Embedded Files
The meeting was called to order at 8:23 pm on June 6, by President Elizabeth Lachowicz. This meeting was held via Zoom.
ROLL CALL
Present: Trustees: Todd Dennison, Bob McNally, Loretta Brooks, Pamela Zave; Officers: Elizabeth Lachowicz*, Paul Fisher*, Peggy Karr, Jeff Canter*; Committees: Sam Edelston, George Otto, Gary Pratt, Mark Schaffer, Jean Scully, John Mahon, Leigh Walker
Absent: Allan Kugel, Tina Ross, Sandie Reilly, Mike Agranoff
Guests: Andrew Warner, HRH Robin Schaffer
*Also Trustee
MOTIONS MADE
Motion made to accept the June minutes. Motion passed unanimously.
TREASURER'S REPORT (written report below)
OLD BUSINESS
NEW BUSINESS
July 4th Picnic President Elizabeth Lachowicz thanked Picnic Chair Jay Wilensky, Bob Cole, Bill Henderson, Peggy Karr and Eiton Grunwald for making the July 4th picnic such a success, especially considering the last minute move to MUUF due to the possibility of inclement weather. She also thanked the volunteers who set up the picnic and cleaned up afterwards. Special Events Chair Mark Schaffer added that at 70 people, it probably was FP's biggest July 4th picnic in about 30 years. He also added that there was a large number of new people and that new people are an essential element to FP moving forward. He also was grateful to the Board for the autonomy that was granted to venue leaders that allowed Jay to make program decisions without having to be second-guessed by the Board. There was some discussion about playing music outside, as there was a delay in getting MUUF approval, but it did not really affect the music. This led to a discussion about that in the fall of 2024 there's going to be an additional building and there's going to be a grass area that would be usable for music outside without impacting the neighbors, and the Board discussed the possibility of making MUUF the permanent spot for the picnic, especially if both outside and inside spaces are available. Future Planning Co-chair Bob McNally spoke about how he made a point to talk to newcomers and make them feel welcome. Mark said that would be a good policy in general for Board members to interact with newcomers and make sure they feel welcome.
COMMITTEE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
Archives (advisory)
Community Services (advisory)
Future Planning (Advisory) (written report below) Co-chair Robin Schaffer reported that they will be having a workshop on July 22. where they will be formalizing some of the values of the FP and their vision going forward. In her report, she asked the board to contribute their ideas, particularly about what benefits FP provides and what are the things about the Folk Project that makes it special. She invited everyone to send her their thoughts. She also described the work they were doing to characterize the audience and asked the Board for any thoughts about how to divide the audiences into subgroups like dancers and listeners and players and performers or beginners etc. Co-chair Bob McNally added that this information could be used for marketing and publicity. The prior Future Planning committee had also identified the benefits the folk project offers to people who volunteer. They compiled a list that they felt was fairly comprehensive, but felt the Board could come up with additional ideas. Robin asked that anyone with any contributions, particularly for a list of values the Folk Project offers, to please send them to her at her Folk Project email address (robin.schaffer@folkproject.org).
Future Planning (Advisory) (written report below) Co-chair Robin Schaffer reported that they will be having a workshop on July 22. where they will be formalizing some of the values of the FP and their vision going forward. In her report, she asked the board to contribute their ideas, particularly about what benefits FP provides and what are the things about the Folk Project that makes it special. She invited everyone to send her their thoughts. She also described the work they were doing to characterize the audience and asked the Board for any thoughts about how to divide the audiences into subgroups like dancers and listeners and players and performers or beginners etc. Co-chair Bob McNally added that this information could be used for marketing and publicity. The prior Future Planning committee had also identified the benefits the folk project offers to people who volunteer. They compiled a list that they felt was fairly comprehensive, but felt the Board could come up with additional ideas. Robin asked that anyone with any contributions, particularly for a list of values the Folk Project offers, to please send them to her at her Folk Project email address (robin.schaffer@folkproject.org).
Horses Sing None of It
Open Stage Chair Todd Dennison reported that Open Stage is doing great and that there has been such great response that he opened the Terrace Room which regularly has had eight to ten participants . He also commented on the quality of openers he has been showcasing, including a guitarist who plays on Broadway and one who's played with Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Bruce Springsteen and Wings.
Membership (advisory) Todd Dennison reported that he processed 40 renewals last month alone, and the FP has probably 100 more members then it had a year ago. He also added that there are still issues with the automation software he is using, and he is going to look at other solutions. He added that most new members are coming from Streaming Tuesdays, Open Stage and Inside the Song. He stated that since he handles the tech for Inside the Song, he adds reminders, which produces two or three new memberships almost every week.
