Chair and the Historian, in particular, but frequent communication with all board members will be expected.

If you are interested or have questions, please contact me by email at admin@lowomensclub.org.


Lori Malone
Online Communications Chair

Get Wild on April 11
Join the Book Club

Need a night out once a month with girlfriends, drinks, appetizers and fun discussion?  Of course you do, you deserve it!   We want you to join us the evening of Thursday, April 11th for LOWC Book Club.  Wild by Cheryl Strayed is the current read.  We will be also be talking about future book selections, so bring your recommendations.   If you are not currently on the Book Club distribution and would like to be please e-mail me at coderdk@msn.com and I will be sure that you are added.

Kris Coder
Book Club Coordinator