A letter from our Executive Director and SheJumps co-founder, Claire Smallwood, regarding the recent changes in our organization.
(Claire Smallwood on Villarrica Volcano in Chile – Photo by Brennan Metzler)
The summer of 2015 marked a pivotal turn in the operations of SheJumps, and we wanted to take a moment to keep you, our loyal supporters and community, in the loop!
The experience of running this organization since its inception in 2007 has been one of the most difficult and rewarding things I could ever hope to experience in my life. It’s quite scary to think that at the age of 22 I didn’t think twice about starting the journey and assumed it’d be like skiing—you can break it down, turn by turn, and find a way to work with the mountain.
Well in the same vein, our team continues to flourish and grow, turn by turn. In 2013 we announced a massive “rebrand” of both our programming and our team. We defined our regions, we defined our objectives, and we defined our colors—literally. But of course, the work doesn’t stop there: it starts there.
Since that decision in 2013, SheJumps has been lucky to have many loyal volunteers. In fact, we have had so many amazing volunteers that it constantly pushes the organization to grow due to the effective energy that these individuals bring to SheJumps.
In 2013-2014, we hosted 63 events in 14 different states. A year later, those numbers grew to 84 events in 18 different states. From learning to flyfish to whitewater kayaking and youth skiing programs, SheJumps programs adapt to the communities in which our volunteers live. We strive to create more opportunities for women and girls to get outside, and our volunteers constantly meet and exceed that challenge. Last year, we created over 3,000 new opportunities for ladies to get outside and have fun!
However, this summer our team reached a crux. In our desire to create this impactful programming, and without the funding to sustain it for the long term, we decided that our team needed to work as efficiently as possible. Comprised of 100% volunteers, our national and regional teams reflect what we like to call “the movers and shakers” of their respective communities. They check their email every day, they volunteer sometimes upwards of 1,000 hours per year(!). With my own personal memories of the past 8 years and feelings of both endless inspiration and challenging, overwhelming moments, I decided to instill a new structure for our organization which you now see reflected on the website on the “About Us” section. The idea is that we want our team to run like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows their role, and everyone has access to give and receive feedback.
Another aspect of this internal organizational overhaul is personal development. Here at SheJumps, we have always believed that being a SheJumper is about more than wanting to get outside and have fun—it’s about being the best person you can be; truly living up to your fullest potential as a human. That’s why another thing we are offering now to our National Team is personal and professional development workshops. These workshops include writing (creative/technical), leadership, fundraising, event planning, community outreach, and volunteer management—to name a few. The idea is: if you volunteer for SheJumps, we want you to be the best possible representation of what we stand for—and there is no better way to create that opportunity than by investing in our team. If you have experience in any of the areas above and would like to be involved in contributing to these professional development workshops, please feel free to email me at claire@shejumps.org.
I’ve included a breakdown of our new roles below, for our supporters’ own vision of how it all works at SheJumps. For a complete list of positions we are in the process of filling and to apply, please click here: http://bit.ly/1H56DnX
Regional Director: Manages larger-scale regional objectives, goals, and team-management.
Regional Coordinator: State-level leadership position. Conceptualizes, approves, and executes events—with special management to Ambassadors.
Ambassadors: Represent SheJumps at the city/local level. Envisions events and executes them with help from Regional Coordinators leadership.
Hosts: Entry level of volunteer commitment for team, reflects longer-term roles at localized events, without event planning. Please contact volunteer@shejumps.org for more information!
Thanks for being a supporter in our dream to get more women and girls outside! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1QsxIa5 or mailing us a check at SheJumps, 3434 E 7800 S #114, Salt Lake City, UT 84121
With gratitude for your support of our mission and vision,
Claire Smallwood
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