Germantown MD – January 25, 2025
The Nepal Education and Cultural Center (NECC) proudly shared its accomplishments from 2024 and outlined its forward-thinking plans for 2025 and 2026 during a community meeting held on January 25, 2025. With a mission to empower the Nepali community and preserve its cultural heritage, NECC continues to focus on leadership, community engagement, and infrastructure growth. The live presentation can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EivSjud5i/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Executive Committee Objectives (2024–2026):
1. Strengthen leadership and collaboration through autonomous teams and workgroups.
2. Enhance community engagement and volunteerism as a selfless service.
3. Address construction, infrastructure, and maintenance needs.
4. Improve financial transparency and expand fundraising efforts.
Key Achievements in 2024:
- Leadership & Volunteer Engagement:
- Established effective teams/workgroups (e.g., Mandir operation, Media, Events, Property Maintenance, Site plan, Vegetable Garden, Health clinic).
- Hosted inclusive community events (e.g., Maha Shivaratri with 900+ participants, Holi, Teej, Deusi-Bhailo, Chhath, Pathshala Kite Festival, PN Appreciation, AGM and Volunteer Appreciation Day).
- Built strong ties with local elected officials and the AAPI advisory group.
- Volunteer tracking system established, A total of 144 volunteers logged 7,715 hours contribution in 2024.
- Construction & Maintenance:
- Temporary Shiva podium established.
- Roof replacement materials procured; installation scheduled for February 2025.
- Contracts finalized for Buddha podium and Phase 1 of barn renovation.
- NECC vegetable garden and fruit tree orchard created with UMES support.
- Main building electric heating system equipment procured.
- Playground materials ordered.
- Financial Transparency and fundraising:
- Financial reports published – Quarterly and event specific reports after each event.
- Timely bookkeeping, digitized reimbursement process, and 2024 audits of NECC finances.
- Secured new grants: Barn renovation ($126K), Roof replacement ($100K), Pathshala ($10K)
- Barn renovation and Podium fundraising campaign during and after Deusi Bhailo (>100K)
- Expanded membership growth.
Challenges/Areas for Improvement:
- Improve collaboration across teams and taking projects/tasks ownership by some volunteers.
- Establishing the concept of selfless volunteerism and community ownership.
- Need to build trust among old community members.
- Avoid volunteer burnout
Plans for 2025/2026:
- Leadership and Volunteer Engagement:
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- Continue small team based decision making approach for effective completion
- Prioritize high impact projects and events and outsource or postpone low impact events/projects
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- Construction & Infrastructure:
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- Complete the Buddha Podium Project, Barn Renovation Phase 1, Playground, Roof replacement.
- Site Plan Approval.
- Begin: Barn Phase 2 (HVAC, electrical, partitions), Parking lot with adequate safety features for assembly, Shiva Podium
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- Financial Goals:
- Launch donation campaigns (e.g., Deusi Bhailo, “Dollar a Day”) and membership drive.
- Secure additional grants for barn and podium renovations.
- Reduce liabilities, including the $357,500 PN balance and $552,628 loan on Beallsville property.
Budget Highlights:
- 2024 Highlights (Balance Sheet): Assets: $1,785,534 Liabilities: $406,291; Net Assets: $1,379,243.
- 2025 Estimated Budget: Revenue: $616,250; Expenses: $696,550; Net Deficit: $80,300. [Deficit expected to be covered by new grants and donations.]
NECC remains committed to fostering a sense of ownership within the Nepali community and expanding its role as a cultural hub. By embracing innovative practices and prioritizing impactful projects, the center is poised for significant growth.
For more information about NECC’s initiatives and how to get involved, please visit [https://neccusa.org/; https://neccusa.org/volunteer-signup/ or contact @info@neccusa.org].