ANNOUNCEMENTS
Congratulations
to the Winners of the 2008 Chapter Challenge
Grants!!!
Thank you to the 19 chapters who participated
in USGBC’s 2008 Chapter Challenge
Grant Program. We would like to acknowledge
the tremendous effort and teamwork it
took to put each submission together.
Our thanks also go out to the chapter
leaders and staff members who made up
the judging panel. Additionally, you may
recall that this year’s program
included 5 grant awards. However, because
the vast majority of you voted to hold
this year’s Chapter Leader Retreat
in West Virginia, the less expensive venue
option, funds were freed up to offer a
6th award. So we are thrilled to announce
the 6 Chapter Challenge Grant winners
of 2008. They are:
Greater Kansas City Chapter
Indiana Chapter
Mississippi Headwaters
San Diego
South Carolina
US Caribbean
Provisional
Chapters – 1 Year to Submit 501(c)3
Application
The Chapter Steering Committee has established
that provisional chapters must apply for
their 501(c)(3) determination from the
IRS within one year of attaining their
provisional status. The proposal, approved
at the CSC’s May meeting, is intended
to encourage provisional chapters to continue
progressing toward full chapter status.
Chapters who are not able to meet the
1-year submission deadline may request
an extension from the CSC. Please contact
your USGBC chapter coordinator for more
information.
Seeking
Volunteers for Greenbuild 365 Usability
Study
USGBC’s Education Department is
conducting a usability study on USGBC’s
newly launched Greenbuild 365 Web site
(www.greenbuild365.org) and is seeking
chapter leaders to participate and provide
their input/perspectives. Chapter leaders
who are selected for the study, which
involves a 45-minute interview, will receive
a free copy of Emerald Architecture: Case
Studies in Green Building (valued at $59.99)
by GreenSource. For more information on
how you can participate, click here.
Deadlines
RSVP for the Chapter
Leader Retreat: August 15 – 17,
2008
All chapter chairs have received the
official Evite invitation to the upcoming
Chapter Leader Retreat that will be held
from Friday, August 15, to Sunday, August
17, at the National Conservation Training
Center in Shepherdstown, WV. Please remember
that in order to attend you must RSVP
by June 15.
Please note: USGBC will host all chapter
chairs, which means USGBC will cover transportation,
accommodations, and meals. We also have
room for a second chapter leader or chapter
staff person to attend from each chapter.
Flight/transportation costs and accommodation
($79/night) costs for this second person
will need to be covered by the chapter.
USGBC will pay for shuttle transportation
for all attendees to and from Dulles Airport
to Shepherdstown.
LEED Regionalization
Task Forces
Thanks to all regional reps for taking
on the responsibility of identifying regional
credits for LEED 2009. We are happy to
report that most regions have created
regional task teams with members from
each of their region’s chapters
and are beginning their discussions. If
you are participating on the task force
for your region, please remember to join
us for the upcoming call: June 17, 2 –
3p EDT. You can dial into 1-866-469-3239,
participant code #87422070. Please note
that preliminary environmental zones must
be submitted to USGBC by July 15th.
Greenbuild
Early Registration Deadline: September
8
Greenbuild 2008 in Boston is open for
early registration until September 8.
You can save between $100 – 175
by registering now. Don’t forget
that USGBC Day, which includes the Chapter
Forum and Member Forum, will take place
Wednesday, November 18, before Greenbuild
officially kicks off. Please encourage
all young professionals age 25 and under
and full-time students in your chapter
to sign up to volunteer. By volunteering
eight hours or more, they are eligible
for a complimentary Greenbuild badge which
covers full conference attendance.
Resources
for Chapters
Survey
on Webcast Scheduling
Webcasts can be a valuable resource for
chapter leaders. Now that our chapters
span 7 time zones, we want to be sure
we are offering webcasts at times that
allow everyone to attend. But we need
your help. Please spend a few minutes
to complete our Webcast Time Preference
Survey to help guide us toward the best
time(s) to offer webcasts.
Chapter
Staff Monthly Call –
Wednesday, June 13, 3-4 pm EDT
Topic: Customer Service
USGBC holds a monthly call as a resource
and networking opportunity for chapter
executive directors and administrators.
Each month we focus on a different subject
of interest to the staff. Call in to 866-469-3239,
participant code #87422060. If you are
chapter staff and are not plugged into
this resource, please email aking@usgbc.org.
Upcoming
Webcasts:
Chapter
Leader Extranet – Summer Tour
Wednesday, June 11, 12-1 p.m. EDT
Whether you've been using the Chapter
Leader Extranet for a while or are brand
new to this interactive resource, plan
to join Gwyn Jones and Brian Akpa for
an overview of the Extranet, how it's
evolved in the past months, new features,
and navigation tips.
Go to http://usgbc.webex.com
Meeting Number: 756 399 759
Password: extranet
Developing
Your Chapter Sponsorship Program
Wednesday, June 25, 12-1 p.m. EDT
How do you find sponsors for your chapter
and/or chapter events? What can you include
in sponsor packages? How do you determine
sponsor levels? What keeps a sponsor coming
back year after year? During this webcast
with Manager Rhiannon Jacobsen, USGBC’s
Sponsorship & Development Manager,
you'll learn the basics and find out about
some practical tools and resources to
help you take your chapter's sponsorship
program to the next level.
Go to http://usgbc.webex.com
Meeting Number: 754 469 739
Password: sponsorship
Dynamic
Governance Web-based Training
set for July 11, 18 and 25
Developed and taught by Dynamic Governance
experts from Governance Alive, this distance
learning course is designed for you and
offered to USGBC leaders at no cost. We
especially encourage chapter committee
chairs and board members whose chapters
may already be using dynamic governance
but who may not have received training
themselves. Because each session builds
on the previous one, attendance at all
three sessions, July 11, July 18, and
July 25, is required. E-mail chapters@usgbc.org
or contact your USGBC chapter coordinator
for more information or to sign up today.
