Minutes 5/10/11

Attending:
John Wetzel
Dianne Britton
Fred Druseikis
Mary Jo Wannamaker
Lucy Gordon
Virginia Winn (hostess)
Judy Wells
Connie Robinette (via phone)
Scott and Stephanie McCravy

Previous meeting's minutes approved.

Treasurer's Report: We have $1451.oo. That total includes the contingency fund ($400.00). The CDSS fee is due in June, and that amount is $75.00. Treasurer's report approved.

Reimbursements: Fred will require $15.00 for the renewal of the domain name.

Hall Rental: The hall is paid for through next season, but they can't book the last two dates until June. However, the full amount has been paid for all dates next season.

Sound Equipment Status: The microphone stand still needs to be replaced, but John has not priced any yet.

Duties of President: John suggests mapping out the specific duties so he (and future presidents) will have a succinct, complete list of the responsibilities, especially those that require action by a set date or time within the season. Dianne and Lucy came up with the idea of creating a calendar with all the essential dates that can be viewed by all board members and be sent as a reminder to the president (or other responsible officers or board members). Such a calendar would have to be accessible to all board members and be controlled by someone who sends or directs the reminders. John will go through the bylaws and compile a list of the president's official duties to place on the calendar and to possibly delegate some of the said duties if need be.

Pre-dance Workshops: Virginia and Lucy have been discussing this at length and plan to present/promote it at the next dance (May) with the intention of implementing the workshop at the June dance. They need a way for interested volunteers to respond via email without inundating Virginia's email account. Dianne suggested putting a filter on the email responses that would minimize this concern. Lucy, Virginia, and Dianne plan to confer on this later.

Duties of Vice President: Connie said that the hiring of callers and bands is an official duty of the vice president, but John could not find anything written in the bylaws or anywhere else on this situation. Dianne confirmed that at some point in the past the board had decided to assign this responsibility to the vice president. We decided to take action to clarify the situtation. So the choices were to either make this an official duty of the vice president or assign this responsibility to a person (chosen with discretion by the president). John moved to give the president the authority to assign this duty to a person (an officer or board member), not a particular office. Motion passed.

Election: The slate was voted through by the attending board members and some write-in (email) votes by those not attending. The results of the election are as follows:
John Wetzel---President
Connie Robinette---Vice President
Stephanie McCravy---Secretary
Scott McCravy---Treasurer
Fred Druseikis
Dianne Britton
Virginia Winn
Lucy Gordon
Marguerite Frongillo
Kenny Greer
Tim Sneed
Tim Piesch
Mary Jo Wannamaker
Judy Wells

Local Bands vs. Out-Of-Town Bands: John is concerned with variety (or lack of) concerning the bands we hire. After much discussion we all agreed that more variety is definitely what we want for our dance group. As a result of this discussion, we agreed that, if possible, we should let any given band play only two dances during a season. We also agreed that this guideline could also apply to callers as well. Such a guideline could of course be suspended should the need arise, and this decision would be at the discretion of Connie, who schedules all of these bands and callers. To promote or allow for more variety, John moved that we change the rate of pay for local bands from $35.00 per band member to a total of $140.00 per band. Motion passed. Another motion was made to remove the limit of three out-of-town bands per year. Motion passed. These actions will allow us more freedom to increase the variety with both local and out-of-town bands. Lucy urged caution in raising the pay rates of the out-of-town bands just yet, as we need to see how these other changes play out. Fred agreed to produce spreadsheets to illustrate our attendance trends and operating funds, so we can better understand how attendance affects our operations. Scott will provide him with the necessary documents to complete this task.

Next meeting scheduled for June 28, 2011. Virginia graciously agreed to act as hostess again.

Meeting adjourned at 9:35pm.

Minutes 3/8/11

Attending:
John Wetzel
Connie Robinette
Virginia Winn (hostess)
Lucy Gordon
Marguerite Frongillo
Tim Sneed
Stephanie & Scott McCravy
Judy Wells
Tim Piesch

Previous meeting's minutes reviewed. Clarification regarding when the raise in pay rates will be in effect added to said minutes. Minutes approved.

