(July 2013 - June 2014)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
2013-2014 Board of Directors
Message from the President
Officer Reports
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Community Service Director
Development Director
Membership and Outreach Director
Professional Development Director
Public Relations Director
Social Director
Special Events Director
Historian













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2013 2014 RPCV/W Board of Directors


Executive Board
President Mariko Schmitz (Vanuatu, '02 '04)
Vice President Manuela McDonough (Panama, '03'05)
Treasurer Jason Smith (Bulgaria, '07 '09)
Secretary Kelsi Ward (Per, 10 12)

Board of Directors
Community Service Allison ODonnell (Honduras, 07 '09)
Development Director Brandon Bragato (Niger, 05 '07)
Outreach Director Courtney Dunham (Honduras, 07 '09)
Professional Development Director - Joshua Johnson (The Gambia, 09 11)
Public Relations Director Chris Robinson (Jamaica, 07 '09)
Social Director Elizabeth Trenga (Guatemala, 10 12)
Special Events Director Sarah Weber (Panama, 10 12)

Non-voting Director
Historian Jesse Bailey (Morocco, 07 '09)

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Message from the President
A strong and enthusiastic board
This year, the board transitioned half of its leadership, many of whom had invested years of
time into RPCV/W. Most of the directors who remained changed to new positions. As a brand
new President, I worried whether we could maintain the momentum of the past few years
without the deep experience of our predecessors. Happily, many remained in touch in an
advisory capacity, and the vacancies attracted several talented and energetic new directors. As
President, I was delighted that the management of the board was easy:
Our Monthly meetings, held at Baker Donelson, achieved about 80% attendance at each
meeting
For the first time, interested members of the community regularly attend the board
meetings including Josh Gill, RPCV/W mentor liaison, MariCarmen Smith Gonzales, now
NPCA Group Leaders Forum coordinator, and Dan O'Rourke, now at FSI.
Beyond statistics, this board brings energy and innovation to the table, resulting in the projects
described in detail below as well as a general increase in our member participation at our events.
Relationship with Peace Corps organizations
RPCV/Ws relationship with other Peace Corps organizations has grown stronger with every
year. This year I represented RPCV/W as a stakeholder at strategic planning meetings for both
Peace Corps and the NPCA. RPCV/W also shows support for Peace Corps on a regular basis, by
attending Peace Corps events at the Directors invitation such as Carrie Hessler-Radelets
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Swearing-In ceremony. This year, all three organizations were invited by President Obama to the
Situation Room on the 50th anniversary of JFK's passing. We are proud that the capacity and
reputation of our organization has grown to the extent that we are recognized as leaders of the
Peace Corps community at the highest levels.

Through the tireless work of Mr. Glenn Blumhorst, the NPCA oriented many of its programs to
serve its member groups. In 2013, at Peace Corps Connect, the annual National Peace Corps
conference, RPCV/W participated in panel discussions and led a session on using social media to
invigorate its membership. In 2014, four RPCV/W representatives presented at Nashville on
leadership development, setting up online member management systems and increasing
diversity in the Peace Corps. RPCV/W has found that, through the comparative advantage of
being a younger and professionally-oriented group, we are able to assist other groups across
the country to attract new leadership through online engagement and offering a dynamic
calendar of events tailored to our community.
Peace Corps Champion
December 13, 2013
This year we presented our award to Senator Harris Wofford, who throughout his esteemed
career has been a great friend to the Peace Corps and is an advocate of public service. Through
his work with the Franklin Project, Senator Wofford has forcefully advocated to President
Obama and others for more support for domestic and international volunteers so that
volunteering in the community can be an expectation, not a privilege. It was a great pleasure for
me to first see Senator Harris Wofford speak at Peace Corps connect last year, then later have
a chance to meet him in the Situation Room and finally to nominate him as our Champion.
Townhall
Not available in 2013/2014 year
The Townhall is an annual event arranged jointly between the Peace Corps Headquarters Office
of the Third Goal and RPCV/W. This event was started three years ago by RPCV/W during the
period when reports of violence against serving Peace Corps Volunteers was hitting the media,
resulting in concern among the RPCVs in Washington, D.C. RPCV/W arranged for a community
event in which all attendees could ask questions of the Peace Corps leadership, specifically the
Peace Corps Director, the President of the NPCA and the RPCV/W President. Previous Town
Halls have increased open communication among the community and are well-received by all.
With regret, we were not able to put together the Town Hall this year because Carrie
Hessler-Radelet was not yet confirmed as Director. Now that the Director is confirmed, we
hope to revisit this event in the fall.
Future focus
As our organization grows and the professionalism of our organization increases, it is time for
us to professionalize our governance. This fall I will focus on the group's strategy, look at ways
we can fundraise for organizational purposes, such as increasing the participation at next year's
conference, which will take place in San Francisco.

