One of the most common questions the TACL National Board gets is “What do you do?” This seems like a pretty simple question, but the answer is a complex one that gets into organizational structure.

First of all, what is TACL?

Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded in 1985. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for Taiwanese Americans in the U.S. TACL is made up of 13 different programs, which include 10 TAP chapters, LYF and LID youth camps, and the Political Internship Program. The National Board of TACL serves as the governing body for TACL and its programs. We are also an all-volunteer network: all National Board members and program leaders serve on an unpaid basis.

Why is it important to have a governing entity? Why can’t the programs just exist on their own?

From an organizational perspective, TACL is the official entity that holds the organizational nonprofit status. TACL is the entity recognized by the U.S. government, while the 13 programs exist as part of this one entity. Without TACL, the programs would need to each be incorporated as individual 501(c)(3) organizations to maintain tax-exemption status.

From an impact perspective, TACL does the additional work of building alignment and fellowship across the programs. While programs do the important work of establishing communities at the local level, it takes time and effort on top of that to build a national identity and consciousness for the Taiwanese American community – this is what the National Board does.

TACL can’t exist without its local programs, and thus, the National Board doesn’t see itself as “above” the programs. Rather, we seek to build a Taiwanese American community that can make meaningful connections on a national level and strengthen their programs to have even more impact.  Hence, we are the glue that holds all the programs together.

Okay, so what does TACL National Board do?

In short and in metaphors, the National Board acts as the glue that brings together TACL’s 13 programs and the helping hands that support TACL’s programs. The National Board:

  • Fosters and promotes community building: For instance, we organize bi-annual national conventions to bring together all the programs and create social media campaigns #TACLfam
  • Manages various administrative aspects, particularly those critical to our incorporation as a 501(c)(3):
    • Legal/organizational: renew non-profit status, manage organizational filings
    • Financial accounting: consolidate annual financials for tax, manage donations process
    • Other: manage organizational insurance policy, oversee website/domain hosting
  • Provides platforms for programs to share best practices: For instance, we
    • Manage a shared folder with resources on leadership (e.g., turnover processes) and program management (e.g., event ideas and templates)
    • Develop and run programming for bi-annual national convention where leaders can share tips and tricks with one another
  • Supports leadership development for program presidents: For instance, we
    • Coordinate meetings for TAP Presidents, including discussions on leadership and program management  
    • Conduct 1:1s with program Presidents to check in on how things are going and help troubleshoot concerns or issues
  • Serves as a go-to organizer of the Taiwanese American community, with campaigns such as Get Out the Vote or Census 2020 “Mark in Taiwanese”
  • Assists and guides the formation of new TAP chapters and additional programs nationwide

So now, a question for you: How do you want to see TACL have more impact for our community?

The National Board is looking for committed leaders to help with existing efforts and take our organization to the next level, and we encourage those up to the task to consider a role on the 2019 TACL National Board. If you have any additional questions, we’d love to hear from you – you can email us at tacl@tacl.org.