<p>At its last meeting this fall DignityUSAs National Board decided to begin raising funds to help defray the cost of traveling for our Board members. As many of you might know due to the financial stress DignityUSA has experienced in the past few years we have been asking our National Board members to pay for their own expenses when we meet in person three times a year. Depending on where the Board member lives and where the meeting is taking place the cost of airfare hotel meals and incidentals can easily run over $1000 per trip.</p><p>We have been fortunate enough to have been able to have a group of talented and generous individuals who have been willing and able to assume both the personal and financial responsibility of being a Board member for many years now.</p><p>We understand however this is not the way we want to run the organization indefinitely. We are very aware that because of the financial burden that being a Board member entails we are leaving out a number of talented individuals who would be able and willing to serve us well at the national level. We do not want finances to be the only reason why a skillful Dignity member chooses not to run.</p><p>It is for this reason that the Board has decided to enlarge the meaning of the Talent Acquisition Fund to include funds to help pay for some of the costs of our Board members. Board expenses is a new line item in our 2010 budget. In addition to that we would like to introduce a new Sponsorship program. We imagine that there are members out there who might have the financial means to pay for the cost of being a National Board member but do not have the inclination to run for the Board themselves; or some of you who have served on the Board before but have no desire to do it again. But maybe you would be inclined to sponsor the expenses (partially or totally) of someone else. Perhaps you have a young leader from your chapter who you think would contribute a lot at the national level and you want specifically to sponsor him or her; or maybe you just want to contribute money to the TAF with a directive that the money be used to help sponsor a Board member. We can use your help. Please consider becoming a Sponsor of a Board member. It is a good way to develop new leadership and ensure the future success of DignityUSA.</p><p>For further details and/or to make donations to the Talent Acquisition Fund or Sponsor a Board Member Project please contact Peggy Burns Operations Manager at info@dignityusa.org by phone (202-861-0017) or (800-877-8797) or by mail at Operation Manager DignityUSA PO Box 376 Medford MA 02155-0004.</p><p>Let us hear from you. And thanks.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>