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Vice President
Board Transition Retreat
August 16-18, 2013
A 2-day transition retreat was held at the direction of the Vice President in August 2013 in St.
Leonard, Maryland. The transition retreat served two main purposes. It was an opportunity for
past and current members to get to know one another and their respective roles and
responsibilities, as well as an opportunity to discuss goals and objectives for the board as a
whole and for each director over the coming year. Accomplishments included the establishment
of the schedule of events for the year, the creation of subcommittees, a draft of RPCV/W goals
and objectives, a review of the organizations rules and regulations and an examination of its
financial status and requirements.
Annual Operational Retreat
Saturday, February 8, 2014
The Vice President planned, executed, and managed the annual one-day retreat that took place
in Takoma, Washington, D.C. This retreat served as an opportunity to reflect the work
accomplished during the first half of the board term and reassess goals and objectives for the
remaining board term. It was also an opportunity to discuss the positive and negative aspects
of the RPCV/W Holiday Party, our largest event of the year. During the retreat, it was also
determined that the Partnership for Peace contract would be extended from one-year to
two-years.
Partnership for Peace Program
In addition to organizing and hosting the two board retreats, the Vice President is also
responsible for managing the Partnership for Peace Program (P4P). In its fifth year of
operation, this years P4P was Libertys Promise, a local non-profit dedicated to supporting
young immigrants 15-18 years old by providing them with professional development training,
civic classes, college preparatory, and internship opportunities. The goals and objectives set
forth at the beginning of the year for P4P were accomplished. RPCV/W successfully provide
financial support in close to $4,000 raised at our annual holiday party and human capital. RPCV/W
was able to tap into our large membership base to recruit volunteers to support Libertys
Promise programs. There was also a need to increase our communication efforts about P4P,
which we did through our weekly newsletter, Twitter, Facebook, and the RPCV/W website. For
next year, a P4P committee should be formed to assist the Vice President with the execution
of the established goals and objectives for the P4P program.


Treasurer
The state of RPCV/Ws finances is the strongest it has been in many years. Prior to last year,
there was no adopted budget, and events were often subsidized unknowingly and unnecessarily
through member dues. Although this ad-hoc system worked for several years, as membership
and the annual budget grew it became necessary to standardize many RPCV/W events to be
budget neutral.
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At the beginning of the year, line items were discussed and the board voted to adopt a budget
of roughly $27,000 for the year, the majority of which was to be offset by ticket sales to the
various events. By passing this budget, it made each board member aware of expenses in
relation to revenues and incentivised fiscal responsibility. Passing a detailed budget also gave
the board the ability to easily veto proposals which would have not benefited RPCV/W
membership. The goal of exercising this responsibility was not to make every event budget
neutral, but to simply equip the board to decide how to use its money for the best benefit of
the RPCV/W community.
As a result of being fiscally deliberate, RPCV/W was able to maintain a higher level of giving to
the 2013-2014 Partner for Peace - Libertys Promise - and gave a $3500 donation to the
organization. As membership and attendance of RPCV/W events increases, the yearly expenses
and budget will also increase. But by extending the control on finances that was established by
the previous Treasurer, RPCV/W will continue to be in a financially strong position for years to
come.
Balance in RPCV/W accounts on 6/30/2014:
PNC checking: $14,636.80
PNC savings: $2,743.23
PayPal 1: $2,954.68
PayPal 2: $5,895.47
Calvert Foundation 1: $2,489.34
Calvert Foundation 2: $11,408.94
TOTAL: $40,128.46

