Junior League of San Antonio Membership- 2015-16 Year in Review

By Megan Bluntzer, Membership Writer, and Joy McGaugh, VP of Membership Development Council.

JLSA’s Membership Development Council (MDC) is responsible for coordinating the activities that train, orient, accept and enhance the development of all Members.  MDC plays an important role in improving the satisfaction and retention of all Members, which is vital to the success of the League. 

The 2015-16 MDC, led by Vice President of Membership Development Council Joy McGaugh and the MDC Executive Committee, did an outstanding job this year of developing our Members through a wide variety of activities.  Here are some highlights of MDC’s many successful endeavors this year:  

1.       Admissions

·         Held 3 Prospective Member Meetings (an exclusive sneak peek at Holiday Ole Market, traditional meeting before the December General Membership Meeting, and following the Resolve for a Better SA 5K)

·         Created and instituted a new Sponsor Training program for Active members wanting to serve as Sponsors, training 16 Sponsors.

·         Received applications from 134 Prospective Members, with 129 having accepted the invitation to join the 2016-2017 New Member Class.

2.       Training & Education

·         Kicked off the year in July with a screening of the documentary “Miss Representation,” which was attended by 93 Members.

·         124 Members attended a JLSA-exclusive “Suffragette” screening at Santikos Bijou on November 30^th.

·         37 Members learned how to make the most of their JLSA years of service at a JLSA Career Track Training, featuring 4 Sustainers – Jeanie Travis, Anne Ballantyne, Daniela de Serna, and Gayle Girdley – sharing their experiences with our New Members and Actives.

·         21 Members received CPR Certification at a special training on March 7^th.

·         Total of 177 attendees at 6 Taboo series trainings.

·         Civic Training Manager set up a special City and County Leaders’ Roundtable event, featuring Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert; Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff; City of San Antonio Councilman Mike Gallagher; City of San Antonio Councilman Ron Nirenberg; and City of San Antonio Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran.

·         Members earned 346 Mission Credits through Training & Education events this year.

3.       Leadership Academy (LeaderBOARD and GOAL)

·         The 2^nd Annual LeaderBOARD kicked off in December, with 21 participants learning from JLSA Sustainers, Actives, and industry experts about the operation and function of nonprofit boards so they can be effective and informed board members for local nonprofits. Participants from this year and last year were invited to participate in a Board Day to meet nonprofits looking to fill spots on their boards of directors.

2016 Leaderboard Class

4.       AMIGOS

·         AMIGOS has served 51 Members so far this year, including welcoming 24 new JLSA babies!

5.       New Members

·         12 Mentors have led 87 New Members successfully through their provisional year

·         New Member Project at San Antonio Food Bank – 80 New Members packed 36,000 pounds of food into 1,180 boxes, representing 28,125 meals, in just 2 ½ hours on September 19^th.

·         New Members worked 1,948 hours in the community through SA Works

·         New Members donated $19,999.50 worth of items to Goodwill, accounting for $6,666.50 worth of Goodwill gift cards distributed to our community partners

·         New Members earned 265 Community Awareness Training credits, learning about our city and the services available in the San Antonio community.

VP of Community, Brandis Davis, pumping up our
New Member class for their project at the Food Bank.

6.       Actives

·         Our 397 Actives have earned 910 Mission Credits as of April 26^th, which translates to 2,730 hours spent volunteering at our fundraisers, taking advantage of training opportunities, or supporting our community programs.

·         As of our April GMM, we have had 1826 attendees total at our General Membership Meetings.

·         14 Sustainers opened their homes to 208 Members for our November Sustainer In-Home General Membership Meetings

·         8 Community Partners hosted 188 Members at Community General Membership Meeting in March

7.       Transfers

·         We had a record 12 Sustainers and 31 Actives Transfer into JLSA, accounting for 255 SA Works hours completed, 31 Community Awareness credits, and 53 Mission Credits.

8.       Sustainers

·         Volunteer Extraordinaire: 197 attendees celebrated our 2016 Volunteer Extraordinaire Rhonda Kolm Calvert at the San Antonio Country Club on March 26^th, nearly doubling the budgeted goal for income for the event.

