GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – 14 October 2018
SUMMARY FOR DISTRIBUTION TO STATES AND LOCAL CHAPTERS:
1. New Business: Resignation of Joy Davis, 2019 ANM Site Selection decision
2. Standing Business: Treasurer’s Report (Treasurer’s Reports to the GNC available at https://gpus.org/treasurers-reports/); Fundraising Report; Fundraising Consultant update
3. Voting Queue – https://secure.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/login
In the queue: 2018 Platform Amendments – 2018 Platform Amendments: Climate Change and the Green New Deal, Ecological Wisdom and Population, HIV-AIDS
Received for the queue – Proposals to go into the queue on 12 November:
2018 Platform Amendments – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Civil Rights and Equal Rights; Fukushima-Daiichi -Seven Years Later Response with Open Letters; Establish a GPUS Standing Committee -Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC); Resolution in Opposition to Rising Fascism
Online SC Proposals approved since last call and sent to the NC: None
4. Old Business: Strategic Planning meeting, Green Uprising letter, Direct the GPUS Accreditation Committee to follow GPUS Bylaws Governing Committees
For future agenda: ANM summary update, Freshdesk update, ETC Report, Tech – voting page/ETC and misc. maintenance
5. Executive Session: Staff supervision decision
The full minutes are available at http://gpus.org/committees/steering/minutes/October-14-2018/,
The call recording is available at 712-451-0309, 926334#, reference 32 and https://gpus.org/steering-committee-recordings/
Jody Grage, Secretary
GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – 14 October 2018
AGENDA:
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND – 15 min
a) Facilitator: David Gerry
b) Roll call – Anita Rios, Margaret Flowers, Violet Zitola, Jody Grage, Gloria Mattera, Hillary Kane,Tony Ndege, Andrea Merida
Observers: Kim Meudt NJ, Kirit Mookerjee VA, Jan Martell NC, Dave Bell CO, Alfred Molison TX, Starlene Rankin OR/Staff, Tamar Yager VA,
c) Agenda revision suggestions: Old Business: Tony Ndege – Direct the GPUS AC to follow GPUS Bylaws Governing Committees – accepted ; Standing Business: Margaret Flowers – PCSC Liaison Reports – accepted
II. NEW BUSINESS – 15 min
a) Resignation of Joy Davis – schedule for vacancy election – nominations – 22 Oct–11 Nov, discussion – 12–25 Nov, voting 26 Nov–22 Dec
b) 2019 ANM Site Selection decision – Tamar and Margaret
Salem State University in MA near Boston – very thorough proposal, meeting costs about the same with housing a little higher and food a little lower; approval now means three months more preparation time than before – consensus to approve with Andrea and Tony standing aside
III. STANDING BUSINESS – 20 min
a) Treasurer’s report – Hillary Kane – 10 min
Treasurer’s Reports to the GNC available at https://gpus.org/treasurers-reports/
All accounts $115,666.06 – Savings/Reserves $96,030.13, Checking $19,535.93 – holding fairly steady though several major expenses coming – direct mail piece, payment to fundraising consultant, database work payment; merchandise bank switch to PayPal with lower costs saved less than loss of 150 donors because complete card information required and so switched back to previous system; working to get back donations for August and September; still working on worker’s compensation insurance issues and past unpaid fees
b) Fundraising report – Gloria – 10 min.