Secretary
Communication with our large membership is done in a variety of ways, but the main
mechanism for communication between RPCV/W and our membership continues to be through
the weekly newsletter. This newsletter informs members of upcoming events, links to
registration pages, and gives relevant news updates. In 2013-2014, the Secretary continued to
assume the responsibility of sending out a weekly newsletter each Wednesday. The weekly
newsletter is an embedded email serviced by MailChimp, a free online newsletter provider
(http://mailchimp.com/). MailChimp also posts the weekly newsletter to RPCV/Ws Facebook
page. The number of subscribers to the newsletter grew from 1,527 in July 2013 to 2,294
currently. The average weekly open rate is 30.5%, which is significantly above the industry
average of 21.5%.
Over the last year, the Secretary sought to meet the needs of our members by active
engagement through the newsletter. At the start of the board term, the secretary proposed a
weekly professional development column, and worked with the Professional Development chair
to create Joshs Jobs which provides weekly job opportunities and career advice geared
towards RPCVs. The secretary continues to correspond with community members who have
upcoming jobs and internships available and work with our Professional Development chair to
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ensure those jobs are shared with our members. The Secretary also worked with our
Community Service Director to ensure that community service opportunities are a prominent
and regular feature in our newsletter. Vibrant pictures of and consistent placement of volunteer
opportunities helps provide opportunities for our members to get involved.
The Secretary also continued working with members to feature events in our Community News
and Events section, which provides value for the member-contributor as well as our
membership. Upcoming events, happy hours, service opportunities, and more are featured in
this section and reach a huge audience through our newsletter. Additionally, the secretary
partnered with RPCVs@State to write an article about RPCV/W for their inaugural newsletter to
help build our reputation across the RPCV community.
The Secretary also worked with our Communications Director to create consistent branding for
the Weekly Newsletter, to further build the professionalism of RPCV/W through our
communication materials. TheSecretary seeks to include high quality photos, easy-to-use links,
and captivating visuals to ensure our members continue to read and interact with our
newsletter.
Community Service
The Community Service Director oversaw 14 community service events in the DC area by
working with various non-profit organizations focused on issues ranging from serving the
hungry, elder care, public school beautification, to supporting 5K races, to resume reviews and
mock-interviews. In addition, the Community Service Director communicated other long-term
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opportunities to volunteers. Below is a summary of the organizations we worked with and how
RPCVs were able to contribute.


September-We Are Family
We Are Family is a DC based non-profit organization that serves seniors in the Shaw, North
Capitol Street, Adams-Morgan, Petworth, and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. They provide
advocacy, services, organizing, and companionship to the elderly, while helping to build
friendships across boundaries like race, class, religion, age, culture, and sexual orientation.
RPCVs spent an afternoon visiting seniors in their homes and providing companionship.

October-A Wider Circle
A Wider Circles efforts focus on the provision of basic need items, education, and long-term
support. Their Neighbor-to-Neighbor Program provides beds, dressers, tables, chairs, dishes,
pots, pans, and other large and small home goods to families transitioning out of shelters,
escaping domestic violence, or otherwise living without their basic need items. RPCVs spent an
afternoon unpacking, sorting, and moving donated home goods and furniture.

November-Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development
program for girls in 3rd-8th grade that teaches life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons
and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally
prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash
confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and
fitness. RPCVs spent a frigid morning spray painting hair before the 5K race and cheering the
girls on.

December-The National Center for Children and Families
NCCF is a private, nonprofit child and family welfare agency serving poor, disadvantaged, abused,
neglected and/or abandoned children, youth, and their families. RPCVs spent an afternoon
running a craft table to make ornaments and cards, at a holiday lunch for youth and their
families.

January-Libertys Promise
Libertys Promise is our current Partnership for Peace. They run after-school programs of civic
engagement in eight locations around the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for low-income,
high school, immigrant youth. RPCVs worked one-on-one with youth on two separate
occasions to draft and revise resumes and also conducted mock interviews.

February-Food & Friends
Food & Friends works to foster a community caring for men, women and children living with
HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses by preparing and delivering specialized meals
and groceries in conjunction with nutrition counseling. RPCVs spent an evening working in the
kitchen to prepare meals for delivery.

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February-Upwardly Global
Upwardly Global works to eliminate employment barriers for skilled immigrants and refugees
and integrate this population into the professional U.S. workforce. RPCVs worked one-on-one
with job seekers to help draft and revise resumes and provide job search advice.

March-Capitol Area Food Bank
Capital Area Food Bank strives to feed those who suffer from hunger in the Washington metro
area by acquiring food and distributing it through its network of partner agencies; and educating,
empowering and enlightening the community about the issues of hunger and nutrition. RPCVs
spent a morning sorting donated food.

April-Centro Nia
CentroNa is a multicultural learning community with a pioneering approach to bilingual
education. RPCVs worked with high school students to do one-on-one speed mock interviews
to help students prepare for summer job applications.

April-Hands on DC
Hands on DC is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that organizes projects to improve the
physical condition of Washington, DC public schools. RPCVs spent a morning beautifying a local
public school by painting and gardening.

