Board Minutes: September 9, 2024
January 13, 2025Agenda
- Call to Order at 7:05pm
- Roll Call: Matt Stares (MS), Amy Townsend (AT), Emiko Bigler (EB), David Reynolds (DR), Julia Ratchford (JR), Jody Conant (JC), Karen Ruedinger (KR), Liz Gohel (LG), Doug Wurl (DW).
- Standing Reports:
- President’s and Head Coach Report (MS):
- Many illnesses on the team this month. Team performing well despite racing larger schools
- KR suggested the 2 day regatta in Kensington was taxing on kids and families, MS noted kids did improve times but will take that into consideration next season.
- Battle of the Beltline is being moved to Reed’s Lake
- AT: D1 field hockey state championship being held at the MS- may conflict
- MS: good time to advertise learn to Erg on Nov 2nd during regatta
- EB will publicize local regatta
- Coaches and CZ will organize the logistics of the racecourse
- Robyn McAllister 616-540-1368 FHC food tent
- Winter session: 28 kids are signed up, will give them 1 week to decide to join. Last year 54 kids. Tentative start Nov 28th, may conflict with finals schedule. Concern is always burnout
- Hungry Eagle is 2/22
- Forest hills sprints also an option as we have been invited
- Boston: boats/16 oars organized
- No headway for coaches backpay
- Launches: status to pull out/winterize
- 3 channels to approach conflict: MS first, Chris Zylstra second, Dr. Alex Schukow, third.
- Vice President’s Report (MC): Not present, report via email:
- Bricks: Based on advice from previous board members,MC has been working with Belden Bricks to determine the best process to get donor names inscribed on the existing bricks, along with pricing.He hopes to get numbers/details back from Belden in the next week or two.
- Website: MC has configured a new online store system, running on WooCommerce at no additional cost. It uses our current Stripe payment processing, for which we receive the non-profit discount rate. We’re now able to sell merchandise and tickets directly through our site.
- Fundraising: LG will share more details on the progress with November’s Learn to Erg fundraiser, but in support of that, MC completed the following tasks:
- – Worked with the Fundraising Committee to finalize details
- – Set up the online store
- – Set up products for each of the 4 erg sessions
- – Created a web page promoting the event
- – Sent out the first email blast announcing the event
- – Writing weekly newsletter announcements to promote the event
- MC is also working on supporting the Fundraising Committee with the corporate sponsorship strategy, including print materials. We’ll use the winter months to extend our reach beyond parents, increase awareness, and line up sponsors for the spring Ergathon.
- Treasurer’s Report (DR):
- September Financials:
- Pretty much just expected/typical activity for the month. DR is tracking down three outstanding payments for the Fall participation fee (emails have been sent and/or checks are in transit).
- Bank Statements:
- Statements for all three accounts provided. DR has moved money from the Operating and Boathouse accounts to the Capital account. This was by estimating the outstanding and remaining Fall season expenses and setting an Operating Account reserve at ~15% of our annual budget (which equates to $18k). File provided named “Fund Transfer Summary” lays out the balances as of last Friday (10/4/24) and the impact to the balances of the known/expected activity (including the purchase of two new boats and the receipt of funds from the Boosters)
- Account Reconciliation:
- No activity during the month in the Capital or Boathouse accounts, so the only reconciliation report is for the Operating account.
- Waiting on numbers for winter term crew cost
- Deposit given for the 8’s- $5800, Boats are going to Boston
- 37K in capital/reserve account, 18K earmarked as reserved (pre-fundraising and assuming we get the 14K from boosters
- 15K past due for coaches fee
- JC: 7K for concrete repair on the dock. Dock will need to come out after the learn to Erg, powerwash, clean boathouse. Suggest dock comes out 10/27 after learn to Erg
- Recording Secretary’s Report (JR):
- Nothing updated to report
- Food tent receipts provided to DR
- Will contact FHC point person for team meet up during Battle of the Beltline
- Communication Report (EB):
- EB needs pictures of coaches
- DW: Appreciates the concise emails from Communication Secretary
- Volunteers Report (JC):
- No updates to report
- Events (KR):
- Activity since the September Board Meeting:
- KR provided contact with Amie Jo who is coordinating the team dinners
- Worked with the fall banquet lead to address questions and finalize an agenda for the event
- Upcoming activity:
- Will capture any additional details for the team dinner documentation after the last one later this month
- Will work with the fall banquet team to get a SignUpGenius to Emiko for publishing in the e-newsletter
- Will continue to be available to the fall banquet as they make final preparations for the event in early November and provide instructions for being reimbursed for event expenses (budgeted $300)
- Other actions:
- Will start working on the outline for the operations manual which KR expects will be a project for the winter months
- Items for the October Board Meeting from the master calendar include:
- Winter conditioning dates provided to communications to promote during the week of October 14
- Suggests doing a survey to parents and rowers at the end of the season
- Fundraising (LG):
- Committee meeting:
- The first fundraising committee meeting was held on September 23. Our plan is to hold meetings (roughly) every 4th Monday of the month. We are moving October up a week so we have time to review Learn to ERG clinic actions, and November up a week due to Thanksgiving. Next meeting dates are October 21 and November 18.
