Burlington Writers Workshop Leadership Team Meeting, 6/12/22
(Specific to-do items underlined and bolded.)
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Attendance: Janet Mckeehan-Medina and Katherine Lazarus (Co-Chairs), Dick Matheson (Treasurer), Millie Eidson (Secretary), Sam Fenner (Managing Director), Jon Fenner (IT Support), Ashley Hajimirsadeghi (MSR), Riki Moss, Nancy Kilgore, Jane Nevins, Rebecca O’Bern
General: Review and approve minutes from the previous meeting of 5/15. Minutes approved.
MSR Update (Rebecca/Ashley)
- Edition: issue out on June 20, opened up tip jar submissions, maxed out fiction
- 4 manuscript reviews in and couple others in pipeline
- Staffing for reviewers: looking for more fiction reviewers and for CNF, and a new editor
- Designate Rebecca, Ashley, and Dick as agents to approve and sign $5943.30 three year contract with Submittable; Motion made and approved.
- Quotes increasing each year, but negotiated it lower to be close to current rate
- Can lock in the price for 2-3 years
- Used up all 2800 free submission openings and contract will be for 2000 so we may need to ask for a quote to buy additional ones
- Could consider other steps to manage number of submissions, like limiting free submissions to a shorter period (2-3 weeks) and then switch to tip jar
- Paid cost is $3 per submission
- Submittable charges a commission, and it’s a larger proportion of smaller tips
- Only have to pay for each year (not full contracted amount all at once)
- Set time to do a MSR Open House for the Leadership Team; Janet will send email to set up
Managing Director and Resources (Sam)
- New Meeting Format
- Receive packet of information ahead of the meeting, online
- Set up Google docs drive, then transfer to website
- Leadership work in progress page at bottom of website, with links to Google docs
- Announcements (no need for votes), Discussions, and Votes
- Send reminders to LT members to sign up on EventBrite and review documents ahead of time
- Won’t replace meeting discussion
- Members can look at this as well, can’t delete but can comment (no edits)
- Can archive information
- Only LT regulars can edit or create new documents, then gets transferred to website (Sam can help)
- Include 2 line summary of the document
- Clickup: free way to communicate about tasks without emails, entire LT should try it before next meeting (email Sam if need help); suggest alternatives if not working; contact Clickup for help videos
- Some clickup notifications don’t include what needs to be done or when so it’s confusing for some receiving them, especially if others have the responsibility
- LT meeting agenda development: Janet and Katie develop, Sam helps get it on website; others can’t make changes currently but need training to do
- Workshop survey
- 105 responses
- Sam will summarize the results on the website, and find out most popular ideas
- Create a survey form for comments/feedback
- Complete raw data available if wanted: email Sam
- Most want to stay on zoom or hybrid (but technological issues with hybrid; Olga could provide advice; need host and co-host); could vary by workshop leader decision
- Furniture storage; Middlebury group in-person so they can take what they want; proposal for in-person fiction workshop, unsure if meeting in-person
- Tables, chairs, bookshelf, coffee table, tee-shirts, office supplies: donate to Resource; Sam will keep easel and donation box and contact Resource to see if they will go to Elaine’s to pick up the rest; Dick will try to sell water cooler and file cabinets that he has
- Old MSR and CLA: Hotel Vermont and nursing homes with info sticker requesting donations with QR code, plus Little Free Libraries; Roger will drop off to 12 sites in the Burlington area when Sam finishes sticker development
- Survey indicated need for purchasing zoom pro licenses for hosts; $100/year/host
- Some have alternate ways of volunteers doing the hosting, so don’t need a license
- Some workshops meet only once a month
- Giving hosts a zoom license they can rely on would be good
- Offer to the hosts and if they want one, provide it
- Sam and Dick will develop question for the hosts to find out if they need it, then report back the number of licenses we would need
- Getting people moved over to new database, will give deadline
Programs (Sam)
- Programs
- Millie offering short-term Monday “Elements of Eloquence” workshop on Mondays that are available
- Poetry with Elizabeth
- Riki considering retreat for August; Nancy offering retreat in October
- New fiction class under development
- Find help for program team
- How will we line up more Master Classes?
- Joanie Kohl
- Decide whether it will include generative writing; and whether feedback will be included (like workshops)
- Brainstorm by committee (Riki, Millie, Nancy, Dick) proposals for how and who can offer a MC; with limited BWW funds, need to make sure it’s of value to members and the host/teacher has time and expertise
- Book Festival Pub Crawl—authors read and sell books, 4 signed up; Sam will find out details
- Book Festival: Used Book Sale—challenging job; Sam has 6 volunteers already with Jon/Sam on Sunday; half of proceeds to BWW
Comm Team Update and discussion (Jon)
- Website Hosting for BWW and MSR
- Current host runs out in August
- Jon will send summary of options with costs; some like HostGator might have good promotional prices $10/mo for 36 mo.
