2018 BOARD MEETING AGENDA
December 14, 2017 7:00 p.m.
Conference by Phone
Brian thanked the group for excepting positions.
Looking forward to working with the 2018 JCC Board
January 3rd meeting to present to the membership
Brian asked that he was going to call on each member to comment on each of the items that Brian wants to cover over the next few months.
Brian called on Young: Express how to treat new members and try to keep the website updated.
Gail: New members being made to feel welcome.
Paula: New members agreed – Explore social within the meeting.
Brian – doing something at board meetings. How a couple of current members get with new members.
Paula – club participation great idea each person are getting points–will a person who volunteers get points. Prints of handling of the hard copy.
Brian – digital copies and filling out forms for submitting prints. Discussion on submitting digital images for prints. Problematic of collecting prints for annual contest.
Young – testing of submitting form with label – will be sending testing of system, print label and print it in excel spreadsheet sometime next week for all the board members. Young explained how to submit and print the label.
John – digital upload image central. Takes images and drags to a list.
Young – suggested to wait and see the process of submitting images.
Continued discussion on submitting images.
Brian – suggested later in January a meeting just for this area.
Jen – within the last few days 2017 images are on the gallery and judges comments. Give newer members an opportunity to see the galleries – 2015, 2016, 2017.
Brian – gives people an opportunity to get on website and see galleries.
Gail – suggested about sending out email or blast about the above galleries.
Les – Haven’t been involved with club for awhile almost like coming in as a new member – i.e. website. Things have changed with like the strikes.
Brian – paying for items on the website – like outings, banquet and membership dues.
Brian – discuss first 30 minutes for the 2018 year on January 3rd meeting. First board meeting on Feb 10th at 9:30 a.m. but no place yet to have meeting.
Paula – Digital contest area what came out of motion for digital–
Brian – change for annual points being awarded to images. Try to put thru motion but did not pass. No change in digital will put in motion for 2019. Will have more discussion at February meeting.
Jan – think about it and develop before presenting it to the club
Brian – make it more constaint like in prints and make digital more so images can be dealt with
John – covered everything for him
Jan – mentors – take out new members
Brian – brain storm this in February – out on shot for technical help and/or social just to get to know other members
Jan – more structure system – 3 or 4 current members use of check off list.
Brian – new member orientation package – website orientation thru the website – make that part of the introduction. Get it going for new members and then open it up to any current members.
Les – the only thing – convenient common place to meet up that is convenient for all.
Gail – have packet of item for new members until they get on the website
Paula – agreed with this process.
Mike – need to be able to have more information on point system, i.e. something on website.
Jan – offering payment – payment for workshops – like Mark Partini – a gesture of a gift card in lieu of payment.
Brian -next board meeting – have education fund to utilize for some instructions of i.e. in May with John Reed – more structure around
Paula – more people are willing to come out to do it for the love of it – paying more print entries against paying increase.
Jan – members are willing to pay but not $200.00 for a workshop.
Brian – clarify that having workshops on Saturdays and paying
Paula – paying prints entries against paying increase only cost a bit
Young – all of the judges filled for 2018 digital
Brian – Prints starting to have issues with judges not to have to pay someone
Young – most judges that are any good will not accept payment they learn from judging
Brain – more discussion on increasing the print entry
Gail – $2.00 per print? for mailing – does any leftover funds go into general or ????
Young – to table that discussion for later
Brian – keeping this to an hour and it is about that time
Young – email print form to board about 15% will do it – send back to Young – do it to improve the process.
Brain concluded the meeting and everyone said goodbye and have safe and happy holidays.
Attachment 1 – 12/14/17 JCC Board Meeting Agenda:
Purpose of Call: To share the issues that I have identified as things I would like to see us work on this year. I plan to include these topics in the first meeting on Jan 3rd. I would also like to hear about topics you are concerned about that I have not included. The items that I include here and in the meeting January 3rd are topical and strategic in nature. I am going to try and avoid specifics because I would like to see us come to the February board meeting prepared to prioritize the issues we work on and discuss the topics and provide ideas and opinions. While there may be some things that we have clear consensus on and implement immediately, my hope would be that we would use the time between February and the May board meeting to put together concrete proposals/motions on some of the higher priority items.
