The meeting was called to order at 8:20 PM on June 4, by Vice President Paul Fisher. This meeting was held via Zoom. (Note that these minutes have been reorganized for readability. They do not represent the actual sequence of the discussions, which was a little on the random side.)

ROLL CALL

Present: Mike Agranoff, Loretta Brooks, Jeff Canter, Sam Edelston, Paul Fisher, Doug Heacock, Allan Kugel, John Mahon, Bob McNally, George Otto, Gary Pratt, Chris Riemer, Mark Schaffer, Robin Schaffer, Jean Scully and Pamela Zave

Absent: Todd Dennison, Peggy Karr, Elizabeth Lachowicz, Sandie Reilly and Tina Ross

MOTIONS MADE

• The minutes of the May meeting were accepted as amended. Mike wanted them to include his concerns about the new lighting at the Troubadour. Jeff wanted to be clear that Mark’s election as Troubadour chair was executed according to the rules specified in our governing documents; that is, it wasn’t just a parliamentary procedure thing.

ADMINISTRATIVE OVERVIEW 

Secretary

Chris reported that everything is under control. 

Later in the meeting, Gary raised the issue of secretarial discretion, being uncomfortable with the idea that the Secretary is the sole arbiter of what goes into the minutes. He was concerned because in the past, Chris has resisted when people made a statement and added “but don’t put that in the minutes.” Gary felt it was very important that we don’t accidentally publish something embarrassing or personal.

Chris felt that practically speaking, we have to trust the Secretary to make those decisions as the minutes are written. Sometimes all that can be said is “discussion ensued,” which might be true, if uninformative. In any case, the Secretary’s job is to be accurate, but also appropriate. Gary was satisfied with that response.

Treasurer

Peggy was not present at the meeting, but did submit her usual report, available at the end of these minutes. Doug asked if we should be concerned over the large losses Peggy is reporting. Most of the losses are attributable to the recent Getaway, but the Troubadour and Swingin’ Tern are also in the red. Given Peggy’s absence, discussion was minimal. 

Pamela suggested that we establish some kind of long-term tracking dashboard, so we can see how the financials look at both the venue level and for the organization as a whole. Chris felt something could certainly be generated by Quickbooks, but cautioned that the Treasurer has never been tasked with financial analysis. It’s primarily a bookkeeping job, and Peggy might not feel that forecasting and analysis were part of her mandate. 

George felt it was the board’s responsibility to look at the figures and make those kinds of assessments. Bob wondered if we could develop some kind of master spreadsheet that would be fed by Quickbooks. As a former Treasurer, Chris was confident that was at least theoretically possible. But it would be a non-trivial exercise, as they say.

COMMITTEE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS 

Special Events

There were some delays related to the confirmation of details for the upcoming John Gorka show, but the information will be up on the web shortly. It should be an exciting concert. Summer Songs should also be very strong, with a powerful back-up band that’s ready to let singers select from a list of 24 songs.

Mark asked the board for a straw poll on his recommendation that we eliminate the Fall Getaway for the time being. That would let us concentrate what are now two Getaway endowments behind a single event and deliver the same level of quality that we had this past Spring. There’s just no avoiding the inflationary pressures that are driving higher prices at Stony Point (and elsewhere) so the times, they are a changing.

Chris reminded the group that back in the day, what we then called the Festival was originally a Spring event. We had so much fun doing it that we added a second weekend in the Fall. Mike pointed out that the Fall Festival was added only two or three years after the first Spring Festival, which means the two-weekend structure goes all the way back to the mid 70s. For a time, we even had a third event known as Winter Weekend. All of these decisions were a matter of adapting to what was then the current situation. Our ability to adapt is one key to our success. 

George agreed. He also felt that if we were to fall back on a single, weekend event, Spring would be the best time to have it. Allan didn't necessarily agree on that point; he felt Fall was always more relaxed and the weather was predictably better. Paul felt that if we did drop the Fall event, we should schedule something else to mark the date. Something local, like the 4th of July picnic. Many ideas were floated along these lines.

Bob thanked Mark for his decision to seek the board’s advice. A very collegial thing to do, even though as venue chair he already has the authority to make decisions on his own. Sam added that he thought it was brave for Mark to bring a potentially controversial recommendation to the board. 