May-Coalition for Economic Empowerment
The Coalition for Economic Empowerment's mission is to transform the quality of life for at-risk
families in the District of Columbia by providing the bridge to self-sufficiency through
personalized and community-based employment and education services. RPCVs organized and
hosted a cultural day that included food from countries of service, as well as clothes, items,
maps, pictures and stories, to educate youth about the Peace Corps and other cultures.

June- Millennial Day of Service with Capital Cause
15 volunteers went out to Kelly Miller Middle School to participate in the Millennial Day of
Service, organized by the young-philanthropist group Capital Cause. They joined dozens of
volunteers from a variety of groups and participated in a series of enrichment activities for the
school and its students. Participants worked on murals, organized the library and fixed up
classrooms. One group even took part in a socially conscious business development
workshop, where they worked with a group of students to in an exercise that saw students
plan a business, design a product, draw up a loan agreement, and work out the economics of
selling their product, paying back their loan, and setting aside a little profit for charity.

June-Libertys Promise
RPCVs again worked with Libertys Promise youth to help draft resumes, write cover letters,
practice interview skills and apply to summer internships.

July-Folklife Festival
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage annually
produced outdoors on the National Mall of the United States in Washington, D.C., by the
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Smithsonian Institutions Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. RPCVs spent an evening
volunteering with the Folklife Festival.

Development
Accomplishments- 2013-2014
The Development Director organized the Silent Auction at the Annual Holiday Party. All of the
proceeds from the auction went to support RPCV/Ws Partnership for Peace. This year we
raised $3000 were raised for Libertys Promise.
Additionally, the Development Director established a fee structure for partnering with like
minded organizations and advertising on the RPCV/W website and newsletter. All revenue
collected through partnerships and ad sales help support RPCV/Ws member activities.
Launched the sale of RPCV/W T-shirts.

Next Steps
This year the Board decided not to sell the annual calendar published by the National Peace
Corps Association. Previous Boards sold the calendar to RPCV/W members. Sales had been
declining over the past several years and the 2013/2014 opting against selling the calendars. This
is something next year's Board should think about it. An online poll or other survey tool could
gauge demand.

While a partnership fee structure was established, there were no partnerships or ad sales
developed. This could be an important source of revenue for RPCV/W and future Development
Director should explore the possibility of increasing exposure in this way.

T-Shirts didn't seem to be as a popular as we'd hoped. The next Development Director could do
some market research to determine what sort of products or branded merchandise RPCV/W
members are interested in purchasing. We purchased the T-Shirts from Color Works
Promotions, a local company based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and they are a great resource for
exploring future ideas about T-Shirts or any other products. They gave us a good price and offer
a range of services. -James Warlick, CEO; Colorworks Promotions

Raising money for RPCV/W's Partnership in Peace

Outreach and Membership
Between July 2013 and June 27, 2014, RPCV/W membership grew from 1,100 to 1,369
members (see Figure 1). During this time, a total of 535 members either joined or renewed
their membership (see Table 1), meaning 260 individuals did not renew their membership. While
the RPCV/W Board is happy to report this growth in membership, a main concern of the
RPCV/W Board is how to retain members and increase the benefits of the RPCV/W
membership.

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Table 1. Number of New and Renewing Members per Month (July 2013 to June 2014)
Month Number of Members (New
and Renewing)
July 2013 34
August 2013 48
September 2013 48
October 2013 35
November 2013 73
December 2013 87
January 2014 31
February 2014 48
March 2014 36
April 2014 36
May 2014 25
June 2014 (*as of 6/27/2014) 34
Total 535 new and renewing
members

For the 2013-2014 year, one of the goals of the Outreach Director was to diversify the activities
that RPCV/W offered members in order to increase member engagement. This was achieved
through several events such as two Capitol tours for new members, a Thanksgiving potluck for
Medevac volunteers, and a mentor/mentee informal networking event. The Outreach Director
also worked to build the strategic partnerships of RPCV/W through meetings with
representatives of the Peace Corps, the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the
NPCA/Peace Corps Mentorship Coordinator, and other local non-profits.

RPCV/W had one official public outreach event which was a booth at Columbia Heights Day to
raise awareness about RPCV/W and increase membership. The Board decided to not pursue
having similar booths at other neighborhood festivals (i.e., Adams Morgan Day or H. Street Day)
as the majority of RPCVs live in the Columbia Heights area and the Board did not believe that
the cost of the booth in these other festivals would be worth the value. The Outreach Director
also took advantage of other RPCV/W social events and professional development events to
increase membership and interest in RPCV/W by developing and providing sign-in and
information sheets and other branded products (i.e., signs).

