June 16, 2011, Meeting of the NASSA Board of Directors

Transcription

1 June 16, 2011, Meeting of the NASSA Board of Directors The meeting was called to order by president Mike Ludlam at 8:11 p.m. Present were Marybeth Bullington (MB), Don Fletcher (DF), Theresa Gygi (TG), Rich Johnson (RJ). Judi Lehrhaupt (JL), Tom Livernois (TL), Mike Ludlam (ML), Lori Stephenson (LS) and Faye Whitney (FW). The meeting was recorded by Accuconference. A motion was made by DF, seconded by MB, to approve the minutes of March 10. Voting in favor: MB, DF, RJ, JL. TL, FW, ML. Opposed: TG. Abstaining: LS. Officer/Committee Reports All officers reports were submitted on line. They are as follows: President During the last quarter there was a glitch with a member using Paypal to register some sheep on the website. This was quickly rectified by myself and the webmaster. Several questions were brought to my attention from the Registry and quickly answered. Overall Julie is doing a great job and things seem to be running quite smoothly at the registry. We currently are sending out the NASSA News to 498 households. Membership is up comparable to the same time last year. Questions were brought up about the education grant that was approved for the Indiana Shetland Breeders group. The question was whether or not the function was really educational or more promotional. Also did the request really fit the guidelines set up for the use of an educational grant? I contacted the American Lamb Board to see if they had any funds available for the promotion of lamb for the Indiana Shetland Breeders. They did not have any funding available but will provide promotional materials at no cost. Questions had been brought to my attention about a Board member starting a new Shetland registry competing with the NASSA Registry. These questions were addressed to the Board member and it was determined to be unfounded. Earlier in the year I was advised by the attorney, David Atkin, that our method of using online polling was illegal according to Oregon State law. After advising the Board of this several Board members requested to see this in writing. This was provided to the Board. The Board was advised that we can vote online via . Oregon State law allows that Board members can vote by provided that all the directors vote and that the vote passes unanimously. If one director does not vote, respond to the , or they vote against the motion it fails. This does not disallow for the same motion to then be re-voted on again by or re-voted on at a regular meeting. The minutes from the last meeting were recorded. The Secretary sent an out to the directors for a vote to approve the minutes using the method outlined by Oregon State Law. The first attempt had a no vote which failed the approval of the minutes. After some discussion on the board list a second attempt was made to approve the minutes. 4 directors have not voted to date and 5 directors have voted to approve the minutes. The ownership of the yahoo groups has presented some trouble as far as transferring ownership of the groups. I discussed some of the logistical issues with Doug Meyer and

2 we came up with the idea of a NASSA Forum. This Forum would eliminate the ownership issues that occur with the Yahoo groups. NASSA as an organization could have our own Forum with our lists. This would allow us as an organization to have complete control and be able to modify the forums and archives to our liking. We would have lists for our committees. Areas could be set up for online document and photo storage. I have posted a link to a demo site that Doug has created for the Boards review. The costs would be minimal at first and we would have the opportunity to change and modify the forum easily. This would also drive up our website usage which could become a benefit down the line. Website updates. We are right where we should be as far as expenditures for updates. Doug and I had some discussion of a web overhaul and its costs. He ball parked depending on the amount of changes and time involved that it could be around $1500 to $2000. Overhauling the site could get cheaper because of new software and share ware that is available. I had Doug look at the security of our website and we found that we had a few IP addresses that were downloading lots of data off of our site. This was cause for concern not knowing who these IP addresses were. Doug and I set a limit for monthly page loads for the site and it seems to not have had any effect on the membership. Further investigation into this showed that the downloads may have been bots from search engines scanning the site and Doug put a fix in the code to curtail this problem. Last week I was interviewed by a writer for Sheep magazine. He was very interested in our farm s operation and Shetland sheep in general. He also was very interested in NASSA and its history. Our organization should get some great press from this article. We, the Board, will have a great opportunity to do something positive by setting up the Youth Fund for NASSA. I look forward to having this opportunity to do something great for our young Shetland Breeders. This will also help secure the future of NASSA by encouraging young members to remain involved with the organization as adults. My goal for the remainder of the year is that we find and concentrate on positive projects that we can all agree on. The smooth running of the general business of NASSA is also a priority for me and I know it is for the rest of the Board. Respectfully submitted Mike Ludlam NASSA President Treasurer s Report Please see report in separate Excel document. Secretary s Report The following notice will appear in the summer issue of the NASSA News: Nomination Time for NASSA Board of Directors Once again it is time to make nominations for members to serve on the Board of Directors. Theresa Gygi, Lori Stephenson and Faye Whitney are the Board members whose terms will be expiring this year. Nominations are open to any member who meets the following requirements: You must be a member of NASSA in good standing and have been a member for at least 30 days at the time of your nomination.

