1. Call to Order
Chair, Nathan Wakefield, called the meeting to order at: 7:04 pm EDT
2. Roll: Nathan Wakefield, Louie Skaradek, Ian Michael Loughlin, Eric Shibuya, Exuro Piechocki, Josie Marks-McQuade, Scott Cain, Mike Sullivan, Afton Benson, Erin Stephens, Martin Frost, Noel Yee
Present: Nathan, Louie, Eric, Exuro, Josie, Scott, Afton, Martin, Ian, Noel, Erin
Absent: Mike
3. Approval of Agenda
Motion: Exuro
Second by: Eric
Discussion: Nil
Vote: Unanimously Approved
4. Approval of Minutes:
Business Board Meeting October 30th, 2017.
Motion: Louie
Second: Scott
Discussion: Nil
Vote: Unanimously Approved
5. Reports (Please keep verbal reports to 5 min or less except for festival and future festival discussion)
Financial Report (Afton Benson)
Discussion: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1G1X9sPER_JLO1em4yvCWsXImgZoo3V2e
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RhUL0ugqUW6x_saNbDSx1L_aU6cJ4jY5
The current P&L and Balance sheet. Everything is on track as it has been all year. Dennis will be working on getting the year end numbers together next, and then getting the 990 together.
Finances: P&L and Balance through quarter three. Running a negative right now – we have had more expenses than we have had. More with less. Some expenses with moving archives from Nevada to Ohio. DVD expenses. We had the money, but nothing came in to offset those expenses.
Just informed – Festival P&L is wrong – the money from square went into the wrong account – Money from square was not added to the total??? Will be looking into it with Dennis. Missing some numbers and figured it out – need to check into it further with Dennis. Still had a really good festival. Something to look into… Amount is unknown – possible $15,000 – but does not seem right – all the credit card transactions on the square stuff. (total ballpark) Money got transferred ? or sitting in square fund ?
Noel – the onsite sales, line items account – need to know more clearly how those sales where / how made.
Afton – will go through the 2017 budget to help create a better line item account for Noel for 2018 moving forward
IRCs – did we get $7000 in donations? iiWii was putting funding towards them and UnaMed? — actually other funders/donors, not just those two. $7850 – confirmed donated for 2017. (per Erin)
Was web hosting really 10,000?(ish) Last year it was $12,000(ish).
Not just web hosting – YM is about $6000 per year.
Web hosting (dreamhost) is free because of non profit status.
What is the $6000 “Other”amount for communications?
What is the $8000 video production costs? We do pay some expenses for videographers (hotels and more). We aquired some archival video footage and digitizing costs – $400 to $500.
Travel – Line item for IRC’s $250 travel – … $8000 in travel, prize money, etc.
Maybe some rushing on Dennis’ part – but that number is not outrageous for the travel. Erin and Afton will work to help clarify these numbers. Some carry over not represented on this P&L. The IRC amounts are not in all the right columns, and there is a separate spreadsheet with these items broken out.
2018 budget work – almost every officer is looking for an increase. We are looking at operating at a loss, so what do we do as far as moving forward. We are lucky to have reserves and private donors. At this point we can not sustain some of these increases and adjustments. There are some private donors giving to the IJA, and that money was earmarked.
2018 Festival Report (Noel Yee)
Report
Discussion: Noel: There has been a lot of areas of success and some that need more work / clarification. Going off last years is a little tricky – would like to work with Afton to clear it up. Some price increases (a few dollars).
Most guidance needed on the ‘workflow’ – how to get the ticket prices to YM.
Contractual double checking.
Settling up all the shows (welcome, youth, ind, teams, cascade) some possible side show. How do we list or sell the special shows. All the shows in a package? Passing on registration knowledge is needed.
Can Noel and Afton meet in the next week or two to get a budget by the end of year?
Areas listed from Dans budget. Needs to know what ‘Final’ looks like. ? Nathan- anchor projection of anticipated expenses and income – to make sure they ‘make sense’ so as the last of the items come in we know the reality of the budget.
Things to look out for – selling more seats than the venue holds… items like that.
Budget should include all the expenses, no surprise $10,000. But things will change in small amounts.
Noel has been estimating conservatively. What level should this be brought too? Should the budget be best case or worst case?
Are there premium upgrades? Afton will type up a bare bones budget to fill in. Historically this will be a down year. (But others say it will be an up year because of the location.)
In the next two weeks – send out a budget that feels ‘solid’.
Also – poised to start amping up marketing. Needed: newsletter content and little announcements. One major special guest announcement by the end of the year. Contracts are out, but the contracts are not back yet. Some items have been promoted some – theater and honorary awards.
Logo for festival 2018? It’s a brand and advertisement tool. Cassandra is on it.
Shoot for friday the 22nd for this info for newsletter.