One of the most notable achievements of the year was the strategic partnership with the
NPCA/Peace Corps Mentorship Coordinator. Some RPCV/W members suggested starting a
mentorship program in order to provide new activities for members to become more involved
with RPCV/W. However, the NPCA and Peace Corps already have a mentorship program for
RPCVs. As a result, RPCV/W and the NPCA/Peace Corps Mentorship Coordinator declared March
2014 as Mentorship Outreach Month to increase RPCV/W participation in this already existing
mentorship program. They also co-hosted a mentor/mentee networking event that led to a
substantial increase in mentor and mentee participation in the program.

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RPCV/W looks forward to continuing to offer mentor and mentee events in collaboration with
the NPCA/Peace Corps Mentorship Program. For 2014-2015, the RPCV/W Outreach Director will
also seek other opportunities expand and diversity RPCV/Ws events, collaborate with the
NPCA, Peace Corps Headquarters, country groups, and other local organizations, and improve
the benefits and value of RPCV/W membership.
Figure 1. RPCV/W Total Membership, 2003-2014


Professional Development
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The RPCV/W Professional Development Director's first year was a challenge overall but the year
also involved some real success stories.
The most visible aspect of the Professional Development portfolio has been the series of
career-panel discussions. The topics for the panels have been State Department/USAID,
International Development, Environment and Public Health. All panels took place in Shriver Hall
at Peace Corps HQ due to its central D.C. location, familiarity to RPCVs, and most importantly,
they dont charge for the space.
Jodi Hammer of the Peace Corps Career Center is absolutely crucial to these events and
provided brainstorming, contacts and advice throughout. We co-facilitate the panels: the
Professional Development Director acts as the moderator and Jodi coordinates the questions
from the audience.
The structure of the events is always the same: 4-5 panelists from private and public
organizations discuss their careers, organizations and job fields. The Professional Development
Director prefers to have a mix of younger and older speakers and they should preferably be
RPCVs or at least familiar with the Peace Corps. The Professional Development Director has had
great luck in sourcing speakers and use the RPCV/W board, friends, co-workers and Facebook
and the LinkedIn group to generate leads. The events have been great successes and
attendance has ranged from 50 174 people. The most popular event was the panel on
International Development.
Another visible piece of the Professional Development Directors portfolio is the Joshs Jobs
column in which the director opines on job search advice and list job openings sent from the
RPCV community. Its been very rewarding and the director overjoyed to know that the column
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helped multiple people find jobs. The organizations that the Professional Development Director
works with have been very pleased with the candidates as well.
The Professional Development Director also manages the LinkedIn group where he approves
requests to join and post open RPCV-friendly positions.
In the upcoming year the Professional Development Director hopes to be able to engage in
more programs besides the career panels and newsletter column. The director also serves on
the RPCVs@State board and is planning a Take a Peace Corps to Work Day in September that
he will promote in our community. The director has offers from SAIS to create a readjustment
program, and from Community Ladders to hold financial services seminars. The driector would
love to hold regular Job Search discussion meet-ups on a monthly basis.
In conclusion its been a joy serving in this position and I hope to exceed the previous years
successes and continue to be involved with RPCV/W.

Public Relations
RPCV/W continued to increase its presence in the online realm, seeing great growth of its social
media services and new uses of its website. The number of users engaging with us on mobile
devices continued to climb, and a new website was created and launched on Friday, March 7,
2014 to accommodate them.
New Website and Member Management System
RPCV/W successfully launched a new website and member management system which offers
significant new features and design possibilities that were unavailable with our old set up under
Wild Apricot for about half the cost.
The new site requires fewer clicks to complete common actions. Its layouts scale
proportionately on small screens so people can check event details on the go or sign up for the
newsletter from their smartphones. It provides unprecedented integrations with social media,
allowing users to match Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin information to their member profiles
and provide outlets for others to connect with them. It also offers easy volunteer forms so
that we can quickly organize volunteer committees and keep them involved through targeted
email campaigns.
Site development began in August 2013 and a working prototype was presented to the board in
early September. In October, a committee of 20 interested members was organized to help
migrate content from the old site to the new one and begin testing its features. By January
2014, the site and its features were ready for extensive testing, and 100 of our most active
members were invited to complete pre-assigned tasks and offer critical feedback. In February, a
sneak peek of the new site was offered to the full membership.
The RPCV/W website is extensively modified to meet the unique needs of the organization. It
allows members to post their Peace Corps country and dates of service in public profiles which
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are visible to other members. They may also connect Linkedin accounts for enhanced
networking. Event pages are customized to offer lower ticket prices to active members, and the
First Year Free membership page prevents abuse of the service. A special Country Group
directory allows any member to post and share the website and contact information for a
Friends of group of which that user is a representative. These are some of the many tweaks
that allow our organization to function more smoothly and offer enhanced experiences to our
members that are simply not achievable with other systems.
RPCV/W has received inquiries from other RPCV groups and alumni organizations about its
experiences with online member management. The successful launch and implementation of
this new system is currently being adapted into a set of best practices that other organizations
can use to meet their needs and develop their own unique solutions.
Analytics
The stats below compare the period following the launch of the new website March 7 - June
27, 2014 to the same period of the previous year. This data is best understood in comparison
to the figures published in the 2012-2013 Annual Report.

