Todd's Update

Knowledge Base

The development of a Knowledge Base (KB) is one of the five strategic initiatives identified as being crucial to fulfilling the mission and vision of the Conference. A Knowledge Base is a repository for technical papers and resource documents. The KB is a key benefit made available to all CCHS members and member organizations. It will help the CCHS deliver on its vision to empower its members.

The KB will be accessible to members and member organizations via a secured area of the CCHS website. Content of the KB will be reviewed and uploaded on a continual basis, drawing on member submissions and the presentations made during CCHS-sponsored workshops.

The following steps have already been occurred in the implementation of the Knowledge Base (KB):
• Research on knowledge bases present on other entities websites
• Review of past California Historian magazines for potential KB content material
• Creation of submission guidelines
• Creation of submitter waiver form
• Planning meeting with Arrowhead Management regarding website capacity
• Solicitation of additional content for current KB site from recent workshop presenters
• Upload of content material to current KB site

The following next steps will occur within the next two months:
• Creation and beta testing of successor KB website
• Call for submissions, CCHS-wide, for additional KB content

If you have an interest in being part of the Knowledge Base planning committee please contact me at [email protected]

-Todd Shulman
RVP Region 35
RVP Group Leader C

Alison's Update

Leadership and Board Development

One of the most important components in any organization, whether it be corporate or non-profit, is the leadership of the organization and this applies to the Conference of California Historical Societies (CCHS). The two focuses of the leadership development part of the strategic plan are to develop leadership skills and to build a succession plan, which will help sustain the continued growth of the organization. As the organization grows and moves into developing the strategic plan, the leadership will need to grow as well.

What is leadership development?  In a nutshell, leadership development expands the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles and in this instance in CCHS.  Leadership roles are those that assist with the execution of CCHS’s strategic plan by building alignment, winning mindshare and growing the capabilities of others.   As we all know, since we all are part of a variety of historical societies, the primary leaders are the board members.  These are the people who are the decision makers.  They lead the organization and set the tone.  They are the dedicated community volunteers who care and they will plan for the future. They are critical!  Board development is a critical step in leadership development.

As such, a strategy must be in place to grow our leadership and future leaders.  We need to be able to really talk about the realities of the future and how we expand our vision and mission.  We need to be able to articulate what our impact on our communities is and will be.  We need our members to be committed to and believe in CCHS and to embrace the strategic plan.  To this end, this aspect of the strategic plan will be to look at the organizational structure and committees of CCHS, evaluate what works and how we improve upon it, assess best practices in the non-profit world and see how we can use them, and to build a succession plan.  This is an exciting time for CCHS and I look forward to helping build the leadership of the organization and see it continue long into the future.

Sincerely,

Alison Bruesehoff

RVP Group Leader G and Strategic Planning Committee Member

Cim's Update

Regional Vice Presidents

RVPs are the backbone of CCHS. Their responsibilities hold the organization together through communication, inspiration and a shared passion for preserving local history.

The Strategic Team has been working together with members of the organization (all of which are either an RVP or Group Leader) creating a new and defined mission statement that clearly defines the society’s function, identifies our audience and establishes goals. Role expectations are being fine-tuned, infrastructure is being added for clarity and more information will be accessible for ease in communicating within the organization. Training will be offered to help rev up enthusiasm, providing RVPs with the necessary tools and protocol for recruiting more like-minded individuals to join CCHS teams in each region. 

Best, 

Cim Castellon

RVP Group F, Strategic Planning Committee Member