THS Board Meeting (#10) Minutes

Transcription

1 THS Board Meeting (#10) Minutes Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 7:00 pm 11 River Street Toronto, Ontario Present: Non-voting: Guests: Regrets: David Bronskill, Elizabeth Cabral, Jennifer Downe, Lisa Gibbens, Carol Hroncek, Cathy Kinloch, Marcie Laking, Dean Maher, Colette Miller, Jason Peetsma, Ferne Sinkins, Stephen Steele Tiffany Wong Phil Nichols, Barbara Steinhoff, Claudette Turner Peter Newell, Wendy Strickland 1. Regular Business David Bronskill called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm. 1.1 THAT the agenda be approved as amended. Moved: Marcie Laking Seconded: Jennifer Downe Carried. 1.2 THAT the minutes of February 11, 2014 be approved as amended. Moved: Elizabeth Cabral Seconded: Carol Hroncek Carried. 1.3 THAT the memberships dated February 8-March 19, 2014 and all timely renewals received in the past month are hereby approved. Moved: Carol Hroncek Seconded: Elizabeth Cabral Carried. Carol Hroncek offered to call and welcome the new members. The President shared that the For the Love of Paws fundraiser was well attended and an enjoyable evening. 2. Annual General Meeting The AGM Committee informed the Board that the Primrose Hotel had offered THS a significant discount to host the 2014 AGM, and recommended: 2.1 THAT the AGM be held on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at 6:00 pm at the Primrose Hotel. Moved: Lisa Gibbens Seconded: Dean Maher Carried. THS Board Meeting Minutes March 19, of 6

2 The membership cutoff date ensures that members receive their election package with enough time to return their completed proxy before the AGM. Any memberships received after the cutoff date will not be processed until after the AGM and thus will not receive a proxy or be admitted to the AGM. The Committee suggested: 2.2 THAT the membership cutoff date, for the purpose of attending and/or voting at the 2014 AGM, be May 1, 2014 at 12:00 noon; FURTHER THAT this date be widely promoted to ensure all who wish to participate in the 2014 AGM have sufficient notice to do so. Moved: Colette Miller Seconded: Ferne Sinkins Carried. The committee discussed modifying the AGM format this year to increase member engagement, as outlined in the strategic plan. Building on the success of the strays town hall two years ago, the committee considered incorporating round table discussions on specific subject(s), which would encourage a spirit of collaboration and enable more meaningful membership participation. The Board liked the idea, but felt it was not feasible at the AGM and suggested it be paired with another membership event. Open House was suggested, but was also not feasible as information would need to be included in the call for nominations mailing. To avoid the March 31 postage increase, the call for nominations mailing and an to volunteers will go out the week of March 24, It will include information on what Directors do (from the Director Profile), the priority skills (as determined by the Recruitment Committee) and encourage qualified members/volunteers to submit a nomination. The call for nominations mailing also encourages members to attend the Open House, which will be held on May 3, The nomination deadline is currently at least 30 days before the AGM; experience shows that proxies must go out three weeks in advance of the AGM to give members time to vote. This leaves a week to produce the entire package, which means people must work weekends and THS pays a premium for expedited printing and list management services. Shifting the nomination deadline to at least 60 days prior to the AGM would give everyone staff, members and Directors more notice and should make AGM preparations easier and cheaper. This requires a minor by-law amendment: 2.3 THAT by-law #4. (3) (c) (i) be amended to replace the reference to thirty (30) days with sixty (60) days. Moved: Lisa Gibbens Seconded: Dean Maher Carried. THS Board Meeting Minutes March 19, of 6

3 The nomination deadline for the 2014 AGM is April 17, 2014 at 5:00pm. All candidate bios and photos received (electronically) by the nomination deadline will be included in the proxy and bio booklet. Postage rates are increasing by 20-35% on March 31; as a result the $10 senior membership fee no longer covers the cost of membership mailings. Approximately 60% of the membership are senior members, and while annual membership rates have increased, seniors rates have been unchanged for more than 20 years. Comparable humane societies have senior membership fees ranging from $15- $25. Despite ongoing requests, THS only has addresses for slightly more than half of the membership, so replacing postal mail with is not feasible particularly since the overwhelming majority (88%) of members with no address on file are seniors. Rather than take money away from animal care, it was suggested that the senior membership rate be increased to $15 in 2014, then to $20 in 2015 and pegged at 50% of the annual membership rate thereafter. 2.4 THAT the senior membership rate be increased to $15, effective immediately for new senior members and effective June 1, 2014 for renewing members. FURTHER THAT the senior membership rate increase to $20 in 2015 and thereafter be maintained at 50% of the annual membership rate. Moved: Lisa Gibbens Seconded: David Bronskill Carried. With input from the Recruitment Committee, the Board discussed whether to recommend candidates for the 2014 AGM. Historically, members have used a mix and match approach to selecting candidates when presented with competing teams; yet individual members have also sought guidance from Directors on how to cast their vote. It was suggested that, should the Board decide not to recommend candidates, each individual Director must also agree not to support any group of candidates. The Recruitment Committee has identified essential skill sets required by the Board, including skill gaps among the current Director complement. Should the Board recommend candidates, it should try to recruit candidates with true expertise, based on formal training and years of experience in the field. After some discussion, the Board agreed to recommend candidates to the membership for the 2014 AGM and asked the Recruitment Committee to determine a recruitment and selection process. THS Board Meeting Minutes March 19, of 6

