Meet Will Everitt

As we reported last week, the Maine League of Young Voters has a new director, Will Everitt. I sat down with him at the League's office yesterday morning. 

Non-profits everywhere had a hard time raising money in 2009, and the League was no different. Everitt, whose background is in fundraising and development (he led such efforts at the Toxic Actions Center and Friends of Casco Bay), is charged with righting this ship, first and foremost. "There's no shortage of groups that have great ideas," he said. "But what all our progressive groups need is more funding."

"Our hang up is about money," he added -- asking for it, and talking about it in general. Everitt wants to get past that point, and show people how rewarding it can be to donate money to causes they care about. 

Everitt, a 36-year-old who lives on the peninsula, also hopes to make the League's elections committee bigger this year (in preparation for the gubernatorial race and several city council races); focus on transportation issues (in 2009, the Leauge launched the Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation); expand the organization's steeering committee, and in the process, develop new leaders; and "get back to the 'social' part of social change" -- by holding more informal beer or potluck get-togethers to talk policy and politics.