[NFBV-Announce] NFB of Virginia Golden Gavel Award - Chapters and Divisions encouraged to apply

Wed Jun 22 02:48:26 UTC 2022

From: John Halverson <jwh100 at outlook.com <mailto:jwh100 at outlook.com> > 
NFB of Virginia Gavel Award Committee Chair

Attention NFB of Virginia Chapter Presidents and all other members.

Hello Colleagues,

As you may recall from our May 2022 Virginia Affiliate board meeting, Tracy
asked me to chair the Golden Gavel Awards committee. Serving with me are
Mark Roane and Joann Wilson. We have developed criteria for our Gavel Award
program based upon a similar offering in our Ohio affiliate. 

Here is  some exciting news.  The members of the winning chapter and
division will each have the opportunity to go out to dinner at our
affiliate's expense.  We will not pay for alcoholic beverages but will pay
the meal costs up to an agreed amount.  Please work with me to select a
moderately priced restaurant.  Of course winners may purchase liquor at
their own expense.  

As an incentive to attend our October state convention, only winning chapter
members who attend in person to the convention will be invited to our
celebratory dinner. Note the dinner will not take place during the
convention.

Good luck.

As a reminder, I am sending the materials you received prior to our May
Board Meeting regarding the Golden Gavel award.

Attached are a series of questions for chapters and divisions to use in
submitting a report for the committee to evaluate in selecting Gavel
winners. 

When you read the attached information about the award, you may well find
the requirements daunting. Frankly, no chapter can accomplish, or is
expected to accomplish,  all that is outlined in the Gavel documents. Rather
these areas are aspirational.  Our goal is to enhance over time our local
chapter programs. 

The committee will take size of the chapter into consideration. A small
chapter adding 50% to members using Newsline, may be given more effort as
compared to a large chapter adding the same number of persons as Newsline
subscribers.  

Honestly, this is new and will take time to get it going.

Again, the purpose is to offer activities that a great local chapter should
be doing in the best of all possible worlds.

I believe in competition, lets compete to make our chapters, affiliate and
the Federation better, in order to enhance the quality of life for blind
persons of Virginia.

If you have questions, suggestions, or thoughts please contact me.

I can be reached at jwh100 at outlook.com <mailto:jwh100 at outlook.com> 

John Halverson, Ph.D.

Proposed timeline. 

May 3: Distribute draft questions to board members and the remainder of
membership.

May 7: discuss at board meeting.

May 21: receive board and membership ideas, questions, and thoughts.

May 25: committee meeting to discuss comments.

June 1: final draft for comment.

June 15: issue questionnaire. 

September 30: deadline for submission of chapter/division reports.

October 15: completion of evaluation of reports by committee and submission
of report to president.

October 29: announce Gavel award winner.

Below are the questions for chapters and divisions.

GAVEL AWARD 2022 Division QUESTIONNAIRE

Division name:

Division President's name:

Current dues-paying membership as of September 30, 2022:

Membership as of September 30, 2021:  

Number of new members joining this year (worth 1 point each):

Total number of members and non-members on your mailing list:

Before September 30, 2022, how many division board meetings will your
division have conducted since September 30, 2021 (worth 1 point each)?

Before September 30, 2022, how many membership meetings or events will your
division have conducted since September 30, 2021 (worth 1 point each)?

How many members are registered with NFB-NEWSLINER?

How many new users have signed up this year 2022 (worth 1 point each)?

Does your division use social media. If so, please explain.  (ten points)

As of September 30, 2022, is your division on the PAC plan? Also, how many
individual members are on the PAC plan? (1 point for division and 1 point
per member)

1. How does your division promote the goals, philosophy, and activities of
the National Federation of the Blind among division members and the general
Public (worth up to 10 points)?

2. Civic Activities: Aside from participating in local, state, and national
Federation activities, in what community programs have your division members
been involved?

Examples: social or political causes, religious institutions, civic
organizations, or student activities (worth up to 10 points)?

Be sure to give examples of how each activity demonstrates a blindness skill
or promotes the National Federation of the Blind.

Examples: "One member demonstrated the use of the KNFB reader to a person.
One person explained a computer screen-reading program. Two members used
Braille to read scripture in church. Five

Members used canes and guide dogs at a town meeting conducted by our member
of Congress."

3. In what forms of advocacy are your division members involved (worth up to
10 points)?

The definition of advocacy that will be used is: public support or
recommendation of a particular cause or policy.

Synonyms are: support for, backing of, promotion of, campaigning for,
pushing for, arguing for.

4. Please note that this question has three parts so that we can determine
how closely our chapters and divisions are working together and how much we
see ourselves as part of the state and national organizations. Be sure to
answer each part of this question. How has your division interacted with
other NFB chapters or divisions during the past year?

A. List all activities in which your division has participated with another
division or chapter; how many members took part in each (worth up to 10
points)?

B. List all state-affiliate-sponsored activities in which your division
participated; how many members took part in each (worth up to 10 points)?

C. List all events sponsored by the national organization in which division
members have participated this year; How many took part in each (worth up to
10 points)?

5. What fundraising projects has your division engaged in during the past
year (worth up to 10 points)?

A. Describe the extent to which division members take responsibility for
such projects.

B. What role did outside organizations or sighted volunteers play in these
activities?

6. Funding the projects and activities of the National Federation of the
Blind at the local, state, and national levels is vitally important work for
all of us. Answering the following questions will assist the awards
committee to compute the percentages of financial support for each division.
This will enable the committee to make useful comparisons.

A. What was your division's bank balance as of September 1, 2021? Balance as
of September 1, 2021?

B. After subtracting all expenses associated with fundraising, how much
money has your division raised during the year ending September 30, 2022?
How much money came in from all other sources during this period?

C. How much money has your division contributed to the state affiliate
during this period (worth up to 10 points)?

D. How much money has your division contributed to the national organization
during this period (worth up to 10 points)?

7. Describe what your division has done to promote the legislative
initiatives of the National Federation of the Blind. This could include
inviting a public official to a division meeting, writing letters, making
phone calls, etc. (worth up to 10 points)

8. Take no more than two paragraphs to discuss the ways in which your
division is a stronger part of the National Federation of the Blind today
than it was a year ago (worth up to 10 points).

GAVEL AWARD 2022 Division QUESTIONNAIRE

Division name:

Division President's name:

Current dues-paying membership as of September 30, 2022:

Membership as of September 30, 2021:  