I am for the Association, the Association is for me (II)

By Shuli Xia (CAPA-BC)

Another burden of organizing in the Chinese community is the misconception about "non-profit organizations," assuming that non-profits should rely entirely on volunteers and not take money. A non-profit organization is also a business, just not for personal profit. A business needs a long-term development plan to sustain its operations. The association has daily management tasks, and numerous decisions to make, and some tasks are time-sensitive. These tasks cannot rely solely on the efforts of volunteers because if volunteers are unavailable due to other commitments, some of the association's work will be hindered, affecting the association's credibility.

The establishment and development of the association last year relied entirely on the selfless dedication of CAPA-BC volunteers. However, selflessness does not mean limitless. Every volunteer in the association has a full-time job. I am involved in the association for the entire community; my children are already grown. Recently, the association's tasks have been increasing like a snowball, and with only a few people, we can no longer sustain the association's work. This year, we need more people with time and capabilities to manage the association together and organize and prepare various projects and activities for the association. Organizing activities requires sacrifice, and we cannot and should not expect others to continuously provide free labor.

This year, we will have $3500 to spend. Some might think this is already considerable, wondering why everyone must pay to join the association. First, because many people paid a two-year membership fee. Second, this year, we have started applying for funds from the county, and there will be more opportunities in the future. If there are no paid memberships this year, our income will significantly decrease compared to last year. Having more paid members means a greater impact on our association, increasing the possibility of obtaining funds. The funds obtained are also used for various projects, increasing community influence, rather than going into someone's pocket. Finally, for our association to have influence and cohesion, it requires continuous and persistent work. Starting this year, we will try to establish a positive feedback mechanism using compensation or appreciation to keep the association running in the long term. These forms of appreciation are far from comparable to the efforts of the staff. These mechanisms were written into the association's bylaws long ago, and the operation of other Chinese parent associations around us also follows a similar model.

Below is the work plan I, as the president of the association, proposed for this year.

1. Cultural display at the library during the Spring Festival.

2. May activities for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month).

3. Continued communication with public schools (BCPS/BOE), and private schools.

4. Collaboration with various levels of county government (County government).

5. Summer activities (Summer programs).

6. July 4th parade in Towson.

7. President's Volunteer Service Award selection.

8. A large-scale youth competition event in cooperation with other CAPAs.

9. Some small community fundraising events (spring tree planting, yard sale, etc.).

10. Tutoring services.

11. Information collection.

12. 50+ program.

The proposed activities are low-cost, high-impact projects, including insurance, venue rental fees, and other expenses. The cost of these projects is around $2,000. This means that only $1,500 can be used for human resources this year, to work on various projects for the association. Everyone can calculate the accounts based on the above plan.

Have you heard of an experiment? Put a transparent glass in the middle of a fish tank. Every time a fish swims over, it will bump into it. After a while, the fish become adept, and even if you remove the glass, the fish won't swim to the center. But if one fish swims past the middle line, others will follow, swimming in a more extensive space. Now the Chinese community needs to make a choice: whether capable Chinese organizers should lead everyone to swim to the other side of the fish tank. Our volunteers have made their choice; the first batch of paying members of the association has made their choice, and now we need more Chinese people to make a choice. (Completed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2024).

Click to join CAPA-BC: Link (One year $50, two years $100, membership calculation from 1/1-12/31 or 7/1-6/30 (next year). Membership benefits are listed in the table and in previous articles.

Donation for Community Building:

Member Eligibility: Adults who are at least 18 years old and are residents of the Greater Baltimore area, MD, including Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and surrounding counties (Harford, Carroll, Anne Arundel, Cecil, etc.), are eligible to become members of CAPA-BC by registering with CAPA-BC and by agreeing to abide by CAPA-BC Bylaws and other official rules.
Benefits	Voting Member* 1-Year 2-Year Lifetime	General Member
Voting Rights	Yes	No
Officer Eligibility	Yes	No
Service hour	Yes	Yes
Awards	Yes	No
Classes	Discount	No discount
Selected Programs	Receive the highest priority	May be considered
Selected Seminars	Free	With a minimal fee
Webpage Forum	Yes	No
* Note: We accept credit cards and Paypal for the membership fee. If you are going to pay by check or Zelle, please use the general member button and fill out the registration form. Please write a check payable to CAPA-Baltimore. For Zelle information, please contact capabaltimore2023@gmail.com. Once we receive your payment, we will manually upgrade you to a voting member.