Newsletter (written report below) Chair George Otto discussed the disposition of "static" reports, those that are the same from month to month. He stated that, due to Covid, he did not want to cull them in case some venues were shut down due to the pandemic. He stated that he planned to go through them this month, and requested that if anyone knew of a venue that is listed but has shut down permanently to inform him. He also requested that generally, any items that are in the newsletter that they know need to be updated to contact him.
Publicity (written report below)
Sound Reinforcement (written report below)
Special Events (written report below) Chair Mark Schaffer reported that he was planning a half get away in October but he told Stony Point that he is planning a full Getaway next spring. He clarified that he did not sign a contract, but committed verbally for the full camp. He said he will go before the Board for approval before he signs a contract for the Spring Getaway. He also reported that on August 19th, he will host a Beatlemania concert by Elaine Silver. Elaine is a certified Beatleologist through Beatles University. He thanked Sandy Jackson for all her assistance on the Music Alert, and welcomed Loretta Brooks to the team. He also reported on the Evening in Music. While it was the smallest one so far it was also the best one so far as the music was just beautiful and they had a lot of good players. They hosted around 15 people. He added that Jay Wilensky is looking into moving the September and maybe October or November to different houses and then moving back to Mark and Robin's. He was also proud to add, that while on a trip to Jerusalem, he caught Covid, but still managed to get two Music Alerts out.
Streaming Concerts (written report below) Chair Gary Pratt reported that the July 11 was the first Streaming Tuesday done with the Afton platform, and that it went really well. Performer tips worked out well, including someone who gave a tip 15 minutes before the show. He noted that the performers have to be trained on the new platform, and that all the July performers have already been trained. He also talked to the performer to get feedback on the process, and he said the response was very positive.
Swingin' Tern (written report below)
Troubadour (Booking) (written report below)
Troubadour (Staffing)
ADJOURNMENT
This meeting was adjourned at 9:27 PM. Next month’s meeting is August 1, at 8:15 PM via Zoom.
Submitted by Jeff Canter
WRITTEN COMMITTEE REPORTS
Archives (Advisory)
Archives (Advisory)
Community Services (Advisory)
Community Services (Advisory)
Future Planning (Advisory)
Future Planning (Advisory)
Hi all,
A short report and request:
1. The committee is holding a workshop on July 22 to formalize:
Lists of core and unique Folk Project values
Definition of audience groups, description and wants
5 year vision for the Folk Project
2. Request for input from Board. Please contribute your thoughts by July 18. This will be incorporated into our workshop.
What do you see as the unique value proposition for the Folk Project? What do we offer that is unique in the market and should be the focus of our vision?
How would you break down the Folk Project audience into sub groups with different needs? (example: listeners, players... that is just an example, there are other ways to break it down).
3. Grants. We have not heard results from the Investor Bank submission. Mark is working on Morris Arts and Martin Guitars.
At the next Board meeting we will read out from the workshop and lay out next steps.
Thank you.
Robin and Bob
Horses Sing None of It
Horses Sing None of It
Membership (Advisory)
Membership (Advisory)
Newsletter
Newsletter
Newsletter Committee Report 2023-07
Things are proceeding as usual with the invaluable help of Kathi Caccavale, Pat Brangs, Bill Henderson, Gary Pratt, Susan Lembo, and Todd Dennison.
George Otto
Folk Project Newsletter Editor
newsletter@folkproject.org
Open Stage
Open Stage
Publicity
Publicity
FPWebNumbers202307.xlsxReopening
Reopening
Publicity Report for the July 11, 2023 Board Meeting
Sam Edelston, July 10, 2023
Publicity Committee Members
Alicia Weimer, George Otto, Howard Goldman, Jean Scully, Jim Gartner, Joanne Cronin, Kathi Caccavale, Liz Pagan, Loretta Brooks, Mark Schaffer, Michael Mitsch, Mike Rauchwerk, Olga Alvarez, Pat Brangs, Paul Fisher, Ralph Pedicini, Rebecca Rydell, MaryLynn Schiavi
Web Team Members
John Lamb, Allan Kugel, Charles Lamb, Lori Falco
Reports
Chairperson’s Report – Sam Edelston
The past month has been treading water for me. Starting next week, I’ll be in a position to begin swimming forward again.
Last month, I mentioned the short video about the Folk Project that MaryLynn Schiavi is working on. She hopes to have a new draft of it ready this week.
E-communications – Mark Schaffer
Mark says:
Music Alerts go out twice a week, every week, even when I was bedridden with COVID.
