By Jill Carlberg

Sometimes seemingly small steps lead to big things. When Michele, already an active member at Hawk Watch and at Owen Somerwine work days, was asked if she would take on the simple task of picking up the Flathead Audubon Society’s (FAS) mail once a week, she agreed. Luckily for Flathead Audubon, Michele continued to say “yes” to further involvement, as picking up the mail led to her playing an integral role in the success and use of a new member/donor system.

FAS was converting from a 30-year-old, largely manual system of membership and donor tracking to a modern process supported by a software driven database called Little Green Light. Michele not only learned the new system quickly, but she also assumed the responsibility for maintaining the data in the system. She has diligently reviewed and entered all:

  • membership information, including new memberships, renewals, and the constantly changing details of current members
  • donor details, including contact information and donation specifics 

Having accurate, complete, and up-to-date information on our membership and our donor community is essential to support FAS’s communication with its various constituencies, and our ability to meet our goals each year. Michele has maintained the data on hundreds of members, and just this year alone, on hundreds of donations. She also performs third-party check verification on all checks received, ensuring the payments are authentic and appropriate. Her work is described as “meticulous” by Gael Bissell who notes that Michele always steps up to help, whether at meetings, work days, or raising awareness of fundraising activities, such as the Great Fish Community Challenge.

Flathead Audubon is grateful to have Michele as a member and is pleased to recognize her numerous contributions as a stellar volunteer. In speaking to Michele on her award, she was hesitant to attach too much importance to her activities and underscored how easy it was to want to get involved, praising Flathead Audubon as a “beautiful group of people who are fun to be with.” Not a wonder that Michele fits right in!