- Make choice soon to move everything
- Katie and Sunny taking care of social media
- Promotion proposal (Sam)
- Won’t promote class that charges a fee that is not a BWW class
- If it’s a free class that is not a BWW class, it can be suggested for promotion by members
- This information is a benefit for members
- Instead of social media promotion, just include the information on a resource page
- Would we be competing with the other groups if we promote them?
- Sam will rewrite proposal for LT to evaluate for next time
- Board members: Send Sam updated picture and bio for Board page of website
- Add host page with info on workshop hosts
Finance and Fundraising (Dick)
- Should we earn more on our reserves?
- Account at a brokerage; Dick working on recommendations
- Bear markets, all investments could go down
- Update on final report for BCA Master Class grant, Jane and Katie
- Draft needed by June 15; Word doc with answers to be entered online
- Katie will email Dick to confirm submission by June 30
- Let Dick know when BCA finally accepts it because that’s when they pay final amount of grant
- Data is most important
- What would increase Member commitment and support of BWW?
- Many members don’t donate, look at website, or volunteer; need to motivate more to increase commitment to give back; need paid membership category with benefits and Jon can use input for them
- Host welcome to BWW meetings, happy hour; Riki and Dick put on one before; have welcome video of people talking about their first time
- Remind participants of financial or time contributions; we need volunteers even more than financial donations to increase BWW democracy, input
- Need to have Job Wanted sheet so people know what they’re committing too; starting with finance
- Need to announce list of contributing members to thank them
- Having more hosts and classes would increase interest; publicize path to becoming a workshop host (2 workshops, submit proposal, cohost); some are workshops in which the hosts are teachers and others are not (structured more to be sharing/discussing/workshopping) so the latter may only need organizational skills to host
- Program Committee vetted proposals for new workshops
- Add topic to agenda for next time
Update on BWW Publishing Team
- Meeting June 11
- For BWW members, will send email to let them know how to submit manuscripts ready for publishing
- Create email address for submissions
Adjourned at 8 pm. Next LT meeting: Sunday July 10, 6 PM
x
(Specific to-do items underlined and bolded.)
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Attendance: Janet Mckeehan-Medina and Katherine Lazarus (Co-Chairs), Dick Matheson (Treasurer), Millie Eidson (Secretary), Sam Fenner (Managing Director), Jon Fenner (IT Support), Ashley Hajimirsadeghi (MSR), Riki Moss, Nancy Kilgore, Jane Nevins, Rebecca O’Bern
General: Review and approve minutes from the previous meeting of 5/15. Minutes approved.
MSR Update (Rebecca/Ashley)
- Edition: issue out on June 20, opened up tip jar submissions, maxed out fiction
- 4 manuscript reviews in and couple others in pipeline
- Staffing for reviewers: looking for more fiction reviewers and for CNF, and a new editor
- Designate Rebecca, Ashley, and Dick as agents to approve and sign $5943.30 three year contract with Submittable; Motion made and approved.
