At our annual members’ meeting in September 08, Squeaky Wheel wished a very fond farewell to some of its most outstanding board members whose term limits were over. We said good-bye to former board president Elizabeth Licata, former treasurer Meg Knowles, and board members William Altreuter, Michael Bosworth, William Graebner, and Jody LaFond. We wish them all the very best and hope they will stay in touch! At the same time we welcomed an exciting new group of board members: Aimee Buyea, Christopher Schobert, Jan Nagle, and Andrea Schillaci. Welcome all! Under the leadership of Scott Propeack, our new board president, the board is hard at work in a variety of areas, including, marketing, board management, fundraising and publications.




FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE REPORT
By Cheryl Jackson

The “Fundraising Committee” of the Board is focused on following certain strategic directions that were recently set forth in SW’s annual Strategic Plan. For our part, nurturing and growing “meaningful funding relationships” means ongoing work in building and sustaining relationships with supporters and partners, continuing to set and track annual fundraising goals, and diversifying resources to include enhanced corporate support and individual gifts.

More specifically, this means that the Fundraising Committee meets approximately once per month to strategize and plan certain well-established, annual fundraising events, such as the “Peepshow,” “Dysfunctional Holiday Party” and the bi-annual “Bowl-a-Thon.” Additionally, we assist the SW staff with other important fundraising efforts such as the annual appeal and membership growth. Gaining new corporate and business support for SW is more necessary than ever before as a vital part of our total fundraising strategy and one where we are working hard to think creatively and educate ourselves with the goal of forging new connections and partnerships within the corporate community.

Finally, it must be said that while staying true to our mission and goals is central, we all agree that having fun, meeting artists, and making new friends at Squeaky Wheel, whether it’s at a workshop, screening, or party, is vital to our success. And we believe that all of our fundraising events should be also be “friend-raisers,” where everyone feels truly welcome, excited, and part of one of the greatest media arts centers in the world!

Cheryl Jackson is K-8 art teacher at the Bennett Park Montessori Center of the Buffalo Public Schools, former director of Squeaky Wheel and current Vice President of the Board of Squeaky Wheel.