Dear friends,
 
It has been said that a budget is the clearest indication of a person’s…or organization’s…priorities.
Last week, I sat down with several of our board members to start the process of developing our 2021-2022 budget.

Every line of expense represents a tool we use to ensure our club is effective, vibrant and relevant. Every line of income represents hope for the good we can do with it.

We carried with us into the room the legacies of previous boards. Fortunately for us, that meant we were not starting with a blank page. We were also lucky that some of the people in the room had the experience from past years to answer the questions of those of us less familiar with our club’s past successes and struggles. I appreciate everyone who offered their time and perspective.

In the end a budget is merely a roadmap. If the previous year has taught us anything, it is to think creatively and dare to do the things we never dared to do before. I know that we all want to increase our membership and, in doing so, make our club more representative of the community we serve. If we are to stay relevant in our community, we must engage in meaningful ways with the values and priorities of segments of our community we have not consistently reached. It is good to reassess our budget periodically through the year to make sure that we not only remain good stewards of the funds we receive, but also that we are using those funds to reach our goals.

On August 3, we will move back into the Lake Jackson Civic Center. At that meeting, I plan to roll out the budget and the corresponding vision for our club, based on the survey many of you participated in during a recent meeting. We will also use that time to populate the many committees that support Brazosport Rotary’s mission.  In the meantime, I welcome your ideas, insights and, most of all, priorities for our club.

See you on Tuesday at noon at Wurst Haus! This is our last meeting there, at least for a while. So, please remember to be generous with the restaurant staff who have taken good care of us over the past year.

Yours in Rotary,

Wes