April 2016

The April 6th meeting of the Board of Directors was called to order at 8 pm at the Morris Plains home of Grover Kemble. For clarity’s sake, this report is written in logical order rather than strictly chronological.

ROLL CALL

Present were Kathleen Caccavale, Joanne Cronin, Lois DeRitter, Grover Kemble, Elizabeth Lachowicz, Bob McNally, Lindsey Meyer, Chris Riemer, Jay Wilensky, and Barrett Wilson (officers and trustees); Pat Brangs, Ken Brody, Christine DeLeon, Mike Del Vecchio, Lori Falco, Deborah Graham, George Otto, Pam Robinson, Ed Roffman, and Mark Schaffer (committee chairs).

Guests: Olga Alvarez, Barbara Moo

Absent: Mike Agranoff, Paul Fisher, Allan Kugel, Mitch Radler, Sandie Reilly, and Leigh Walker

MOTIONS THIS MONTH

1. Mitch Radler moved, via email, to resign from his Trustee position.

2. The Board voted to table Mitch’s motion till next month.

3. The Board approved Robin Schaffer’s resignation as Getaway co-chair (in her absence, Mark S. made the motion).

4. The Board approved Elizabeth as new Getaway co-chair in Robin’s place.

MEETING GUIDLINES

At Barrett’s request, Kathi C. read the MUUF’s “Right Relationship” guidelines for the Board, in order to set a positive tone as we interact during our meetings. These included: Show up and end on time. Turn off cell phones. Use active listening skills. Speak only for yourself. Stay focused on the topic. Step up (if you tend not to speak much) and step back (if you tend to speak a lot). No verbal attacks. No sidebar conversations. No interrupting. Share responsibility for helping the group to function. Use a “triple knock” to keep people on task. (If you hear someone going off topic, knock 3 times as a non-verbal signal to others to get back on track.)

ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

Secretary

Following Lois’ request for an addition to the March minutes that had been declined by Lindsey, there was some discussion about the requirements for the secretary’s job. There was general approval of the secretary’s work, with Chris stating that every secretary has his or her own style and George pointing out the minimum requirements for a secretary, which is to record the motions and how they are disposed of, and that anything else is at the secretary’s discretion.

The March minutes were approved, with minor corrections that had already been added to the wiki.

Treasurer Written Report

Chris plans to host another online Quickbooks training session and will send a Doodle poll to determine a time. Participants will receive a very attractive certificate.

President Written Report

Barrett had nothing to add to his written report.

OLD BUSINESS

There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS

Mitch Radler’s Resignation

On April 4, Mitch sent an email to Barrett and the Board stating, “I'm sad to inform you that due to other commitments I must resign my board position effective immediately”. George told us that according to Robert’s Rules, Mitch had “requested to be relieved of duty”, which is treated as a motion. Since this had just happened yesterday, the Board discussed tabling the motion to give time to determine if Mitch might change his mind and if not, to discover if there are any duties that need to be transferred, and to give the Board time to find a replacement. Mitch has agreed to continue to produce Summer Songs, so that takes care of the duties part. Bob moved to table Mitch’s motion until next month and Jay seconded it.

A discussion followed about whether people were talking for other people and whether Mitch had communicated clearly to the Board his reasons for wanting to resign. Pam questioned whether we ought to be having the discussion at all following a motion to table. George answered in the affirmative but later corrected himself and said a motion to table is un-debatable and that no further discussion is allowed.

Kathi called the question, with Ed seconding. The motion carried, so debate ceased.

We then voted on Bob’s motion to table Mitch’s motion till next month. It was approved with one abstention.

Lois’s Statement about Priorities

Lois stated that the Board needs a clear idea of our priorities. She feels that too many decisions are being made outside of meetings and that sometimes decisions are made that contradict motions that were passed at previous Board meetings. One example is the decision about whether non-members can perform at member shows [see the March 2016 minutes] and whether an event should be a fundraiser. She said she has no position on either of these issues, but she thinks we should all have a chance to hear, think about, and discuss proposals as Board agenda items and be given time to form opinions before policies are created or actions are taken. She said that her ideas dovetail with Bob’s suggestion that we create a mission statement.

FP Mission Statement Proposal

Bob introduced a proposal that the Board consider creating a formal FP Mission Statement to help keep our goals clear as the Project grows more complex over time. He suggested that the Board define our mission more clearly for the purpose of providing guidance and clarification when we evaluate new proposals, and to avoid “internal conflicting priorities” without straying from our original purpose. It would help us evaluate proposals and policies to see if they align with our goals for the organization. He acknowledged that there are many committees, that each committee interprets the FP’s mission as it does its work, but said that he’s not proposing micromanagement. He wants us to think about it and talk next month about whether we want to consider a mission statement. If there’s enough interest, then a committee could be formed that is open and expansive, not exclusive.