Baseline Stats

Raw pageviews at RPCVW.org decreased 21% compared to last year, with at least 4,708
individuals spending an average of 2:26 viewing the site. Whereas the old site required a user to
log in to an account before RSVPing for an event, or click through several pages to pay for a
ticket or renew a membership, the new site allows these actions to be done with fewer clicks
and redirects. Therefore, the pageview rate and session count is significantly lower.

The pages per session has remained constant, showing a healthy 3 page per visit average. The
bounce rate (people who enter and exit from the same page, not taking any action or lingering
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for more than a minute) has improved by nearly 15%. New sessions have increased, which
reflects a broadening audience and more unique users.

Overall, the stats show an approaching equilibrium and provide an encouraging baseline for
future growth.

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This chart shows the sources of traffic to RPCVW.org. Direct traffic are those who put our
address in their browser or bookmark our site. Google traffic comes from those who find us
through a search. The newsletter, Facebook, and email blasts make up the remainder of
trackable sources. This chart demonstrates that we have a healthy diversification of traffic
sources, and that more people are coming to us directly due to word of mouth and other
offline sources.

The Growth of Mobile
This chart demonstrates a significant increase in visits from mobile devices. Our new website is
designed to be responsive and preserve functionality when viewed on screens of any size.



New Trends in Social
As the chart below illustrates, weve seen a surprising decrease in the number of users that
come to RPCVW.org from Facebook.

Traditionally, we would advertise events on Facebook and encourage people to go to
RPCVW.org to RSVP. We would create a Facebook event, but it would be viewed as a
placeholder. The value to the organizers was having a user travel to the RPCVW.org event page
to RSVP, thus putting them on a centralized list.

Thats not the case anymore, as our new website allows us to link event pages at RPCVW.org to
event pages in our Facebook group. People can RSVP either way and receive email reminders.
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Though you still have to use our website for paid events, users are RSVPing for free events in
the Facebook group. Thus, the traffic from that source has decreased.


Twitter has stayed about the same, while Linkedin has decreased. While the traditional driver of
traffic to the website has been event registration, that need has declined. Therefore, we ought
to create more original content, such as interesting blog posts, and post them on social media
to encourage new streams of traffic.

Year 2013 2014 Percent Increase
Newsletter 1606 2294 70.01%
Facebook Page 517 883 58.55%
Facebook Group 1211 2238 54.11%
Twitter 644 956 67.36%
Linkedin Group 422 732 57.65%

All of our social media followings increased by over 50% compared to last year, with the highest
growth in subscribers to the newsletter and followers on Twitter. Our Facebook group is a hive
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of activity with 3-5 posts per day from people introducing themselves, asking for advice, finding
a place to live or sharing job postings.

Rebranding


Drawing heavily on input from our members and an April 2013 survey (results at
http://www.rpcvw.org/rpcv_w_rebranding), we created a new logo which was very well received.
We introduced T-shirts, business cards and a new banner. The final design is an amalgamation of
key elements created by RPCV/W Members Jason Smith and John Dwyer, who submitted
several design concepts that were voted on by the full membership (as a referendum included in
the 2013 Board of Directors election ballot).

August 2013 Survey

The survey ran from August 6 to August 21, 2013 and received 158 responses. Charts and
figures are hosted on our website at http://www.rpcvw.org/survey_2013. Broadly speaking,
members overwhelmingly approve of the direction that the organization is taking. They are
mostly interested in socializing and supporting the RPCV community. They want more cultural
events, special offers for group members and emphasis on supporting small-scale groups and
activities. The average age is 34 and about half are satisfied with their employment situation.
Conclusion

The organization was able to successfully rebrand the organization and give it the tools to
better serve its members in a digital world by leaving Wild Apricot and using Nationbuilder to
power our member and web management. The transition of over 1,400 accounts over to the
new system was practically seamless, and the result of dozens of dedicated volunteers
committed to enhancing the organization.
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In the first month of operation, the dues collected exceeded the yearly cost of running the
system. Response has been overwhelmingly positive and other RPCV groups are asking us how
they can apply our model. We are working with the NPCA to share our experiences and work
toward a shared online system for all RPCV groups.