(Due to the interactive nature of the
course, class size is limited.) For a
more detailed description please see the
posting on the Chapter Leader Extranet
under Trainings.
USGBC's
Residential Road Show
In an effort to build awareness and drum
up support for green home building across
the country, USGBC is packing up and hitting
the road this spring. The LEED for Homes
team, along with local chapter representatives,
will be heading out to ten cities across
the country to educate and engage the
local community. The tour will begin June
11 in Atlanta where a variety of events
will take place for local leaders, local
media and the community at large.
Events and tours will take place throughout
the Road Show at local community events
and at LEED certified and registered homes.
USGBC will have local and national experts
on hand to answer questions about green
home building, LEED for Homes and REGREEN,
the nation’s first set of residential
remodeling guidelines developed by the
USGBC and the American Society of Interior
Designers (ASID). Other cities slated
for this year’s Road Show include
St. Louis, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.
More cities will be selected during the
year. We hope to make it to a city near
you and that you can help us spread the
word. For more information, contact media@usgbc.org.
Monthly
Membership Reporting Clarification
Each month, your chapter coordinator
sends 2 membership reports – one
covers your chapter’s membership
and the other covers USGBC national members
in your chapter’s area. Your chapter
membership report helps you to track your
membership statistics while the national
members report helps you to reach out
to new possible members. Please be sure
to clarify the intended use of each of
these reports with your chapter leaders.
Both reports are sent to the chapter chair
during the first week of each month. Below
is a quick overview of the reports.
1. Chapter Membership Summary Report:
This report provides membership statistics,
including a summary of lapsed, new and
renewed member totals and a breakdown
of total dues received for each membership
category.
2. National Member Contact List for Export:
This report provides a contact list for
the primary contacts for new USGBC national
member companies. It is to be used with
discretion as a recruitment tool and not
for email lists or other solicitations.
You may personally reach out to these
contacts to let them know about your local
chapter and encourage them to get involved
on the individual level, but please do
not spam them or sign them up for anything.
If you need further clarification regarding
these reports, please contact your chapter
coordinator.
Top Chapter
Leader Extranet Users!
Extranet traffic is increasing daily
and we encourage you to explore this important
chapter resource. Here are the top users
from the chapter network:
1. Evan Schwimmer, San Diego Chapter
2. Susan Cleveland, North Florida Chapter
3. Bill Barnard, Indiana Chapter
4. Kyle Abney, South Florida - Treasure
Coast & Palm Beach Branch
5. Sean McGinnis, Southwest Virginia
Chapter
6. Korinne Haeffel, Wisconsin Green Building
Alliance
7. Thomas Ochterski, North Carolina Triangle
Chapter
Member
Recruitment Challenge!
This Month: Banking
Chapters can participate in USGBC’s
national member recruitment campaign and
boost their chapter’s revenue. With
USGBC’s revenue sharing program,
full chapters receive 10% of national
membership dues and provisional chapters
receive 5%.
Each month in this newsletter, you will
find a link to a list of national member
prospects that have been contacted by
USGBC National to join the Council. Chapters
are encouraged to follow-up with a personalized
call to each prospect in the chapter’s
area. Remember that by reaching out to
member prospects, you can directly impact
national and chapter growth and increase
your chapter’s revenue!
Click here to view the prospect list.
Please email Sarah Karle (skarle@usgbc.org)
with any questions or to share your progress.
Antitrust
Compliance Policy
A gentle reminder to chapters that all
officers, staff and leaders need to sign
the antitrust compliance policy and the
chapter must keep this on file for five
years. You can find the form on the Extranet.
OTHER UPDATES
Incoming
Chair of the Chapter Steering Committee
(CSC)
At the CSC’s May 8-9 meeting in
Washington, DC, the committee elected
Chris Ladner (Arkansas Chapter) as its
new chair. Chris takes over from Charlie
Tomlinson (DVGBC) who just completed his
2-year term. Our heartfelt thanks go out
to Charlie for his tremendous leadership
and we extend a warm welcome to Chris.
USGBC Chapters
Staffing Updates
New Chapter
Coordinator: Eli Reisman
The USGBC Chapters Department is excited
to welcome Eli Reisman as the new Chapter
Coordinator for the Heartland and South
Central regions. Eli has been with USGBC
for 13 months as Education Associate in
the Education Department. He attended
Occidental College in Los Angeles, where
he studied Urban and Environmental Policy.
After college, he spent a year in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, teaching English to
business students. Upon his return, Eli
moved to Washington, DC seeking an opportunity
to work with an environmental non-profit,
and has been with USGBC ever since.
New Emerging
Green Builders Coordinator: Brandon Anderson
The Chapters Department is also very
pleased to welcome Brandon Anderson to
the team as EGB Coordinator. Brandon will
be the point person for all student and
young professional activity in the chapter
network and will also coordinate the annual
Natural Talent Design Competition. Brandon
comes to USGBC from Touchstone Consulting
Group and has a background in student
leadership development, strategic organizational
communications, group facilitation, and
stakeholder management. While at Touchstone,
Brandon focused on building consensus-driven
strategies for critical infrastructure
projects in Boston, New Orleans, Portland
and the National Capital Region. Prior
to his time at Touchstone, he worked with
the National Student Leadership Forum
encouraging and teaching the nation’s
top student leaders to develop collaborative
leadership styles to increase their effectiveness.
He is originally from Grapevine, Texas,
and he enjoys good design, good wine,
surfing, sailing and flag football (in
that order).