·         180 Sustainers RSVP’ed for our Sustainer Luncheon in October, where they were celebrated and thanked for their years of service to JLSA and the years spent serving the San Antonio community since going Sustainer. Each Sustainer was gifted a complimentary 3-day pass to Holiday Ole Market.

·         On December 3^rd, 54 Sustainers attended our Holiday River Barge Cruise on the San Antonio River, featuring a special happy hour at the Sternewirth bar at Hotel Emma.

·         16 Sustainers took an exclusive tour of the Tobin Center at our Sustainer Socials, including one mixer with our New Members.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Junior League of San Antonio Nominating Process, but Were Afraid to Ask

By Araceli Pena, Nominating Chair

The Junior League of San Antonio Nominating Committee is looking for our great organization’s next leaders – and we hope that will include you! We know the nominating process is not always easy to understand, so take a look at these common questions and answers for clarification. We encourage you to nominate yourself or someone you admire by September 17^th. Thank you for your interest in the future of our League!

What is the Junior League of San Antonio Nominating Committee?

The Nominating Committee presents a slate (or list of candidates) for the membership’s approval. The membership may vote to elect the entirety of the slate of candidates or deny it such that the Nominating Committee must then present a new slate for ratification.

What positions does the Nominating Committee nominate?

1) The 2016-2017 Board of Director positions to be slated include:

• President-Elect (Candidate must have served on the Board of Directors for at least 1 full previous term) 

• Treasurer-Elect 

• Vice President of Communications 

• Vice President of Community 

• Vice President of Fund Development 

• Vice President of Membership Development 

• Vice President of Planning 

• Board Secretary 

• Board Member-at-Large (The Nominating Committee presents 4 candidates, and the membership votes to elect 1 of the 4) 

2) New this year, the Nominating Committee will also be presenting candidates for 4 new “elect” positions. Vice President-Elects will assist the councils they serve in 2016-2017 as second chair and then will serve as Vice Presidents of these respective councils for the 2017-2018 League year:

• Vice President-Elect of Communications 

• Vice President-Elect of Community 

• Vice President-Elect of Fund Development 

• Vice President-Elect of Membership Development 

3) Lastly, the Nominating Committee will present 7 candidates for the 2016-2017 Nominating Committee to the membership for approval. Candidates must have completed 3 years of active service or 1 year on the Board of Directors by the end of this League year, must have an active placement and be in good standing, and may not have served on the Nominating Committee the previous 2 years. Please note that Nominating Committee members may not serve on the Board of Directors the year following their Nominating Committee service.

What are the Responsibilities of the Junior League of San Antonio Board of Directors?

The Board of Directors is responsible for planning for the Junior League of San Antonio’s future by creating and operationalizing strategic plans, and they maintain oversight of the League’s financial position. The time commitment required varies from Board position to Board position, but it can average about 15 hours per week of meetings and work. The 2016-2017 Board members will begin working in early 2016 – making Board service an 18 month commitment. Board members are also expected to contribute to the League’s Annual Loyalty fund and attend ticketed Junior League events when possible.

What is the Deadline to Apply or Submit a Name for Consideration?

September 17, 2015.

How do I Nominate Someone?

It’s easy, I promise! There are 2 ways to nominate yourself or someone else:

Formal Nominating Process: Fill out a brief online form via the League website. Log into the “members only” League website (www.jlsa.org). Click on the “Resource” tab, then “Nominating Process” tab, and either click on the “self-nominating” link or “nominating” link (to nominate someone other than yourself).

Informal Nomination Process: Provide to the Nominating Committee the name of the person you wish to be considered – either by writing the name down on a card at the September General Membership Meeting or by sending an email to a Nominating Committee member. If you nominate someone other than yourself, a Nominating Committee member will contact the nominee to ensure they are interested in serving. If she wants to be considered or you self-nominated, the nominee will receive an email from me asking for responses to a few short questions. 

Log in to your JLSA account to nominate!

Will Anyone Know Who I Nominated?

No. All candidates who applied to be considered or who were submitted for consideration by someone else are kept strictly confidential by the Nominating Committee. If you submit names for consideration, those candidates will not know who recommended them to the Nominating Committee.

