2023 ManKind Project USA – Chairman’s Annual Report
This Annual Report memorializes the 37th and 38th year of the ManKind Project. The report will summarize the state of the organization, but before it does, it leads of with a few personal comments from the Chair:
It’s remarkable how fast two years go by. In my initial writing to all of you, I shared with you writings from my father’s book, “Here I Stand All Ragged and Dirty.”
Well, here I stand, ragged and dirty and sweaty and tired. I can’t know for sure, but I think my father would be proud.
This is the first annual report since 2016 and it’s a good time to reinstate this tradition. Documenting our successes and our failures is critically important for our collective learning.
It’s been a great honor to serve as your Chair for the last 24 months. We’ve faced unthinkable challenges. I’m proud of each and every one of you in our organization for your contributions, your tenacity, your dedication and your love.
I also want to thank the women and men who served on the Board of Directors this past two years. Thank you each for your steadfast service.
2025/2050 Strategy – three primary initiatives going forward
Over the last four years, the 2050 listening sessions evolved to the creation of a 2025 Strategic Plan. While more complex than the three targets below, the targets identify a short synopsis of the overall work. The qualitative expression of the three targets are:
- More people engaging and supporting the cause.
- Increase diversity everywhere.
- Abundant and varied paths to growth and leadership.
Functional Areas:
Core Circles Leadership:
The Core Leadership Circles of MKP USA pledged to work collaboratively. They successfully found a quick remedy to resuming NWTA’s. They continue to work towards resolving differences and finding ways to improve communication and collective support among all circles within MKPUSA
Marketing and Systems:
Marketing and Systems implemented an update to MKPConnect.org with improved speed and better user experience and has continued upgrades on back-end systems to support events. The ManKind Podcast reached over 130 episodes and hit a significant milestone with over 100,000 downloads, now ranking in the top 2.5% of all podcasts. Our social media profiles continued to expand with significant growth on Twitter and Instagram. We also expanded the use of our Keap marketing platform to support Enrollment and Inquiry Managers across the US, rolling out an interactive system that maximizes both automated processes and one-on-one relationship building. In the coming months we will begin roll-outs of updated public websites.
NWTA Circle:
The NWTA Circle has formed and has been meeting weekly, working on process revisions mostly. It is a very collaborative group made up of all the stakeholders of the NWTA, working shoulder to shoulder through many tough changes and topics. The circle also is working on certifications, training and operations regarding the NWTA.
Organizational Development:
Organizational Development’s purpose is to create more abundance for the mission of MKP than ever imagined possible. While in the aggregate, organizational development’s output was off the peak raise during the emergency years, between fund development and membership, organizational development made a substantial contribution to the overall health of MKP USA. Further, the developmental work done in support of NWTA Enrollment, Online Trainings Enrollment, Circles Enrollment and more quietly shores the foundation of our critical offerings.
Finance:
The project continues to recover from the financial challenges of the past several years. We finished last year with a small surplus and are looking to break even or a little better this year. With the resumption of a full year of in person trainings, Areas were faced with the reality of rising costs of food, supplies, and site rentals. MKP USA continues to be financially stable in large part to the continued generosity of our donors and members. Our most recent Financial Report and Audited Financial Statements are publicly available on the MKPUSA.org web site.
Curriculum:
Curriculum focused on defining two major streams of training in support of the strategic plan; Communications skills and Institutional/Community Leadership training skills, experiences, and mentoring systems. These tracks made progress and attracted interest from content developers in 2023, planning on a 2024 kickoff. Others innovated from learnings during the pandemic. Hybrid face to face / online PITs kicked off this year as well. Curriculum has also worked to support new NWTA process changes as well as the new NWTA process circle.
Intercultural Advocacy:
2023 marked a year of significant milestones: The first ever NWTAs for Men of Color were conducted. A Pan Asian and Middle Eastern (PAME) NWTA was successfully conducted. The Brothahood constituency continues to grow in strength and resources. There was an increase in identity specific online trainings and open men’s groups.
The Intercultural Advocate Circle had a transition in leadership and is currently being rebooted with significant representation and involvement from men in leadership representing diverse identities and MKP USA Circles. Many significant projects have been started including providing resources and ways for men of different identity groups to connect and gain support. More support for Area Intercultural Advocates including best practices for Area activities and resources have begun.
After significant internal conflict/debate and external pressure to address the concept of cultural appropriation, processes within MKP USA were evaluated, adapted, or replaced to have less impact for those who expressed concerns.
Indigenous Relations:
The last few years have been quite educational for our organization around our awareness of cultural appropriation and appreciation. Collectively, many of our members have spent thousands of man hours in discussion to understand more fully and make adjustments in accordance with our Mission and directives with respect, acknowledgment and gratitude. We extend our thanks to all who have helped to open our eyes more fully to this important topic.
The organization called S.P.I.R.I.T Protection identified things MKP USA was doing that they demanded we stop, or change, in relation to their perspective of cultural appropriation.
We entered into dialogue and attempted to develop a healthy relationship with that organization. Rich Grehalva, a traditional Native American / Indigenous man, was our spokesperson representing MKP USA. Long before receiving the October 2022 letter from S.P.I.R.I.T., committees of men were addressing the appropriation topic demands with an intention to clean up our work to eliminate the impact of any misappropriation. We had already made much progress, and while unrecognized by S.P.I.R.I.T organization as satisfactory, we continued our work in that direction.
In October 2022 we suspended NWTAs scheduled in the USA, to further address these issues. We resumed NWTAs in January 2023 and have initiated over 1000 men using processes either modified or completely rewritten with great success. MKP USA is growing and evolving as we continue to initiate men into a more modern sacred masculinity. This is cause for celebration!
All of this history has been shared in regular updates on zoom to our members. While the website of the external organization has not reflected the changes to our practices, we remain committed to the steps we have taken. As Rich stated in his April 27th update, “We have addressed and changed the seven processes they initially demanded of us.” We remain willing to sit in council with representatives of any Tribal Nation to discuss these matters.
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This work demands our attention, love, and care. Over the last 24 months, much has been asked of us and much has been given. Please receive my thanks for the grit you all have lent to our mission to create a world where men act on their individual and shared responsibility to the future of humanity.
In that spirit, please give your attention, your love and your support to the next man that is sitting in the Chair. I check out from this role with gratitude and love for you all.
Darryl Hansome
ManKind Project USA Chair 2022/2023
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MKP USA Annual Meeting
Saturday, December 16th, 2023
We celebrated the women and men who have led and supported MKP USA over the last year and heard from our Chair who will shared the Annual Report together with the Audited Financial Statements for our most recently completed year. We then honored the lineage of Chairs who have led the organization.
Following the Annual Meeting, at 3:00pm, the Board reconvened to conduct the annual Election.
See the election results: CLICK HERE
