By: Michele Mattioli, VOP Special Projects Coordinator
Recently Pat Lloyd, one of VOP’s dedicated weekly volunteers, had a surprise realization, “VOP is the umbrella organization for 46 groups! We should let more people know!”
Having 46 groups, small and large, enter into a Joint Plan of Work with VOP gives each group more time and resources to work on their social justice and environmental missions. As programs of VOP, these groups receive bookkeeping, payroll, insurance and auditing services. There are also efficiencies of scale, e.g., paying for one financial audit for all the groups.
By working cooperatively with a Joint Plan of Work, no one group is isolated and we can borrow and share power to be more effective.
The groups range from a handful of folks with a $200 annual budget to a multi-million dollar group with over 60 employees. VOP program groups work on transportation, alternatives to the death penalty, camping for disabled kids, forest protection, public housing, gay rights, green chemistry, obesity, youth empowerment, environmental health and much more. To learn more, go to VOP’s website: http://www.virginia-organizing.org/content/program-groups
Three cheers for dedicated people taking action in their communities!