- The Committee decided to hold 4 Learn to ERG sessions on Nov. 2, 9am, 10:15am, 12pm, & 1:15pm. Matt, Anne and Kris will be supporting the sessions. If we fill all spots we will make $5,000, minus the cost of coffee and snacks. Fliers have been produced and distributed in town, Breton Village, Eastown, Cherry Hills, etc.
- EB: Learn to erg was not known, should this have been board approved?
- AT: EB should have the timeline of when information should be blasted to current crew families
- *Board consensus to funnel emails through EB, Head coach would like to review communication email before sending
- EB: suggests waiting for season to be over to ask for monetary participation for learn to erg
- The committee has also scheduled a 5-week open ERG session. This will be 5 Fridays in Nov & Dec from 6am-7am. If you sign up before or day of Learn to ERG you get a discount. Deciding between $50 or $75 for the session, with a discount of one week for early sign up.
- Began brainstorming for Corporate Sponsorship packages and plans.
- Team Boosters:
- We made $655 from the 50/50 raffle at Homecoming.
- Team Booster meetings conflict with our Board Meetings but LG plans to attend what she can for Team Boosters instead of finding a replacement.
- Other items:
- JC brought up the Superbowl square fundraiser from last year. We do need a raffle license from the State of MI. LG will get this submitted if we’d like to do this. Raffle license is $50.
- LG has received several ideas for different fundraisers. In the interest of the committee’s time and effort, she is suggesting that any fundraiser other than the Learn to ERG, ERG-a-thon and Corporate Sponsorship efforts be “parent run”. The parents will run & fund the effort and donate the proceeds to the Crew Team. All fundraisers do need to be approved by the Athletic Dept.
- Travel (AT)
- Banners and Roster:
- Completed, payment collected. Printer invoice submitted. Banners hung and rosters emailed to coaches. One athlete did not like her banner being displayed …even after she approved it. Trying to be sensitive to this. We originally said no one was required to have one. Make sure to ok with kids if these are displayed anywhere outside of regattas
- Henley/Arctic:
- Confirmation numbers emailed to coaches and drivers. Hotel rooms charged via credit authorization form. Hotels are cracking down on athlete and family behaviors. Some requested a signed code of conduct. Notification sent out on Slack. We had a cancellation to a driver room this weekend after the 48 hr time frame. Room was reallocated.
- Spring Nationals:
- Nationals location has been publicized and will take place on Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24 at Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey. I have secured 22 rooms at the same Spring Hill Suites. Contract has been signed. We will have a very tight turnaround booking everything because of late dates for Midwests. I have a new venue to use for team dinner out. We can also utilize the one across the parking lot for arrival night.
- Boston:
- Parent Meeting – We had an initial parent meeting for the girls. Many families were not present. The boy’s parents have been communicated with via email.
- Dinner – New dinner site was requested, so Bertuccis was canceled. Lots of research on that. However, the late addition of the boys boat and early race times have changed things up. Dinner Buffet will be brought into the hotel. Catering order will be finalized Monday based on google form. Payments coming in via Venmo currently.
- Hotel – Coach room credit authorization completed and confirmations have been sent. Acquired a small event room at no charge off lobby for dinner to spill over to lobby. We must leave everything in clean working order when done.
- Itinerary – Has been drafted, waiting on meeting location for races and practice club/cost info from Brian. Hoping to send out Tuesday.
- Budget – Cost for Sam’s flight has been unexpectedly high. We will see where we can make this up in contingencies and other ideas. I have sent her info on additional items that will be expensed. I am encouraging her to carpool with Brian and have offered to arrange parents to assist with airport/hotel transportation.
- Freshman Orientation Video & Presentation:
- AT contacted Chris Zystra regarding our Club’s inclusion in the Freshman Orientation Video he spoke of at our summer meeting. He shared his presentation with AT. Per Chris, she can contact Grant Newton to see if he would be willing to edit us into his video. AT has some ideas of a short drone clip,or a still and a racing video that we might be able to offer him. She has made contact with one parent regarding drone footage, working on a videography volunteer.
Miscellaneous:
- DW: Tongue of equipment trailer needs fixing/replacing
- Discussed training DW to pull the boats to regattas
- Next Board Meeting: November 11, 7pm Community Center
- Meeting adjournment at 9:10pm
- Nov 4th Fall Banquet