4 3. Executive Director s Report As the CEO was on vacation, the Executive Director reported on his behalf. The annual Paws in the Park fundraiser is scheduled for August 24, 2014 in the Beach, when the weather is warmer than the late September date of the last few years walks. Along with host Carla Collins, Global TV s famous photo-bombing weather dog, Storm, will attend and help raise awareness and funds. Fundraising is using a more targeted and personalized approach in the latest direct mail campaign to increase donor renewals and THS calendar will be sold in selected retail outlets starting in September. The Just for Cats video festival will play at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in April and THS will hold a red carpet adopt-a-thon in the lobby prior to the screening. THS submission to Ontario s Ministry of Natural Resources opposing the reopening of the spring bear hunt drew considerable feedback on THS Facebook page, with more than 2,000 shares and 400 comments. THS has accepted nearly twice as many special species in the first two months of 2014 vs. the same period last year and adoption numbers have increased as well. January and February also saw more than 200 animals transferred in from other shelters and rescues. Toronto Animal Services has amended their approach to strays, resuming their pickup of stray dogs, while leaving stray cats and special species with THS. THS signed an agreement to manage the Humane Society of Durham Region s Oshawa shelter in February. The Board referred a number of questions relating to THS Board s accountability for Durham s operations to the CEO to address at the next Board meeting. As stakeholders often approach individual Directors with questions, the Board also asked that staff proactively inform them of any sensitive issues in a timely manner. 4. Strategic Planning Committee The Strategic Planning Committee developed a series of four goals for 2014 that align with the pillars of the strategic plan. Specifically: Animal pillars Increase number of animals helped by 5% year-over-year Leadership pillar Advance brand and community presence between 2014 and 2016 Governance pillar Measure and improve stakeholder satisfaction each year Financial pillar Grow and diversify THS revenue stream by 5% annually to sustain and expand THS operations THS Board Meeting Minutes March 19, of 6

5 Animals helped includes both THS animals (i.e. intake) and publicly owned animals (e.g. TNRs, spay/neuter and vaccine clinic patients, behaviour sessions, etc.). To avoid double counting, animals are tracked upon arrival (not exit). A publicly owned animal is also counted just once, even if it receives multiple services (e.g. an animal that was vaccinated and spayed/neutered). 4.1 THAT the Board approve the four strategic goals for 2014 and that they be posted on the Toronto Humane Society website. Moved: Stephen Steele Seconded: Dean Maher Carried. The committee also developed a monthly dashboard of key measures. It provides a high level overview of how the THS is functioning; if the metrics reveal potential problems or accomplishments, staff will use more detailed information to assess the situation. The current, detailed, statistics and financials will continue to be provided while the Board adjusts to the dashboard approach. The Board approved the dashboard and thanked the Strategic Planning Committee for their hard work over the last year. The committee produced the strategic plan, the budget and gave the Board new tools to identify trends and perform long term analysis. 5. Other Business The Board moved into in camera at 8:42 pm to discuss the CEO s performance review and other sensitive matters. It moved out of in camera at 9:18 pm. Currently the spay/neuter clinic requires patients to be vaccinated, as vaccines protect both the individual animal and other animals in the community (vaccinating a significant portion of a population also protects unvaccinated animals through herd immunity). If the animals do not have current vaccines, THS will provide them at low cost; this cost may be waived for clients on social assistance. Some concerns were raised that this may still cause low income clients who are not on social assistance to walk away, with the result that their animals are neither sterilized nor vaccinated, which benefits no one. Recognizing that the spay/neuter clinic must cover its costs to remain functional, the Board referred the issue to the CEO to make recommendations. 6. Upcoming Important Dates April 17, 5:00 pm April 24 Week of April 28 May 1, noon May 2 May 3 June 10 June 16 or 17 Candidate nomination deadline Board meeting Candidate interviews Membership cutoff for AGM voting purposes Board meeting (teleconference) Open House AGM Board meeting to elect Officers THS Board Meeting Minutes March 19, of 6

6 7. Adjournment 7.1 THAT the meeting be adjourned at 9:40 pm. Moved: Marcie Laking Seconded: Stephen Steele Carried. David Bronskill, Chair Lisa Gibbens, Secretary Date Date THS Board Meeting Minutes March 19, of 6