While council officers and the board often drive the council vision and set the strategy, the council committees are where the work of turning these goals into actions and identifying the tasks to implement, take place.
As a committee member, you have stepped up to drive the work forward towards making streams healthier, connecting kids to the outdoors, growing and engaging members, raising funds, and much more in your council geography.
The Tacklebox has a wealth of resources to help your committee drive your work forward, and your Volunteer Operations Staff is always there to help with ideas, best practices and examples from other councils to get you started.
Among the most common council-level committees are the following:
Advocacy Committee
Good conservation advocacy starts at home and a council’s Advocacy Committee can be the front line of statewide defense against practices that threaten local coldwater resources. From opposing developments in fragile areas, to promoting advocacy strategies for chapters, these activities can help ensure streams remain cold, clear, and undamaged.
Conservation Committee
The Conservation Committee takes the overarching conservation and restoration goals of the council’s strategic plan to develop projects, partnerships and plans to support chapter’s in their conservation efforts as well as guide large scale conservation efforts.
Diversity Committee
Founded more than 60 years ago, TU is based on the belief that local people can make a difference for their local streams. The Diversity Committee helps drive this belief forward by focusing on bringing all voices to the table so that our community reflects the demographics of the general public.
Leadership Development
Your council does important work that can only be sustained if the next generation of conservationists and leaders are supported into leadership positions. The Leadership Development Committee coaches chapters in leadership development and succession planning as well as recruiting and investing in potential council leaders.
Fundraising Committee
All the great work your council accomplishes requires resources to be successful. The Fundraising Committee is typically tasked with planning the major money-raising events, ranging from traditional banquets and grant applications, to newer types of fundraisers, such as online auctions, crowd-funding, major donor friendraisers and more.
Membership Committee
At the heart of any strong and growing chapter or council, the Membership Committee not only tracks membership and welcomes new members, but also develops activities designed to meet membership growth goals such as staffing recruitment tables, guiding chapters in membership support and more.
Veterans Service Partnership Committee
The Veterans Service Partnership program is one of TU’s most rewarding efforts and more than half of our chapters engage with our nation’s military veterans in one way or another. As a member of this committee, you will welcome veterans into the TU community and connect them to our mission through chapter support and focused events.
Youth Education Committee
The work your council does can only be sustained if the next generation of anglers and conservationists care for the rivers in their own backyard. The Youth Education Committee helps promote TU’s “Stream of Engagement” statewide through chapter support and focused events, ensuring that youth of all ages can be connected to meaningful, hands-on, environmental education and fishing opportunities.