Treasurer's Report: There is $1990 in the bank. Treasurer's report approved. Issue of the "one free dance admission" cards deemed a non-issue. The concern being what effect a large influx of said cards would have in terms of money. (See Minutes 1/25/11)

Reimbursements: The president wanted to be sure that this is a recurring agenda item so that those who need reimbursing (for various purchases/services) won't have to bring it up themselves. Lucy suggested and volunteered to create a simple form for such things that can be turned in to the treasurer for said reimbursements.

Form 990-N is taken care of by John.

Sound Equipment Status: John's repair for the equipment cost only around $60.00, but he will need about $20.00 to replace a microphone stand.

Bylaws Rewrite: Motion to accept the new bylaws passed.

Pre-dance Workshop: Lucy had only about five people sign up showing an interest in participating in this workshop, the purpose of which is to be a more in-depth lesson for newer dancers. Lucy would prefer announcing it one more time at the March 12th contra, and she would also like to check with Dianne about putting this up on the website in a way that allows those so inclined to respond.

Fliers: The "refrigerator fliers" have been made and are being used. Connie wanted to make sure that all fliers had the exact street address and zip code for the dance hall for those using GPS.

Slate for Election: Judy Wells and Tim Piesch were in attendance for the first time, and both agreed to serve on the board. Motion to elect Judy and Tim to the board passed. John, Connie, Scott and I (Stephanie) all agreed to continue to serve as officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, respectively) for the next slate, with John and Connie expressing the desire to serve in their respective positions for only one more year. We need to work out the best way to include Kenny Greer in meetings via phone or Skype, as he is willing to serve on the board.
Goals for 2011:

1. Increase variety in terms of bands, whether that be in the form of more out-of-town bands or encouraging/facilitating the formation of new local bands.
2. Tim Sneed agreed to head up a committee to explore other options for venues, in case we are not able to use Arsenal Hill anymore due to unforeseen circumstances. This way we will know what our options are should that situation arise unexpectedly. John will also contribute to this committee, as he has experience in researching potential venues. Lucy suggested pooling our resources with or getting help/ideas from other dance groups.
3. Virginia brought up having a pot-luck dinner before dances to encourage community-building opportunities. Having people volunteer to bring dishes would increase awareness and familiarity between board members and community members.
4. Connie suggested (as a long term goal) having two dances a month should our attendance rise above the capacity of the hall, which it almost has a few times.

VA Event: Marguerite is looking for volunteers to participate in a contra dance at the VA Health Fair on March 26, 2011. Volunteers should be experienced dancers. She and Virginia will explore sending an email out to ask for volunteers.
Meeting adjourned 9:27pm

