Board Meeting Highlights
The following are notes from the April, 2012, board meeting:
1. We reviewed and approved the budget for the online Houseparty in 2014.
2. We reviewed the proposed budget for 2012-2013 fiscal year.
3. We reviewed the names of the election committee (for counting ballots and observing the counting) and the proposed team was approved.
4. We have a new Facebook page. Check it out and “like” us! http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Association-of-Miniature-Enthusiasts/119336298194117
Thanks to Marti Icenogle who has taken the time to set this up.
5. We reviewed the long term plan.
6. We reviewed the membership report. We have a slight increase in total numbers. About 1/3 of those have joined in the last five years.
7. We discussed the houseparty in the gazette and fees for printing the extra big gazette and what to charge workshop presenters/dealers/RT applicants/ads.
8. We are working on reproducing the 1997 Houseparty in the Gazette as a fundraiser for the upcoming Houseparty in the Gazette and discussed that.
9. We discussed the schedule and several new concepts as presented by the Tucson Convention committee and the Houseparty Advisory Committee. Information will be sent back to the Committee for consideration.
10. We discussed the use of the NAME logo for one of the roundtables submitted to Charlotte, and approved the submission.
11. We approved the nominees for the Regional Ambassador Awards as submitted by several regions.
12. There is a new contest in the Gazette using the star table from Bespaq.
13. The Gala at Charlotte is nearly sold out.
14. The next on-line estate auction is scheduled for May 26-27.
15. 47 applications have been submitted for the Hallmark Ornament contest.
16. We discussed Toni’s current status and will be posting on the online group information about where get well cards and notes should be going. We are all hoping and praying for a positive outcome for Toni’s medical situation. We miss her and love her.
The following are notes from the November, 2011, board meeting:
1. We approved the formation of an “Out of the Box” committee to look at how we conduct our Houseparties and Conventions and brainstorm for new ideas and new directions. A previous proposal for something similar was rejected by the board as the focus was on making NAME more attractive to hotels. This proposal is broader and intended to look at all aspects of Conventions and Houseparties.
2.The NAME auction at the Philadelphia Miniaturia this month was a huge success.
3.
Through October, we’re on track for our annual budget.
4.
Our current membership is 4576. That is 172 less than last month and 290 less than what had the end of January of this year. Three big factors are our aging membership, the economy and complacency.
5.
We discussed planning another NAME member-only function like, for example, an online Mini Weekend including an auction to be held in February when most of our members are hunkered down for the winter and more apt to be at their computers.
6.
We discussed the timing of the Houseparty in the Gazette vs. NAME Day events that same year. We will run the information in the gazette in the May/June issue, with activities planned for August for those who will be celebrating the Houseparty in the Gazette with friends.
7.
We discussed upcoming Houseparties and Conventions. We are far into negotiations with a hotel in St. Louis.
8.
We discussed trying to get timelines ready for convention and houseparty chairs when their budgets are provided.
9.
We’ll be putting up a shopping cart shortly. We will be using “Shop Site.” We have already done a test of this product and found it to be easy to use from the member perspective and also capable of providing the data to the office needed for book-keeping.
10.
Nick has been talking to the UFDC (United Federation of Doll Collectors) to see if there are potential collaborations (e.g. providing tables at each other’s shows, etc.)
11.
We are looking into printing NAME bookmarks that could be given to vendors to slip into sales bags at miniature shows.
12.
We reviewed our fundraising projects. We’ve sold out of trunks for the trunk contest.
13.
Babette is working with a couple of estates.
14.
Activities are underway for NAME Day 2012.
15.
We reviewed the long term plan.
16.
Patty is working on job descriptions for the folks working in the office.
The following are notes from the October, 2011, board meeting:
1. The Joehnk’s were contacted about potential upgrades to the museum. Babette is writing an article with the museum needs and is taking photos to be printed in the Gazette to show those areas that need work. The article will ask for specific donations for specific items.
2. The barn has now been repaired and is safe to use again. The front steps and railings have been replaced.
3. Our application for registering our trademark has been sent to LegalZoom and they have completed the search process to see if there are any existing trademarks that might cause our application to be rejected. There were no conflicts found and they will now submit our application to the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office).
4. In accordance with recommendations from our financial auditors, we’ve instituted a new policy for reimbursements for the office staff.
5. We are on track with respect to our annual budget.
6. There was a very slight increase of membership during Sept. Our past dues are at an ever-increasing number. Many are saying that it is one area that they can cut spending on for the time being and will return when they have more disposable income. Congratulations to E3 which netted 12 new members this month, as well as C-E and E2 who showed the most increases in membership on a percentage basis.
7. All future Houseparties and conventions were discussed. We’ve signed a contract with a hotel in Greenville for the Small Scales Regional in 2014. Romaine Eyler and Helen Sparks will chair the Houseparty in the Gazette in 2013.
8. We voted to no longer allow a person to act as advisor for a convention/houseparty where they are also a member of the convention/houseparty steering committee. Colleen Walker is replacing Debbie Young on the Advisory Committee and will now be the advisor for the Portland Houseparty. Susan Karatjas will be replacing Dan Zerkel on the Advisory Committee.
9. Tom Walden (with his software development hat on) has met with both Kim and Toni and has been given a complete demo of their current system. Thanks to both who had to come into the office on a Sunday to do these demos to accommodate Tom's work schedule.
10. Starting with the Charlotte convention, the registration forms have been updated to allow submission of the registration forms starting 30 days prior to the opening day for registration. Those forms are then treated as “first day postmarks.”
11. A shopping cart has been added to the NAME website for review and testing only. Once we are satisfied that it does what we need, Shannon Moore will install this on the NAME website as a permanent feature to make paying dues, etc., easier.
12. Board summary reports will now be sent to all RCs, SRs, PRs and Club Presidents following each board meeting. These can be used in regional newsletters if desired to notify NAME members about what the board is working on. They will also be posted on the NAME website.
13. We still have 13 clubs that have not renewed for 2011.
14. The NAME Day project for 2012 is on the drawing board.
15. We raised $579 from the Tom Walden radio offered in the gazette as a fundraiser.
16. All trunks have been sold as part of the “Legendary Trunk” contest using the 2007 convention trunk souvenir .The contest submissions will be due at the NAME office on or before March 1, 2012.
17. The Jan/Feb 2012 Gazette fundraiser will feature the Cleveland Convention Souvenirs as well as several other items from the event.
18. The Estate Committee is working on a Duties Description for the regional estate liaison as well as a document for members and families that will outline the various options of NAME’s estate donation and disbursement program. In the meantime, we have acquired several estates.
19. We will be doing a Hallmark Ornament contest next year. Look for details in a future gazette/website/NAME Blog and don’t pack your ornaments away where you can’t find them! This will be an individual contest rather than a club competition.
April 26, 2012