[nabs-l] Developing an Organization Designed to Take on the Future

[Tamika Williams]

ISaiah,

I am very glad to see that you are running for presidency. I think that you 
will do a great job working with students on the national level. I have a 
couple of friends from Georgia and have done a little research on your roles 
in Georgia. Don't worry, all excellent reports (smile). In addition, the 
help and support that you have offered to the Alabama students via phone 
conferences was great help with getting our division organized. A couple of 
us also attended the Southeastern regional U improving U seminar and gained 
benefitcial information about several topics such as Developing a student 
division, career planning, NFB philosophy, and fashion, which was  my 
favorite of them all. I could go on about a few more things but I will sum 
it up by saying that you definitely have my vote because I do firmly believe 
that you have the abilities. I have witnessed some of your work and heard 
great things about the work you have done within the NFB. Your vision sounds 
great, and we look forward to working with you more despite what role you 
play in NABS because I know you will offer great advice and support to AABS. 
Best wishes to all!

Sincerely,
Tamika Williams, Alabama Association of Blind Students President
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Isaiah Wilcox" <iwilcox2011 at gmail.com>
To: "NABS mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 23, 2011 9:14 PM
Subject: [nabs-l] Developing an Organization Designed to Take on the Future


Greetings Members of NABS,

As you all know, I am running for the presidency of NABS.  I would like to 
present some of my accomplishments within NABS and the NFB, and then I would 
like to lay out my vision for the future of this fine organization.

Two years ago I was honored when you all graciously elected me to the NABS 
Board.  I promised all of you then that I would do my utmost to serve you in 
the highest capacity, and I have kept that promise.  During my tour as a 
board member, I have served on the fundraising committee, and in 2010 the 
fundraising committee and I successfully worked to implement a fundraiser 
that would bring in thousands of dollars of crucial funding for NABS.  This 
year’s fundraisers are projected to successfully bring in even more funding 
than prior years.  As a NABS board member I have also served in key 
positions on the board at national and state conventions and seminars where 
I acted in versatile roles that included educating attendees and partners 
about NABS and its initiatives, networking with NABS members from all over 
the US, general event planning and execution, and volunteer and participant 
assistance in general.

Over the past two years I feel that my experience on the state and local 
levels have prepared me to step out onto the national stage as the President 
of NABS.

The majority of my leadership experience has been in Georgia where I 
formerly and currently serve in a number of capacities: former president of 
the Georgia Association of Blind Students (GABS); IT Administrator for the 
NFB of Georgia, Atlanta Metro Chapter Board Member; and, since 2010, 
treasurer of the state affiliate. In each of these roles, I have helped grow 
the success and impact of each entity.

As president of GABS, I worked in concert with an excellent group of board 
members to accomplish some truly important achievements.  Within my first 
year as GABS president, the board and I grew membership from ten to fifty 
students; organized and executed the first GABS student convention; created 
and maintained the Connecting the Dotz quarterly newsletter; and Georgia was 
the first state to host a regional "U Improving U" seminar for the 
southeastern region.

I am currently a board member for the Atlanta Metro Chapter where I actively 
educate community members about the work and mission of the NFB; I 
participate in outreach programming; and I work to create partnerships 
between the NFBGA and other organizations and groups.  My second role within 
the NFBGA is as the IT Administrator.  In this role I maintain the website, 
ensure continuity of information, and develop new and innovative ways to use 
technology to aid in the completion of our goals. In 2010 during a pivotal 
leadership change where Anil Lewis stepped down and Garrick Scott was 
elected, I was honored with a third role within the affiliate when I was 
elected Treasurer. I am happy to say that we successfully and smoothly 
completed the transition, and we continue to grow as a whole at an 
astounding pace as we add more members, initiatives, and goals.

These successful leadership and team roles have been incredible learning and 
flourishing experiences for me, and they have groomed me to be a leader 
within the NFB. Since my initial involvement with the NFB in 2007, I have 
grown tremendously.  NFB has taught me that it is possible to do anything 
and everything despite being blind.  Networking with my fellow organization 
and board members on state and national scales has enabled me to hear and 
see the individual micro and larger macro needs and interests of the NFB, 
its members, and its affiliated groups, and as NABS President I will 
continue to listen and respond.  My leadership roles have also taught me an 
invaluable lesson: leadership is a two-way street.  You share what you know 
as you learn from those who you are teaching; for every one thing that you 
teach, your in turn to learn ten more.  I have unquestionably grown 
personally, professionally, and spiritually, and I will continue to do so 
alongside the organization and its members.

The future of NABS is bright.  It has made tremendous strides over the past 
two years to change minds, do active work in the wider community, and to 
encourage all to not be afraid of what others may think or believe to be 
true. In line with these initiatives, as NABS President I will continue to 
encourage the further education of NABS members as I put a strong focus on 
intrapersonal growth, stronger members and a stronger organization, and 
preparing for the workplace.  Specifically, as president I will to address 
the following key areas:
1.     Development of State Student Divisions for Sustainability,
2.     Increased familiarity with and use of social media, teleconferences, 
and web for student outreach,
3.     Increased amount and effective use of fundraising, and
4.     Increased networking opportunities for student members.

Development of State Student Division for Sustainability
One major issue within the organization is that we have a high turnover 
ratio among leadership roles.  With the board's assistance I wish to develop 
a plan to build student divisions and helps them sustain their continued 
growth. The key components of this plan are to foster student leadership, 
heavily recruit nationwide, and develop a fundamentals kit to create and 
maintain a state student division.

Use social media, teleconferences, and the web for student outreach
Social media and the web have become one of the primary means for reaching 
out to millions of people.  This inexpensive means of communication is a 
great opportunity for NABS to do numerous important tasks: notify members of 
meetings; become a stronger and more unified division; retain old members 
while recruiting new ones; keep track of contact information; target 
specific students by region, state, education, and age through e-mail 
marketing tools; and, most importantly, networking.

Fundraising
As a nonprofit organization we must constantly and actively work to raise 
funds to support our programs and seminars and to build and strengthen the 
organization.  As President, I will consistently work to raise funds while 
putting into place cost-saving measures to ensure that we as an organization 
are intelligently using our existing and future funds with a minimum of 
waste and over-spending.

Networking
Networking is an extremely powerful and essential tool for members.  I will 
work with the board to help connect students with the valuable resources, 
divisions and committees of the NFB, and each other.  Through these networks 
students will become stronger as individuals while bringing them into other 
aspects of the organization.

In closing, on July 4th there are many people who will vote for me for NABS 
President because they have a firm belief in my abilities as a leader, as an 
innovator, and as someone committed to growing and building an organization 
designed to take on the future.  But I know that there are also those who 
still have questions and who question my ability to take on this pivotal 
leadership role, and that is okay.  I appreciate these members who are as 
yet uncertain, as they challenge me to become a better me, personally and 
professionally. If you are one of these members who still have doubts, I 
encourage you to go through previous communications and posts, review the 
facts, and make your choice for NABS President based on who you 
conscientiously and morally believe to be the right choice for President.

I encourage you to ask questions, to look deeper, and to really think about 
what you believe is best for NABS as a whole.  I firmly believe that I am 
the right choice for NABS President, and I encourage you to contact me 
through email at iwilcox2011 at gmail.com or through a Facebook message: 
facebook.com/isaiahwilcox

Thank you for your time and your interest. I look forward to serving you as 
the potential future NABS President.
Isaiah G. Wilcox
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