CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by President Lois Marris, with the following members attending: Tony Benson, Al Dollerschell, Phil Henoch, Corey Jordan, Jen Koski, Tracy McCray, Mark Neville, Ann Sand, Alan Sessler, JoAnn Sheldon, Joanne Swenson, Debbie Westerland, and Bill Wiktor.
Staff Present: John Hunziker, Communications Manager; Kathy Olson, Operations Manager.
David Koch gave an overview of economic conditions and the Foundation's investment fund. Generally, most portfolios are 25-30% below where the S&P peaked in 2007. Long-term it pays to be cautious and balanced, which is the approach the Foundation has taken.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS
New Board members Tony Benson, Al Dollerschell, Corey Jordan, Jen Koski, Tracy McCray, Ann Sand, and JoAnn Sheldon were introduced.
MINUTES
Motion by Phil Henoch, seconded by Mark Neville, to approve the minutes from the January 27, 2010, as submitted. Motion approved.
LIBRARY BOARD AND DIRECTOR'S REPORT
John noted that the library has started a revenue recapture process whereby we can gain access to tax refunds from people who owe large amounts of money to the library. This process has generated about $7,800 to date.
The Library Board reviewed a number of policies at their last meeting mainly regarding events at the library related to the RACE Exhibit and changes to the Code of Conduct to reflect issues around photography in the library.
According to NFI Research, Rochester Public Library is one of the top libraries on Twitter. "These are the top public libraries on Twitter who 1) regularly update their page and communicate with their followers 2) use Twitter to advance/promote communication with their community 3) have a proportionate number of followers to following and 4) are currently active on Twitter." Ginny Erbe maintains both the Twitter and Facebook accounts.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Advocacy: no report.
Finance: no report.
Development: Kathy reviewed the direct mail campaign(s) report. Almost $50,000 was raised as a result of the direct mail campaigns in the spring and fall.
Mark Neville stated that one of goals of the committee is to develop a planned giving campaign. The committee will be reviewing materials that could be used as a starting point. Leave a Legacy might be something we want to tap into if the Board is in agreement with this approach. The consensus of the Board was to proceed and contact the Minnesota Planned Giving Council.
Special Events: The LOL4RPL event at Goonie's Comedy Club is immediately following the Board meeting. This was a new endeavor and was an attempt to reach a younger audience. Registrations have been less than we would have liked, but we will make a small profit.
The committee has begun planning for the Amuzing Race, scheduled for Saturday, June 19. The event will be marketed as a part of Rochesterfest. If anyone has ideas on leg sponsors at $500, please contact John or Kathy.
PRESIDENTS REPORT
The next meeting is Wednesday, May 26, at 4:45 pm.
The Executive Committee will be meeting on April 22. If committee chairs have anything they would like discussed, they should contact Lois.
In an effort to get know Board members, Bill Wiktor has developed a biography form. Board members are asked to fill out the form and return it to Kathy or Bill.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:00 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Bill Wiktor
Secretary