Social

Often the first contact members have with RPCV/W, social events play an important role in
welcoming RPCVs to the DC community and bringing in new members. As membership among
newly returned volunteers rapidly increased across the past year, RPCV/W is increasingly seen as
a valuable community to recently returned and transitioning RPCVs. Social events serve as a
great entry point to the DC community, professional networking opportunities, and new friends.
The most well attended social events in the 2013-14 board year included the career networking
happy hour at Mad Hatter, Petworth happy hour at Domku, Hesperian Where There is No
Doctor 40
th
anniversary event at Cause, post-Holiday Party event at Tunnicliffs, 2014 kick-off
happy hour at Shaws Tavern, Wizards basketball game, Peace Corps week happy hour at Penn
Social, and career networking happy hour at Science Club. While RPCV/W hosted a variety of
social events (see full list below) and attracted a diverse array of old and new members, happy
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hours tend to be the most well-attended events and the majority of participants tend to be
primarily young professionals in their 20s and 30s. In moving forward, social events should
continue to be seen as a welcoming place for new and transitioning RPCVs, while more effort
could be done to attract and engage more senior and longstanding members.

Social Events
Meet the New Board Happy Hour at 1905
Wednesday, July 17
th

About 35-40 people

Hora Feliz (Happy Hour for Spanish Speakers) at Judy Restaurant
Wednesday, July 31
st

About 15-20 people

Yoga Hikes
Urban Yoga Hike on Tuesday, August 6
th

Rock Creek Yoga Hike on Sunday, August 11
th

3 people; 8 people

Career Networking Happy Hour at Mad Hatter
Wednesday, August 21
st

200+ people

Happy Hour at Domku (RPCV-Owned & Operated Restaurant & Bar)
Wednesday, September 4th
Approx. 50 people

White Water River Tubing in Harpers Ferry
Saturday, September 7
44 People

National Cathedral Tower Climb/Lunch at Cactus Cantina
Saturday, September 28
15 people

Hesperian "Where There Is No Doctor" 40th Anniversary Event at Cause
Tuesday, October 15
150 people

Haunted Pub Crawl of Capitol Hill
Thursday, October 24
Guided tour of Capitol Hill by Nightly Spirits costumed guide - visited Capitol Lounge,
Bullfeathers, Pour House, and Hawk & Dove
24 attendees
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Salsa Dancing at Clarendon Grill
Monday, November 11
Salsa lessons followed by night of dancing
About 12 people (turnout was lower than normal most likely due to federal holiday for Veterans
Day)

Holiday Party After Party at Tunnicliff's
Saturday, December 14
50+ people headed over after the Annual Holiday Party in Eastern Market

Happy Hour - 2014 Kick-Off at Shaws Tavern
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Approx. 60 people

Wizards vs. Blazers Basketball Game
Monday, February 3, 2014
60+ attendees. Participated in fan tunnel pre-game and on court photo post-game.

Informal Happy Hour with Tufts Graduate Students @ Recessions
Friday, February 21, 2014

Peace Corps Week Happy Hour
Penn Social
Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Wine Tour & Tasting
Saturday, March 29, 2014
32 Attendees - Tastings at Casanel, Notaviva, & Doukenie

Informal Career Networking Happy Hour @ Science Club
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Approximately 70

Cherry Blossom Potluck Picnic at the Tidal Basin
Sunday, April 13
Approx. 40 people

RPCV Mentoring Networking Event
Thursday, May 8
Dickson Wine Bar
Approx. 50 people

Post Wreath Laying Happy Hour @ Continental Lounge
Thursday, May 29
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15 Attendees

Pride Week Happy Hour @ Cobalt
Wednesday, June 4

Hora Feliz @ Restaurant Judy
Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Offers Promoted through RPCV/W
Movie Premier & Reception: "Measuring the World" with the Fulbright Association and the
Goethe-Institute Washington and Reception with Financial Times Deutschland Journalist and
German China Expert Sabine Muscat
Saturday, October 5

Arena Stage Theater Production: Love in Afghanistan
30% discount to RPCVW & Special $20 rate for designated dates
October/November