3 You must be a resident of the US or Canada. You must have no outstanding financial obligations to NASSA. Nominees must be willing to sign the NASSA Code of Ethics. You must be willing and able to participate in quarterly meetings of the Board of Directors via telephone conference calls in order to conduct the general business of the Board on behalf of NASSA. You must have a strong interest in the overall welfare and status of Shetland sheep in North America. Junior members, associate members and honorary members are not eligible for nomination. Any member in good standing may make a nomination. Members may nominate themselves. If you nominate someone other than yourself, please provide contact information for that person. Once nominated, candidates will be asked to write a brief biography and answer several basic questions that may include the following: 1. How many years have you owned Shetlands and why did you decided to raise them? 2. NASSA's primary purposes are to promote, preserve, and protect Shetland sheep. What concerns should NASSA address, and how could you help if elected to the Board of Directors? 3. What is your primary interest in becoming a board member? 4. What do you feel you can contribute to the organization? Nominees should be aware that due to the wide geographical distances separating Board members access to a computer is essential. Board members have their own online newsgroup where much discussion takes place in an attempt to limit the length of time needed for meetings, which are held via conference calls. The schedule for the 2011 election is as follows: The NASSA Secretary should receive board nominations no later than August 1, When nominations are received the Secretary will contact each nominee to ensure their willingness to run and then will send them the list of questions to be answered. Biographies and questionnaires must be returned to the Secretary no later than August 20, Nominations, biographies and ballots will be included in the Fall issue of the NASSA News. Ballots must be returned to the designated organization for counting no later than November 10, Results will be given to the nominees by December 1, 2011 and will be published in the Winter issue of the NASSA News. Please send nominations and/or questions to: NASSA secretary, Faye Whitney at secretary@shetland-sheep.org or (413) Minutes from the March Board meeting were initially sent to all Board members on May 7. In order to be approved via online polling all Board members must vote and the vote must be unanimous. Voting yes: MB, DF, TL, ML. Voting no: RJ. Not voting: TG, JL, LS. FW A question raised by RJ was answered to his satisfaction and the minutes were sent again on May 22. Voting yes: MB, DF, TL, ML, FW. Not voting: TG, RJ, JL, LS

4 Therefore, the minutes have not been approved and so have not been sent to either the NASSA News or the website. Respectfully submitted, Faye Whitney NASSA Secretary Advertising (Publications and Promotions) Committee Store Report 1. Tote bags that had been stored at a member's home have been sent to the Registry and will be offered for sale until sold out. 2. Shetland Sheep 2000 Conference Proceedings which had expired, has been reinstated, permission gained for reprinting, and now available in the Store. 3. Shetland's Native Domestic Animals supply, which was noted as "sold out" by Registry, has been found and is now available in the Store. 4. Sheep Fleece Colors Chart has been researched; Original film located, and company ready to print when a new supply is needed. 5. Bumper Stickers "Have you hugged your Sheep Today?" were located at member s Store. 6. Foula Booklet has been "translated" for a PC reading and being readied for republication. Communications with author and former publisher have been ongoing and very positive in nature. 7. Several "new" items are in the works and being checked out for best quality, price, etc. Show chairman Report Larry Hopkins has written several comprehensive articles, which have appeared in NASSA News about preparing for a show. He completed the Calendar of Events, also to be included in NASSA News. Larry wrote an article, which appeared in the January issue of NASSA News requesting show sponsors for the national shows. He also has been otherwise soliciting sponsors for these National shows. Advertising/promotions in other publications Approved advertising: Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival $ The Shepherd magazine Breeders Registry $ Small Farm Today $ Automatic Renewals (will be approved going forward) Sheep! Breeders Registry $40.00 Countryside Breeders Directory $60.00 Ginger???? $ This has been reallocated to the Judge's Packet per TL Total $ with 'Ginger' and $ to date without 'Ginger'. Future Plans: Multiple ads are in the layout stage very close to finalization. Placement will be determined within the near future in some new venues to provide expanded exposure to a broader market base.

