I lead the creation of the 2024 Annual Report for Conservation Corps MN & IA. I identified stories, photographs, wrote and edited content, coordinated with staff from across the organization who needed to provide content or input, wrote the “letter from the Executive Director” at the beginning of the report, coordinated between the contracted designer and the contracted printer/mailer, promoted it on social media using Hootsuite, added it to the organization website using the WordPress Content Management System, created the companion video for the report (including shooting footage, editing, and creating animations), and promoted it using email with Mailchimp.
Below is the intro letter I drafted for the Executive Director
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Last year, I wrote that Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa is in the “change business,” and that statement is true now more than ever. As we look to the future, uncertainty challenges us to think creatively, adapt quickly, and lean even more deeply into our mission of cultivating a community of leaders in service to people and the planet. It can be difficult to reflect on the joyful successes of the past while living in a world that feels increasingly uncertain. However, it is vitally important to celebrate the successes we create together as a community. Through community, we are resilient, we can adapt, and we can overcome hardships and uncertainty.
This report shows the value that Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa brings to our community. As you read it, I hope you see what I see every day: the dedication, energy, and leadership of emerging professionals who are ready and willing to serve people and the planet. Behind every number in this report is a person whose life and future were shaped by service—and a community that benefited. When you donate, partner with us, host a crew, or champion our work, you are part of the CCMI community. The accomplishments you read about here are your successes. You are helping to build a skilled workforce that is ready for a world that needs them.
When a young person decides to serve with us, they become part of our community too, and we invest in our community. We spend up to twenty percent of our time training Corpsmembers. We cannot expect the next generation of environmental leaders to spring forward without the cultivation, care, and training that comes from this community. The achievements we can report here are only half the story. Long after they finish their service term, alumni of our programs use the training and experience they gain here to positively impact the world.
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together in 2024, and we will keep going—because the need is only growing. We hope that seeingthese accomplishments, you are reminded of the power of service and are energized to be part of this community. Together, we can continue to meet this moment—and the next—with purpose.
Sincerely,
Nalani McCutcheon Executive Director
