President's Message
Susan Thomson, President | Wow! Beginning this year on the heels of our 40th Anniversary and the momentum behind our Diversity Committee and Project Reach, plus the executional transfer of our philanthropic initiatives to a new Foundation Board is an amazing place start. I’m both honored and humbled to lead this amazing community of leaders, and excited about what the future holds. The work that last year’s Board members did on our strategic plan highlights four main areas of focus for us for the next 5 years: 1. Moving from one of Madison’s “best kept secrets” to a well-known and sought-after organization that female execs aspire to be a part of. Our membership committee has done a wonderful job of identifying women who are “Tempo ready” and reaches out to them directly, but many don’t know who we are. There will be some PR efforts, as well as partnering with other Madison organizations (ie. our joint production of Women in Water & Sustainability with the Clean Lakes Alliance) to raise the profile of Tempo Madison. 2. Reviewing our Membership Application process with the objective of making it easier, faster and more transparent, while maintaining very high standards for consideration. Our membership process has evolved over the years and has become a bit awkward and clunky. The committee will be evaluating the best way to move forward, so applying or sponsoring a potential member becomes seamless, clear and easy. |
3. Connecting with and nurturing a pipeline of “next generation” leaders. Our scholarship program does an amazing job of connecting us with high school and college-age women, but we don’t have any programming or connection with them after they’ve graduated and are navigating their way through the work world. Particularly as these ladies are moving from individual contributor roles into leadership roles, they’ll need mentoring and career advice; they can also serve as an evolving candidate pool for future Tempo membership.
4. Increasing revenue. We intentionally dipped in to our reserves in 2020 and 2021 to get through the pandemic; now it’s time move beyond a deficit budget. Getting “known,” connecting with emerging leaders, and an increase in the number of events that Diversity and Project Reach committees are working on takes money! The Board identified 4 main areas of opportunity to increase incoming cash: increasing membership, fully funded events, additional GEM sponsors and corporate sponsorships.
Most exciting is that these initiatives open up all kinds of opportunities for you to get engaged, or re-engaged in Tempo Madison! If you have interest in ANY of these initiatives in any capacity, please reach out to Erin and we’ll get you connected. Serving on a committee is a wonderful way to use your talents and build deeper relationships.
Thank You for having me as this year’s Tempo Madison president. I’m looking forward to an amazing year! My appreciation to you All!
Susan Thomson, TEMPO Madison President