World Bulletin
UNA Chapters Extend Their Reach LocallyBy Jessica Hartl
A Council of Organizatios event.
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Aug. 4 -- In 2004, Norma Keller, a member of UNA-USA’s Centre County Pennsylvania chapter, took it upon herself to form a chapter-level Council of Organizations, now called an Area Council of Organizations. This is a group of nongovernmental organizations located in a community or region that have joined together to affiliate themselves with a UNA chapter or division to help promote understanding of the United Nations.
The Executive Committee of the national Council of Organizations began to formally assist with the development of new Area COOs, as they are known, in 2009, based on Keller’s success and that of the Southern California Regional Council of Organizations.
Keller was interviewed in July about her experiences in setting up and running an Area COO and how it has been successful:
Why did Centre County UNA decide to form its own Council of Organizations at the chapter level? In 2004, UNA-USA offered small grants to chapters, from $250 to $1,000, as a part of its “UN60 Coalition-Building” mini-grant process commemorating the UN’s 60th anniversary. For UN Day in 2004, we joined forces with four other organizations for an event on women’s rights. Wanting to build on the success of this event through further partnerships with these and other organizations, the grant helped us to develop our own local Council of Organizations.
How did you approach potential partners? What was important in getting organizations to partner with the Centre County chapter? The chapter board reviewed the list of council members at the national level and identified 22 national groups that had local affiliates in Centre County. A luncheon was held in May 2005 to discuss formation of the Area COO, to which 18 of the 22 groups came. This resulted in an Area COO of 17 members, including both council local affiliates and other local NGOs. All our council members are supportive of the work of the UN. They share the common goals of making our community more knowledgeable about global issues and the UN and strengthening the US-UN relationship. And since they live in largely conservative central Pennsylvania, they have found natural synergies that have helped them have an increased impact on UN education at the community level. What keeps these organizations continuing to partner is the huge benefit that comes out of combining forces, feeling part of a larger effort and not working in isolation. Are the partners working on an ad hoc basis or on a regular basis?The Centre County chapter established formal membership criteria, which included the organization (or a key member of the organization) joining Centre County UNA-USA and agreeing to meet a minimum of two times annually to work together to celebrate UN Day and to help each other facilitate UN education in their respective organizations through the year. The relationship is also reciprocal, in that Centre County UNA leaders provide services to Area Council members, such as speaking at their events or sharing educational materials. Does your Area COO have lessons to share with other UNA-USA chapters? While the Centre County Council formalized in the fall of 2005, this is our seventh year of working closely with other council organizations to hold a UN Day celebration. The council has fared extremely well and has continued to grow. Some of the lessons we have learned are that providing attendees with a hands-on project to implement after these UN Day events gives them a purpose and a sense that they can make a difference. For example, last year we raised over $5,000, through council members reaching out to their respective members, to purchase solar cookers. In 2008, we raised funds for 34 Million Friends, a UN Population Fund support group. We also learned that who represents an organization on the Area COO is critical. Representatives are carefully chosen by their respective organizations to maximize their involvement. Some organizations were previously members in name only, but now we have 26 individuals representing the 17 organizations. We also learned that communication is the key. Currently, council members are putting articles about the work of the council and their service on the council in their own newsletters to facilitate greater communication among council members about the group’s work. What is currently on your agenda?
For our 2010 UN Day activity, we will be focusing on human trafficking. The enthusiasm already shown by council members is fantastic, and we look forward to making UN Day a success. We are so excited about the work that council members are doing here in Centre County and wish that council members at the national level knew how involved their chapters are at the local level, because it is benefiting them. So spread the word far and wide!
For more information on the Centre County chapter’s efforts or on the Council of Organizations, contact Jessica Hartl at jhartl@unausa.org or 202-462-3446. For a copy of the Area COO’s organizational manual, please visit www.unausa.org/coograssroots.
Jessica Hartl is UNA-USA coordinator for the Council of Organizations. Keywords: COO, UN Day, Area COO
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