5 The SSS publications on crossbreeding etc will be reviewed in committee and a determination made if this will be pursued in the current year or going forward. Education Committee The Education Committee has been discussing the possibility of collecting the historical material from NASSA early members as well as old documents. We have discussed where these documents could be stored and who would be the members that would review all documentation for accuracy. If the board thinks that this would be a project that we could support, I would suggest that all the information be stored at the NASSA library. There seems to be some difference of opinion as to committee procedures. It has been my experience with committees that is used as the primary venue for spit balling ideas rather than to just have meetings to visit and chat via phone. Once a proposal is accepted by the committee as a viable project, the author of that proposal has the responsibility of providing detail for such projects to the committee. These details include what the project is, how it will benefit NASSA, how much it will cost, and the viability of the project---does the membership want/need this. The proposal is then finetuned. Once the details have been worked out and approved by the committee, it is then presented to the entire Board for discussion. If the Board feels it needs additional work, it is returned to that committee. Individuals are honor bound to work within that structure, not try to circumvent the process and go around the committee process. This is how committees are supposed to work. As someone keeps saying, this is a board of 9 members. The entire Board has the right to be involved in the process of making appropriate decisions on behalf of the membership. Sound business practice requires that as much pertinent detail as possible is necessary on proposals in order to make Board decisions in a logical, sound, and efficient manner. It is a matter of common courtesy to try to work in cooperation and tolerance in realizing that folks are multi-tasking. Some more than others. NASSA positions are volunteer positions. Just because one individual apparently has an excess amount of free time, that does not mean that individual is a "better" volunteer. It only means that person has significant time on his/her hands. This is why was adopted as the primary venue for conducting Board business. Currently, official decisions by the NASSA Board cannot be conducted via polls, but it does not preclude the basic work process involved leading up to Board decisions. While some individuals may have lots of free time, others have a number of significant responsibilities in different venues. If committee members have ideas they should first present them via for response. If there is support for the original idea by general committee support then the proposal should be researched further for basic information. The SOP's give guidance as to the process. Judges Subcommittee The Judges Committee has discussed the idea of making a DVD of the SSS judges, judging at the Wisconsin show. There has been mixed opinions on this proposal. Would it be of educational value for NASSA members or for the existing NASSA judges? The

6 Judges Committee has been split. Larry Hopkins, our current NASSA Show Chair does not think that a DVD of the SSS judges demonstrating how the Shetlands are judged in England would be of value for the current North American judges. Lori and the other members that had interest in making a DVD were asked to please obtain cost estimates for making the DVD and information as to whether NASSA would be able to recover money allocated to this project. I have not received any cost estimates or answers to any of the other questions. I see that Lori has requested a grant for $600, but does not provide information that supports the request. I am currently the Education Chair and Larry is the Judges Committee Chair. The request should have come through the Chair of each committee with all cost and implementation information that the Board would need to make a decision for the requested funds. This is not simply my opinion. This is how committees are intended to work if the Board is to govern responsibly. I agree with Larry Hopkins on the lack of education value for NASSA as a whole. As an experienced member of the Board, Lori is aware of the deadline for grants. If an idea has merit it will be sustained in the proper gathering of information and use of proper procedure in the process. In the meantime, there is nothing to prevent those interested in the project from filming the event at personal expense and later asking NASSA to approve it. In the early years, most projects were done at personal expense. It was truly a volunteer organization. Don Fletcher Education Chair Dear Board, I went over the posts on the ed committee and made a compilation, this is a little more reflective of the progress made over the last 2 months. Discussion on the Education committee- there were 98 messages between Apr 15- June 10 th. Beginning April 15-21st People introduced themselves and explained why they were interested in education Of the topics mentioned 1) New breeder education 2) Well documented information on: a) origin; b) breed std; c) Fleece Characteristics; d) crossbreeding influence 3) Nassa's connection with SSS and SFBT 4) Easily assessable info 5) to keep NASSA intact 6) to Clarify Flockbook vs non flockbook 7)To Strength and Solidify membership 8) remove misinformation 9) to have pictorial breed std. Beginning April 21-May 12 the discussion turned to updating the handbook there were 47 messages on what in the handbook needed to be updated and how to go about this. It was clearly stated that the cost involved in updating the handbook would be minimal. May 12-June 10 th - 2 judges were certified; 1 judges certification is pending- waiting for a her judging record; A discussion of the poll on the Shetland list about historical and