Areas of Focus:
1.) New members – I would like to make a significant push to increase not only the number of new members but that we make a proactive effort to quickly integrate the new members into the club both socially and in terms of participating/volunteering in Club activities. Some things I have thought about is having a committee chair to help develop the process and to attract help from other club members. Our efforts may include community outreach, small group photo outings with new members, greeters to give new members special attention at the first meeting to include info on the club but to learn and document interests/backgrounds, etc. of the new members. Additional thoughts are to provide a written orientation guide explaining contests/ the website, contests, outings, programs and other activities. We also good provide hands on website training on navigation, uploading photos, blogging, etc. I would like to see a follow up process on new members that stop coming to meetings.
2.) Club Participation – I think we place a big burden on officers, board members, and committee chairs to the extent it is getting very difficult to find volunteers to help. I think we should look at opportunities to adopt club members to help us with part of our activities and responsibilities. This could be taking specific parts of a job or just ask for help during big events/outings etc. Example (print chair may want to have a helper to collect prints while the chairperson focuses on finding judges and sending and collecting prints). I think this helps give members more of a sense of belonging and provides a little OJT if they decide to become your replacement. We need to be proactive at making this a little more fun for us.
3.) Review our efforts and finding judges: Swapping with other clubs, occasionally offering payment, etc. Increase cost of entering contests to offset costs
4.) Changing procedures on print contests regarding digital copies, etc
5.) Take another look at the Digital contests. We changed the Year End awards to close the gap between print and digital. Also, we discussed at the last board meeting changing the categories/themes on digital. The motion as written did not pass but I would like to take another look at it with the new board.
6.) Continued improvement of website: Add table of contents to make it easier to find things. Better communications to the club such as results of competitions, gallery updates, member galleries, blogging
7.) Reduce length and possibly formalities of board meetings. Also, may considering conference calls on task specific board meetings in between the quarterly board meetings.
8.) Form an education committee to approve special programs, etc.
Tentative Board meeting schedule:
Saturday Feb 10th 9:30am, place to be determined
Saturday May 5th 9:30am, place to be determined
Saturday Aug 4th 9:30am, place to be determined
Saturday Nov 3rd 9:30am, place to be determined
Attachment 2 – Bill McSherry’s Comments
Bill McSherry’s Response to Agenda
Due to a schedule conflict that I did not recognize until late, I will be absent from the conference call.
I have written my responses to the issues that Brain outlines below and am also attaching a word document.
1.) New members – I agree that getting new members needs to be an area of focus. I think most of the suggestions are good. We will have to assess what is feasible (in terms of human resource). Also, at one time we had a mentoring program. New members that are also new to photography might profit. Again, human resource in the way of experienced volunteers would be the issue.
2.) Club Participation – I agree with the points made. I also know that this problem is not limited to JCC. I am not sure if the issues is getting members to understand and accept that this is a member managed organization, or whether they understand that, but other factors keep them from volunteering. If the problem is that later, it is much harder to resolve. I also think we need to look at our processes, and see if we can streamline any of them to make volunteer life simpler (that includes the officers, chairs, and directors, since all of us are volunteers).
3.) Review our efforts and finding judges – The only problem with the swapping judges is that the Beaches and St. Augustine have only one competition a year. I am not sure that a judge swap works under those circumstances.
4.) Changing procedures on print contests regarding digital copies, etc – Nice idea, but we have issues getting some members to do the simplest tasks on the web site. Adding the additional step of submitting digitally with the prints may meet with significant resistance. Perhaps, we can make it a requirement of the year end competition, so that only the winners would have to do it.
5.) Take another look at the Digital contests – I will refrain from comment. I read Charise’s note, and also discussed this with Brian, but still don’t fully understand the issues.
6.) Continued improvement of website – While functional improvements may be beneficial, making members understand that there is value to be had on the site is needed. For example, Young had an interesting blog article on judging. I tried to discuss it with some members at the Christmas party to find that no one I talked to had read it.
7.) Reduce length and possibly formalities of board meetings – Agree with the ideas and/or anything else that will make us more effective.
8.) Form an education committee to approve special programs, etc. – Not familiar with this item to comment.