Dear CWAJ members,
The year 2025 is going to be an exciting year for CWAJ! As you can see from the front page of the e-News, we have an interesting set of programs already on the calendar and there are more being planned. Remember to check the Google Calendar on the members only webpage or your iPhone app for updates on these events. In particular, we are pleased to have two major events scheduled as part of the celebration of CWAJ’s 50th anniversary of service to the visually impaired. Save the dates!
Together with our Scholarship Committee and Print Show Committee, this set of programs and events provide great opportunities for CWAJ to address its goals for the coming year. Actually, these goals are the same as last year. The board decided that we still have challenges ahead and that, on an organization-wide basis, we should continue to focus on increasing membership, increasing brand recognition, increasing the number of in-person meetings, and lightening the administrative load on our volunteers.
Increasing membership is a top priority this year. The two-prong strategy is to offer events that we can invite prospective members to attend and see firsthand that we are a welcoming group of women with a lifelong love of learning. This year’s set of events is an excellent step in this direction. The second part of the strategy is to communicate widely that we have a mission to provide scholarships, support the visually impaired, and promote Japanese printmaking. Again, these events provide the foundation for increasing our brand recognition and reaching more prospective members.
The organization needs all of its members to invite friends and colleagues to attend the planned events. Each event provides an excellent and tangible way to showcase what CWAJ is all about.
I am proud of last year’s progress towards these goals (see below for more specific details). None of this would have been possible without support from each of you. I look forward to making additional progress again this year.
Onward and upward!
Heidi