Atlas Arts World Music Performances
$10 off tickets
Fall 2013 - Spring 2014

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Provided discounted tickets to We Are Proud to Present
Saturday February 22, 2014

Special Events

The Special Events Director planned and implemented three major events for the year: the
Holiday Party & Silent Auction, the John F. Kennedy Wreath Laying Ceremony, and the Annual
BBQ and Board Elections. Throughout the year, the Special Events Director strived to meet the
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following goals: to increase attendance at the signature RPCV/W events, to select new and
interesting venues, to offer reasonable ticket prices, and to keep the events within budget.
Holiday Party & Silent Auction
The 2013 Holiday Party was held at Eastern Market North Hall on Saturday, December 13th. The
Holiday Party brought in the largest crowd ever for this event with approximately 340 guests in
attendance. The night brought together long-term members, recently returned volunteers, the
Peace Corps Acting Country Director, Carrie Hessler-Radelet, representatives from Peace Corps
Headquarters and National Peace Corps Association, community members and friends. The night
was a success and guests enjoyed a variety of hors doeuvres, wine, beer and non-alcoholic
drinks. They also took part in unlimited photos and props at the photo booth, live music, a
deejay and lots of dancing. The board awarded the champion award to Senator Harris Wafford.
Guests had the opportunity to bid on a variety of silent auction items which was organized by
the Director of Development, and benefited RPCV/Ws Partnership for Peace, Libertys Promise.
Some members assisted with the event planning committee and several volunteered the night
of the event. A few PCVs on Medical Evacuation were also able to attend and tickets were
compensated by several members donations. The event was widely promoted through the
newsletters, website and emails.
Wreath Laying
RPCV/W honored John F. Kennedy for the 30th time on his birthday, May 29th. Despite rain, 25
members came out to Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath and 13 roses at his gravesite. Stacy
Rhodes, Peace Corps Chief of Staff, spoke on behalf of the agency and Glenn Blumhorst,
President of the National Peace Corps Association also provided a few words. The group walked
together to the gravesite to place roses and take a moment of silence to honor President John
F. Kennedy and reflect on the Peace Corps legacy.
Annual BBQ and Board Election
The Annual BBQ and Board Elections was held on the rooftop of Baker Donalson on June 28th.
Baker Donelson Law Firm has been very supportive of RPCV/W throughout the year and
graciously offered the use of their rooftop for this event. This was arranged by RPCV/W
President, Mariko Schmidt, who is an employee of the firm. This afforded RPCV/W the
opportunity to hold the event at a great venue in the heart of downtown Washington, DC, while
being able to offer tickets at a very reasonable price. Approximately 158 members came to the
event to see old friend, make new ones, and vote for the incoming 2014-15 RPCV/W Board of
Directors. Guests enjoyed an abundance of BBQ food from Red, Hot and Blue Catering, as well
as an open bar with beer, wine and sodas. It proved to be a hot and sunny day. Two canopy
tents were purchased for this events to provide shade, which can be used for future years. The
sound system, purchased the previous year, was used for music, announcements, and the
introduction of the new board. Board members offered face painting for the children. Guests
enjoyed themselves and the event was even extended for an additional two hours.
Historian:
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This past year the historian interviewed an additional 6 former board members. With these
interviews the historian was able to fill in some historical gaps from the previous year, and
through one of these interviews located old RPCV/W documents spanning about 10 years of
history. With this find, and the cache of material found the year before, the historian was able
to gather a fairly comprehensive trove of material from the first 25 years of RPCV/W.
In February of 2014, the historian convened a panel of 4 former board members to talk about
their experiences and history of the organization. It was an illuminating event, and about half the
board was able to attend. The event helped current board members have a better understanding
of RPCV/Ws long history. The event was also filmed, and hopefully RPCV/W will be able to get
an edited version of the event from the videographer. Clips from the event could be used on
the website.
Through interviews with past board members, the historian learned of a longtime board position
that had been discontinued some years back. While the historian did not see a need to bring the
old position back, he did see how an updated board position would be a good solution for a few
issues the board had been wrestling with over the last few years. The historian proposed, and
the board adopted the proposal to create a new Cultural Events Director whose duties would
include; taking the lead on organizing a few Embassy events throughout the year, and to
promote cultural events that were being organized by other organization in the DC area.
The historian also proposed that all the physical material that was collected be donated to the
American University Peace Corps Archive project. The board agreed to this idea, and the next
board will sign the MOU with AU. The historian had also set aside a number of historical
documents that the next board would find useful in understanding the role RPCV/W has played
in the past.

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