Our June retreat was about deciding what this organization is all about. This meeting, our Q3 board meeting, is about what the organization does in 2027. The Q4 board meeting in December will provide space to approve the ultimate budget and final goals, but this upcoming session sets our targets.
1 · What we decide Saturday → 2 · What we vote on →Votes deferred from June.
↓ GEA Alliance brand identity (PDF)
The initiative kits below are context, not on the agenda.
"A world where every woman who steps outside finds community waiting for her — at every threshold, in every generation, and for whoever she becomes out there."
Drafted from feedback during the June retreat.
| Role | Current | Proposed 2027 | Shadow rate | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Director, part-time | $12,000 | $24,000? | $90,000 | $66,000 |
| Trailblazer Community Manager | $28,800 | $36,000? | $54,000 | $18,000 |
Part-time is a descriptor, not a discount. $90,000 is replacement cost: the org would not replace a part-time ED with a part-time hire.
$54,000 for Programs prices the contracted scope — Trailblazer community management, See Her Outside production, social and newsletter — at the $4,000–5,000 a month that work costs on contract. Confirm it against stated hours when the contract is renewed.
Named as 2027 levers in June: co-funded scholarships with aligned partner organizations · institutional grants (TEW round two at $30k, plus new grants through board networks).
| Measure | 2026 | For discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarships funded | 14 | 25? |
| Applications handled | 2,150 | 5,000 |
| Social media | 800,000 | 1.5 million |
On the 25: LOWA foots the bill for nine of them — eight TransAlpine trekking scholarships plus one Adventure Lens Grant — so they cost us nothing. The 2027 slate as costed reaches 24 placements for $49,100, which is the programming line in the proposed budget. Adventure Lens Grants carry their host expedition's rate plus travel plus a $1,000 deliverable stipend. Detail in the proposed 2027 budget (PDF).
| Year | Trailblazers | First 50k | Rim-to-Rim | Grit Lit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $32,928 | — | — | $4,964 | $37,892 |
| 2023 | $17,515 | — | — | $6,796 | $24,311 |
| 2024 | $13,358 | — | — | $6,244 | $19,602 |
| 2025 | $14,589 | — | $17,468 | $8,701 | $40,758 |
| 2026 | $4,120 | $24,656 | $14,225 | $7,249 | $50,250 |
| All time | $82,510 | $24,656 | $31,693 | $33,954 | $172,813 |
2026 is through 24 September, with Rim-to-Rim and the year-end campaign still ahead. Trailblazers includes general support and one-off pages. It has fallen from $32,928 to $4,120 as the flagships took over — the flagship-factory thesis in the data.
| Campaign | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailblazers for The Cairn Project the program itself | $6,182 | $10,106 | $3,006 |
| Individual ambassador pages Carlie Graham Orizaba, Manaslu Climb, Wonder to 100, Forbidden Peak, Mary Cronin Estrellas | $6,083 | — | — |
| June 100 | — | $2,338 | — |
| Support The Cairn Project! general giving page | $500 | $1,681 | $25 |
| More Girls Outside! | $110 | $118 | $900 |
| Summit Circle recurring | $483 | $326 | $189 |
| Trailtober | — | $20 | — |
| Total | $13,358 | $14,589 | $4,120 |
The 2025 figure is mostly the Trailblazer program: $10,106 across 172 gifts. June 100 added $2,338 across 51 gifts, and five gifts to the general page added $1,681.
2024 is the year worth looking at. Only $6,182 came from the program; $6,083 came from five individual ambassador pages — Orizaba, Manaslu, Wonder to 100, Forbidden Peak, Estrellas. That income disappears entirely in 2025 and 2026. The flagships did not add to ambassador fundraising, they replaced it.
2026 is down to $4,120 because the Trailblazer program raised a third of its 2025 total and June 100 did not run.
June board decision: Grit Lit sunsets after the Q4 final box, which carries the Women of Mountaineering calendar insert.
Named as 2027 levers in June: flagship-campaign factory, 3–4 campaigns a year at roughly $20k each. First 50k and Rim-to-Rim are the proven two — add Cactus to Clouds, a Joshua Tree traverse, Timberline Trail, a Mt Baker fundraising climb? · Trailblazer restructure, cohort vs. rolling, pending the success metrics Angie owns defining.
| Measure | 2026 | For discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Fundraising | $50,250 to date | |
| Flagship campaigns run | 2 | |
Named as 2027 levers in June: AI-scale Grit Lit and the calendar so production and fulfilment get cheap · the year-end giving campaign.
| Measure | 2026 | For discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar units sold | 80 pre-orders + 60 Grit Lit + 200 sold | 100 pre-orders + 300 sold |
| Podcast / media revenue | ||
| See Her Outside cadence | Biweekly (~26 episodes) | Weekly (52 episodes) |
A 400 print run against a 400-unit target means the 2027 calendar sells out only if the sales goal is hit exactly. Worth deciding now whether that is the plan or whether we reprint.
| Area | Where we are | For discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $171k budgeted for 2026 | $200k? |
| Recurring monthly donors | Effectively none | |
| Team — development / ops hire | Approved in June, not started | Part-time Summit Scholarship ops hire for scholarship gear, sponsor admin and the calendar — $20k? |
| Operating reserve | None designated | $40k |
| Board size | 5 | 7 |
| Impact measurement | Not tracked | |
| See Her Outside cadence | Biweekly | Weekly — 52 episodes, $7,200/yr |
| Annual impact report | None since 2023 | 2025 published, then annual |
The most useful question of the day: if 2027 goes badly, which three of these do we protect?