September Income: $9597.96; October 1-14 $5,748.20 – income dipping, fewer mailings going out, need more writers to keep on schedule and capitalize on current events; mailing out in a few days – written by Tamar and Starlene with consultant assistance which worked well
c) Fundraising Consultant update – Hillary, Gloria – 5 minutes
SWOT analysis done, work on direct mail piece to produce a totally different king of direct mail than we have done before which is more customized and uses variable printing of names and amounts, fundraising plan being prepared; $11k of the $20k contract used to date; Sutton recommended lists to use for direct mailing: CA: 5003 names; Donors: 5310 names; Recurring: 1115 names
c) Liaison reports – 15 min
PCSC – Margaret – rewriting Article 10 – Criteria for Presidential Candidates; election of 2nd co-chair soon; Violet will reaffirm her appointment to PCSC
Media – Gloria – last call was a special training on tweetdesk by Starlene on queuing up tweets with call recorded
Outreach – Tony – Women’s March on the Pentagon – needing more regional solidarity events because of date discrepancies; 250 banners ordered but will not all be needed so some will be available for other locations/events; 3 or 4 banners designs printed and delivered to Darryl!; , ; discussion on convergence space at event
Merch – Anita withdrawing as liaison
Accreditation – Violet – Colorado proposal: latest conversations with Dave Bell and Holly Hart seems to be a game changer for coming to a compromise on issues that go way beyond CO, commitment to work together to come up with concrete steps for the next SC call; Dave Bell sees chance to get something we can move forward with; Violet sees need for those who have spoken a lot to step back and those who haven’t spoken much to step forward, email is a poor media for collaboration, can explore methods of communication; Andrea has problems with the scope of Violet’s proposal, need to vote if consensus can’t be reached, process for restoring rights of participation available, terms disengage and separation not acceptable; Margaret questions how many people contacted and Violet’s authority to present report; Violet states we need a spectrum of options for groups with more effort on consensus before going to a vote and that the Green Party tent may not be big enough for everyone; Tony sees need for mass movement under common banner and need to follow the bylaws and vote; Gloria pointed out that the proposal has been withdrawn and that everyone needs to be heard and we may need to follow up with restorative justice process for the nine people expelled and other processes; Anita objects to discussing a proposal that has been pulled; Hillary agrees with Anita; Margaret willing to be additional liaison to AC
IV. VOTING QUEUE – Jody – 5 min.
(https://secure.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/login)
In the queue: Platform Amendments – 2018 Platform Amendments: Climate Change and the Green New Deal, Population Pressures and Resource Depletion, HIV-AIDS
Received for the queue – Proposals to go into the queue on 12 November (Floor Managers needed):
2018 Platform Amendments – Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Civil Rights and Equal Rights; Fukushima-Daiichi – Seven Years Later Response with Open Letters; Establish a GPUS Standing Committee -Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC); Resolution in Opposition to Rising Fascism
Online SC Proposals approved since last call and sent to the NC: None
V. OLD BUSINESS – 75 min
a) Strategic Planning meeting – Gloria and Margaret – 15 min
suggest series of four strategic planning calls –goals, nuts and bolts, tasks and timelines, long- term goals and bigger issues; suggested dates coming soon, participating in action in DC suggested again
b) Green Uprising update – letter from SC – Margaret, Gloria, Violet – 15 min
GPUS can receive up to $15k per year from GU including in-kind contributions such as mailing to members to support GU, can alert candidates about GU as a non-connected PAC; clarification needs to be published to make distinction between GU and affiliated PACs and other information
c) Direct the GPUS Accreditation Committee to follow GPUS Bylaws Governing Committees – Tony
Anita would ask AC for a proposal; proposal to vote individually as per GPUS bylaws rather than by state as per the current AC bylaws; consensus not reached, vote: Margaret YES, Hillary YES, Anita No, Andrea YES, Tony YES, Violet No , Jody No, Gloria YES – Proposal passed
For future agenda: ANM summary update, Freshdesk update, ETC Report, Tech – voting page/ETC and misc. maintenance
End recording of call – 10:50 pm Eastern
VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION – 10 min
Present: Anita Rios, Margaret Flowers, Violet Zitola, Jody Grage, Gloria Mattera, Hillary Kane,
Tony Ndege, Andrea Merida
Decision: Consensus that Hillary and Gloria will supervise Starlene and David and that regular staff meetings will resume.
Executive Session ended at 11 pm Eastern
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
Jody Grage, Secretary