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FICRA BOARD MEETING MINUTES 10-18-2018

FICRA BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Board Attendees: Jim Braden, Hal Goodell, Naomi Grant, Miguel Martinez, Rob Moore and Howard Stapleton.  Chad Gottschalk excused.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.

Minutes from the August 16th and September 13th meetings were posted and circulated.  A motion was unanimously approved to accept the minutes.

Public Comment:  Joan Broughton noted that the parking for the Board Meeting was difficult this evening.

President’s Report:

  • Howard suggested that we might want to have more lead time on events for certain activities. He mentioned that Lisa Stapleton sometimes gets last minute requests for posters and other printed documents that need more lead time.  He recommended a check list for each social event to help prepare all event chairs in the future.  Miguel Martinez offered to draft a form to assist in tracking event activities.
  • Rob Moore reported that he has inquired with a neighbor (Jo Levesque, who consults with organizations on membership tracking) about improving management of our membership data. Howard spoke with her briefly and discussed working with membership data managed in QuickBooks.  She mentioned that there were issues exchanging this data with QuickBooks and suggested we look at approaches based on our needs.  Howard will be documenting the process and tools currently used, send this information to her and then pursue further discussions on improvements.  Jim Braden feels that, as the organization gets bigger, we should encourage board members and volunteers to keep things simple, affordable and easy to manage for the sake of continued management by future board members and volunteers.  Miguel suggests we consider using Microsoft software because it is simple, training is readily available and it has integration.  Howard agreed with this approach and noted that most large technology providers will provide low cost licensing for nonprofits. Naomi Grant noted the QuickBooks is preferred by many accountants.  Howard agreed it is appropriate for financials, but not so much for managing memberships. We need to form an ad hoc committee or task force to discuss needs, priorities available products and potential solutions.
  • Howard would like to see a specific person assign/track follow-up contacts with individuals who indicate they are interested in volunteering with FICRA. Ray Kittelberger has expressed interest in assisting with this and would be enormously helpful in getting this going. Hal reported that currently mails out a thank you with a donation receipt for all membership signups and renewals, and makes them aware of the Board meetings and upcoming events.  This is another area that can benefit from documenting a simple process for managing volunteers.

Consent Calendar:  None

Treasurer’s Report: Hal Goodell

  • Checking Sep 1        $26,723.83            Sep 30 Cleared Balance $27,255.32
  • Money Market Sep 1          18,687.52            Sep 30 Cleared Balance   18,691.36
  • PayPal Sep 1                 89            Sep 30 Balance                      167.80
  • Membership Total 289 for 2018/19, with additional FICRA Fair signups pending.

New memberships are still coming in.  We should continue to refer new islanders to www.ficra.org so they can sign up online.  Jim would like to have some general purpose FICRA/Trust business cards we can hand out; Howard said he could put together a quick design based on the membership cards and print a few for temporary use.  Board Members agreed that new membership information should be forwarded to Naomi (Membership Committee Chair).

Committee Reports:

  • Social Activities – Miguel provided an update on the planned Trunk or Treat event. He has been getting help from Lisa, and has 10 cars signed up at this time. He thinks it may also be a good opportunity to have someone do a volunteer/ membership booth. Last year, visitors did not just “drive through”. Despite the ground being wet, many people stayed a long time, making it more of a party.  There were approximately 60-75 kids last year. The fire pit was popular.  Miguel would like to recruit volunteers to monitor the fire pit this year and to hand out hot apple cider. Ray will send out requests.  Howard reported there is not enough time left to properly prepare for the Fall Dance event on Nov 10th. The Board unanimously agreed that we should cancel the November event.  The Tree Lighting & Concert is scheduled for the first Sunday in December and we may also want to schedule Casper Babypants for 2019, if we can find a volunteer mom to help organize it.  There we concerns with the crowd size for previous Casper Babypants events, so we need to limit ticket sales based on the allowable occupancy for the auditorium.  Lastly, Ray will be working with Dave McHugh to look into programs for seniors similar to what is happening with the Mustard Seed Project at Key Peninsula Center.
  • Membership – Naomi reported that membership cards have been designed but not printed yet. There is a photo of the NCC on the front and the back will have space to write in the member name and expiration date. Miguel reported the membership night on August 30th went very well. Naomi suggested using a phone tree for membership follow‑up calls to the Fair membership signups.

New Business:

  • Hal reported that the printed Fall FICRA Flash will be mailed soon, and he expects to hold a folding party before December 8th. Hal also indicated that Costco in Fife will no longer be doing printing. He is looking into alternatives, including a location in Kent, which has competitive pricing. Costco will continue to offer other print services, but not at their facility. FedEx and Office Depot offer services but are more expensive.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.  Next meeting is November 8, 2018.

Respectfully submitted by Gina Olson for Chad Gottschalk.

FICRA Board Minutes 2018-10-18 Final