Minutes for May 22, 2023 meeting of the Fresh Air, Inc. Board of Directors
01. 7:00 – Call to order and roll call
Appoint Timekeeper
Members in attendance: Chris, Jacque, Michael, Kevin, David, TJ
Members absent: none!
KFAI Staff present: Nora, Ciara Cagemoe
Public guests: Michael Senay
Happy Birthday, Nora! (Happy Birthday also to Mason!)
Kevin called the meeting to order at 7:07, read the mission statement and land acknowledgement. Jacque volunteered to serve as timekeeper.
02. 7:05 – Welcome and opening remarks
Kevin thanks us all for our commitment to KFAI! This is a very exciting time with many evolving things.
03. 7:10 – Approve consent agenda
Meeting agenda
Minutes of April 2023 meeting
By unanimous consent, agenda and minutes were approved.
04. 7:12 – Introduction of guests
Michael Senay from Voice of Ethiopia is on the call.
Board Business
05. 7:15 – Update on Strategic Planning Process (Jacque)
7:12 Jacque, Nora and Sam Choo have been playing email tag to schedule followup meetings. They will take place on Mondays on which there aren’t board meetings. Looking at first Monday of the month, to allow us a week to perform the strategic planning work to bring to these meetings. Looking at about an hour on the Zoom. Identifying future candidates to recruit for board membership will involve a few different actions we need to start to dive in and take on. (for example: script, talking points, invitation sheet)
Nora added that if anyone feels they know a good candidate NOW, you certainly don’t have to wait for this other work to be completed – start that conversation as soon as you can!
Nora said we’re still negotiating Sam’s fees. Jacque says we have an initial budget in mind – we would like to see how many hours that gets with Sam and then decide if we should continue after we’ve exhausted that initial outlay. Jacque would also like to look for grants to supplement this budget, too. Initially we’re thinking about six months of work and see where things are then. The board was in agreement about the timeline, scope and budget. Our first meeting on this schedule would probably be June 5th.
7:22 Our new underwriter Ciara Cagemoe joined us for a brief intro
Business Reports
06. 7:30 – General Manager’s report (Nora)
Nora’s report is in the board packet.
7:25 The official search for our Volunteer and Member Engagement Coordinator will begin next week (June 1)! The position’s “snapshot”/job description took some time to be extensively rewritten with equity in mind. The position will be open for 30 days or until filled. A board member or two may be recruited to help out during the second round of interviews. Volunteers/program hosts will definitely be part of the interview process. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Nora will start emailing her monthly reports directly to program hosts in an attempt to drive engagement.
There’s a meeting tomorrow to discuss the audit process – we’re a couple weeks behind but hope to catch up fast.
Nora hopes to announce a new independent contractor to work on evaluating KFAI through the lens of equity and social justice and suggest future strategic action, possibly through the CAB.
We’re working with Dan Zimmerman to make sure our EAS hardware is still working correctly.
We’re looking to replace the CD players and studio monitors in Studio 4. Programmers should be mindful of ongoing fundraising efforts towards this equipment.
Metal Meltdown V is tomorrow! (Tuesday 5/23)
Pride programming (Thursday 6/22) outreach is going very well
Kevin asked how she thought the anniversary celebration at the Hook & Ladder went. Nora was happy to see many generations of volunteers and listeners in attendance.
Chris asked for more about the feedback on Turtle Island takeover and shared some of the feedback he personally had received, notably that there was frustration at the lack of a schedule shared in advance. Nora stressed the importance of leaving the leadership to the organizers and the challenge of striking the proper balance between offering help without encroaching on the vision of the organizers.
07. 7:50 – Treasurer’s report for April (Jacque)
08. 7:55 – Update on start to Budgeting process (Jacque)
Jacque’s report is in the board packet.
7:50 Everything looks pretty good! Nora has been working on the Past Due Accounts Receivable and we’re pretty well caught up through April. Our CSG Grant money gave us a big chunk. Something to watch for the future is that we are now moving out of a pandemic phase of grants and spending.
Big picture planning stuff ahead! Should we be moving our reserve into a CD? Where do we see our location in the future and how do we afford any decisions there?
Jacque is investigating more help in planning future budgets, whether that be more input or getting us more knowledge via low cost or free online courses/help. Steve Wilson is still helping out the Finance Committee and we appreciate his counsel!
You can’t start too early.
09. 8:00 – Preview goals for next month’s board meeting (Kevin)
8:04 After the next Finance Committee meeting, we should have some more updates on the budgeting process. We’ll also get a debrief from our next meeting with Sam Choo.
10. 8:05 – Public comment (three-minute limit OR one question/followup each)
TJ asked if the Zoom link could be a little more prominent. Chris promised to place it at the top of the agenda going forward.
11. 8:10 – Adjourn
8:09 A motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted.
Respectfully submitted,
Christopher R. Zimmerman
Secretary