Three things follow, and they shape the reserves conversation:
From the Hood River retreat and the June 24 follow-up call with Alison.
| Item | Status | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Film end-credit URL — confirm with the Matterhorn producer | Done | |
| Move Rachel onto GEA payroll (governance) | Done | |
| Fjällräven Classic assets | Done | |
| SheJumps — accept with terms or decline | Done | |
| Summit Scholarship brand rollout | Done | |
| GEA Alliance site live — DNS | Done | www.gea-alliance.org is live |
| AI board briefing + pre-board briefing with Alison | Done | |
| Amplify Rim-to-Rim / Masters push | Done | 50+ cohort sold out in a heartbeat and is fundraising hard and fast |
| Calendar — print 400–450; kill free international shipping | Done | At the printer (400) |
| Major-donor re-ask — top 20 lapsed lifetime donors | At risk | |
| Ashley Ryden — follow up with last year's $25k donor | At risk | |
| Ship 3 AI guardrails — kill-switch, dry-run, reversibility audit | At risk | |
| Integrated comms / site overhaul | At risk | Roxy quit |
| Fractional development lead; Deputy/COO envelope | At risk | |
| /film landing page + UTM attribution | Urgent | Needed before the October premiere |
| 2025 annual impact report | Urgent | None published since 2023 — two years missing |
| Form 990 for tax year 2025 | Urgent | Extended deadline Mon 16 Nov 2026 — 53 days |
| GEA-mark trademark screening | Overdue | |
| D&O insurance — get quotes, bring to the board | Overdue | |
| Vision statement v-next → September board approval | Overdue | |
| Legal transition — asset transfer, end SEE sponsorship, bylaws | Overdue | Need to finalize by email |
| Title Nine — cultivate as the #1 brand relationship | Overdue | |
| Contractor agreement — Programs | Needs renewal | 2024 agreement was never signed and its scope predates the weekly podcast |
| One Google Workspace across all three domains | Overdue | gea-alliance.org · cairnproject.org · summitscholarship.org |
| Grit Lit — pull subscriber spreadsheet, finalize wind-down | In progress | |
| Books cleanup with Tana → cash-basis system | In progress | AI-assisted |
| LOWA commitments in writing | In progress | 8 spots + 1 Adventure Lens Grant, TransAlpine starting June 20 2027 — committed verbally |
| Year-end giving plan — 6-campaign Classy plan with Alison | In progress | Not finalized — on Saturday's agenda |
| Standalone domains — See Her Outside + calendar | In progress | calendar.summitscholarship.org is live; See Her Outside is not |
| Full 2027 cash budget for the fall board meeting | In progress | Moved to December |
| Send the board minutes + vision-statement feedback | Did not happen | |
| LOWA calendar co-commission | Did not materialize | |
| Integrated AI context for board self-service | Not started | Agreed at the June board meeting |
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Poll the board; confirm meetings for Q4 2026 through Q4 2027 | Done — Saturday Sept 26 |
| Hold the pre-board briefing with Sunny | Done — Sept 22 |
| Send Sunny the H2-2027 board dates | Open |
| Shadow ED salary — board vote | Saturday |
| Board fundraising / donor plan — yes, no, or scoped; name a lead and a date | Saturday |
| Collect one written Q3 commitment per director | Saturday |
| Formal votes — vision statement and brand identity | Saturday |
| ED evaluation — close out and issue forward expectations | Saturday |
| TEW $30k renewal — settle whether Alison takes it back or hands it off | Open |
| Grow the board to 6–7 — target size, skills gap, recruiting owners | In flight — two candidates |
| Fall fundraising dinner with Marcia (TEW) | Postponed to 2027 — personal changes |
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| First 50k Sisterhood follow-up — the post-race on-ramp sequence | Done |
| Rachel Entrekin podcast episode | Done |
| AI onboarding | Done |
| Rim-to-Rim (Oct 10) — promotion, 40+ "Masters" framing | Done |
| Outdoor Retailer — strategy and goals | Done — GEA booth did not materialize, Angie represented |
| Trailblazer success metrics — define before any restructure | In progress |
| Scope a bigger First 50k Sisterhood for next year | In progress |
| Plan Cactus to Clouds | Not yet started |
| Plan Timberline Trail circumnavigation | Not yet started |