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Beth Ransopher, WSCO Vice-President
The Welsh Society of Central Ohio (WSCO) is looking pretty good at 60 (going on 61) years of age! But times have changed and your Board felt it was time to review the look and feel of your organization to keep it healthy for another 60 years or more! Over the next year we hope that you will notice and like the changes that will be introduced to ensure WSCO’s future. Our goal is that everyone will help spread the word, to other Welsh residents and those of Welsh-descent living here in Central Ohio, that WSCO is an organization that supports the history and culture of Wales.
Some of you may be asking why make any changes? The Board is looking at ways that we can improve our outreach and perhaps do a better job in some areas. The truth is that WSCO membership levels have remained stagnant and, with the recent economic environment, the Board wants to ensure the organization’s financial security. We all need to remain vigilant in promoting WSCO and our Welsh heritage in Central Ohio.
In order to meet these challenges the Board supports the following goals:
· To increase membership in WSCO;
· To share the mission of WSCO with more people interested in Welsh culture;
· To further enhance the history of Welsh heritage in and around Central Ohio, as well as the entire State of Ohio;
· To increase participation in WSCO sponsored events (i.e. St. David’s Day, the annual picnic, and Gymanfa Ganu) and Welsh groups (i.e. the Welsh Country Dancers of Central Ohio and the Columbus Welsh Singing Society); and,
· To ensure the longevity of WSCO.
To meet these goals your Board has outlined some objectives to work on over the next year, including looking at how we currently market WSCO. These include:
· Revising the WSCO logo;
· Reviewing the mission and vision of WSCO to determine whether they are still current and represent today’s organization;
· Creating an easy to remember slogan that best represents our organization that can be used on all promotions and communications;
· Streamlining the website and e-mail addresses so that they are the same as WSCO’s name and therefore easier to remember;
· Revising a very outdated WSCO brochure; and
· Updating our already fantastic WSCO website to incorporate these changes.
We are researching ways WSCO can move forward through promotion and outreach. By completing the above objectives we will have a solid foundation to better promote our organization within the community, to develop more partnerships, and increase our participation in fairs and festivals. We also want to improve our financial and sponsorship support in other Welsh–related activities in the areas of history, art, drama, and music. Research is being conducted to find alternative funding streams to support WSCO projects, such as through grants and foundations.
We would like the input of WSCO members to create and vote on a logo for the organization! What is a logo? A good definition from the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia states “a logo is a graphical element (ideogram, symbol, emblem, icon, sign) that, together with its logotype (a uniquely set and arranged typeface) form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo’s design is for immediate recognition.” (Thanks to WSCO Board member Shirley McKee for finding this definition.) In other words, it helps define and identify an organization so that when anyone sees the logo they instantly recognize and associate it with that organization. This is exactly what we want – a trusted brand people will identify with! We are currently looking for WSCO members to submit ideas for a logo. Submitted logos that meet the contest criteria will be on display for voting by the WSCO membership at the St. David’s Day luncheon on Saturday, February 28. See the article in this Dragon Tales entitled “Contest for a WSCO Logo” on page 9 for more information.
In future Dragon Tales articles we will provide you updates on the changes that have taken place, as well as those that are proposed. This is your organization, so let the Board members know how we are doing, what ideas you might have, and whether you like the changes that you see. Call or write any WSCO Board member. We would appreciate all comments and feedback both good and bad on how we are doing for Your WSCO!
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In case you missed this information in the Words from the Webmaster column on page 2, our email address has changed to info(at)welshsocietyofcentralohio(dot)org so be sure to make the change in your email address book.
And, just in case you haven’t yet read the webmaster’s column, the URL for the website has changed to http://www.welshsocietyofcentralohio.org! Our regular mailing address and phone number remain the same.
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Nerth gwlad, ei gwybodaeth.
"The strength of a nation is its knowledge."