Spina Bifida Association of Northeastern New York Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 123 Saratoga Road Scotia, NY 12302 March 31, 2012 10:00 a.m. Directors Present: Shameka Andrews, Kevin Chamberlain, Amy Clinton, Barbara Devore, James Gallagher, Hali Holmes (by phone), Ray Langelier, Stephanie Mumford, Dan O Connell Others Present: Karen Wentworth (ED), Vanessa Chamberlain Proceedings: Meeting called to order by Shameka Andrews, Chair. Secretary s Report by Dan O'Connell: There were no changes to the February 11 th board meeting minutes. Karen provided edits to the strategic planning retreat minutes and some corrections. Under outreach, there was only one school that didn t want to have parents sign waivers for the Challenges program. Under affiliation agreement, it is national SBA that has delayed signing this for one more year. In terms of our personnel policy, the every three year review is something that should happen. Finally, the minutes should reflect that the 80 attendance at board meetings is something all directors are responsible for it is not an or with the other options. The minutes were accepted with these revisions. Treasurer s Report: Ray Langelier presented an update to the Board including a budget vs. actual analysis. Some items of note were the inclusion of some Capital Rep revenue due to delays in their paying us; $1,700 from a student in Corning through a school fundraiser. There was also contact with a student group from New Jersey that liked out website. 1
In addition, it was noted there will be a virtual walk n roll team for those who cannot be present for the event. We still need to apply for $2,500 DDPC funds. The large copy expense is for conference materials. The projected loss for the year is $21,760. The actuals in terms of loss are low right now because we haven t had our large events. Amy moved to accept the treasurer s report and Stephanie seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Fundraising: Directors discussed whether we should maintain separate fundraising and development committees. Amy suggested combining them since fundraising is an integral part of resource development. Barbara agreed that there needs to be close cooperation, but noted that no one wanted to take on the role of chairing the joint committee. Jim said he might be able to take on the chair position but would need a few days to think it through. The Hudson-Mohawk Marathon will be held again this year, and Jim said he would be running for the chapter. For Capital Rep, Jen may be able to help coordinate, and Karen said she is working on a flier. Stephanie mentioned using SponsorPort as a way of getting silent auction items, but this needs to be done early. There are more teams this year for the Walk n Roll. There are nine teams registered online and more than $1,300 pledged already. We need more sponsorships so far just a media donation from the Times Union and $500 from VitaPath. It was suggested that perhaps Dr. Adamo would get AMC to be a sponsor. Also, persons who aren t on a team could join Karen s as virtual members. This year the photo waiver will be part of the sign in process. 2
Development: Barb reported on the meeting she and Dan had with Lydia at Smith Barney. While we did not receive any direct assistance from the company, Lydia sent a $100 personal check as a donation. Karen said she would get a thank you out to Lydia and then, Barb and Dan could reconnect and see what else is possible. The next entity the development committee decided to visit is the Bank of Scotia where our corporate account is. The Community Foundation for the Capital Region has $15,000 for capital grants. They have announced this year that they will be targeting small disability related groups. Governance Committee: Hali reported that the letter to National on the vision statement was ready for us to sign. It was circulated at the meeting for signature. Kevin discussed policies and procedures that had been provided to directors for their review. Financial Management Anything above $500 will require prior board approval unless it is part of a grant, in which case the board will be informed. Our 990 should go to the full board before it is submitted. Karen will send the last one out for directors to see and it will be added to the website cabinet. It should also be on Guidestar. We have a nominal investment committee, but should have this functioning. The question of board insurance was raised, which we do have. Barb asked to have this information provided. Barb moved and Amy seconded acceptance of the Fiscal Management policies and procedures. This passed unanimously. Conflict of interest -- Board members need to disclose any such conflicts and these would be referred to the governance committee. Karen had some edits. Amy moved and Barb seconded acceptance of the Conflict of Interest policies and procedures. This was approved unanimously. Petty Cash Karen has requested this. It is awkward not to have funds available except through the ATM. $200 was suggested as a possible amount. 3
Privacy The draft policy was read by Kevin. Stephanie moved and Amy seconded acceptance of the Privacy policy. This passed unanimously. Email Votes Kevin presented this with edits. Amy moved and Stephanie seconded acceptance of this policy. It passed unanimously. Email Policy Discussion of this will be postponed till May so board members have a chance to read it. Each director will have a mailbox on the server with rules for what is allowed to be communicated to outside entities. This may cause problems. There may also be employee vs. board issues that need to be considered. Other board issues discussed: Board expansion asked about next steps for this. Barb and Hali will chair governance which would be responsible. Karen said she would follow up with the two lawyers we were considering as well as Kevin Bean at UA. Kevin said we have updated board materials that we can provide prospective members. In terms of the board survey, Hali mentioned the findings, such as our need for new blood on the board, tightening up fundraising, We are already strong in terms of leadership and trust. Conference: Karen said we have a written report that was circulated. Everything seems to be progressing well. The need for volunteers was stressed. Dan, Ray and Amy said they could be there early. Plans were also solidified for the dinner with the keynote speaker. Executive Director s Report: A written report was provided. Health Charities payroll giving is an opportunity for us. We need to get Spina Bifida info to be included in this. We have only one application, with another coming in. Dan is chairing this and will work with Barb. Chris may be interested too. The deadline has be extended till after the conference so we can publicize this more. For the Fall Weekend, we still need a venue since Double H is closed for renovations. SBANENY s 4
administrative capacity needs to be looked at. Possible solutions include expanding Karen s time or bringing other people on. We need to understand better what functions need to get done and then have the staff to do them. The office lease is still an issue. Amy, Jim and Barb were looking into alternatives. Our current rent is going up from $6,400 to $7,200 per year. The national conference is in Indiana this year on June 28th. Karen will represent us. Next Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for May 12 th, but there was a sense a doodle would be necessary so we pick a date with maximum participation. A topic that should be on the agenda is what we should do with our 7 sports wheelchairs. They could be donated or made available for loan. Adjournment: Motion: by Barb to adjourn. Seconded by Dan. Motion passed unanimously. 5