Awesomeness fund – Committee? Look into other people? Not spent on gauntlet…? (team may be stepping away from it some to, need to take a break from it…) (around $4000 – need to confirm)
Look into the timing of the brunch and breakfast.
How to get ticket prices and stuff onto YM? Mike Sullivan – has been putting this into the YM software.
Future Festival Planning (Mike Sullivan)
Discussion: Nil – overall looking good.
eJuggle Report (Scott Seltzer)
Report
Discussion: Nil
Membership (Marilyn Sullivan)
Discussion: Up some from this month last year. 10% more.
Marketing (Erin Stephens)
Discussion: Things have been going well. Nice fluid process, some preloading of posts will begin to happen.
Seasonal holiday promotions will start to happen with the Vendor Discount Program. Good news: Reached out to all the vendors. Bad news: only one got back to us with a picture or content. (Three finger juggling)
Amazon Smile promotions in the works. – Signing in with Amazon Smile and choosing the IJA as the recipient. Amazon donates .5% to the non profit.
Can we mention the Amazon Smile program on the website. Overall – okay with it. It is ‘advertising’ Amazon – but if more people know of it, all the better.
Last couple weeks – IJA able to receive funding and donations through the facebook platform. Users select International Jugglers’ Association – and can create donation button for the IJA. (already set up, waiting on final approval / final steps)
IRC (Erin Stephens)
Discussion: (sharing fixes and emails)
IRC’s is a large ‘project’ of the IJA.
Mucky in the world of project vs IJA donations. Keep an eye on this. People will need to be aware that the donations are going to the IRC project and not generally to the IJA.
Going strong, items to be voted on in Motions for Consideration.
YJA (Galen Harp)
Report
Discussion: Nil
Mentors and Mentoring (Eric Shibuya)
Report
Discussion: Draft questionnaire. Have the board look over the questionnaire and give feedback. Possibly have Mark Nizer do voice over for video about the crossover of the Vaudeville and Internet generations.
Text based? eJuggle? Video or Audio? – Initial thought is to do this written.
Get some high quality pictures of the people and video of mentors.
6. Motions for Consideration
A. Motion to approve the IRC fundraiser campaign proposal.
Motion: Josie
Second: Ian
Discussion: Concerns – funneling the endeavors to one project and not the organization as a whole. Events should be run through the board.
IRC or IJA: never been a holiday initiative before – so this would be the first implementation. A great learning experience as the marketing director. Take this and move it into an annual campaign with the IJA as a whole. Great Idea to have a fundraiser as a whole.
Why not go for $50,000 – go for it and then see from there. Sooner the better for getting the matching funds.
Money goes through ‘networkforgood’ – goes through the address listed on guidestar. (aggregated from 990 forms).
Possible way to free up money to put back into other IJA projects.?
If we don’t raise enough, then the budget can be worked.
Fundraising to end DEC 31st.
Everything is set and ready to launch at 8am tomorrow. Can include the board in the facebook group.
Matan – props to him.
Outcome: Unanimously Approved
B. Motion to approve holding the IRC Africa 2018 at the African Juggling Convention in Cotonou, Benin on the 20th of November, 2018, including a $400 contribution by the IJA for prize money and marketing. (See IRC Africa 2018 Proposal)
Motion: Scott
Second: Ian
Discussion: already earmarked in the budget.
Outcome: Unanimously Approved
C. Motion to approve holding the IRC Mexico 2018 at the Periplo International Circus Festival in Guadalajara on the 11th of June, 2018, including a $400 contribution by the IJA for prize money and marketing. (See IRC Mexico 2018 Proposal)
Motion: Louie
Second: Eric
Discussion: Already earmarked in the budget.
Outcome: Unanimously Approved
7. Varia:
IJA Facebook Group
Discuss – had a board group for a couple years. Can we add in officers – and use it for more. Can we expand communications through that? Maybe have a board and board and officers group. (2 groups?)
Going to open up the facebook group to all officers – main communication source. Email will then be used for official proposals and for the paper trail.
Guinness World Records
Have Guinness send a proposal of specific records they would like to see attempted. And it could be ‘fun’ to choose a couple records that many people could be a part of.
Email – Alan in there – thread.
Most people juggling five balls. etc.
8. Executive Session
Motion: Ian
Second: Exuro
Discussion: Board and Communications Officer
Vote: Unanimously Approved
Exited session: 9:41
Motion: To grant eJuggle director to be able to trade 44 memberships in exchange for a Life Membership for a distinguished contributor.
Motion: Eric
Second: Exuro
Vote: Scott Cain Abstain – Motion Passed
9. Set December Meetings
Next Vision Planning Meeting – December 11th, 2017 at 7:000 ET
Next Business Board Meeting – December 18th, 2017 at 7:000 ET.
10. Adjournment
Motion to adjourn: Scott
Discussion: Nil
Voting: Unanimously Approved
Meeting adjourned at 9:44 pm ET.