Pamela wrapped things up by saying we were kind of off-point for Mark’s request, which was to take a straw poll to endorse his recommendation for a single weekend. She thinks we should support it, and so did most of those present. One opposed, two abstentions and 12 in favor. (This was a straw poll, not a motion.)

Troubadour

We’ve had our first fixed-price, no Creel performance, and we’ll need to monitor things closely to see how it develops. The objective is to bring in enough to pay our performers well and still turn a profit. 

Mark thanked Todd and Bob McNally for their work on the new lighting design. It really makes the experience more "theatrical," and Mark is excited about it. Special thanks to John Lamb for working to adapt his Excel-based calculator for the new, no-Creel world.

There was some discussion of the new financial model. Gary reminded the board that one of the reasons for dropping the Creel was that some performers just don’t like it. Setting a $10 door and essentially passing the hat makes them feel devalued. He felt it was too soon to draw any conclusions about the new pricing structure, but does have some concern about future bookings. He hasn’t gotten anything to add to the streaming calendar in over a month. If he can help with the booking activity, he’s more than happy to pitch in.

Mike pointed out that we would have lost money on the last show under the old model as well. He was surprised at the low attendance (around 70 instead of an expected 110) and has no explanation for it. But the low attendance was the real reason for this show’s loss. And he seconded Mark’s praise for the technical wizardry of John Lamb. 

Mike did some quick ad-hoc analysis for calendar year 2023, using his own Troubadour database. For this period, the Creel generated $6.88 per total attendee per show. Filtering that for shows with attendance over 100, and the number went down to $6.36.

Sam also mentioned that while it’s been reported in our newsletter, there’s been little real communication to the public about this change in pricing (more money up front but no donation on the back end). He wondered if thinks that might be useful. Bob thinks we should probably consider writing up the “story” of the new pricing for the newsletter, too. That should at least reach our core folks.

Troubadour Staffing

Jean is considering some changes to the tick system, at least for bakers. She still thinks people who miss part (or all) of the show deserve a free admission on the night they volunteer, and a second free admission to be used at their discretion. However, bakers may only deserve one. Nothing definite yet, but she’s thinking about it.

Gary thinks this is a more complicated area than it first appears, since there are people who have amassed  hundreds of ticks. Ticks that were earned when the admission was only $5.00 (or even less). So, there’s a kind of Tick Futures Market going on. And every time we let someone in for free, we’re asking the performers to underwrite it in a subtle way. As we continue to drill into Troubadour profitability in the months ahead, we need to take a serious look at the ticks, as part of the big picture. He’s not advocating for a particular change, only suggesting that we take a look at it.

Allan concedes that point, but also thinks we may be looking at a problem we don’t actually have. That is, our process may have encouraged people to accumulate massive amounts of ticks, even if they never plan to use them. Jean agrees, but stresses that it’s a community thing. It makes the volunteers feel like they’re a part of something. The ticks are a manifestation of that.

Sound Reinforcement

John stands on his written report.

Future Planning Committee

Robin stands on her written report. There’s lots going on and she and Bob are always happy to have input and commentary.

Chris asked if the Future Planning Committee includes Succession Planning within its scope. It has not done so formally, other than by trying to attract new blood and strengthen the organization. Succession Planning feeds into that. Chris’s point is that we should try to mitigate the risk of losing a key player. We should all be thinking about targeting possible folks who could take over key jobs if needed. 

Gary agrees. When he's served on other boards, it was the responsibility of the Nominations Committee. He has chaired the Folk Project’s Nominations Committee for the past three or four years, but the committee members have not been interested in that conversation. He suspects it may be because it seems “too corporate.” However,  Bob points out that we already have a hard time finding officers at each election cycle. It’s not like we have a deep bench.

Newsletter

George stands on his written report.

Swingin’ Tern

Doug stands on his written report. 

He also wanted to know  how the Troubadour got its flyers into local libraries and supermarkets. Swingin’ Tern stopped doing that during Covid, but their bookings are now far enough into the future that it might make sense to pick it up again. Mike will offer advice off line.

Streaming

Gary has nothing to report at this time.