30-day summary of all emails:
44,456 Sends – about 4,446 per email
16.141 Opens
39.1% Open Rate (Above expectations) (Number differs from “Opens/Sends” because of Constant Contact definitions.)
448 Clicks (Below expectations)
Facebook – Kathi Caccavale
Folk Project Page: 6,003 Followers (up from 5,977 last month). “4.8K” people Like this.
Folk Project group: 1,957 members, up from 1,949 last month.
Swingin’ Tern group: 637 members; similar to 633 last month.
NJ Uke Fest group: 267 members; up from 264 last month.
Facebook Page visits rebounded another 29%, to 1,602 visits (from 1,445 in May). Our four biggest days were the month’s four Tuesdays, with 6/27 (the date of Pete McDonough’s Streaming Tuesdays show) towering nearly 50% above runner-up 6/20.
Instagram – Ralph Pedicini
Sam says:
Content Overview (from Facebook/Instagram reports):
· Instagram followers: 421, up from 419 last month.
· Instagram – Down from December, but up compared to November.
o Reach: 154 … down from 165 last month, and 197, 202, 243, and 293 in the four months before that
o Profile visits: 18 … down from 23, 49 and 55 in the previous three months
o New Followers: 7 … down from 15 last month
o 10 published posts and 3 published stories in June.
· Instagram posts (90-day results thru 7/8)
o Reach: 257 … down from 292
o Engagement (likes, comments, shares): 117 … way down from 182
· Instagram Stories (90-day results thru 7/8)
o 12 Story posts.
o Reach: 99 … down from 117
o Engagement: 3 … same as previous period
Twitter – Jean Scully
No report from Jean.
Web – John Lamb
Here’s John’s writeup. The website statistics from Google Analytics accompany this report.
This is a combined report for both May and June of 2023 because I spent much of May dealing with health issues and provided only a minimal report for the June meeting. My health has improved considerably since, and this report summarizes web activities for both months. During this time, the web team did the following:
- added events to the site for Member Concerts, Inside the Song and Special Concerts
- added a Birthday Show Invitation page for Troubadour and edited the Troubadour Booking Page
- assisted some WordPress users with password resets
- assisted the Swingin' Tern Chair with adding an event and updating options on their event entry form
- assisted Horses Sing None of It by correcting mistakes in entries for upcoming shows
- assisted the Newsletter Chair with updates to the eNewsletter distribution page
- removed COVID-related precautions from the ticketing pages
- gave a tutorial to the Open Stage Chair on how to enter their events via WordPress
- updated the Tally Sheets for both Open Stage and Troubadour (not website-related, but it assists their operations)
The usual Excel spreadsheet for May was included with the abbreviated webmaster report last month, the one for June is attached to this message.
As always, many thanks to Lori, Charles, Liz and Allan. Please send questions, comments and suggestions to webmaster@folkproject.org.
John Lamb, webmaster
Merch – Paul Fisher (acting)
Nothing new to report.
Sound Reinforcement
Sound Reinforcement
Sound Reinforcement Committee Report July 2023
We provided sound for the five Friday night shows scheduled in June. Four proceeded normally, without technical incidents. The new streaming service continues to provide incident free service.
One evening the FP Birthday show had significant interruptions due to a peculiarity of the mixer. Its initial setting has a routing setup intended for MUUF Sunday worship which was unknown to the substitute sound person who was filling in while I was attending the Old Songs Festival. This initial setup must be cleared before the mixer is suitable for FP purposes. The procedure for this has been shared with all sound persons so it should not create any problems in the future.
The stage equipment restoration is still in process. The list is growing and will cover the mic stands, the microphones, and the mic cables. Once the entire collection is evaluated, I will put the refurbish, replace options into action.
John Mahon
Committee Chairperson
Posted from Watch Hill, RI
Special Events
Special Events
To: Folk Project Board Plus
From: Jay Wilensky
Re: July 4 picnic – the (Bob Murphy) happy recap.
Friends:
I’m pleased to report that the July 4 picnic, held at MUUF, was a rip-roaring success: Exhibit A of the Project pulling together and improvising to turn chicken poop into chicken salad.
We had, as in the past few years, reserved the Sugarloaf A field in Lewis Morris Park for the event – a great site in fair weather, but somewhere between unpleasant and unusable in foul. As you’ll recall, the forecast for July 4 was awful. Mark and Robin Schaffer immediately offered their home for the event. And, when Peggy Karr brilliantly suggested moving the event to MUUF, Mark made it happen. Mark and Robin schlepped their propane grill to the site – surely not a pleasant job. And, Mark broadcast the change in location via the Music Alert, and I’m not aware of anyone showing up at the park.
Also, and in true Project fashion, many or most attendees brought snacks or drinks to share, and helped with setup, teardown, and the many little tasks in between.
