Annual Business Meeting Review
This year’s Annual Business Meeting (ABM) was better than ever before; RHAWA members and leaders gathered at The Vault in Kirkland to discuss the past year’s successes and what we can expect in 2024. The event space called The Vault, was graciously donated to us by RHAWA Board Member, Chris Gurdjian. The Vault is an event space located in the 11 Capital building and is host to a series of beautiful and rare vintage cars. Our members were able to indulge in delightful snacks and beverages provided by Wilson Catering while taking in the awe-inspiring vehicles.
In previous years the ABM has been formatted in a presentation with auditorium-style seating; this year we wanted to change it up and hold the event more like an informal get-together. Everyone was milling about, chatting, networking, and sharing stories about being small housing providers in Washington State. This was also a wonderful opportunity for our members to meet with our leadership and staff.
Sean Flynn, our Executive Director, and President of the Board addressed the group, talking about the highlights of the year, the importance of donating to our Political Action Committee (PAC) and our Legal Defense Fund (LDF), and awarding our Member and Volunteer of the Year.
Some notable facts of the nights were:
RHAWA’s impressive 96.3% retention rate
Development
• 50 new city-specific notices
• 18 new support center articles
• 15 new/revised classes covering state & local laws.
Participation
• 17,600 form downloads each month.
• 187 class attendees each month
• 373 support ticket responses each month
• 1,008 Support Center article views
Events
• 5 incredible events so far this year with one more to go – the Winter Gala, to be held at Emerald City Trapeze on December 2.
• An incredibly successful Membership Appreciation event this past summer with the most attendees at an RHAWA event to date.
Members then voted unanimously to pass bylaw amendments and elect the new Council of Regents.
The event wound down after we got the formal voting out of the way, and members were able to continue to mingle and enjoy the venue. We want to thank everyone who came out and participated in marking RHAWA the organization it is today and helping it grow for the members of tomorrow.