May 2009

OPENING CEREMONIES

The meeting was called to order at 8:03 PM at the home of Bobbie Rosengarten by President Mark Schaffer

Roll Call

Present were Lois De Ritter, Jim Gartner, Jim King, Allan Kugel, Brad Pryor, Jim West and Ruth Wolfish (Trustees), Mark Schaffer, Evelyn Maurer, Ed Roffman, Rick Thomas, Mike Agranoff, Carl Croce, Lori Falco, Andy Koenig, Elizabeth Lachowicz, George Otto, Sandie Reilly, Pam Robinson, Pat Rolston, Bobbie Rosengarten and Bob Safranek (Other Board Members) and Judy Bubar (Guest).

Absent were Scooter Ferguson, Connie Crawford, Jean Scully and Rivka Willick.

Secretary’s Report

The minutes of April were accepted with minor editorial corrections. (Secretary’s Note: Many folks submitted their reports in email form. Thanks! That makes my job a lot

easier, leaving me time to report on the details of some of the more interesting discussions. The emails are part of the Attachments to these Minutes and should be considered as part of the permanent record.)

Treasurer’s Report

Eddie reports that our bank balance is good after most of the Spring Festival bills were paid. The Form 990 (Non-profit tax forms) are being taken care of. Things got significantly more complicated when we passed the $100,000 threshold; so getting a paid accountant to do this has been a good idea.

There was a short discussion over how to handle (“capitalize” or “depreciate”) upcoming equipment expenses. The consensus of the group was to expense, where possible, to keep things simple.

The $2400 for “Cost of Goods” in the reports is for T-shirts and Rise Up Singing songbooks. Merchandise does not (currently) have a line of its own. Ed has some ideas about how to handle this, but he wants to talk to Chris and Margaret about it before discussing them at the Board.

BUSINESS ITEMS

Borderline Concert Series

Mark reports that the email decided on last month has been written and sent.

ACMA Grant

Pam reports that that the ACMA grant for 2009 was actually a two-year grant, so we don’t need to re-apply this year!

Fellowships Committee

Scooter reports that the Committee has been formed and will consist of himself, Jim West, and Lois DeRitter.

REPORTS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES

Festival

There was a round of applause for Lori, who reported that Spring Festival at Star Lake was a great success. When asked how she did it, Lori replied that she talked to as many people as possible, asking them what was keeping them away from Festival. She also looked hard at the finances, and instituted a general policy of “no sacred cows – everything is open for discussion and change”.

Lois remarked that a lot of the first-timers took advantage of the new attendance options – mainly “low risk” ones like Saturday-Only and Commuter.

Mike said he would like to see more resources given to the dance part of Festival. He fears that reduced emphasis on dance will lead to reduced participation which, in turn will lead to further reduced emphasis… Lori responded that dance will be re-emphasized in Fall as a part of the normal process.

George asked about camping. Lori replied that the Camp doesn’t currently have a camping policy and probably will not be able to generate one in time for Fall, and the camping question is in Limbo until they do.

The Camp has a requirement for a minimum number of registrations to allow use of the Lodge. We were lucky this time because they had two other groups scheduled for it, taking up the slack. In the future, we may need to find ways to encourage people to sign up for the Lodge if we want to continue to use it as a selling point to attract performers.

Storytelling

Rivka reported (via phone call) that the call for tellers and call for workshop proposals has gone out for the 2009 Storytelling Festival (which will be held on Oct 18, 2009).

Newsletter

Carl reports that the May NL was a bit late getting out, but it arrived in people’s mailboxes before May 1, so it’s all good.

Publicity

George reports that he has been exchanging information with Mark and Joe, getting ready for the handoff of responsibilities. He noted that Joe will have a chance to redesign the process to take advantage of newer technologies and improve the workflow. Nancy has reduced the list of outlets to just those who really care about our info. George will be sending the Board information on requirements for publicity photos.

Mark said he has “been going to marketing school” (he means reading lots of books) in the interest of “putting tushies into seats.”

Mark added a big “Thanks!” to George for his long service and hard work, and for being so helpful with the transition. There was general agreement and a round of applause for George.

Merchandise

Margaret reports (via email) that the new T-shirts were available at Festival. We still have shirts left in every size & configuration except for medium long-sleeve. She’s looking into mugs as our new item for fall. George said he could scan and help recreate the artwork of the old mug. Bobbie provided a sample for George to work on. Margaret’s also thinking about a Folk Project Cook Book. It would be fun project and we might also get some of our favorite performers to participate.

Finance

Andy reports that “Things are less bad now than they have been recently.” Markets are starting to recover but he warns that it may not continue.

Sound

Bob reports that the move for Swingin’ Tern is progressing; we survived our first Festival at Star Lake; and all mike stands at Minstrel have been refurbished. One of the S’n’T monitor speakers got blown out at Festival. It’s been sent in for warranty repair.

Minstrel

Mike reports that the Wiyos show was a sellout, and the computer project for front desk is progressing apace. Deb Edelman has volunteered to work on the spreadsheet application.

Minstrel Staffing

Sandie reports that she has 5 new volunteers.

HSNOI

Ralph and Sandie report that they have purchased a Sony stand-alone system that can duplicate up to 3 DVDs from one original in about 8 minutes, enabling Ralph to send DVDs to stations that can’t handle VHS tape anymore. They taped four high-spirited shows in April: Marc Ribler, Danielle Miraglia, Rich LaPierre, and Xylopholks.

Andy reported on his research concerning getting HSNOI DVDs available via Netflix. There are some restrictions that will have to be worked, but it is possible with some work. The question is who is going to do the work?

In response to a question about producing a “Best of HSNOI” DVD, Sandie pointed out that work like that is a very long and painstaking process, so if anybody wants to take it on, please contact her or Ralph.

Swingin' Tern

Connie (via email) reports that they have a signed agreement with First Hanover Church of East Hanover to relocate the dance there starting in June. They will also do a major campaign to win new dancers, including free passes to the church congregation and the Jazzercise classes that meet in the church during the week.

She looks forward to the full measure of support from the folk community at the June 6 dance to "break in" the new location. The dance will be called by our own outstanding talent, Bob Isaacs, with (the perhaps aptly named band) Lost on the Turnpike!

Special Concerts

Pam reports that The Vocal Workshop with Siobhan Quinn on April 11 was a success and resulted in a small profit. The Accompaniment workshop with Andy Goessling next Saturday is shaping up. Tickets for the November 7th John McCutcheon concert are now on Sale.

GOOD OF THE ORDER

Good of the Order is reported in the June newsletter. Talk to Eddie if you’ve had or know about someone who’s had a significant event in their lives recently.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 10:35 PM.

The next meeting will be on June 2nd at Connie Crawford’s house in Berkeley Heights.

– Rick