Open Stage / Membership

No report from Todd this period.

Horses Sing None of It

No report from Sandy.

Publicity

Sam stands on his written report.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting  proper was adjourned at  9:43  PM. Next month’s meeting is July 2, at 8:15 PM, via Zoom. 

Submitted by Chris Riemer

NEWSLETTER

From: secretary@folkproject.org <secretary@folkproject.org> On Behalf Of George Otto
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2024 7:44 PM
To: boardplus@folkproject.org
Cc: George Otto <GeorgeOtto@mac.com>
Subject: Newsletter Committee Report 2024-06

Newsletter Committee Report 2024-06 

Things are proceeding as usual with the invaluable help of Kathi Caccavale, Pat Brangs, Bill Henderson, Gary Pratt, Paul Fisher, and Todd Dennison. 

With the updating of the Folk Project logo, work is beginning on changing the logo throughout the newsletter. This may not happen all at once, but should take effect over the course of a couple of months. 

George Otto
Folk Project Newsletter Editor
newsletter@folkproject.org

PUBLICITY

From: From: sam.edelston@folkproject.org <sam.edelston@folkproject.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 2:18 AM
To: boardplus@folkproject.org
Cc: publicitycomm@folkproject.org
Subject: RE: Publicity Report for 2024-06-04 Board meeting

Hi, all –

The Web Team report has been added, and the web stats are attached, as well.

Nothing else has changed.

Sam

SWINGIN' TERN

From: 'Doug Heacock' via BoardPlus - Current board, select alumni, key volunteers <boardplus@folkproject.org>
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2024 4:53 PM
To: BoardPlus - Current Board Select Alumni Key Volunteers <boardplus@folkproject.org>
Subject: Swingin' Tern Dances May 2024 Report for the Folk Project Board Meeting on 6/4/24

In May Swingin’ Tern held two regular evening dances:

5/4        George Thomson & Smash the Window 37 attendees [26 paid/10 staff/1 free]       Loss    -$241

5/18      Don Flaherty & Rhythmic Heart                       41 attendees [32 paid/9 staff/0 free]           Loss    -$  59            

May total would have been a -$218 loss but a $500 donation brought us to a $282 profit.

2024 cumulative total -$42 loss

May was a disappointing month as far as attendance and finances.  A generous donation of $500 from one of our members brought the month onto the plus side.  

New two-sided postcards have been printed [attached].  The flip side now shows our calendar from June to December 2024.  Booker, Jon Justin, with help from Doug Heacock have almost completely booked the year with additional bookings into 2025.  Thanks to Jon for all his hard work.  

Sadly, our longtime dancer Tom Banwell died on May 26th.  Tom ran sound reinforcement for Swingin' Tern for thirty years. Tom succumbed to a neurodegenerative disease, the same disease that took him off the dance floor five years ago.  Wife Lisa was very appreciative of the flowers sent to Tom from the Folk Project in April and of those that reached out to Tom over the past few months.

Yours in dance,

Doug Heacock             

Doug
dheacock@aol.com
973-634-7740
chair@swingintern.org

SOUND REINFORCEMENT

From: John Mahon <john_mahon@yahoo.com>
To: BoardPlus - Current board, select alumni, key volunteers <boardplus@folkproject.org>; Elizabeth Lachowicz <elizabeth.lachowicz@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 07:59:54 PM EDT
Subject: Sound Reinforcement Committee Report June 2024

Sound Reinforcement Committee Report June 2024

In May we provided live and broadcast sound for 4 Friday night shows, and The Spring Getaway. This included 3 regular shows for The Loss Cannons with Carla Ulbrich, on May 3, Rupert Wates with Bernie Drury on May 24, and Joe Jencks with Carol Crittenden on May 31, the Open Stage on May 10, and the Spring Getaway on May 17, 18 and 19.

The only technical glitch occurred in the Friday night May 17 broadcast feed for the Friday night concert. A cable failure prevented us from supplying the high-quality audio feed from the mixer. We had to rely on the sound from the microphones on the video camera.

