August 2016

The August 2nd meeting of the Board of Directors was called to order at 8 pm at the delightful home of Pamela Zave and Yolanda Fundora in Summit, where we were surrounded by colorful quilts, prints, and other artwork created by our hosts. The minutes are written to reflect the logical order rather than the agenda order.

ROLL CALL

Present were Joanne Cronin, Lois DeRitter, Grover Kemble, Elizabeth Lachowicz, Bob McNally, Lindsey Meyer, Chris Riemer, Jay Wilensky, and Barrett Wilson (officers and trustees); Mike Agranoff, Pat Brangs, Ken Brody, Mike Del Vecchio, Lori Falco, Paul Fisher, Deborah Graham, George Otto, and Leigh Walker (committee chairs).

Guests: Yolanda Fundora, Nancy Kelner, and Pamela Zave

Absent were Kathi Caccavale, Christine DeLeon, Allan Kugel, Mitch Radler, Ed Roffman, Pam Robinson, and Mark Schaffer.

NO MOTIONS THIS MONTH

ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

Secretary

The July minutes were approved as corrected.

Treasurer Written Report

Chris said that we have a lot of cash on hand due to money earmarked for Ukefest and Getaway. In addition, we’re showing a $9,000 profit so far, which makes this a good year.

President Written Report

Barrett had nothing to add to his report. Elizabeth added that Barrett and Olga are producing the Halloween show and said we’re looking for a Valentine’s Show champion.

OLD BUSINESS

1.) NERFA Subsidies for 2016

(NERFA = NorthEast Regional Folk Alliance)

History: In 2015, the board paid $500 for Sandie, as HSNOI rep, and $250 each for Barrett and Elizabeth, as President and VP/Getaway rep.

The board agreed that NERFA offers valuable opportunities to learn the business of folk music, to network, to be exposed to new performers, and that the FP should have a presence there in addition to Mike A. The questions were who should go as FP rep and who should be subsidized at what rate. Mike A. pointed out that members of the Board are not going out to festivals as much as in the past and he urged us to do so, in order to broaden our exposure to performers and the business of folk music. He also recommended that we limit the subsidy to the cost of the earliest registration (lowest cost) and a double-occupancy hotel room. George urged fiscal conservatism and suggested tapping people who already attend rather than paying for others to attend. Lori stated that the Financial Committee already built a $1,000 NERFA subsidy into their plan, so we don’t need to come up with new money.

Sandie needs to go, since she does the majority of the HSNOI booking there, and needs the subsidy. Deborah and Elizabeth indicated they’d like to go too: Deborah to book for FP events and Elizabeth as a FP business and social presence.

After discussion, we decided that Elizabeth will reserve 3 NERFA spots for Sandie (possibly up to $500) and 2 others -- possibly Deborah and Elizabeth (for $250 each).

2.) Volunteer Appreciation Event

Deborah is still checking out venues and favors one that offers indoor or covered facilities in case of bad weather. She’ll choose the location first, then look into catering.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Newsletter Written Report

George appreciates how everyone comes through with items for the newsletter every month, even if they are at the last minute. Kathi Caccavale has volunteered to replace Pat Brangs, who’s stepping down to pursue her myriad other FP positions. Kathi will send out the mailed newsletter.

Horses Sing None of It Written Report

Ken reported that conditions are still unfirm with the new Cablevision owners. One positive development is that volunteers no longer need to be residents of Randolph Township and that now anyone can volunteer.

Minstrel Staffing Written Report

Deborah reported that she had misplaced the money from last Friday’s Minstrel after loading her car in the dark and she felt terrible about it. We reassured her that no one expected her to repay out of her pocket, which she offered to do. (Two days following this meeting, she emailed the board that she’d found the money in her glove compartment, where she had stashed it for safe keeping. Even though the money was found, we’d had a good discussion about safety and about not leaving one person by him or herself at the end of an event.)

Swingin’ Tern Written Report

Leigh reported a decent month, even with the heat, although they still lost about $100 for the month. Upcoming dances: a waltz workshop, a sponsored dance on August 20, and a Double Dance in December. The holiday / New Year’s Eve dance, “which we usually have late in the year…” drew guffaws from the crowd. Major issues involving the sound equipment (see Sound report, below).

