GPUS Steering Comm Conference Call minutes – August 25, 2013
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND
a. Facilitator – Jody Grage
b. Roll Call – Jesse Townley, Tamar Yager, Starlene Rankin, Budd Dickinson, Jeff Turner, Karen Young, Darryl! Moch, Charles Ostdiek
II. TREASURER’S REPORT & FINANCE ITEMS – Jeff
a. Cash report to date
Cash report sent, general fund balance about at 0. Money coming in should cover month end bills. Bill Kreml will forgive his merchandise loan of $500. May be small refund from Iowa City. Loans/state sharing debt – $30k including last Red Sun Press bill; merch sales since ANM almost $2k some of which may be reinvested in merchandise, especially sizes sold out, merchandise loan is to be paid back with profits unless loaners agree to later payment. Jesse has experience with licensing merchandise and is joining MerchCom; though there may be problem with licensing and corporate connection; can also have direct orders from purchaser to vendor. May need to rethink stance on corporate donations
b. Fundraising – David Sacks finishing next resolicitation letter for early next week. Plans for use of candidate donor list (about 100 new names); new state lists; sustainer campaign for those who have given more than once in the last year; raising money for rebranding campaign – phonebanking mid September for seven weeks plus email and facebook; some Stein campaign workers will phonebank (plus Karen and Starlene) with more participation welcome; researching contact info for signators to pipeline decision letter to Obama – may feed into Green candidates in some places; possibility of new major donor.
c. purchase color printer – Jenifer Sullivan will contribute to cover purchase; important for fundraising program. Suggestion to send thank you cards – Karen will ask David to do so if it’s not being done; could do annual report of donors or automatic email.
d. final ANM report – one more check to write; AJ hasn’t asked for reimbursement; hope for final report on next call.
e. Request from BAC for $1000 – outstanding request, BAC has raised about $250 which has been sent directly to AR; hope for $1k from GPUS by the next call; then BAC will make another pitch.
f. FinCom has sent us Fiscal Policy spending priorities for review.
III. VOTING QUEUE
In the queue:
723 – Approval of Susan Chunco for membership on the GPUS Finance Committee. (from GPCA). Voting 9/1-8. Has been reminded of need for bio.
724 – Approval of Hank Bardel for continued membership on the GPUS Finance Committee. (from FinCom). Voting 9/1-8. Has been reminded of need for bio.
Received for the queue:SC Co-chair Vacancy Election goes into discussion on 8/25 – will be in voting queue tomorrow morning. Tamar floor manager.
IV. Committee Liaison Assignments –
Charles volunteered to be FinCom liaison and FinCom co-chair and second check signer. He withdrew as BRPP liaison. FundCom has no liaison yet, but Karen is its co-chair.
V. The Michigan situation and the role of Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) – Karen Need history of SC involvement in state party issues. Ask Jody to send WA process for vetting candidates and Jeff will send HI process, too. This relates to having candidates on GPUS website. Suggestion that info come through state parties. DRC has had no requests for a long time and so has not had calls; Darryl! will investigate. Need processes for interstate disputes. Suggestion that GPUS has no role. Discussion of role of CCC – gathering list of candidates and info on them; determine how David D selects who goes on website.
Consensus to list candidates only after checking with local or state party; need to respond to correspondence from MI/NY – GPUS at this time does not have the authority or capacity to address intrastate issues.
VI. Strategic Plan report – Karen
Report sent just before the call. Will ask the NC to approve Strategic Plan in sections. Identified next steps – develop both process changes in a few key areas, as well as action steps that can be done within current structure.
Volunteers for committees, etc., now come only through states – bylaw addition to cover where there is no state party.
GPUS Mission and Vision Statement being rewritten.
Website Content Committee needs additional members; new WCC mission statement being written; access needs to be clarified.
Listserv environment improvement being discussed with Forum Managers.
Bylaws have overlapping areas that need to be sorted out.
Need for racial equity program. (Tamar has resources to share on this.)
VII. Election Tab Committee – Karen
Budd said that Election Tabulation Committee report has been sent but this turned out to not be the case. He volunteered to get one.
VIII. GreenPartySocial (Z Mag) – Update from Jeff and Starlene
ZMag willing to have payments upfront so $1 goes directly to us rather than through them. Brian will work out the mechanics.
IX. Nomination of a 3rd Forum Manager – Starlene
Forwarded Floor Manager report for further discussion. Consider who could be nominated for next call. Suggested asking for volunteers on the listserv. Personal phone calls would be helpful.
X. Liaison Reports
Darryl! – Some people interested in reviving BRPP.
Starlene – Media – Facebook page is near 64,000 fans. Working with Facebook Group – setting guidelines for discussion of GP candidates and have reduced the admin group to known Greens.
Darryl! – CCC to meet this week about special constituencies with Karen Kubby TU 9pm ET.
Darryl! – Diversity Comm hasn’t had a call yet.
— Budd Dickinson
Secretary
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Budd Dickinson
Secretary