April 28, 2003

April 28, 2003

Deep Spring Board of Directors
Board Meeting
April 28, 2003

In Attendance: Ann Barden, Cassie Cammann, David Coupland, Dottie Coyne, Jackie Deron, Martha Zingo
Guests: Su Hansen, Lisa Zucker, Pat Shalis

Minutes of March 24th approved.

Bernie Coyne and David Brown have agreed to be on the Financial Advisory Committee.

The new Point Person for Promotions is Linda Kurtz.

ACTION ITEMS: There were 12 action items from the last meeting. All were completed except:

• Dottie and Barbara still have to talk about Sunnyside retreats.
• Fundraising-- Ann Barden is still in the process of working on a list of donors to get an idea of our donor base. Direct Deposit donations need to be listed in the list of donors.

NEW ACTION ITEM: Martha or Su will talk to Dana, our accountant, about the automatic donations list.

NEW ACTION ITEM: The list of point persons will be posted on the bulletin board and copies made available at the Center's office to keep the sangha informed.

NEW ACTION ITEM: Cassie will request an edit of the final copy of rental policy from the Building Usage committee.

NEW ACTION ITEM: Cassie will try to find a volunteer coordinator and will work with that person.

Volunteer needs at the moment: archivist/Aaron tapes organization, fundraising chair, volunteer coordinator, and many helpers. The archivist will work closely with Barbara at her home.

FINANCIAL REPORT -- MARTHA ZINGO

Three reports--comparing January, February, and March, then March alone, then a budget form for when we have a budget drawn up for the present year. We have $13,000 plus in the checking account. The Board requests an email notice if it goes below $6,000. The money market account (interest bearing) holds $9,000 plus. We also have a securities account valued at about $9,000 with the interest/dividend going into the money market account.

The move-in generated a great amount of money in December: $5,550 in donations. We took $2,000 out of Deep Spring treasury for the move in. Since then, the expenses have been coming in. All total the move in was allowed $7,550. The January income did not have to pay those expenses but the month of January shows the expenses. We don't match the money with the project. The bottom line never portrays reality. So the January numbers looks skewed but we are not doing badly. The budget is still being worked on. Not all the numbers are in. The draft budget has blank spaces. These reports are raw data and next month we will get the corrected March numbers. The cash flow system of reporting makes it difficult to keep track of project costs from month to month. 

ACTION ITEM: Martha will begin working on the budget to set it in final form. 

David Coupland shared his experience working with a nonprofit board using Quickbooks for financial reporting. He felt it would clarify our reporting and give us all the information we need. We could have functional categories and tag projects (e.g. retreats, bookstore, classes) with Quickbooks.

ACTION ITEM: David Coupland to meet with Dana and Martha.

ACTION ITEM: The Board has to decide what questions they need answered regarding financial affairs. Martha to keep a list of the questions we are asking. For instance, what do we make on retreats and what do we spend. David requests the balance sheet to be presented next month.

OM report: handout for our information. No action needed.

Sangha Meeting Report: Ann summarized the recent State of the Sangha meeting. Discussion followed about more efficient ways to communicate such as: do it in writing and send out hard copy to the sangha members, follow it with a Deep Spring Open House for question time and socializing, an annual dinner, fundraiser, social, small amount of reporting.

ACTION ITEM: A bulletin board can be used to inform the sangha. Pie charts for the money in and out. Fundraising goals. Key communications. There could be one in the bathroom or library. Dottie will talk to the decorating team about donating her framed bulletin board.

Building Committee: Ann read the report from Dianne and Susan Klimist regarding furniture. The Board agrees that they can spend the $100 on the library table.

Nominating: Still looking for another Board member.

Teachers Report: There needs to be a policy for fees for classes. At present, Deep Spring classes pay building usage fee -- $5 per student per class and dana for the teachers.

ACTION ITEM: The Building Usage Committee will address this issue. Perhaps $6 per student per class. We can set new rates for winter 2004. Advertising is already in place through the fall classes with the $5 rate.

ACTION ITEM: Su will distribute to the sangha both an official announcement email (Not Just Sitting Around) and a more casual bulletin board email of members needs and activities.

RETREAT COMMITTEE REPORT (our major report of the evening)--Jackie Deron, Lisa Zucker, Pat Shalis

1. Who does what? Who decides when retreats happen? Who is responsible for what: Barbara, the Board, the Committee? Barbara sets the dates when she is the leader. In the past, the Board has simply approved the changes of cost, the no frills retreat and the changes in the program.
2. June 20-28-July 3 in Emrich/Sunnyside, Occtober 31-Nov 2, Howell, March 5-7 Howell--all these with Barbara, John and Aaron are set. 
3. No Frills would like to book April of '04. They would like a second fall retreat. These retreats are at Howell.
4. Barbara wants a breathwork retreat possibly at Sunnyside.
5. It might be desirable to have an in-town retreat at a club house possibly, possibly just silence or lead by a teacher. A dana retreat, no fee--$100 at Ann's clubhouse at Newport West or free at Sunnyside. Maybe as a fundraiser.
6. Scholarships--no one turned away.
7. Retreats can be profitable but are not fundraisers per se.

Discussion:

1. Our needs for retreats have changed. Weekend retreats at Emrich are too busy for some. There is a segment of regular retreatants that want a quieter retreat. Cost and silence are the two big issues at retreat as reported on the recent retreat survey.
2. Barbara and John offer teaching retreats--spring and fall.
3. Knoll at Howell is not available in the fall. But Sunnyside or the Newport Clubhouse might be. Perhaps a silent retreat spring and fall would be desirable.
4. John costs us $350 or so. Perhaps he could stay on a few days and teach an evening and we could invite the Ann Arbor Insight Meditation group. 
5. Maybe John come fall and spring and use the winter retreat for Barbara and DSC teacher led for beginners. Draw the senior students for a less expensive retreat.
6. The biggest issue is the cost--Emrich is too expensive. $3000 vs the $1000 for Howell. 32 persons can fit at Howell. Howell: $1,000 for no frills, $2,200 for food and all.
7. The question of costs led to the discussion whether Deep Spring could continue to afford to give scholarships. June retreat usually has 5-7 scholarship retreatants. They pay what they can. They usually also take a job at the retreat.

The Board asks the Retreat Committee to consider/act on:

• an April '04 No Frills retreat--Retreat Committee to book it.
• a second No Frills retreat each year.
• Perhaps No Frills at Sunnyside in the fall and a No Frills at Howell in April.
• an invitation to John Orr to stay over after retreat for some teaching in the fall.
• promote the no frills a little more and see if people want to do that.
• No Frills retreat local on a dana basis might raise money for Deep Spring.
• Scholarship policy at the present covers the bills.
• Core value of Deep Spring that no one is turned away from retreat.
• Days of Meditation might also be very nice at the Newport Clubhouse.

Retreat Committee is now eight people--Lisa Zucker, Julie Wolcott, Mary Grannan, Hal Rothbart, Jackie Deron, Larissa Czuchnowsky, Erica Dutton, and Leslie Desmond.

FINAL ITEM: Format for the Board Retreat. Su and Ann handed around the agenda and two documents that will set up our discussions at the retreat. The role of sangha in decision making and Barbara's role in Deep Spring.

Our next Board Meeting will not be on Memorial Day weekend as we will do some board business May 10th and the next full board meeting will be June 30th.

Adjourned 9:40 pm.

Respectfully submitted,
D.A. Coyne