Electronic Communications Written Report

Lori reported some eye-popping statistics since we began using Constant Contact in 2010: we have 4,316 contacts and have sent a total of 772,000 emails, including 75,000 emails in just the past 3 months. She announced that she will step down as chair at the end of the year and is training Barrett as her replacement. The board gave her a hearty round of applause for her and the committee’s exceptional achievements.

Community Services Written Report

Pat said that Mt. Tabor is looking for an old-timey group for their annual house tour on Sept. 24.

Getaway Written Report

Elizabeth said that so far, 125 people are registered for fall, out of 150 – 160 maximum. The committee is concerned that people who’ve been shut out of previous Getaways may think this one is sold out when it’s not. Board members suggested pushing it at Minstrel, reaching out to the Meet-up group, and sending a Constant Contact blast.

Special Concerts Uke Fest Written Report, Special Concerts Written Report

Pam was absent.

Minstrel Booking Written Report

Mike A. reported a $568 profit for the month and that finally put the year-to-date figure into the black. A power outage on the 15th caused him to cancel Reeds, Rhythm, and All that Brass (who have been rescheduled) and he gave kudos to the web and ecommunications teams for their quick work in setting up systems so Mike could get the word out about the closure. The following Friday was a banner night for John Gorka, who gave a great show and took home record high pay. The MUUF parking lot construction plans were approved but work won’t start till spring. Upcoming: He declared an Agranoff Imperative for the Nov. 18 show featuring Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore.

We discussed the new Minstrel start time of 7:45 p.m. and the new format. Mike stated that it’s going “reasonably well” and that everyone is exiting the building on time. George pointed out confusing messages in the newsletter: in 3 weeks there were 3 different start times for Open Stage (7:30), Minstrel (7:45) and Special Concert (8:00). He urged the committees to use a single start time for all. Mike agreed but said that Special Concerts has 2 current signed contracts for 8:00, so that will soon disappear. He’s looking into a possible 7:30 opening time for the Minstrel but is concerned about the ability of volunteers to arrive in time. Deborah is polling the volunteers and Mike wants to hear the results before taking action. Grover asked if the new format has improved the audience experience and attendance. Mike said it’s too early to tell and Bob suggested taking a survey to collect data. Nancy suggested waiting till 2017 before making another time change.

Membership

Eddie was absent. There was no written report.

Publicity Written Report

Paul mentioned our Roy Book Binder house concert on Sept. 25th at the Schaffers’, plus the 10-day MusikFest in Bethlehem starting this Friday. Barrett urged board members to consider volunteering at Sanctuary Concerts to get exposure to another folk music organization and to gain business perspective.

The secretary would like to point out that our website reached users in 42 countries on 6 continents! Click on the report for more amazing data.

Event Hosting Written Report

Christine was absent.

Sound Reinforcement

In response to a question about what’s being done with the old Minstrel sound equipment, Mike D. said he’s considering using it to replace Swingin’ Tern’s outdated equipment. There was no written report.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance ad hoc committee

Barrett reported that they’re still working with lawyers and they hope to present a report in October. Chris pointed out that all the committee conversations are posted in the wiki and, “It’s a page turner!”

Intentions and Resources ad hoc Committee

Bob reported that the group has met twice. They looked at FP activities, volunteer resources, benefits to volunteers, measurable success factors and out of this created a “logic model” that describes how our many different functions relate together. He also consulted with Kathy Haynie, a professional evaluator and FP member. Chris suggested posting the discussion thread on the wiki rather than using email. The committee can keep discussions private on the wiki, then make it public when they’re ready.

Department of Buffoonery

Lois wondered if people would play Pokemon Go at our fall Getaway. Bob quipped, “Folkemon Go!” which elicited laughter from the crowd.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at a possibly record-breaking time of 9:31 pm. Next month’s meeting is at 8 pm on September 6 at the home of Jay Wilensky and Marie Trontell.

Respectfully submitted,

Lindsey Meyer, Secretary