Board Report – July 2024
Board Report – July 2024
Prepared by Allison Venuto, Secretary, American Pilgrims on the Camino Board of Directors
The American Pilgrims on the Camino Board of Directors met via Zoom July 19-20, 2024.
Customarily, the meeting opened with a review of the eight Pilgrim Principles—humility, simplicity, flexibility, responsibility, collaboration, candor, hospitality, and gratitude—by which the board operates, a review of the previous meeting’s minutes, and a teambuilding activity.
Our financial status remains strong, despite a membership decline. Members of the finance, membership, and communications committees will continue discussing ways to increase membership. Board members also were reminded they would soon receive IRS Form 990 to review.
American Pilgrims plans to update the Credencial request process as it moves to OrgSupport, a company that provides the organization’s administrative support functions. This includes expanding to offer credentials for groups. The board remains exceedingly grateful to Zita Macy’s extraordinary support during a time when the demand for credentials has more than doubled since the pandemic!
The board approved the chapters committee’s motion to approve a new chapter, the Upstate New York Chapter. Welcome! Additionally, the chapters committee gave an update on the newly developed Large Event Guidance process to help chapters that would like to host events with 50+ expected attendees.
Planning is underway for the 2025 Gathering in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, hosted jointly with the Canadian Company of Pilgrims. Volunteers have created a communications calendar to help notify pilgrims on both sides of the border. The event is planned for May 15-18, 2025, so mark your calendars!
The board discussed upcoming and potential events around the country and reviewed second-quarter data and organizational goals, including updates to the latter to help continue moving the organization forward in service of pilgrims. The group discussed the 2024 board nominations process and upcoming meeting locations as well as policy changes regarding hospitalero training site contracts and corporate giving.
The remainder of the day included updates on a generous donation from John Brierley’s estate, ongoing construction on the Madrid Albergue and Welcome Center, the success of the 2024 cultural experience program in La Rioja, and development of a similar experience for 2025 in Burgos.
The next day, the communications committee discussed a strategic communications plan and tracking system for pilgrim engagement. The board decided to develop a proposal to offer internships and volunteer positions to pilgrims in school and reviewed a positive conversation that resulted when a Tourist Office of Spain representative in Los Angeles reached out.
The board discussed work to increase access to the organization and the Camino.
Lastly, the group received an update on continuing efforts to organize American Pilgrims electronic files and email.
The board will meet again at the end of October 2024, in Arlington, MA.
Your MEMBERSHIP in American Pilgrims on the Camino makes it possible for everyone to make the pilgrimage that is best for them. Thanks, as always, for your support and if you aren’t already a member, you can become one here.