Kathi added that a mission statement should be reviewed and perhaps revised every few years or so. She suggested we begin with a brainstorming session that would be handed off to the committee. Jay suggested a short discussion next month so that the discussion doesn’t take over the whole meeting.

Chris reminded us that the FP Constitution already includes a statement of purpose that is part of our 501(c)(3) charter. He read it aloud: “The purpose of this organization is to provide nonprofit, cultural activities in the fields of music and the folk arts to the general public and to the members of the organization.” He added that we can expand it but we can’t change it. Bob replied that this statement is very broad and doesn’t address financial issues. Chris agreed and said that our capital has increased over the years “sometimes to our own surprise” and that it is not our mission to be an investment house.

To be continued.......

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Horses Sing None of It Written Report

Ken stated that there were no tapings in March due to performer cancellations. Chris suggested clipping the short opening sequence of the HSNOI videos and loading it as a trailer so that it would play automatically when viewers visit the HSNOI Youtube channel.

Getaway Written Report

Mark said that “everything is hunky and dory”, that Robin is going to resign as co-chair, and that Elizabeth has agreed to replace her. He said all the roles will remain the same except that Elizabeth will attend meetings as co-chair. In answer to a question about voting: Mark and Elizabeth will each have one vote because Mark is Getaway co-chair and Elizabeth is vice president. (In the past, Mark and Robin had one vote between them, since neither had a second role on the Board.)

Mark moved “that the Board accept Robin’s resignation”. The motion was seconded and passed.

Mark moved “that Elizabeth be Getaway co-chair.” The motion was seconded and passed.

Publicity Written Report

Paul was absent. Chris said that the FP’s Youtube channel is still 12 “likes” short of the 100 needed for a vanity URL and he pleaded with the Board to help reach the goal. Lori suggested sending a Constant Contact email, others liked asking the emcee to announce at Minstrel, and George said we should use all means necessary. Doug Heacock has a lot of great Swingin’ Tern videos that he’s offered to post to the S&T channel.

Membership Written Report

Eddie reported we have 359 memberships representing 555 people, which is down by 12 – 18 people from last year. Jay suggested we all carry FP cards and hand them out whenever appropriate.

Special Concerts Written Report – Special Concerts & UkeFest

UkeFestNJ

After much searching, Pam has found a great venue to host UkeNJ: the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of NJ, in Whippany, and she expects to sign a contract this week. It has everything we need except that the lighting may need some help. There are plenty of break-out rooms and they can even produce and serve a reasonably priced lunch. She thanked everyone who sent location suggestions. She checked them all out, including the Bickford Theater, the Sanctuary location, and the Swingin’ Tern location. Details of the search are in her written report.

The total rent at the Ukrainian Center is $2,400, which includes $750/day for the chapel, $150/day for each workshop, and $100 or 200 for vendors in the lobby. She said we can recoup costs, even though it sounds more expensive than in previous years. She has limited ticket sale figures for previous years and said that comparisons are difficult because there are so many different types of tickets, such as combo tickets, early-bird combo tickets, and tickets for individual concerts. In 2014, there were 65 advance ticket sales through Constant Contact. In 2015, there were 87 Constant Contact transactions. This doesn’t include tickets sold elsewhere, or walk-ins.

Pam addressed questions that Mike A. had emailed her:

1. Capacity at the Ukrainian Center: The chapel holds 150, which will dictate our ticket sales limit.

2. Our maximum attendance at any one program last year was approximately 125-135 (for concerts).

3. Our projected profit/loss is impossible to say, given the variety of ticket types and prices. However, if 115 people purchase Full Event tickets at the Early Bird rate we will break even.

4. The cost of MUF's facilities as compared with the $2400 for the Ukrainian Center:

In 2013 Uke Fest rent was:

Tent = $1388

Projector & Screen = $134

MUF* = $1218

Total of $2740

The MUF portion included a projector and screen and was based on 2012 rates for Minstrel.

In 2014 Uke Fest rent was:

Tent = $1368

Jersey Pro Sound (projector/screen) = $128

MUF* = $ 899

Total of $ 2395

The MUF portion also based on 2012 rates but a discount was given as we would not have access to the Large upstairs room as it was previously booked.

In 2015 Uke Fest rent was:

Tent = $0 (as the weather was nice a tent was not rented)

MUF* = $580

Total of $580

The MUF portion was still based on the 2012 rates, a discount was given as we once again would not have access to the Large upstairs room. A further discount was given due to MUFs neighborly dispute which meant that no outside music would be allowed (ie we could not have the Open Mic during lunch on the patio).

In 2016, the total rent will be $2,400 for the Ukrainian Center.

There was a $1,700 profit in 2015 but the rent was substantially lower than in previous years and lower than the Ukrainian Center will be.

