Minutes, March 25, 2021

Call to Order:   5:35 pm

Attendees:

Board Members (via zoom):
Scott Coltrane – President

Skip Coburn – Treasurer,
J. Ingrid Kessler – Secretary,
Members: Joshua Burstein, Margaret Hallock, Marilyn Milne, Ralph Pledger, Laural O’Rourke

Guest:  Joel Korin

  1. Minutes were approved:  First, “Agenda” was changed to “Minutes.” The minutes were then approved as submitted.
  2. Agenda was approved: First, the Board added a Program Committee Update. The agenda was then approved as presented.
  3. Executive Director’s Report (Silver) –
    1. Membership engagement:
      1. Membership numbers are slightly increased up to 142 this month including a few new members.
      2. Audience numbers: There is a drop off in viewership on both Facebook and YouTube. Podcasts are wonderful – thank you Marilyn! Also the radio broadcasts sound professional and are going strong every Monday night.
  • Resubscription issue: Members who have already resubscribed are continuing to receive alert notices, which is thought to be a bump in our transition to our new Client Relations Manager, Bloomerang.  This is expected to resolve when we are entirely moved over to Bloomerang.
  1. Office Space: There is now very significant clutter in our office space which is causing a safety issue. Silver is limiting his time in the office. President Coltrane will reach out to Steve Robinson for discussion. He will also contact the Venue Committee to more highly prioritize our search for new office space. Our wifi will move with us when the time comes.
  1. Treasurer’s Report (Skip) – Financial documents and a narrative were provided to the Board in advance of the meeting.
    1. Balance sheet item: Certain temporary restricted accounts have been changed as per the Board’s instructions at our last meeting.
    2. The Monument Project (ACTION ITEM): We need to set up a restricted account to receive funds specifically designated for this project, including funds that have been generously donated by the Round Table. A motion to do this was made and seconded, then passed. We did not get the Eugene City Grant for this program.  However, the City is including it in their Downtown Program where Additional we will be featured in storefronts.
    3. Profit and Loss Review: We had a strong month in February. Monthly profit and loss shows good income because of robust donations from the City and others, as well as sponsorships which came in. Additional sponsorships are expected in March and April.
      Old Business
      1. Program Committee (Joel) – We are programmed through the middle of June. The Mayor will address the City Club in an upcoming meeting. A recent request by the Attorney General’s office for a program was declined but an invitation to suggest different topic was extended. We had a great program produced this past week including the President of the American Medical Association. Comments about potential and upcoming programming from members of the Board were shared to be relayed to the committee.
      2. CRM Update – (Skip & Silver) – Weekly meetings are now occurring with very good progress being made.
      3. Membership Committee Proposal (ACTION ITEM): (Ralph & Skip) – Ralph provided the minutes from the committee’s last meeting to the Board in advance of the Board meeting. 
        1. These are the proposed membership categories:
          1. Standard membership of $95 (both for new and renewing members)
          2. Volunteer rate at $65 (with more active management of who is entitled to receive this rate)
          3. Student rate of $10 (with proof of being a student)
          4. Organization membership of $150 for small not-for profits (unchanged from what we have now)
          5. Small Business membership with a rate of $250 (restricted to for-profit entities with no more than five employees).
        2. Discussion: This is a move away from the Club being dependent on membership dues and becoming more community-supported. We have wrestled with including members who may have limited income – one way to solve this is by lowering the membership fee for everyone. Are we sure this is ok for the financial health of the organization? Yes.  
  • Proposed Effective Date: We will have an anticipated changeover date to the new fee structure of 7/1/2021.
  • A motion was made to accept the membership committee’s proposal with additional details to follow at our next Board meeting. The motion was seconded and then passed.
  1. Newsletter update (Scott) – Committee Chairs please submit reports on your activities to Mary Leighton for our newsletter
  2. Nominating Committee update (ACTION ITEM) (Marilyn et al): – Marilyn is acting as Chair of this committee.
    1. There is a full roster of candidates for the coming Board year:
      1. Scott Coltrane will become Past President
      2. Kaarin Knudsen will join the Board as President Elect
      3. Skip Coburn will remain Treasurer
      4. Board Positions to be filled by: Andrew Kalloch, Juan-Carlos Molleda, Sandra Smalley
      5. Directors Departing: Josh Burstein and Katherine Schacht. We will miss these individuals. They leave with our great thanks!
    2. A motion was made to approve this roster. The motion was properly  seconded.  The motion passed with those who were affected by this vote abstaining.
      New Business
      1. Annual Board Meeting:
        1. Currently scheduled:  May 20, 2021 via zoom, with email election. May 20th is a Thursday rather than Friday – there was concern about the popularity of people being able to attend.
        2. Proposed date: How about just having it at noon on Friday May 21 as usual? We could record it earlier in the week (as usual) and people could tune in at will also as usual.
      2. Turtles update (Scott)
        1. What are the Turtles? The criteria for becoming a turtle were reviewed. Turtles are community leaders who stick their neck out for the good of the community. Per City Club bylaws, the Turtles are their own separate committee. 
        2. The Turtle Awards: The Turtles have autonomy to pick the new Turtles. There is a Memo of Understanding between the Turtles and the City Club. The Turtles will present their list of proposed winners to the CCE Board within the upcoming weeks. If we have any questions we can contact the Turtles.
        3. Turtles at the Annual Meeting: Usually the Turtles and the annual meeting are on the same day. The annual meeting is only 15 minutes and then the Turtles have their awards ceremony. This year, the awards will be virtual and recorded in advance, which allows for more flexibility.
  1. Single Program Sponsorship – Oregon Physicians for a National Health Care Program recently sponsored a single program for $1500. This has only happened once before.  However, other clubs do have single program sponsors and even series sponsors. By general consensus, the Board decided to refer the development of single-program sponsorship to the Development Committee with the following issues to be considered:
    1. Autonomy: When a program is sponsored, the program committee retains full control of program content.
    2. Limits of Sponsorship: Any sponsor should not use the program to solicit funding for their organization. 
  • Equal Access: Through our website or by otherwise contacting City Club, anyone can suggest a program. As it is, this happens six to twelve times any given year.
  1. Help from our friends: Other City Clubs could be a resource for us as to how to accomplish this in an equitable way. Bend, Portland and Springfield City Clubs would be a good start to gather information. 

Announcements

    1. Next Board Meeting is Thursday, April 22, 5:30 pm
Summary of Actions and Plans (Ingrid)
    1. Scott – contact Steve Robinson about our office space and concerns for hazards. Alert venue committee Chair (Mary) to find new office space. Contact John Van Landingham about the Turtle presentation at the Annual meeting. To send Turtle list to BoD. Will send the issue of single sponsorship to development committee.
    2. Skip – Will alert the Venue committee to find office space. Will continue to communicate with sponsors of the recent single program sponsorship to finalize our receipt of funds.
    3. Silver – Will get bios from people up for election.
    4. Marilyn — put Turtle information on the website. 
    5. Joel—Will relay Board comments about upcoming programs to program committee.  Will coordinate Turtles program presentation for annual meeting. To contact Sam Metz for ideas about sponsorships for single programs and series of programs.
    6. Committee Chairs – please submit reports to Mary Leighton for our newsletter.

Adjournment at 7:13 pm

Faithfully submitted, J. Ingrid Kessler, DVM, Board Secretary