COTMD Bylaws

Constitution and Bylaws of Columbia Traditional Music and Dance Society Feb 24, 2011  Article 1. Name. The name of this organization is Columbia Traditional Music and Dance Society, (COTMD).    Article 2. Terms and Definitions.  The term “written notice” shall be understood to mean notice via written mail or email.  Wherever this document refers to a fraction or proportion larger than one half, and the fractional value needs to be computed, the result of the computation shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number.   Article 3. Purpose. COTMD is a nonprofit organization which is dedicated to the preservation, study, teaching, enjoyment and continuing evolution of traditional music and dance. COTMD is a member of the Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) and operates under guidelines established by CDSS. Article 4. Board of Directors.  The responsibility for all business matters lies with the Board of Directors.  The Board consists of four officers (as described in Article 6) and zero to twelve additional board members.      A.    The Board has sole authority to set event schedules; to set fees at rates which will cover costs of operation, to set honoraria paid to teachers and musicians, to pay for rental of necessary facilities and other incidental expenses;  to engage facilities for classes and special programs; and to approve engagements and other special activities undertaken in the name of COTMD.  B.     The Board shall determine the need for and the responsibilities of standing or special committees to carry out projects or special programs. C.     In the event of a vacancy on the board, the remaining Board members may exercise the powers of the full Board until the vacancy is filled at the next regular election, or, by a majority vote, may appoint a member to temporarily fill the vacancy until the next election. D.    A member of the Board may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the entire board, after reasonable notice and opportunity to be heard.  Because this procedure requires the participation of the entire board, absentee and proxy voting shall be allowed.  Article 5. Meetings.    A.    There shall be no less than four meetings per fiscal year.  No meetings will be held in July.  It is intended but not required that meetings be held on a bimonthly basis. B.     The quorum for transaction of COTMD business is two-thirds of the currently filled Board positions. C.     A majority vote of those voting is necessary to transact any business bought before the Board. D.   The Board, at its discretion, may make provisions for absentee or proxy voting for members unable to be present at a meeting.   Article 6. Officers.  The Officers of COTMD are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Term of Office is one year. The duties of Officers are: A.    President. The President is the executive officer responsible for the operation of COTMD. He or she presides at meetings, calls regular or special meetings of the Board as needed, publishes an agenda for each meeting, appoints the Chairs of standing or special committees and conducts any correspondence necessary to maintain COTMD in its non- profit status (typically, contacts with and documents for  the IRS and CDSS, as required by those organizations). B.     Vice President. The Vice President acts as President in the absence of the President. In the event of the President's resignation or incapacity to serve, the Vice President shall succeed to the office until the next regular or special election can be held. The President may delegate to the Vice President such official or other duties as may be necessary for the conduct of business. C.     Secretary. The Secretary keeps records and minutes of meetings; posts minutes on the COTMD website, and does any correspondence not handled by the President.  The secretary shall also perform such other appropriate administrative and record keeping functions as are determined by the Board. D.    Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing the collection of charges; for the disbursement of fees to musicians and teachers and for payment of authorized expenditures. The Treasurer advises the Board about the finances of the organization and assists in formulating the budgets for the regular and special activities. The Treasurer also prepares a yearly financial statement of operations Article 7. Election of Officers and Board Members.  Officers and Board Members are elected annually.  The election is conducted at the last board meeting of each fiscal year, typically in May.  All Board members so elected take office on the following first day of July.        Nominating and election procedures: A.    A completed slate/ballot will be approved by the Board, at the Board meeting that precedes the election meeting (typically in March), or, no later than one month prior to the election.  Prior to that meeting, a slate of candidates will have been developed by the Board, in conjunction with the Nominating Committee.  Candidates on the slate will have been contacted, informed and nominated; and will have accepted the nomination. B.     Only Board positions for which there are nominees are included on the ballot.                In the event that not all positions have nominees, those positions remain open, to be filled during the year via special election by the Board.  Board positions cannot be contested by write-in candidates; however, the Board may choose to add additional nominations at the time of the election. C.     A quorum as provided in Article 5-B is required to conduct each COTMD election.  D.    When all positions on the slate are uncontested, voting may be conducted by a show of hands to accept or reject the entire slate.  In the event that one or more positions are contested, voting is conducted by secret (paper) ballot. The Board may elect to make provisions for absentee or proxy voting for Board members unable to be present.  E.     The Treasurer is responsible for counting ballots and preparing the election report, which contains the vote count totals for each position (or for the entire slate, if all positions are uncontested).  Candidates for a contested officer position may be present when the Treasurer counts the ballots, and must then sign-off on the ballot count and the election report.  If there are no contested positions, only the Treasurer need sign the election report. F.      In the event of a tie, the winner shall be determined by a coin toss procedure conducted by the current president and observed by the affected candidates and as many other Board members as is practical.  Board officer positions are contested when there is more than one candidate for any office position.  All other positions are contested when there are more than twelve candidates for the remaining twelve positions.  The outcome of the non-officer positions is determined by ranking in order by total votes for each candidate.  G.    The outcome of the election shall be published on the COTMD website, by the Treasurer, as soon as is practical. Article 8. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of COTMD is July I through June 30. Article 9. Amendments to the Bylaws.  Amendments to these Bylaws may be made at any meeting, upon one month’s written notice to Board members; such notice must state the nature of the proposed changes, and specify the meeting that will include such changes on its agenda.   A quorum as provided in Article 5-B is required for votes relating to bylaw modifications.  A two-thirds majority vote of members voting is required for the adoption of any such changes. Article 10. Special Notices related to COTMD Tax Exempt status. 1.      No part of COTMD's assets or net earnings may inure to the benefit of private individuals. This does not preclude the payment of any reasonable fees for goods or services provided to the organization. 2.      In the event of dissolution of COTMD, its assets will be distributed to another nonprofit organization that is exempt under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. 3.      COTMD shall not, as a substantial part of its activities, carry on propaganda or otherwise attempt to influence legislation except to the extent permitted by section 501(h) of the Internal Revenue Code. 4.      It is intended that COTMD be entitled to exemption from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and shall not be a private foundation as described in section 501(a) of the Code.