How an AARP Mailing Sparked the Idea of Ageless Dreamer

Besides bringing fabulous information from talented nonprofit leaders and advisors, I envisioned this blog as also highlighting deserving nonprofits. Laurie Widmark of Ageless Dreamer sent me an email and I visited her website. What I saw wowed me! The stories of the people who Ageless Dreamer has reached out to and made their dreams possible is amazing. It is also a reminder that our elders don't just shut down on reaching a magical number, but continue to have hopes and aspirations just like their younger counterparts. Read this article, then go to Ageless Dreamer and become inspired. Bunnie

How an AARP Mailing Sparked the Idea of the Ageless Dreamer

by Laurie Widmark, Founder and Volunteer CEO

Late in 2000, I received a mailing from AARP – American Association of Retired Persons. Friends had joked about it earlier when they had received what was noted as the first piece of dreaded mail alerting you to the fact that you were about to cross a chasm where you had not yet been. The big 5 0.

Even though I didn’t feel or look any different, the message became clear: AARP had found me! I couldn’t identify with it and certainly wouldn’t acknowledge being a member of it. It was then that I knew there had to be another way to bridge from age 49 to 50 and beyond and feel confident there was still time to experience more energy, life, and dreams.

What now” Old Dreamer”?

As I pondered possibilities, I was keenly aware of my Dad’s words when I was in my twenties: “You’re a dreamer”. And it sure wasn’t meant as a compliment. In my forties, spending time with my women’s group, they would sometimes look at me with love and raised eyebrows, and laugh with me at my dreaming. I had many failed adventures before, why would they hold out any hope for this one?

Deep down inside I knew I was still a dreamer despite, or -- in spite of -- my age. A few years after loosing my youngest daughter to suicide at the young age of 23, I knew that there was nothing that could squelch my own dream except any fears I let fester.

After I received my 2nd invitation to join AARP, the name fell out of my mouth and into place, more out of self identification than selflessness: I was an Ageless Dreamer ®.

The Ageless Dreamer ® takes shape

Over the next few months, paying closer attention to how neighboring communities valued old age, I noticed, and was also guilty of the fact, that most of us drive past assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or senior public housing, and not even turn our head to look.

Partly, this “distancing” was based on our beliefs that the basic needs of our elders, from medicinal to food, for the most part, was being taken care of by senior providers, caregivers, those working in the medical field, and adult children.

But there had to be more. I started dreaming out loud to anyone who would listen: “How could we raise the level of awareness for the wisdom and knowledge of this generation?” How can we redefine the age old definition of old age ™?

The Ageless Dreamer ® is of the belief that just because someone is part of our oldest generation, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still dream. In essence we act as a catalyst to those caring for our oldest generation to remember to ask: Do you have a dream? And then listen closely. By asking, it’s almost as though we’ve given them permission to dream out loud with us and listen to the kernel of a dream be told.

We aim to get louder than the noise of: wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids, life lines, doctor appointments, medical prescriptions, what’d you have for breakfast, and did you have a bowel movement today? Join in the movement of constipated dreams!

To learn more about this nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization, please visit the website at http://www.agelessdreamer/ or call (603)953.0006, or contact Laurie info@agelessdreamer.org

One day at a time. One dream at a time.
Laurie Widmark, Founder

Developing a Legislative Strategic Plan

The 111th Congress is in a frenzy of activity as the new administration proposes new legislative priorities on many fronts. State legislatures are meeting or will be meeting over the next few months. State Net produces an excellent state legislature calendar. If your organization has not already done so, now is an excellent time to develop a Legislative Strategic Plan.

Most nonprofits diligently work on strategic planning, but most often that planning is limited to the business end of the nonprofit and not the policy end. A Legislative Strategic Plan helps you identify exactly what your legislative goals are in the short and long terms, and determine what it will take to help you reach those goals.

Unless you are a huge organization, like AARP or the National Education Association, it is best to limit your short term legislative goals. Mid to smaller nonprofits typically don’t have the resources and “person-power” to take on dozens of issues and certainly they don’t have the resources and person-power to do them all well. As with regular strategic planning, Legislative Strategic Planning begins with understanding your mission and brainstorming what policy goals will help the organization achieve that mission.

I like to develop a list of primary, secondary and tertiary issues. What are the two or three issues that are primary and critical to our members? What would be secondary or even tertiary? Clearly identifying your primary issues helps you plan how to use the resources you have (money, time, members) and keeps you from getting side-tracked by issues that you may have a stake in but are not critical. After figuring this out then you can better determine how you will spend your political capital.

Most of us are not islands; we work in coalition with other groups and organizations that have similar or sister missions. For instance, what would the cattle association have in common with the sheep herders’ association? Is it grazing or water rights? Legislation that protects open land while allowing structured use? Is it legislation that funds disease research and eradication? Conduct outreach to organizations that you think your nonprofit crosses paths with and find issue areas of agreement. Leveraging the power of your membership and the power of another organization’s membership is critical.

For the secondary and tertiary issues, I always loved finding things I could sign on to, whether it was another organization’s legislative strategy, letter to Congress or amicus briefs. Signing on not only put you in the game, it also increases your cache and visibility. It tells your members that you are doing “something” to be part of a public policy effort, but you are not spending your resources on issues that don’t rank at the top.

In your Legislative Strategic Plan it’s okay to dream. In a perfect world, what do we want? Is it an amendment of an existing law? Is it a completely new regulatory scheme or a completely new law? Are we going for a Constitutional Amendment? I did say dream. What would it take for us to realize that dream? More money, more members, more clout? The dream legislation can become part of your longer range goals.

How are we positioned to mobilize once we have our plan? In the olden days, we used to create phone banks, I still have an old chapter training manual that taught our chapters how to phone bank. Now it is so easy to pop off a message, provide links, even sample letters, etc. My favorite tool for mobilization is CapWiz by Capitol Advantage, but there are many of these tools out there that work equally well. Mobilization requires planning and judiciousness, you run the risk of wearing people out if you are constantly issuing a call to action. Think about how you are positioned. I had a conversation recently in which I was told the organization did not have the email addresses of its members. So now, they have to go collect those addresses of over 1,000 members before they can begin to send out instant alerts.

What will it take to familiarize the decision makers with our cause? Have we done a good job of educating legislators or do we need to make an effort? Have we identified and matched our members with legislators? What do we need to do to achieve that?

On a later post I will talk about visiting your legislators and decision makers. But for now, these are a few hints on developing a Legislative Strategic Plan, a very important process if you are in an organization that needs to advocate for itself or for a worthy cause.