Meeting of the Board of Directors
Boulder Community Broadcast Association, Inc.
April 12, 2005
Called to order at 6:07 pm
Board in attendance: Michele Barone, Marty Durlin (ex-officio), Chip Grandits, Kit Hollingshead, Janaki LeFils, Paul Mischo, Greg O’Brien, Steven Sherman-Boemker and Michael Shuster.
Public in attendance: Arleigh, Kris Abrams, Adrian Anderson, Clover, Joy Barrett, Jordan Davies, Joel Edelstein, Denise Hetzner, Robert Hickler, Thomas Lenk, Neil Parker, Evan Perkins, Nile Southern, Diane Mahn-Singh.
Minutes of previous Board meeting and Board contact list approved.
Public Participation: None
Joint Board/Nominating Committee Discussion
The Board and Nominating Committee met to discuss several points in the context of the recent AM signal expansion into the metro Denver region. Major areas of concern included strengthening the Board, outreach to Denver and fundraising. It was generally agreed that the NomComm has done an effective job of processing prospective Board members. However, with our expansion into Denver there is a need for the committee to take a proactive role in recruiting new Board members, more specifically Denver residents and members of communities of color. We discussed the Board application processes that have been in use over the years, noting that while things sometimes fall through the cracks, it has also provided us with candidates that we know and who have served the station well. It was acknowledged that better communication between the Board and committee regarding needs that the Board has and potential candidates would help to fix some gaps and provide the committee with direction.
Much of the discussion centered around the need to strengthen the Board, not only in number, but also in terms of a diversity of skills, experience, perspective as well as gender, cultural and racial diversity. For instance, the Board is in need of a savvy financial person. The primary requisite for prospective Board members is a love of and commitment to KGNU, be willing to support staff and other volunteers, and be willing to participate in fundraising efforts. This was followed by a broader discussion of how to approach a proactive recruitment campaign. Many committee and some Board members expressed discomfort with the idea of actively recruiting people of color and people with connections to money for Board membership. Most felt that the way to proceed is to broaden and expand our volunteer base and to then recruit from that base. In order for this to be successful it’s important that we create a comfortable environment that invites people of color to participate at KGNU. Outreach to Denver, getting information about KGNU out to Denver communities is crucial to cultivating relationships which will not only open doors for KGNU but will also attract new listener members and volunteers.
Two steps toward these goals are the acceptance of the proposal on resource development from Richard Male & Associates, which the Board will vote on at this meeting, and the continuation of anti-racism discussions and training. Contingent on the acceptance of the RMA proposal, members of the Nominating Committee will produce public service announcements and on-air promos regarding recruitment of new Board members.
Station Manager’s Report: (See attached).
Kris Abram last official day is April 30th, but she is willing to work with KGNU on an hourly basis. Kris is committed to not leaving KGNU in dire straits and hopes to accomplish more before she wraps things up, however this is dependent on how the Board votes to proceed with the RMA proposal.
KGNU will host an Open House on Sunday, May 22nd, to celebrate the station’s 27th birthday.
Discussion of Richard Male & Associates proposal
Marty and Janaki reported on references they received on Richard Male, all of which were very positive and describing him as extremely conscientious, with great integrity and very committed to grassroots, peace and justice issues. Adrian Anderson spoke to her experience with Rich, noting that he was instrumental in fundraising and board development. Paul related that Marge Taniwaki, a KGNU volunteer and prospective Board member, had some concerns about Rich based on dated information, but that she felt more comfortable about KGNU working with him after reading the proposal. Michael agreed to speak with Steven Graham to follow up further on some of these concerns.
Other issues were raised and discussed: practical application of proposal results; communication between RMA and the wider KGNU community; KGNU limits and values, especially in regards to the salary structure for the proposed Development Director position; fundraising efforts once Kris leaves; political landmines.
A motion was put forward to vote to accept the Richard Male & Associates proposal, at a cost of $22,000, over a period of six (6) months. The motion was seconded, and following more discussion, was unanimously approved, pending a positive report back from Michael’s discussion with Steven Graham. Either Sam or Kris will contact Rich on the decision.
Committee Reports
Nominating Committee: The committee decided to consider new leadership and elected Joy and Nile as co-chairs. Other issues discussed included:
Tenure on Nominating Committee: don’t want things to become stale, but still value the long-term perspective.
Discussion of upcoming meeting with the Board
Discussion of potential Board members, Joanne’s list of Denver members
Budget Committee: The current membership software (MemSys) needs to be upgraded to streamline the process. This could cost as much as $7,500, including an additional user station. Denise suggested a server-based system which would cost less. Michele will review the system requirements and talk with Evan about MemSys and will present her findings at the next Board meeting.
Building Committee: Station clean-up day scheduled for Sat., April 30th. Michael noted that changes in landscaping, estimates for exterior doors, and the possibility of acquiring donated solar cells are all in the works.
Bylaws Committee: No consensus in language for Mission Statement. Some feel Front Range is vague, and that Boulder/Denver is more precise since this is where we are licensed to serve. Chip noted that if we ratify the revised Bylaws, including Article XIV, the issue will have to come before the KGNU membership for approval. The next committee meeting is scheduled for April 27th, 6pm, covering Articles V & IV.
IT Committee: (See Michele’s report, attached)
PBOG Committee: April 18th, Sam hosts a yodeling special, also, the KGNU Talent show at 7pm.
Signal Committee: Chip will meet with Will Guercio in Nederland next week. He’ll schedule next meeting of the committee after the Spring pledge drive.
Other Business: Kit shared with the Board that he has Hepatitis C and he is starting treatment. He hopes this won’t interfere with his Board commitment.
Meeting adjourned at 9:47pm
Respectfully submitted,
Steven Sherman-Boemker
Secretary, KGNU Board of Directors