The performer budget (including hotels and licensing) is based on previous years’ expenses.

In 2013, the performer budget was $5,169.

In 2014 it was $5,218.

In 2015 it was $6,119.

The average is $5,502.

Based on that figure, Pam is estimating $6,000 for 2016.

One performer has requested about half of the $6,000 that she’s estimating for the total cost of performers. Elizabeth suggested that if this performer could fill the place, it might be worth it. Pam replied that he did the last time we hired him, although there were fewer performers because of it. She’ll go for the “big draw” first and then hire the rest.

Reaction from the Board to the Ukrainian Church venue was very positive. Chris asked if there would be pirogues, which drew a laugh from the Board. NO ONE mentioned the UKErainian Center, which the secretary would like to point out as she pats herself on the back.

Pam received a round of applause for her excellent work after having picked up the reins at the last minute. Yay Pam!

Newsletter Written Report

George reported that a number of people were fooled by the lead article in the April edition of the newsletter. Written tongue-in-cheek by Dave Kleiner, it caused a flurry of posts on the FP’s Facebook page and generated at least one irate phone call from a member who was upset that she’d been left out of the “member poll”. She made a follow-up phone call when she realized it was an April Fool’s joke, so no harm done. Other people commented that the article had the right balance between reality and spoof. Long live tomfoolery!

Electronic Communications Written Report

Lori said that contacts are growing, our “open” rate is declining but the “click” rate is about the same. “Too many emails” is a reason given recently by several people when they’re unsubscribing. She suggested that those who send out notices through CC consider carefully whether their email is necessary before sending it out. Doug Heacock has taken over the Swingin’ Tern email list and is doing a great job. George says Doug has agreed to redesign the S&T newsletter page, which has had the same illustration for many years.

Swingin’ Tern Written Report

Leigh was absent.

Community Services Written Report

Pat asked everyone to send her names of any member who is sick or has lost a loved one. Members will be performing at 2 gigs coming up this month.

Minstrel Staffing Written Report

We welcomed Deborah back from her surgery. She said that changes to the volunteer positions will happen by May 1 and she’ll send the updated descriptions to Chris for addition to the wiki.

Minstrel Booking Written Report

Mike was absent.

Event Hosting Written Report

Christine thanked Eddie for hosting the upcoming July 4 party.

Sound Reinforcement Written Report

Mike D. reported that after the new MUUF sound system is installed, the installers will train key FP people, who will then train the rest of the soundies. Mike D. wants to keep the first group small, with everyone on the same level, rather than waste the installers’ time explaining basic and intermediate mixing concepts.

Grover commented that the Minstrel stage is generally too cluttered and that sometimes the opening act leaves their stuff on stage. He said a cluttered stage looks unprofessional, in addition to being hazardous to performers and techies. We discussed what to do with the wires on the steps and the stage, especially during member shows and Open Stages, when there are many more people using the stage. Mike D. said that covering the wires with a rug or a conduit would not help and that some of the clutter will go away after the new sound system is installed but there will still be cables. He asked who’s responsible for stage management. There was general agreement that the head staff already has enough responsibilities, but asking the emcee makes sense, since they’re already responsible for the flow of the show onstage. Deborah will amend the emcee job description to reflect this change.

Elizabeth asked if the wireless speaker sound for the lobby can be improved. Mike D. replied that two batteries in the microphone need to be replaced prior to each show.

Worker’s Compensation Commission (an ad hoc committee)

Barrett reported that they’ve had their first meeting. Each member is researching topics and he expects the committee to present a final report in June. April 19 is the next meeting, which is open to all Board members. You can follow the committee’s progress on the wiki by going to https://sites.google.com/site/folkprojectbackoffice/home , clicking on “Committee Pages” (on the left), then clicking on “The WC Commission”. Thanks to Chris for posting WCC material on the wiki. Barrett pointed out that any committee can do this: send Chris your notes, meeting minutes, or whatever is relevant, and he can post them to the wiki, thereby avoiding lost emails.

(New Business not on the agenda)

Bob questioned whether Barrett should have opened a potentially sensitive email conversation by sharing with the entire board. Barrett explained his reasons for doing so, and his belief that transparency is better for the FP than secret negotiations.

We discussed the pros and cons of email, and how easy it is for email exchanges to be misinterpreted. When in doubt, it's probably better to pick up the phone. Corporate boards have committees that handle board-level personnel issues and MUUF has a committee that serves the same purpose. These types of issues are sensitive and it’s very hard to have a sensitive conversation when 25 people are involved. There are people in the FP who can and have facilitated interpersonal negotiations and would probably be willing to help, if asked.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 10:14. Next month’s meeting is on May 3 at 8 pm at the home of Pam Robinson and Bob Safranek in New Providence.

Respectfully submitted,

Lindsey Meyer, Secretary