January.3.2017

President’s Message: Reflections and Projections

With the end of one year and the beginning of another it is a good time for us to reflect back on what BPW Saskatoon has seen and done in 2016 while looking towards our next steps in 2017. We saw the introduction of some new Board members who worked hard with Shelley Keyes (our facilitator) to help us set our goals for the 2016-2018 Board term. These goals are:

1. Raise the profile of BPW Saskatoon (within Saskatoon and beyond) so we are recognized as the “go-to organization” for the voice of and resources for working women
2. BPW Saskatoon has a sustainable and diverse membership that supports our members to grow and thrive.

Our next step is to figure out how we achieve these goals and how we measure their success. We have been working with an online program called Asana to help keep us on-track, resulting in Board meetings that flow better so that we can focus on our goals and the great discussions that need to happen around them. Stay-tuned for an update on our ideas surrounding strategies and measurables at the January meeting.

We are already on our way to achieving our goals – especially our profile goal! We have been approached by numerous media outlets on a number of issues for interviews. We have been asked to collaborate with public rallies, while also being approached for partnerships with other local organizations such as The Saskatoon Industry Education Council. The Women on Boards portal is another success; we are proud to report that we are receiving a grant from the provincial government to help get this portal running!

It is important to remember that BPW Saskatoon could not exist without our members who volunteer on our committees. This leads us into our goal of having a sustainable membership. We will be evaluating our committees, how many volunteers each committee needs in order to be successful, as well as determining if we have the technology to make committee workload easier, thus making it easier to attract volunteers. Our membership cannot grow and thrive if we do not have the right support system in-place.

As we begin 2017, BPW Saskatoon is proud to not only be on-track to reach our goals but to continue to support our members and help them grow both personally and professionally. We have exceptional meetings planned for the remainder of this year so be sure to visit our Events Calendar on our website to reserve your tickets!