The conference planning leads develops the budget using actual numbers to meet their proposed programming needs. The board must approve the budget, and then the conference host plans and manages it. The AORE treasurer and executive director propose conference registration pricing options for the BOD to approve.
What financial needs are there behind the scenes?
AORE needs to be able to plan for staff changes, as well as technology and infrastructure update—proactively rather than reactively. Work to build higher-level philanthropy for the long term also incurs costs.
How AORE delivers
Each member program’s impact reaches far beyond the walls of its individual program. AORE supports these programs and their work to promote and conserve diverse geographic locations; navigate over lands, rivers, caves, and mountains; and serve a range of participants and communities. AORE also works to strengthen relationships and
opportunities to provide hands-on leadership opportunities, resources, and other information to members. We also create and maintain industry relationships to help individuals and the organization develop and thrive.
One way this work gets done is through committees and task forces. The AORE Board of Directors assign standing and annual projects to the committees, and the committee chairs lead the work to accomplish them. Chairs develop and implement strategies, including tasks and timelines, and keep committee members educated on their expectations and responsibilities.
Some examples:
The AORE Access and Permitting Committee has been working to increase access to public lands and streamline the permitting process for AORE members and other professionals. AORE has joined the National Forest Access Coalition and signed a proposal in support of National Forest Trails Stewardship. We have carved out a seat at the table in Washington, D.C., and at the SHIFT Festival in Jackson Hole in discussions about access to public lands. This allows members’ voices to be heard outside of our conference and our membership.
In 2013, AORE put together a Campus Outdoor Recreation Assessment and Accountability Task Force, to respond to critics who question the value of outdoor recreation on college campuses. They generated valuable information about the impact of these recreation programs.
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