10/13/24 Leadership Team Meeting Minutes

*approved: ( / / )

Key action items bolded and underlined.

Attendance: Samantha Fenner (Executive Director); Janet McKeehan Medina (Chair); Jane Nevins (Grants); Monte Mann (Finance);  Suzzane Guess (MSR); Jon Fenner (Comms.); Fabian Aruquipa (Secretary).

The LT Meeting was convened on Oct 13, at 7:00pm

The minutes from the last LT meeting were approved unanimously.

• Review of Last Quarter and General Budget of 2024 – Monte

Monte prepared a comparison of the yearly plan vs. anticipated year-end outcomes. Our expenses are projected to be $14,000 less than planned. Currently, income is slightly below projections due to several factors: we haven’t had a major fundraiser like last year; interest on CDs remains good but will decrease in November; we haven’t generated much revenue from master classes or manuscript reviews (though we hope to secure more before year-end). Overall, we are in good financial shape. If we secure a grant or additional contributions, our position could improve further. All major bills for the year have been paid, so we expect minimal expenses for the remainder of the year.

Suzanne noted that manuscript review submissions have been paused due to a lack of trained personnel but will resume after training in January.

Everything is looking good financially.

• Review and Approval of the 2025 Budget – Monte

Monte shared the 2025 budget, detailing all income and expenses for 2024. Expenses are covered, and if we secure a grant or additional revenue, we will close the gap compared to 2023.

The budget was approved unanimously.

• SP and OP – Review, Modify, Approve – Sam

Strategic Plan (SP) and Operating Plan (OP). Everyone had an opportunity to review the SP and OP, as amended in April. If no suggestions are made, the SP and OP will remain unchanged until next year.

• Bylaws – Review, Modify, Approve – Sam

Everyone had an opportunity to review the Bylaws, as amended in April. If no suggestions are made, the Bylaws will remain unchanged until next year.

• Set Membership Meeting Agenda – Janet

Janet outlined the details and agenda for the Membership meeting on Nov 3 at 7:00 PM Eastern. The agenda will include the following:

Introduction of the Board and LT

MSR update

CLA update

Discussion on Bylaws 2024 (Sam: Since many changes were made in the spring, we could explain them and address any questions or suggestions)

Strategic Plan (Sam: We may want to include one or two sentences per area to explain progress thus far)

2025 Budget

2024 Budget vs. actuals

Final wrap-up; no open seats for board positions.

It will be a shorter meeting than usual.

• Executive Director Update – Sam

Eventbrite continues to present issues. Sam has contacted Eventbrite to address the problem of sending too many reminders; the order page is also complicated (requiring advanced mode), leading to confusion. Attendance for the MC event is low, which is unusual, so this needs further investigation. For the Green Mountain Book Festival, Jim will be hosting a workshop representing BWW, and we will have some participants read. Please remind BWW workshop participants to engage in activities like the Green Mountain Book Fair and MC.

• Funding Team Update on Grant Report – Jane

The final report was submitted in September with no follow-up questions so far. The Funding Group is developing a two-year calendar for reapplying for grants. Fabian has joined the team, and Gloria is attending a retreat. Jane is researching foundations to adapt the letter of inquiry, aligning with their offerings and ours. Templates need to be updated to reflect our current activities. We are also researching organizations for potential inquiries. Jane’s name is registered with Grants.gov, and we are applying to the NEA, with all submissions required to go through Grants.gov.

• MSR Update – Suzanne (10 min)

The first quarterly issue was released in September without any issues. We held a debrief session, where members appreciated the extended reading period and discussed capping submissions to under 200. They found Suzanne’s published schedule very helpful. Submission guidelines need updating on Submittable and the MSR page, including word limits and inclusive language. Next year marks the ten-year anniversary, and we aim for a significant social media push in 2025, possibly with a special second-quarter issue, either as a contest or on a specific topic. This idea is under consideration, as is a contest with a monetary prize. For 2026, we are planning for the Association for Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference in March 2026, where BWW and MSR could have a booth to showcase our work. MSR submissions are currently open, and manuscript review training will begin in January.

• Next LT Meeting

The next LT meeting is scheduled for Nov 10 at 7:00 PM.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM.