Non-Profit Roundtable - Appreciation

In December, the Oakland Chamber Non-Profit Roundtable closed out 2012 with a celebration of appreciation and hope for the future.

While the committee launches each meeting with an empowered introduction, the December introduction took a giant step further by combining the introduction with a response component. In this exercise, the speaker introduces herself, her title and company, then shares something she appreciates in her work or company, and concludes with something she wishes for in the upcoming year. When she finishes, the rest of the attendees write the speaker’s name on one side of a 3x5 file card, turn it over and write something complimentary about the speaker or a special wish. The speaker gets all of the cards to keep—as a special gift for use when she needs a little personal boost or a reminder of what is admirable about her.

Everyone in attendance left with a stack of these complimentary cards.

“This is fantastic! Thank you!” exclaimed one participant. “I am going to do it with my colleagues.”

In addition, each attendee received an empty lidded jar, made a label of “Good Things” and applied the label to the outside of the jar. The task: over 2013, when something good happens to you or at work, write it down on a piece of paper and place it in the jar. Then keep adding these notes of good things until December 31, 2013—New Year’s Eve—and before saying farewell to the year, read the notes to help you remember what a fantastic year you have had.

The Committee Co-chairs Ana-Marie Jones and Jerry Metzker, and Chamber liaison Brandon Brooks also appreciate those who brought snacks to help us celebrate: Kris Viers of the Cerebral Palsy Center for the Bay Area (cpcoak.org), Dale Marie Gordon of Torrey Pines Bank (torreypinesbank.com) and Tara Jones of Divas with Sol (divaswithsol.org), as well as the door prize donors: Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (cardcanhelp.org), Biotech Partners (biotechpartners.org), Torrey Pines Bank and the Oakland Chamber of Commerce (oaklandchamber.com).

The next meeting will be on January 15, from 2:30-4:30 pm in the Oakland Chamber board room. Please join us for an interactive session on planning for success and developing a road map headed toward prosperity for 2013!

Oakland Chamber Non-Profit Roundtable

Co-Chair Ana-Marie Jones, Executive Director, Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disaster (CARD)

Co-Chair Jerry Metzker, Development & Marketing Manager, Biotech Partners

Brandon Brooks, Chamber Liaison and Membership Sales Representative