- Quotes increasing each year, but negotiated it lower to be close to current rate
- Can lock in the price for 2-3 years
- Used up all 2800 free submission openings and contract will be for 2000 so we may need to ask for a quote to buy additional ones
- Could consider other steps to manage number of submissions, like limiting free submissions to a shorter period (2-3 weeks) and then switch to tip jar
- Paid cost is $3 per submission
- Submittable charges a commission, and it’s a larger proportion of smaller tips
- Only have to pay for each year (not full contracted amount all at once)
- Set time to do a MSR Open House for the Leadership Team; Janet will send email to set up
Managing Director and Resources (Sam)
- New Meeting Format
- Receive packet of information ahead of the meeting, online
- Set up Google docs drive, then transfer to website
- Leadership work in progress page at bottom of website, with links to Google docs
- Announcements (no need for votes), Discussions, and Votes
- Send reminders to LT members to sign up on EventBrite and review documents ahead of time
- Won’t replace meeting discussion
- Members can look at this as well, can’t delete but can comment (no edits)
- Can archive information
- Only LT regulars can edit or create new documents, then gets transferred to website (Sam can help)
- Include 2 line summary of the document
- Clickup: free way to communicate about tasks without emails, entire LT should try it before next meeting (email Sam if need help); suggest alternatives if not working; contact Clickup for help videos
- Some clickup notifications don’t include what needs to be done or when so it’s confusing for some receiving them, especially if others have the responsibility
- LT meeting agenda development: Janet and Katie develop, Sam helps get it on website; others can’t make changes currently but need training to do
- Workshop survey
- 105 responses
- Sam will summarize the results on the website, and find out most popular ideas
- Create a survey form for comments/feedback
- Complete raw data available if wanted: email Sam
- Most want to stay on zoom or hybrid (but technological issues with hybrid; Olga could provide advice; need host and co-host); could vary by workshop leader decision
- Furniture storage; Middlebury group in-person so they can take what they want; proposal for in-person fiction workshop, unsure if meeting in-person
- Tables, chairs, bookshelf, coffee table, tee-shirts, office supplies: donate to Resource; Sam will keep easel and donation box and contact Resource to see if they will go to Elaine’s to pick up the rest; Dick will try to sell water cooler and file cabinets that he has
- Old MSR and CLA: Hotel Vermont and nursing homes with info sticker requesting donations with QR code, plus Little Free Libraries; Roger will drop off to 12 sites in the Burlington area when Sam finishes sticker development
- Survey indicated need for purchasing zoom pro licenses for hosts; $100/year/host
- Some have alternate ways of volunteers doing the hosting, so don’t need a license
- Some workshops meet only once a month
- Giving hosts a zoom license they can rely on would be good
- Offer to the hosts and if they want one, provide it
- Sam and Dick will develop question for the hosts to find out if they need it, then report back the number of licenses we would need
- Getting people moved over to new database, will give deadline
Programs (Sam)
- Programs
- Millie offering short-term Monday “Elements of Eloquence” workshop on Mondays that are available
- Poetry with Elizabeth
- Riki considering retreat for August; Nancy offering retreat in October
- New fiction class under development
- Find help for program team
- How will we line up more Master Classes?
- Joanie Kohl
- Decide whether it will include generative writing; and whether feedback will be included (like workshops)
- Brainstorm by committee (Riki, Millie, Nancy, Dick) proposals for how and who can offer a MC; with limited BWW funds, need to make sure it’s of value to members and the host/teacher has time and expertise
- Book Festival Pub Crawl—authors read and sell books, 4 signed up; Sam will find out details
- Book Festival: Used Book Sale—challenging job; Sam has 6 volunteers already with Jon/Sam on Sunday; half of proceeds to BWW
Comm Team Update and discussion (Jon)
- Website Hosting for BWW and MSR
- Current host runs out in August
- Jon will send summary of options with costs; some like HostGator might have good promotional prices $10/mo for 36 mo.
- Make choice soon to move everything
- Katie and Sunny taking care of social media
- Promotion proposal (Sam)
- Won’t promote class that charges a fee that is not a BWW class
- If it’s a free class that is not a BWW class, it can be suggested for promotion by members
- This information is a benefit for members
- Instead of social media promotion, just include the information on a resource page
- Would we be competing with the other groups if we promote them?
- Sam will rewrite proposal for LT to evaluate for next time
- Board members: Send Sam updated picture and bio for Board page of website
- Add host page with info on workshop hosts
Finance and Fundraising (Dick)
- Should we earn more on our reserves?
- Account at a brokerage; Dick working on recommendations
- Bear markets, all investments could go down
- Update on final report for BCA Master Class grant, Jane and Katie
- Draft needed by June 15; Word doc with answers to be entered online
- Katie will email Dick to confirm submission by June 30
- Let Dick know when BCA finally accepts it because that’s when they pay final amount of grant
- Data is most important
- What would increase Member commitment and support of BWW?
- Many members don’t donate, look at website, or volunteer; need to motivate more to increase commitment to give back; need paid membership category with benefits and Jon can use input for them
- Host welcome to BWW meetings, happy hour; Riki and Dick put on one before; have welcome video of people talking about their first time
- Remind participants of financial or time contributions; we need volunteers even more than financial donations to increase BWW democracy, input
- Need to have Job Wanted sheet so people know what they’re committing too; starting with finance
- Need to announce list of contributing members to thank them
- Having more hosts and classes would increase interest; publicize path to becoming a workshop host (2 workshops, submit proposal, cohost); some are workshops in which the hosts are teachers and others are not (structured more to be sharing/discussing/workshopping) so the latter may only need organizational skills to host
- Program Committee vetted proposals for new workshops
- Add topic to agenda for next time
Update on BWW Publishing Team
- Meeting June 11
- For BWW members, will send email to let them know how to submit manuscripts ready for publishing
- Create email address for submissions
Adjourned at 8 pm. Next LT meeting: Sunday July 10, 6 PM