The result was a great afternoon of music, schmoozing, and overindulgence. I’m aware that MUUF presents some problems for jamming, and maybe some issues that haven’t been mentioned to me. And, I do like the idea of having the event somewhere other than our usual site. But, removing possible bad weather as an issue would seem to outweigh those considerations. Accordingly, I strongly recommend moving the picnic to MUUF permanently, if they’ll have us.
Expenses for the event (other than charges that Paul Fisher and Bob Cole incurred) are as follows:
Park permit: 173.50
MUUF: 180
Groceries: 175.37,
totaling $528.87. That’s certainly higher than I would want, but 1/3 of that is the duplicate (and pretty much identical) fee for the park and MUUF, which will not recur if we move to MUUF permanently.
So – huge thanks, as always, to Paul Fisher and Bob Cole for their usual superlative efforts. Special thanks to Bill Henderson, for opening and closing the building and making sure that we’d be welcome to come back. Big thanks also to the picnickers, and Marie Trontell and Eitan Grunwald in particular, for doing the annoying little jobs as they arose. And, finally, let’s recognize Mark and Robin as the “persons without whom.”
Submitted in the spirit of the Project,
Jay
Streaming Concerts
Streaming Concerts
Board members,
After a very successful transition of Troubadour streaming concerts from Facebook Live to Afton Livestream, we have now moved Streaming Tuesdays concerts to Afton as well.
Tonight’s concert featuring Mike Ward will be the inaugural Streaming Tuesdays concert on Afton. Grab a free ticket and watch the show before the board meeting! https://aftontickets.com/MikeWard
Kathi Caccavale and I provided training to all July performers, who were all excited by the new platform. The training takes us more time (which will diminish over time), but the benefits of using Afton far outweigh the additional training time.
Respectfully submitted,
Gary Pratt
Folk Project Streaming Chair
Swingin' Tern
Swingin' Tern
Swingin' Tern Report - June 2023
On June 3 we hosted Ridge Kennedy calling to Blue Jersey, and on June 17 we hosted Dan Black calling to Young, Koretzky and Blouin.
We lost $40 for the month. However, the trend is distinctly positive. We are planning to hold two double dances later this year.
Leigh Walker
Swingin' Tern
Treasurer
Treasurer
Hello Everyone,
Not much to report. Got a lot of numbers updated, phew. As I said the last time, the loss you see is due to the 10K WNYC advertising, deposits for Fall Getaway and the stipend amounts for Vanguard.
I have not withdrawn anything from Vanguard yet. We got some back admission deposits so we are okay for now.
Respectfully Submitted
Peggy Karr
Treasurer
ProfitandLossbyClass-2.pdfTroubadour Booking
Troubadour Booking
Please note: I will not be at the July meeting.
The Troubadour continues to inch its way back up to pre-COVID levels. June, however was spoiled by an experimental booking that proved unsuccessful, bring the numbers down a bit. On June 2nd, I booked an act entitled “Songs, Stories, & Art”. It had what I thought to be an interesting concept of a singer-songwriter named John John Brown, who presented his songs in front of projected images of original art. I thought it sounded and looked interesting, but apparently not many others did. It attracted a paid audience of only 20, leaving us an average for the month of 70.7 paid, and a financial loss of $178. But other than that anomaly, our paid attendance has been generally hovering between 70 and 80, and generally rising. Year-to-date, we’re still $365 in the black, and I have not needed to make any personal donations to cover losses since January.
The masked section of the audience has been sparsely occupied of late, and as of the June 30 show, I’ve reduced it to the first two rows of the left side of the auditorium by means of revised signage. We’ll re-evaluate that at the end of the month.
I’m a bit concerned about the Birthday show coming up at the end of July. I usually have a dozen or more performers reporting in that they will not be at the picnic, but want to be in the show, but as of this writing there have only been two. I don’t know if that indicates that everyone will be at the picnic or that we will have fewer overall participants in the show. In particular over the years, I have seen a decreasing number of experienced players choosing to participate, lowering the overall quality of the music. I’m wondering if this idea has run its course.
New bookings since last month
August 4: Our own Tina Ross headlining the show with songwriter Kyle Hancharick opening
August 18: FP favorite Joe Crookston headlining with Australian duo Great Aunt opening.
August 25: Songwriter / vocalist Greg Greenway featured with Kerville New Folk winner Taylor Abrahamse opening.
Respectfully submitted:
Mike Agranoff
Program Chair
The Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series
Morristown, NJ. USA
Troubadour P&L.pdfTB chart.pdfTroubadour Staffing
Troubadour Staffing
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