7 pertinent literature being available on the website; The SSS brochures were reviewed, advice to advert committee; And there were 8 messages about the committee having a conference call mtg. including a clarification of the cost to have a conference call. No conference call mtg occurred. SOP's in reference to the ED Committee: Education -CD ROM, judges certification, NASSA handbook, NASSA library, Annual General Meeting (AGM), NASSA website, and any other items that involve or pertain to education. Lori Stephenson Membership Committee (Note: this report was made at the meeting not submitted online.) Membership chair JL said she has responded quickly to all membership messages and has had no recent problems. She is working on at set of FAQs. Old Business AGMs - The 2012 AGM will be held in Indiana. The Southwest group may host in 2013 Member Code of Ethics - The Administration Committee will work on this, but it has not met. Raising Rates A motion was made by TL, seconded by MB, to raise membership renewals by $5, effective January 1, Voting yes: MB, DF, TL, FW, ML. Opposed: TG, RJ, LS. Abstaining JL. Grant Program The original deadline for the grant program was Dec. 31. That was later changed to March 1. This year it was extended to April 1 since an application had come in before the deadline, but more information was needed and would not be available until after the deadline. The budget for the grant program has always been $1,000 or less. Few applications have been received over the course of the program. It was decided to leave the program in place. NAILE A motion was made by TG, seconded by JL, to make 2011 the final year for specific NASSA funding for NAILE. Voting in favor: TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS. Opposed: FW. Abstaining: MB, DF, ML. Chat List A motion was made by JL, seconded by MB, to ask Doug Meyer to make a detailed proposal for both correcting errors on the existing website and for doing a major redesign of the site. The proposal should include all costs, including new software if necessary, details of changes to be made, and time frames. Voting in favor: MB, DF, TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS, FW, ML. Opposed: none. Abstaining: none A motion was made by FW, seconded by MB, to ask Doug Meyer for a proposal regarding the cost of creating a NASSA forum. Voting in favor: MB, DF, TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS, FW, ML. Opposed: none. Abstaining: none Committee Budgets Budgets were voted in January to be the same as last year, but some committees remain unsure of their amounts. TL will pull together the budget numbers.

8 New Business Show Sponsorships A motion was made by MB, seconded by DF, to approve show sponsorship requests from Delaware County Open Breeding Stock Sheep Show, the MSSBA Shetland Sheep Show at WSWF, and Olds Fibre Week. Voting in favor: MB, DF, TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS, FW, ML. Opposed: none. Abstaining: none Grant Request A motion was made by TG, seconded by TL, to extend the deadline for grant proposals indefinitely. Voting in favor: TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS. Opposed: DF, FW. Abstaining: MB, ML. A motion was made by LS, seconded by TG, to approve the MSSBA grant proposal for making an educational video of the WSWF judge s seminar and ram/ewe inspections. Voting in favor: TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS. Opposed: DF. Abstaining: MB, FW, ML. Youth Fund A motion was made by JL, seconded by TL, to accept the donation of Heather Ludlum to be used to establish a NASSA Youth Fund, which will be accounted for by the NASSA Treasurer. A proposal for administering the funds will be created by the Education Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. Voting in favor: MB, DF, TG, RJ, JL, TL, LS, FW. Opposed: none. Abstaining: ML. As it was now after 11 p.m. on the East Coast and many agenda items had not been addressed it was decide to meet again in a month. At 11:15 p.m. JL moved that the meeting be adjourned. DF seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved. The next meeting is scheduled for July 11. Respectfully submitted, Faye Whitney NASSA Secretary