John Mahon
Committee Chairman

FUTURE PLANNING

From: boardplus@folkproject.org <boardplus@folkproject.org> On Behalf Of Robin Schaffer
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 7:27 AM
To: BoardPlus - Current board, select alumni, key volunteers <boardplus@folkproject.org>
Subject: Future Planning committee report

Hi All,

The report is attached.

As always, the Future Planning Committee is open to all suggestions and feedback. If you want to learn more about longer term ideas, please reach out to Robin.Schaffer@folkproject.org.

Thanks!

Robin Schaffer
Bob McNally

TREASURER

From: secretary@folkproject.org <secretary@folkproject.org> On Behalf Of timpeg@optonline.net
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 10:36 AM
To: board@folkproject.org
Subject: Treasurer Report June 2024

Hello Everyone,

Sorry I couldn't be at the meeting tonight.

Attached is the current Profit & Loss statement by class.

You will see a considerable year to date loss of 15.4K.

I cashed out 10K from our Vanguard account to cover expenses.

The losses are due to Spring Getaway 17K loss (part of the subsidies the board approved), Troubadour 3.8K loss (no longer covered by Mike), Swingin' Tern 1.6K loss.  Also increased spending in equipment, advertising and professional fees of 5K (Bookkeeping has become more complicated with streaming, tipping, credit cards, PayPal, tracking down deposits...) 

I am working on Credit Cards for some key people so we wont have to spend as much time reimbursing people for purchases.

Any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Respectfully submitted,

Peggy Karr Treasurer

SPECIAL EVENTS

From: Mark Schaffer <mark.schaffer@folkproject.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2024 8:41 PM
To: Board <Board@folkproject.org>
Subject: A Separate Acoustic Getaway Report to Board June 2024 & Request

A SEPARATE ACOUSTIC GETAWAY REPORT TO BOARD JUNE 2024 WITH A REQUEST FOR A STRAW POLL AT THE MEETING

The Spring Getaway was a wonderful and celebratory weekend - successful from a community and musical standpoint. From a financial and attendance standpoint, the results were mixed.

The featured artists were: Jenny Glenn & Friends (Frank Sole and Joel Glassman), Flamy Grant, Toby Walker, Jean Scully, Steve Gibb, Rob Flax & The Boom Chick Trio, Joe Crookston, and The Pairs. The concerts and workshops were very well-received. The workshop schedule, as always, combined the new and different with the regular favorites. We presented a balanced workshop schedule focussed on skills, participation, showcases, and informative learning. Despite 93 participants, down from a pre-COVID number of 150 + 10 artists, the joy, energy, and satisfaction levels of the guests were all high, with many commenting that the new, lower attendance was great, and some commenting it was better.

The new extended-workshop schedule — an hour and 15 minutes with 15 minutes in between, instead of 50 or 55 minutes and 5 or ten minutes in between — worked well. It made for a less-hectic weekend. It’s a keeper.

The original intention was to hire Peter Yarrow to draw new outsiders. Peter cancelled for understandable reasons, which resulted in his successful and profitable Special Concert at the Troubadour. We believe his absence resulted in lower Getaway attendance. 

The weekend came in $6301 over budget, but that budget was highly subsidized by a Martin Guitar Foundation grant of $1,000, an $8,000 Board subsidy for entertainment, and a Board subsidy of $2,500 for a discount to previous Getaway guests because of inflation. By comparison, a normal Getaway endowment is $1,700, and, if that was the only subsidy, Getaway would have lost $2,500. A $10,500 subsidy from the Board was a one-time investment to reboot a full-attendance Getaway and is unsustainable going forward.

Apparently, most entertainment — not just The Folk Project and folk music — are experiencing lower attendance in all age groups — not just Boomers. Inflation is real. Our costs and prices have increased. 

Recommendation

Due to the new reality, I’d like a Board consensus on this recommendation:

• Hold one Getaway a year in the spring.
• Double the Spring endowment from $1,700 to $3,400.
• Reapply to Martin Guitar Foundation for a larger grant.
• Lower the entertainment budget from 7 or 8 to $6,000.

