MKP USA at the Tipping Point
The Time is NOW
*** This is the text of the announcement made by Mike Elser in the video. To see the strategic plan and the 3 year financials, please visit https://mkpusa.org/threeyearplan ***
Hi, my name is Mike Elser. I am the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ManKind Project in the United States.
In the United States, we just celebrated July 4th, a day when we remember our independence and honor our Founders. I want to take a moment now to honor our founders, the founders of the ManKind Project – Ron Herring, Rich Tosi and Bill Kauth. Because of their insights and determination, we have inherited the New Warrior Training Adventure – the beginning of a man’s path to greater self awareness, emotional and spiritual intelligence, integrity, accountability and service to the world. Today, nearly 50,000 men in 8 international regions of the world have taken their Hero’s journey.
I also want to honor David Kaar, Michael Greenwald and David Lindgren. In 1991,These three men joined with the founders to co-found the New Warrior Network which later became the ManKind Project.
Today, MKP USA has the most recognized modern initiation training in the country, and we also have the most effective network of peer facilitated men’s groups, serving close to 10,000 men every week — around the globe.
MKP stands on the shoulders of thousands of men who have worked over the past 27 years to bring The ManKind Project and men’s work to the world.
In every initiatory experience there is a trial. It wasn’t long ago that MKP met its own trial. In February of 2009, a group of MBAs told us that MKP was in trouble. They said we were in a financial death spiral with little chance of recovery. Now THAT was a challenge to EVERY New Warrior Brother and it was a challenge we accepted.
Over the past 3 years George Daryani, chairman in 2009 and David Bauerly our immediate past Chair, took decisive action. With a whole lot of support, they made decisions that were congruent with both head AND heart; difficult decisions that aligned with who we are and what we stand for. Men in MKP USA have done the deep work necessary to lay a solid foundation for our future.
- MKP USA is quickly becoming a membership supported organization.
- We are expanding capacity and building essential capability and
- We are well along in realizing the strength of a unified MKP USA organization.
You can learn more about these efforts at the mkpusa.org web site.
As a result of all of this hard work, I am proud to say that MKP USA has reached a TIPPING POINT. We can now see an end to our hard struggle for survival and the beginning of an exciting process of co-creating a vibrant future.
Today I am proud to release a THREE YEAR PLAN for the future of MKP USA. The Plan contains a narrative that will tell you exactly WHAT is being planned for the next three years. It also contains a detailed FINANCIAL PLAN that will tell you HOW. You can find the complete Three Year Plan at mkpusa.org. I invite you to take a close look and ask questions.
The Three Year Plan is our map to the future; I hope you will join the thousands of men who will help carry it out. The time is NOW to fulfill the promise of what this work can do.
Yes, we are almost to the Tipping POINT; but we are not there yet. I need YOUR HELP. We have an opportunity, RIGHT NOW, to help push MKP USA OVER the top.
You may have heard of RAGBRAI – the oldest and longest continuously held bike ride in the United States. This year’s event has over 10,000 riders, more than 471 miles of road to conquer AND a team of 25 New Warrior Brothers from all across the US who will be riding. David Bauerly and I are both on the Team. I am personally committed to riding every mile. We hope to bring much wider attention to the work of MKP, better awareness to men’s health issues, of course we plan to have a bunch of fun AND we hope to raise the funds necessary to push MKP USA over the top and past that tipping point.
We are close. I invite you to go to MKPUSA.org and click on the RED “Support the Team” button and donate. You can follow the RABRAI Team on the MKP USA website, OR on Facebook. FACEBOOK LINK
I am excited about all that is possible today for MKP USA.
Thank you for helping to create a better world for our families, our children and our grandchildren.
Blessings to each of you and Blessings on our ‘HERO’s Journey Together.
Mike Elser
MKP USA Chairman