by Frank Welte
The Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss is engaged in a long-term, nationwide campaign to build a thriving community of older blind adults, and to reform the service delivery system and other systems impacting us. These efforts must take place simultaneously at the national, state and local levels. Indeed, what we do in our local communities, in our counties and in our state capitals may be more important than what we do in Washington, D.C. That’s why we need to organize an AAVL affiliate in every state.
Each of us needs to take ownership for starting and building our state AAVL affiliate, but none of us have to do it alone. We’ve done it in California and in Oregon; you can do it, too. Here’s how.
1. Decide right now that you’re going to take part in starting your state’s AAVL affiliate. There’s no need to wait around for someone else to get the ball rolling. Just finish reading this article, and then go right to work. Don’t worry about duplicating someone else’s efforts. You’ll find out about each other soon enough, and then you can start collaborating.
2. Make a list of other people in your state who may be interested in starting your group or in joining it once it is up and running. If there’s someone you aren’t sure about, add them to your list. While you will need at least 10 people to get your group affiliated with AAVL, there’s no minimum number for starting the process. The list will grow as you continue your activities.
3. Now call or write to each person on your list, tell them something about AAVL and our mission, and invite them to join your organizing effort.
4. Once you’ve received a positive response from a few people, schedule and publicize a conference call or Zoom meeting where interested people can get better acquainted, express their concerns as older blind or visually impaired adults, and discuss ideas for starting your state’s AAVL group. This will be an informal call. The goal of this call is to share information and to identify the people who are willing to serve on a steering committee.
5. After the call, spread the word that a committee is being formed to set up your state’s AAVL organization. Schedule your first formal steering committee meeting, notify AAVL leadership and your state affiliate’s leadership about your activities, and invite them to help.
6. At your first steering committee meeting, you’ll start by selecting a meeting chair and a notetaker. Then you will elect your steering committee chairperson, vice chair and secretary, and you will invite others to join the committee. The size of your steering committee is up to you. Finish the meeting by assigning tasks and setting a schedule for your regular committee meetings.
7. Once your steering committee is up and running, the committee will need to work on the following tasks as well as others specific to your circumstances.
- Pick a name for the group. I recommend [your state name] Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss.
- Gather contact information for potential group members and other interested people. This list will become your member roster when the group is formally established. You’ll need the following information for each person: name, home or mailing address, preferred telephone number, preferred email address, vision status (blind, visually impaired or sighted), reading media preference (email, audio, braille or large print). You can also collect information about the gender and racial identity of those who wish to share this information.
- Set up a means for your group to communicate with each other: an email list, a Facebook group, a telephone tree, etc.
- Set up a phone number and an email address where people can contact your group. This can be someone’s personal phone number or email address, or a separate phone number and email address, such as a Gmail account and a Google Voice phone number.
- Draft your group’s bylaws.
- Begin publicizing your group through email list and Facebook group postings, articles to appropriate newsletters and through word of mouth.
- Contact AAVL and your state’s ACB affiliate to find out what their requirements are for affiliation. At the time the California Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss was established, we needed to submit our bylaws, our member roster and our affiliate dues to the respective organizations prior to receiving our formal affiliation.
8. As you work on the tasks listed above, you will decide it’s time to schedule your first organizational meeting. This is the point at which your steering committee will be transformed into a formal organization. First, you will adopt your bylaws. Then you will hold elections for your officers and directors. Then you will conduct other business, such as setting up committees, authorizing your treasurer to open a bank account for the group, adopting a formal motion to affiliate with AAVL and with your state’s ACB affiliate, etc.
9. Once your organization is established, you’ll have some more tasks to do.
- Select your organization’s mailing address. This could be someone’s personal mailing address, or it could be a P.O. box or other type of mailbox.
- Open your organization’s checking account. This is probably the most difficult task you’ll need to do during the first year. Don’t be surprised if your bank takes several months to approve your account application. The days are past when you could stroll into a bank branch with your photo ID and a checkbook in your purse and then walk out a half-hour later with your new checkbook. You’ll probably need to schedule an appointment with your banker, and your bank will need certain information from your organization to open the account, such as a signed copy of your organizational meeting minutes, including a motion authorizing the opening of a bank account and specifying who will be authorized to make deposits and sign checks; a copy of your bylaws, a copy of your state ACB affiliate’s IRS letter of tax exemption and a document certifying that your state ACB affiliate is authorizing your group to operate under its tax exemption, the initial deposit for the account, and other things that the government or your bank’s management may decide they need.
- Until your bank account is opened, you’ll probably need to authorize your treasurer to use a personal account to deposit dues and to make payments on behalf of the organization.
- Sign up members, and collect dues.
- Activate committees.
- Start projects.
- Publicize the organization.
- Start a newsletter.
- Apply for affiliation with AAVL and with your state’s ACB affiliate.
While this list of meetings and tasks may seem overwhelming, remember that you don’t have to do everything at once, and you don’t have to do it alone. Those of us who have been through the process can assist you. I am willing to share copies of the CAAVL constitution and bylaws and other documents that you can use as models. Write to me at [email protected], or call me at (510) 541-1442.