In the days leading up to the annual meeting, let’s take a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished this year. Under the leadership of President Lenny Lichvar, we have a lot to celebrate. President Lichvar has been a vocal advocate of increased communication and engagement of our members and partners. To this end, PATU staff, board, and committee chairs have worked to promote the engagement needed by an organization of our size.

First, we rolled out the new website, which features a fresh design, highlights current news stories, and allows us to track visitor analytics with more precision. The new website also integrates with our social media allowing us to directly post and link social media messages from our website. The new analytics allow us to see in real time which topics are most important to our membership and partners, which allows us to better engage and communicate to those impacted by these topics.

PATU contracted with NeonOne in August to implement a CRM (customer relationship management) platform to help us manage development operations rather than relying on standalone databases and processes. Bob Neu conducted a rigorous investigation of numerous platforms and delivered his recommendations at the summer quarterly meeting.

NeonOne gives us more granularity in terms of member management and will automate portions of the giving campaign. We will have the ability to separate our strategies by interest and identify whether members are interested in Trout in the Classroom (TIC), Coldwater Heritage Partnership (CHP), or women’s activities. Targeted giving campaign letters will give us more flexibility and hopefully lead to increased fundraising.

Two mission critical operations will be integrated into NeonOne: communications and QuickBooks. Financial transactions will be assigned automatically to line items. One area that we’ve been sorely deficient in is data analytics; NeonOne will query and report the data we need to make decisions.

We will be able to incorporate ticketing for events such as our annual meeting and the women’s leadership retreats. We’d like chapters to be able to utilize this feature as well. NeonOne will allow PATU to streamline communications and information to reach specific groups and rally support on the topics that our members and partners hold near and dear to them. This is another part of the President’s vision to increase communication and engagement.

Other big projects on the horizon include overhauling the TIC and CHP websites. Our plan is to incorporate them into our framework, so the branding association is clear—these are our initiatives. As it stands, these programs feel disconnected from PATU. Reconnecting these programs with PATU will increase support and participation in these programs and provide more recognition to our partners who provide the necessary services that allow these programs to exist.

CHP will undergo a rebranding to retool and reinvigorate the program—over the past six years, interest has waned dramatically. We plan to develop a simplified application process that will lead people through eligibility questions, so they know right away if their project meets funding requirements rather than enduring the application process only to get denied.

Trout in the Classroom continues to be a wildly popular program and our goal is to establish robust regional partnerships to help bolster its growth. Currently offered in over 450 Pennsylvania schools, it reaches more than 50,000 students. Each year an additional 20 schools ask to join the program. We need to be positioned to help it be as successful as possible. Strengthening the CHP and TIC program are also part of the President’s vision to engage new and existing members and partners.

PATU’s stand on the issue of stocking over wild trout in Freeman Run has resonated with fishermen and conservationists alike. President Lenny Lichvar spoke at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission meeting in late August making it abundantly clear that PATU does not support stocking on this Class A stream. He also participated in several interviews for outdoor publications making PATU’s stance on this topic very clear.  We have bolstered this position through paid social media campaigns that have netted a tremendous number of views, shares, and comments—these efforts will be put into overdrive during the next two months. The next PFBC meeting is scheduled for late October when the decision regarding the proposed stocking over wild trout will be finalized. PATU will be asking for member support to sway the decision of the Commissioners regarding this practice.

We are also stepping up to address other environmental concerns; Brian Wagner is working with a conservation committee to develop a position statement on the planned development of AI data centers throughout the state regarding concerns surrounding water usage, siting, and energy use.

These efforts to rebuild PATU are part of a larger effort set forth by the President to foster engagement with our chapters and members and develop partnerships that will sustain our efforts into the future. We want to be known as the voice that supports wild trout and clean water, and a model that foundations want to partner with.  Our job is to protect, preserve, and enhance wild fisheries. We need strong leadership to advocate for the changes that will make PATU a viable and sustainable organization.