COMMUNITY CENTER LAUNCH GOAL
IMBOLC 2012

After the OHF Pagan Community Center Leadership Summit, the Board of Governors sat down and made a lengthy to-do list of what we needed to accomplish to open the center. This is not the end-all, be-all list. This is a place to start. None of us have experience with commercial real estate or launching a project of this kind. We are a group of Pagans who just want to "get 'er done!" What we do have are open eyes and open ears. We are always welcome to feedback and suggestions. Additionally, if you have experience in one or more of these topics, we would love for the community to benefit from your experience. Please contact us.

NEW: Click here to see our business plan.

	Decide on a launch date. Guidance from the summit was Imbolc 2012, but no later than 18 months from summit date of January 23, 2010. We have confirmed that we have our eye on Imbolc 2012.
	Decide on a primary location to focus on launching the center. Guidance from the summit was preferably DC and Silver Spring and nearby areas inside the Beltway. The OHF board voted to make our official location preferably DC (NW, but will look at NE, too), Silver Spring inside the Beltway, and then Takoma Park.
	Revamp website. Obviously done, since you're looking at it. :)
	Revamp our business plan. Read the entire business plan here.
	Decide how much using the space will cost. This will be released shortly.
	Formulate an annual budget to fund the center. This would include rent, utilities, insurance, paid employees, and more. The full annual budget will be released soon.
	Continue researching options for how our money can make money. We looked into a high yield money market account, as well as in purchasing CD's again. We only have just over $60,000 in the bank, which would not give us a high return. We also could find the perfect space tomorrow and need access to all of our money. We tabled this discussion until we launch the center to find out exactly when we will need what money.
	Revamp Salesforce. Last year, we recieved a grant to use Salesforce, a coporate tool that will help us manage information about our members. Now that our membership has grown, we can effectively utilize this tool.
	Formulate an annual operational budget for the OHF. This would include how much it will cost us for expenses to operate the foundation, including donation processing, registering our charity, printing promotional materials, etc.
	Determine our membership/sponsorship fundraising drive goal in order to lauch. It will likely cost at least $5,000 per month to operate the center. This means that we will need to raise $60,000 per year to run the center. Our fundraising goal for for 2011 is to raise enough money to cover one year, so that we are on our way to fundraising at the level it will take to sustain the center.
	Raise $60,000 through the membership and sponsorship fundraising drive.
	Establish a Capital Campaign. On top of the reoccuring member and sponsor donations, we will seek out additional donations to fund the center.
	Raise $60,000 from the Capital Campaign fundraising drive.
	Formulate the membership and sponsorship model for when the center opens. This will be released shortly.
	Create an advisory committee. This committee will be comprised of folks known to the OHF with experience with non-profit or corporate finance, property acquisition, and more. The committee will review the community center plan of the OHF Board of Governors, including but not limited to, our business plan, budgets, membership/sponsorship model, and more.
	Research the option of creating a bond for major investors. Guidance from the summit told us that several churches in the area have established space through the creation of a bond. This where many large investors invest together in a bond to purchase the space. We have several leads of places that have done this. We may also formulate a committee of board members, advisors, and others to research and discuss this option.
	Build a "large investors" plan. This would include bond information, other investment options, our business plan, our timeline, our operating and center budgets, and what would we do with the money? And then, we will host a large investors meeting.
	Research new options for a collaborative DC/MD/VA Pagan community calendar. To help us schedule events, as well as to build community, we will host an online community calendar.
	Contact the Minneapolis Pagan community center and inquire as to their process and experience.
	Contact the New York City Pagan community center and inquire as to their process and experience.
	Decide what kind of programming the OHF would like to organize once the center is open. Guidance from the town halls told us that the community expects the OHF to provide programming. On top of the programs that we already produce, the OHF will host a monthly witches' faire to provide an oulet for community building, as well as schedule classes and workshops presented by notable teachers. More programming to be decided.
	Decide on how the center will be branded. What will we name the center (The Open Hearth, DC Pagan Community Center, etc)? There have been many mixed feelings on this topic. Read more about this discussion in our blog.
	Decide the organizational structure of the center. Will the OHF run the center, or will we create an operational commitee to run the center, while the OHF just raises money to fund the center?
	Decide what kind of staff and committees we will need to create to run this center. Guidance from the summit suggested that we formulate committees to help with various operations, such as volunteers, programming, operations, etc.
	Get the staff and commitees up and running by the middle of 2011.
	Begin to sort and catolog the OHF lending library. Currently, the whole of the library is in a retired Governor's basement. Our library trustee purchased a scanner, so that scanning books into our librarything.com account will make catologing easier. We will organize a library party with volunteers towards the middle of the year.
	Begin reserving the space by the middle of 2011.
	Explore modular furniture over building. Instead of building out cabinets, walls, etc, explore options to purchase heavy-duty items that we can take with us.
	Determine where we are going to advertise and pass out information about the OHF. This as a part of our fundraising drive. We've got the Greenbelt Greenman Fest, Alexandria Earth Day, Maryland Faerie Fest and Capital Pride on our list for example.
	Purchase new promotional materials. This including new banners, handouts, table clothes, tables, pavilion, etc.
	Formulate language/description for when we approach various people, such as realtor, landlord, insurace agency, etc. How will we describe who we are and what we do in terms that will not scare them away, but not cause issues down the road if we didn't include enough?
	Create a mechanism online for folks to also scout out for properties.  Start an online conversation. We were going to go with forums, and then Maria created a blog that allows for commenting, sharing, and multiple contributors. Check it out, and help us find a property! http://ohfpropertysearch.blogspot.com
	Start a property scouting expedition. Isolate potential properties by creating a map for DC, Silver Spring, and Takoma Park, highlighting metro stations, buslines, and blacking out non-safe areas.  Drive through areas to possibly identify properties. Maria and Pam to take Silver Spring and Takoma Park. Anura and Iris to look at DC.
	Research and talk to people about discovering zoning laws for likely areas. Maria and Pam will do Silver Spring and Takoma Park. Iris and Anura will do DC.
	Enlist a realtor. This to help us not only look for properties, but to help us navigate zoning laws.
	Research insurance.
	Acquire a space.
	Built out.
	OPEN THE COMMUNITY CENTER!