This Sunday, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust will hold its 2017 Annual General Meeting from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Mission Theater in NW Portland.

As we do every year, the 107 Independent Supporters Trust holds a meeting for members before the start of the regular season. This Annual General Meeting, or AGM, is typically a chance for the 107IST Board of Directors to share information about the past year, including successes, challenges, and plans for the coming year. While we love to share the good news about the amazing team/town/TA-Riveters work that members accomplish, for several years the AGM has had the same format: board members do most of the talking, everyone else mostly listens.

This year will be different.

Much of the AGM is designed for your participation. We will have breakout conversations focused on a variety of strategic topics, including volunteer engagement, communications, Riveters & 107IST, and planning for the future. Several board members will be at each breakout session, and everyone will get a chance to rotate and participate in more than one session. Board members will take what we learn from all of you to our annual Board strategic planning session later this month. Pre-emptive thanks to our guest facilitators Kevin Hiebert and Jessica Riehl, who will be helping facilitate most of the afternoon with us.

We’ll still have a little bit of AGM “sit and get.” Board members will still give brief reports to membership on the past year’s activities and a brief look at the year ahead. But this year, most of our time together at the AGM is designed to give members more opportunities to interact, with board members and with each other. As we do every year, we’ll also provide signup forms online for you to apply to work with our various committees.

If you’ve been to the AGM before, come prepared for something different: a chance to participate. And if you’ve never been before or you are a new 107IST member, you’re also welcome and encouraged to attend. We look forward to the conversation.