Here’s What We’ve Been Up To!
It's been a busy few months for Rising Trails! So many exciting things have been going on while we get this new nonprofit organization of ours up and running here in the Albuquerque area! Here's what we've been up to:
November:
Coordinated parliamentary procedure training and supported Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails delegates at the council’s Annual Meeting.
December:
Requested to meet with Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails decision makers prior to beginning our fundraising efforts; they declined to meet with us.
Began fundraising efforts through this website! (Hint: You can click here to go to our donation page!)
Raised enough money to cover organization start up costs!
Submitted a Concept Brief to GSNMT decision makers outlining a plan for camp management to be outsourced to Rising Trails and save the council nearly all of the budget deficit projected for Rancho del Chaparral Girl Scout Camp.
Requested a meeting with GSNMT to discuss the Concept Brief. They requested more documentation before considering a meeting a meeting with us.
January:
Our 501c3 application was approved!
Submitted a detailed camp management proposal to GSNMT which can be found here: Rancho del Chaparral Camp Management Proposal
Submitted a second request for a meeting to discuss the proposal.
Received a response that the proposal lacked details necessary for further consideration.
Replied the next day providing details, asking follow up questions, and requesting a meeting for the third time.
Received a response to the details, inviting Rising Trails to add to the proposal and requesting our leadership team's names and credentials. The email indicated the proposal would be considered on January 31 but they will not meet with us before then.
We're still dedicated to working collaboratively with GSNMT to ensure Rancho remains a place for New Mexico families to grow together. While we remain frustrated at their refusal to meet with us, we are optimistic that GSNMT is genuine in their statement that they will consider the proposal.
Regardless of whether our specific proposal will work for all stakeholders, we hope that the GSNMT Board will be open to exploring creative, innovative management strategies for Rancho prior to a full sale of the camp. Even if they will not consider our proposal or meet with us, our goal is to show the Board there are realistic alternatives.
We'll keep you updated on what we hear back and next steps! Thank you for your support!