GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – 28 April 2019
SUMMARY FOR DISTRIBUTION TO STATES AND LOCAL CHAPTERS
1. New Business: None
2. Standing Business: Treasurer’s Report (Treasurer’s Reports to the GNC available at
https://gpus.org/treasurers-reports/; Fundraising Report; Liaison reports
Voting Queue – https://secure.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/login
Received for the queue: None
In the queue: Amend Accreditation Committee Policies & Procedures; Minimum Age for Steering Committee Membership; Amend Rules & Procedures Article 10 – Recognition of Declared Candidates for President, Amend PNC Rules to Prohibit Registrants of Non-Green Parties as Delegates
Online SC Proposals approved since last call and sent to the NC: None
4. Old Business: Response to FVPA letter, 2019 Annual National Meeting, Tech update, Strategic Planning Meeting. FreshDesk update. Letter from EU
5. Executive Session: Legal Issue
The full minutes are available at http://gpus.org/sc-agenda-2019-04-28/
The call recording is available at 712-451-0309, 926334#, reference 3 and
https://gpus.org/steering-committee-recordings/
Jody Grage, Secretary
GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – 28 April 2019
AGENDA:
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND – 15 min
a) Facilitator: Charles Sherrouse
b) Roll call – Violet Rose Zitola, Jody Grage, Anita Rios, Justin Beth, Hillary Kane, Gloria Mattera, Andrea Merida, Tony Ndege
Absent – Margaret Flowers
Observers: DavId Gerry MA, Starlene Rankin LAV, Tamar Yager NWC, Holly Hart IA
c) Agenda revision suggestions – none
II. NEW BUSINESS – None
III. STANDING BUSINESS – 40 min
a) Treasurer’s report – Hillary Kane – 5 min.
Treasurer’s Reports to the GNC available at https://gpus.org/treasurers-reports/
In all accounts – $126,305.94; Reserves – operational, restricted, ANM – $112,929.10; checking
$13,376.84; plus Paypal – $1136.12
Reserves increasing and also include ANM registration. checking balance good
FinCom – internal audit with random spot checks of 2018 started
b) Fundraising report – Gloria – 10 min
see overview sent to the NCD by Gloria on 4/2
YTD Income: 28: $62,900.76 (without ANM); April 1 – 28: $12,058.18 (without ANM)
YTD Donations from website: $2,324.52; April 1 -28: $310.44 (2 Sustainers @ $15)
Donations from checks (not from Direct Mail Letter) YTD: $1,135.00
Donations from Eblasts April 1 – 28: $2439
2019 ANM: $13,940.00
February 2019 Direct Mail Letter: $10,745.00 (2/22 – 4/28), Cost: $4,933.58; Sent to: 3998
Direct mail: “newsletter-type” like last time with updates on what we are doing, ANM, 35th anniversary (need writer) – Tamar and Starlene working together on coming up with suggested recipients
Eblasts:
4/15/19: Tax Day 2019: $575 (1 Sustainer $25)
4/22/19: Earth Day (Sustainer focused) Hillary wrote main copy, then message/ask tailored to 4 different groups: 4 Eblasts totaling: $493 – To Lapsed Donors(signed by Gloria): Sent to 386; $10 (1 Sustainer) – To Non-Donors (signed by Hillary): Sent to 46,429; $75 (4 Sustainers @ $40 a month) –
To Non-Sustainer Donors(signed by Hillary) : Sent to 6,772; $383 (2 Sustainers @$35 a month) –
To Current Sustainers with Thank You (signed by Tamar) : Sent to 619; $25
Upcoming Eblasts: May Day eblast (David Doonan writing), Mother’s Day (focus on anti-war) Gloria writing
questions about Stein lists being researched – what have, what done with sections, huge eblasts were expensive; other email services have comparable costs but may be better return on investment but NB analysis tools may be better – could try free samples but having data in two systems could be problematic, gathering information for experimenting continues, have checked with 4 other services; Tamar working on dashboard numbers and analysis, still seeking more committee members
c) Liaison – Tech liaison discussion, reports – 25 min
ANITA – Diversity Committee had call
ANDREA – no updates
GLORIA – see Fundraising above; Media – election in progress; no other updates
JUSTIN – Merch working on getting banners in; Animal Rights on Facebook so communication difficult;
BMRC – email traffic, talking points for Greening the Dollar; PCSC – Article 10 proposal in queue and working to address concerns
TONY – GPAX press release on Yemen and goal to have 25 teach-ins by end of summer; Outreach – next piece will focus on Assange with video from past ANM, audit of membership list to enable co-chair election
VIOLET – BAC – ongoing co-chair elections, reports from some states, have ballot access is 20 with goal of 30 by 2020; 17-20 May – NH, MA, ME events; CA SB505 legislation which may be testing the waters for other state – restricts ballot access for presidential candidates – letter to sponsoring legislator may be appropriate – SoS can add to list of candidates “recognized candidate” – this codifies and restrains definition – matching funds, inclusion in debates, other state ballots, campaign office in state, bad if all candidates must meet these conditions, BAC meets 1st and 3rd Wednesdays!
Tech liaison – Violet – need to get tech working group together to work before decision needs to be made
VOTING QUEUE – Jody – 5 min
https://secure.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/login
Received for the queue: None
In the queue: Amend Accreditation Committee Policies & Procedures; Minimum Age for Steering Committee Membership; Amend Rules & Procedures Article 10 – Recognition of Declared Candidates for President, Amend PNC Rules to Prohibit Registrants of Non-Green Parties as Delegates
Online SC Proposals approved since last call and sent to the NC: None
V. OLD BUSINESS – 65 min
a) Potential response to FVPA letter regarding Venezuela trip update – Andrea – 5 min – no updates
b) 2019 Annual National Meeting – Margaret – 20 min
SC task list update – Violet, Gloria, Justin, Tony – update on workshops, speakers, etc. – call tomorrow
plenary agenda – one day largely anti-oppression, one day largely strategic planning
Travel reservations – Hillary will do the booking, the sooner the better; budget covers registration fees, travel, lodging, and some per deim
c) Tech updates – Violet – 10 min – see above
d) Strategic Planning Meeting #5 – Margaret and Gloria – 15 min
Agenda development – discussion on SC list – staff position, survey – Andrea, strategy moving forward – 2 yrs & 4 yrs – Jody will send out save the date post to list
Scheduling – Justin – Friday 3 May
e) FreshDesk update – Justin – 10 min – no update
f) Letter from EU – update from Violet, Gloria, Tony. Anita, Justin – 5 min – input has been included, Anita suggests we follow letter with request to Global Greens for mediation or outreach
For future agendas:
a) Committee actions and statements within their mission statement – suggestion that if in name of GPUS public statements go through Media Committee and letters go through SC
VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION – 20 min
Update on GPUS vs Commission on Presidential Debates lawsuit – Charles Ostdiek
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours 55 min
Jody Grage, Secretary