Inflation and “adult lodgings" have made two Getaways a year an inordinate expense for many of our couples. After multiple private discussions, I do not recommend holding a Fall Getaway without performers. Even though The Folk Project could break even financially on a no-outside-artist event, it would divide the community and diminish both Getaways at a time when attendance is waining. I do not recommend another Duet Roulette as a substitute for the Sunday Finale Concert as a means to save artist fees. In the distant past, Sunday concerts had too many empty seats. Sunday concerts should be high quality, outside entertainment to maintain the energy needed for a three-day Getaway.

Board Decision, Please

Stony Point asked about an October 2024 Getaway and requested a deposit. I told them it was a Board determination and they’d know after our June meeting. I’m requesting a Board straw poll on the recommendations given.

My Resignation

I’d like someone else to take over this wonderful and fulfilling position. By maximizing Stony Points capabilities, the work has been substantially reduced, but the rewards remain equally brilliant and satisfying.

Thanks 

I’d say 35 volunteers make Getaway happen. Thanks to the performers and to the workshop leaders, but it seems everybody pitches in in a million ways all weekend long, so thanks to everyone. Special thanks to our full-time workers, Robin, Pat Brangs, and John Mahon. And thanks to Stony Point, not only for their welcoming and hardworking staff, but for understanding that we were not meeting our attendance goals and then graciously adjusting our contract to meet our lower expectations.

Mark Schaffer, Folk Project Special Events Chair
201-207-8696
Mark.Schaffer@folkproject.org

TROUBADOUR

From: Mark Schaffer <mark.schaffer@folkproject.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 3:25 PM
To: Board <Board@folkproject.org>
Subject: Troubadour Report to Board 2024 June

Troubadour Booking Report - Mark Schaffer

The first month as the new booking chair started with some near-term June bookings.

Organizationally, we’re using the Troubadour’s original “staffing” model, where numerous volunteers contribute in innumerable ways and there is no committee.

Todd, Robin, John, Peg, Bookkeeper Karen, and I have been evaluating the data flow coming in from numerous sources and going out to various recipients with various needs, all at various times. Mike has been helpful keeping systems going and enumerating data input and distribution operations. Automating systems will take time, but there appears to be an opportunity to streamline this massive and complex operation. Progress is being made as we speak.

Valuable advice on opening acts has come from Jay Wilensky, Dave Goldman, Todd Dennison, and Tina Ross. 

On May 31st, Troubadour introduced fixed pricing, no creel donations, the new Folk Project logo and branding, a new stage backdrop featuring the new branding and logo, and new theatrical lighting. Todd and Alex from MUUF “finished" installing the system that day, just in time for the show. The hardware is essentially “smart" theatrical bulbs with computerized controls, so the cost is higher for the lighting hardware, but saves thousands of dollars by not requiring a certified electrician to install new wiring. After viewing the initial installation, we will be installing a few more “smart” bulbs to achieve our lighting goals. Thank you, Future Planning Committee, for directing this improvement for the Troubadour.

Financials are the same: Not Good. Post-COVID, The Folk Project has benefited from donations to the Troubadour by Bill Henderson and Mike Agranoff to the tune of thousands and thousands of dollars. We expect the Troubadour to continue losing money without those contributions. It appears that the new fixed admission policy will not help the Troubadour's or our artists’ bottom line. The Joe Jencks concert lost money with 75+ in the audience, including volunteers and free passes. Until the average attendance goes above 100, we can expect losses to continue. Also, it’s uncertain, but it may be that our big-audience artists will make less money than under old donation system.

Attendance is growing in two ways, but slowly: (1) Better-known artists are drawing decent crowds. (2) New regulars are showing up.

From a planning standpoint, about 25% of pre-COVID regulars were expected to return on a regular basis. That expectation, unfortunately, turned out to be true. The only way for the Troubadour to remain viable as a community series was to develop a new group of regulars. That is a slow process. It relies on better-known acts and social media advertising.  Those of us familiar with our audiences have seen a slow and steady growth in new regulars, which is good, but nowhere near the number we need to present an acceptably-sized audience and to attain break-even financials.

Here’s Mike Agranoff’s numbers:

Troubadour Financial and Attendance reports - Mike Agranoff

The first two shows of May were OK in attendance, but not spectacular.  Average attendance was 64.5 paid (77.0 total), and we netted an $84 profit.  Year-to-date the paid attendance was 88.2, and we netted $1,670 in profit.