Conference Refresher: Altrusa Dreamin'

Past Governor Debbie Mabry delivered this Accent during the opening session of this year's Conference. I fell in love with it at the time, and thought it would be nice to give you all a reminder now that we're well into the new biennium.

We gather this weekend for our 57^th District Nine Conference, with a very appropriate theme of “Altrusa Dreamin’.” Appropriate because almost 100 years ago, that is exactly what a small group of women were doing – Altrusa Dreamin’.  Do you think that 96 years ago, these women had any idea of where their dreams and plans would lead?

Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon said “We spend a good part of our lives dreaming, especially when we're awake.” That is what this conference, the ones before this one, the ones that will come after this one, is all about – dreaming when we are awake.

·        Dreaming about what our hopes and aspirations are for our communities.

·        Dreaming about a world that is a good place for all of us to live;

·        Dreaming about leaving this place a little better than we found it.

We all know about the dreamers in our past – people like Mamie L. Bass, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun, Edith Debusk and so many other Altrusans who shared their dreams and plans for a better world have brought us to where we are today for this conference.

I want to share a story about another dreamer in our world – not an Altrusan, but I think he would have made a great Altrusan.  Born in 1846, he was raised in Chicago by immigrant parents who ingrained in him a strong belief that man should strive to be of service to others.

After failing admission tests for Harvard and Yale, and an unsuccessful stint at politics, Daniel Burnham became an architect.  At 26 years old, he met his soon to be partner, and they began building buildings.  Not just any building, BIG buildings.

·        The first skyscraper in Chicago – the Masonic building (21 stories tall)

·        The flatiron building in New York City

·        The Union Station in Washington DC

·        In 1906, his firm designed the “Plan of Chicago” which laid out the future plans for the entire city of Chicago.

What a dreamer! He would have made a great Altrusan!

Daniel Burnham also penned some words that have remained alive and quoted for well over the past century.  I first read them 38 years ago, and I have never forgotten them.  I would like to share them with you:

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.”

Dream Big, Altrusans – remember that OUR sons, daughters, Grandsons and granddaughters, nieces, nephews and young neighbors are going to stand on our shoulders, they are going to follow our lead and dream big and they will do things that will stagger us.

Accent of the Month: YOU Are Important to Altrusa

This Accent originated in District Eleven. Many thanks to Past Governor Florence Callagy for permission to use her sage words.

Were you there …
… to experience the fellowship at club meetings so you could feel the radiation effect
of Altrusa membership?

Were you there …
… to help give direction on important service project decisions?

Were you there …
… to encourage your club to take on exciting fund-raising projects?

Were you there …
… to support the officers and chairmen who are giving of their time and leadership?

Were you there …
… to vote on vital club issues?

Were you there …
… to give of your talent and energy to help achieve your club’s goals?

If you were NOT there …
… you have missed the full value of your Altrusa membership.

If you WERE there …
… you made the difference. Without you, Altrusa would not be a meaningful service club.

As a member, your regular attendance at meetings is important as you are the vital link in Altrusa’s success. Regular attendance stimulates interest and participation. As a member, you must have knowledge of what is going on in your club. Without this knowledge, there is no desire to participate. Through participation comes accomplishment. Through accomplishment comes pride in membership.

Florence M. Callagy
1983-1985 District Eleven Governor
Reprinted with permission from District Eleven.

 

Altrusa Accent of the Month: Aspirations of an Altrusan

Here is an Accent you can use during a Club meeting at any time. We’ll publish one each month.

This passage, titled “Aspirations of an Altrusan,” was written by Altrusa’s founder, Mamie L. Bass, for publication in her own Club bulletin, the Indianapolis Altrusan. It was reprinted in The National Altrusan, which is now, of course, known as the International Altrusan, in April 1926. Mamie sets a high bar for us. She writes:
 
“Let me be always open-minded, that I may recognize good for Altrusa wherever it may be.

“Let me be ready always to put aside my personal opinions for the greater good, for the greater number. Let me see principles and not personalities, and, discerning them, let me serve them wholeheartedly through every cloud of doubt and discouragement.

“Let me have faith still that the voice of the majority is the voice of good, and let me lend
myself to the working out sincerely of what the majority chooses. Knowing that the organization is but the individual multiplied by many and that the organization reflects not only the constructive good, but also the mistaken ideals, the short-sightedness, the failures of the individual, let me still adhere to the will of the majority, knowing that time will reveal the better way and lead our footsteps aright if we tread with purer motives and unselfish hearts.

“Let me be conscious of the shortcomings, the mistakes, the failures of myself and my
associates, only that I may learn to correct them, and let me rather see with uplifted face and stalwart soul the unblemished beauty, the high ideal, of the spirit of Altrusa, who lives upon the earth to uplift women to higher things, to make real in business and in our daily lives the things of the spirit. Let me not dream and write and talk of noble things, but give me rather the strength to live them in the smallest act wherein it is mine to serve.

“Let me be patient in defeat and humble in success. Let me seek not for rewards, for
appreciation, or even for understanding, but let me seek rather to do the work that lies before me, and to find in the right doing of that work the joy and satisfaction that passes understanding, until too I may say, ‘I know what pleasure is, for I have done good work.’”

What are YOUR aspirations?

Please let your voice be heard. Write your ideas, and send them to Governor Beth for publishing on “Thoughts From the Mighty Ninth.”

The Importance of Planning

The following is the Altrusa Accent prepared by Carolyn Hollingsworth, president-elect of the Dallas Club, for the June 19 meeting.

Planning helps an organization chart a course for the achievement of its goals. The process begins with reviewing the current operations of the organization and identifying what needs to be improved operationally in the upcoming year. From there, planning involves envisioning the results the organization wants to achieve, and determining the steps necessary to arrive at the intended destination--success, whether that is measured in financial terms, or goals that include being the highest-rated organization in customer satisfaction.

Efficient Use of Resources

All organizations, large and small, have limited resources. The planning process provides the information top management needs to make effective decisions about how to allocate the resources in a way that will enable the organization to reach its objectives. Productivity is maximized and resources are not wasted on projects with little chance of success.

Establishing Goals

Setting goals that challenge everyone in the organization to strive for better performance is one of the key aspects of the planning process. Goals must be aggressive, but realistic. Organizations cannot allow themselves to become too satisfied with how they are currently doing--or they are likely to lose ground to competitors. The goal setting process can be a wake-up call for managers that have become complacent. The other benefit of goal setting comes when forecast results are compared to actual results. Organizations analyze significant variances from forecast and take action to remedy situations where revenues were lower than plan or expenses higher.

Managing Risk And Uncertainty

Managing risk is essential to an organization’s success. Even the largest corporations cannot control the economic and competitive environment around them. Unforeseen events occur that must be dealt with quickly, before negative financial consequences from these events become severe. Planning encourages the development of “what-if” scenarios, where managers attempt to envision possible risk factors and develop contingency plans to deal with them. The pace of change in business is rapid, and organizations must be able to rapidly adjust their strategies to these changing conditions.

Team Building

Planning promotes team building and a spirit of cooperation. When the plan is completed and communicated to members of the organization, everyone knows what their responsibilities are, and how other areas of the organization need their assistance and expertise in order to complete assigned tasks. They see how their work contributes to the success of the organization as a whole and can take pride in their contributions. Potential conflict can be reduced when top management solicits department or division managers’ input during the goal setting process. Individuals are less likely to resent budgetary targets when they had a say in their creation.

While many of these points are for profit organizations they also relate to Non-Profit organizations like Altrusa.

References

“The Art of the Long View: Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World”; Peter Schwartz; 1996
From an article by Brian Hill, Demand Media