Meeting Minutes

Tuesday May 17, 2005

Friends of Buck’s Rock

Alumni Council Meeting
May 17, 2005

Agenda


1. Executive Director’s Report: Jeffrey Paul Bobrick
2. Legal Report and McGraw Hill: Eric Weiss
3. Business Report: Bob Solomon
4. Fundraising Report: Stephanie Segal Hartman
5. Scholarship Report: Stephanie Segal Hartman or Charlie Ledley
6. Events Outreach Report: Lewis Frisch (submitted via e-mail)
7. Additional Discussion, Brainstorming and Planning

1. Jeffrey Paul Bobrick discussed key issue as outlined in his e-mail to members of the Executive Committee, namely lack of consistent Accountability. In addition, raised discussion of how to share Friends of Buck’s Rock opportunity with other members so they can become part of our mission and join the Alumni Council if not the Executive Committee. Jeffrey opened up a discussion among the group about these issues.

Decision was made to begin a recruitment campaign. Juliet suggested that we all reach out to individuals. Reach out by e-mail, reach out by phone.

Stephanie said that the Executive Committee needs to "step it up."

Jeffrey: Leaky bucket metaphor. We have accomplished so much but lacking a complete Executive Committee and contributing members of the Alumni Council, our bucket has a hole. We are not accomplishing as much as we are able.

Discussion of Brooklyn event and the people there who could potentially become part of the Alumni Council. These people include:

* Jeremy Simon. Jeffrey mentions Jeremy Simon, who attended event and wrote an article for the newsletter. Stephanie points out that short term projects (such as to write an article) are easier than long term projects (such as to become Newsletter Director).
* Cynthia and Samantha Epstein. Mother and daughter. Cynthia attended BRWC in 1950s and her involvement might involve others from the 1950s.
* Matt Haiken. Sweet, enthusiastic person, talented magician. Wants to contribute in a meaningful way. Juliet suggests he be invited to come up for the summer. Jeffrey agrees to contact.
* Jim Housman. Ed’s friend and has attended many events.

Eric: Perhaps we need to involve older people as well as the younger ones, such as semi-retired people with potential free time.

Jeffrey: We need to make Alumni Council more attractive, be specific and clarify expectations and also impact.

Stephanie: That would involve looking and perhaps amending bylaws.

Jeffrey: Let’s do it. We have three things to work on:
1. Work with bylaws.
2. Share the Opportunity.
3. Expectations and Impact on Organization and people’s lives.

Juliet: Let’s make a wish list for board and not just include the BIG names.

Jeffrey: Key Question is - Can we create a board when the Alumni Council and Executive Committee are understaffed?

Group: No.

Discussion about making June 15, 2005 meeting better attended and fun. Juliet will draft e-mail to promote that we can send out. Stephanie will assist. We will have a pizza party.

Jeffrey: I commit to have 3 additional people participate in meeting!

2. Eric Weiss. McGraw Hill partnership, in which up to 5 additional campers will be sent to camp this summer, is in the works, but he has not heard back from Mickey Morris or from Stan Simon (former camp director who currently works at McGraw Hill). Mickey very much wants this to be accomplished so Eric expects to hear back soon. He will follow up if he does not hear from Mickey.

3. Bob Solomon. Currently have $5069. Yearly cost of doing business is roughly $1300 (fixed costs, web site, domain name, etc.). We need a major campaign to build up our money and work towards endowment and not spend every penny we get on scholarships.

4. Stephanie Segal Hartmen. As we know, Ed Kopel event was successful. However, not receiving a great deal of contribution from the mailing.

5. Stephanie, Jeffrey and Bob: We are sending 2 kids in August (and still waiting on McGraw Hill, so may send more total this summer). Our 2 kids are returnees from last summer who had fantastic experience.

Stephanie re: Accountability issue - Timetables. Set timetable. As in "We are going to vote on this at this date." Come out initially with plan/timetable to create urgency. "This is when project is being voted on so have it ready."

6. Lew Frisch, via e-mail. “…The last three months have marked an all time low in communications to Events Outreach. Very few requests for newsletters or other inquiries, very few new contributions to the Calendar , aside from the regulars who have populated it for the past year, and almost no replies to any of the e-mails I've sent out seeking to drum up interest in the concert, summer activities, etc. It is most discouraging -- I would have hoped that some who attended the boneholders reunion or last summers event would have become at least occasional correspondents, but such is not the case. Whenever contact is made with me I follow up with a real communication in the hopes that people would write again or check in from time to time, but I don't see that happening.

I am especially disturbed that I have received almost NO response whatsoever to the publicity blurbs for the Calendar and other activities that we have put in the last two newsletter issues. I really did expect something -- not much-- but something. I think I received one response to the blurbs in the last two issues.

As far as the special reunion day for 2005 (JULY 30) we have received an e-mail from Allegra Boverman and that is it. Nothing in response to the newsletter article. Nothing in response to postings on the website or my personal e-mails. It was our hope to be talking with shop heads by now but no alumni have come forward. So somehow, we need to talk this up with people we know and see if we can get some fresh faces who would be interested in talking to campers…I think that if we really did have a full Executive Committee, with all positions filled, and everyone putting in a modicum of effort, that the outlook would not be so bleak. But with membership and newsletter essentially vacant, At Large understaffed, and limited contributions from others it's hard to get much into high gear. Thank goodness Fundraising and Scholarship have not unduly suffered but then again we can't clone Stephanie, who as much as Jeffrey, single handedly keeps so much going. We truly need more people and as Jeffrey said, more accountability.

Wish I could give a more positive report, but this has not been a good few months. Looking down the calendar, I am available to be a camp the weekend of July 30th.-- so if we can get any volunteers I will be able help look after things…I will be unavailable most of October."

7. We have work to do. Let’s work on the foundation and Build!

Meeting Adjourned.