Will Anyone Know if I Have Been Nominated?

No. All candidates are kept strictly confidential by the Nominating Committee.

Who Serves on the Junior League of San Antonio Nominating Committee?

I serve as the Nominating Committee Chair with these great women: Brett Beyer, Emily Christy, Gretchen Garceau-Kragh, Kristen Henry, Liz Lamoureux, Sarah McKee, Katie Reynolds, Debbie Strus, Natalie Tate, and Emily Threet.

Please do not hesitate to contact any one of us with questions or to nominate yourself or someone else! Find us in the JLSA Directory!

Join a Junior League....Make a Difference!

It's a fact, ladies: Junior League women make things happen. Even though we're a little past the beginning of the new year, why not add another resolution to that list of yours and JOIN the Junior League of San Antonio? Or, if you're already a member, why not resolve to bring a friend into JLSA?

Have you heard about all the benefits Junior League members experience? Here are a just a few:

*Improve the communities they live in
*Build leadership skills
*Make INSTANT friends that share the same passion of volunteering!
*Enjoy fun and productive networking opportunities
*Get to the attend the hottest, hippest, and most happening events around town all while making a difference
*Drink wine and shop (at Fete du Cuvee and Holiday Ole Market!)
*Sleep better at night (okay, that one hasn't been completely proven) :)

Right now, we are in our yearly membership drive to find new women to join our premier women's volunteer organization, where women work together to build a better community through leadership and community service. And we want YOU as a new member and an important part of our organization.

Now, if all those amazing benefits listed above didn't catch your eye, then are you a name dropper? If so, you're in luck, because by becoming part of JLSA, you have the opportunity to share a bond with some amazing women, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Sandra Day O'Connor, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Nancy Reagan, Katherine Hepburn AND Shirley Temple. That's right - they were all Junior League women!  And, if you're looking for some big names in your own community, look no further than JLSA members Kara McCarthy Cleveland, VP and COO of Eureka Connect Research, and Emily Jones, COO of San Antonio Museum of Art. These two amazing ladies will be honored this Thursday at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio for receiving the "Top 40 Under 40 Business Leaders" award presented by the San Antonio Business Journal. 

Why not add your name to that stellar list of women TODAY?

Already a member? Then help spread the word through your own testimonials of events you have volunteered at and invite women you may know that would benefit from this exciting opportunity to make a difference.

For more information, contact Jane Mozingo, 2011-2012 Admissions Chair at admissions@jlsa.org

"Those who can do. Those who can do more volunteer!" ~ Author Unknown

Happy Holidays Contest!

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, Kala Christouyenna, and Froehliche Weihnachten!

Around the world and in just a few hours we will be celebrating Christmas. What a wonderful time to participate in deep-rooted family traditions as well as create some new traditions along the way!  Being half-German, our family has a tradition where we hide a glass pickle ornament on the tree! On Christmas Day whoever finds the pickle first is given an extra present from St. Nick and good luck for the next year. The whole family loves to participate and it has been a tradition we have continued for years.

I recently created a new tradition that I was able to share with my kids. The Sunshine Singers invited fellow Junior League members to come caroling with them at area retirement homes.  I took a fellow friend and Leaguer, Crystal Fuller, along our kiddos.  Singing to the seniors, we saw a sea of smiles beaming holiday cheer back at us. Some seniors evens sang along with us, and at the end of our performance we were able to visit with the residents.  I thought we would be blessing them with good tidings but instead they touched our hearts.  We have now decided as a family to make this an annual tradition.

This time of year I just love hearing about traditions so we are running our first blog contest from now until January 3! All you have to do is:

1) Post one of your family traditions in the comments; or,
2) Share a link to our blog on your facebook page (then leave a comment letting us know you've shared)

Each tradition or Facebook link entered will count as a submission into our blog contest! On January 3, we will have a drawing for one lucky winner to receive a "Holiday Grab Bag"....so join in on the holiday fun and let's us know something special you do each and every holiday! We would love to hear about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa traditions as well!

Happy Holidays Junior League of San Antonio Members! We will see you in the new year!

Here's a quick snapshot of caroling on December 14!