Board President: Christian Harden
Board president Elect: Jennifer Thilo
Financial Trustee: Bryce Thomason
Secretary: Sean Golan
Meeting Host: Christian
Process observer: Jen
Chalice lighter: Jennifer
Announcements
Donuts and Discussion- October 27, 2019. The topic is the creation of an ARAOMC Team from 10:35am-10:50am
Stewardship Drive Campaign commences September 29, 2019
SUULE Representative, Jennifer Thilo, Leta Woo & Ayanna Stringer- October 20-25, 2019 in Wirtz, Virginia
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement)
Board Expectations for the year:
● Policy for the following committees: Healthy Relations, ARAOMC and Generosity and Stewardship, Social Justice Work (Poverty)
● Creation of a dashboard
● Visual Timeline to the congregation: Feasibility Plan to First Worship Service at 2650
● Braving Space and The Mountain Summitt
Thank You Messages for the Month
Welcome & Thank You card to Fenwick Broyard III
Circle of Connection
The Year of the Penny- Share something that occurred in your life or in the world in the year of your penny.
1995– Christian’s 3rd year of teach nominated “Teach of the Year”
2019– The year Rev. Strauss became acting Senior Minister of UUCA
1998– The year Bryce started his business designing websites
2018– The year Sean got married for the first and last time
2018-Jennifer’s first year on the board
2002-The last year Sharon tried valiantly to be a catholic
2018-Jen’s team imploded in the national championship
2002-Dave’s
2002-Jon biggest project natural gas pipeline designed
Executive Report
Annual Vision of Ministry (AVOM) Overview
● Fenwick is clicking and doing a great job!
○ Curated the children’s worship service-children are excited and energized to participate.
● Lots of opportunities for community partnerships to connect UUCA to our broader community.
● Working on revamping hospitality team with Barbra Begner
● Board has no questions or concerns about Taryn’s Executive report.
● Issue: Staff overwhelmed difficulty prioritizing & allocating time.
○ Solution: The “Sweet Spot”–>Standardizing process for submitting, evaluating, and evaluating ideas for UUCA to put resources toward to help manage the enthusiasm and demands on staff time. Based on Foothills in CO UU congregation.
● Chance to meet staff on 8/22/19
● Possible adjustments to Executive Report to standardize staff input.
● Website revamp
The Work of the Board
Decisive Action
The Minutes from August 2019 Board Meeting were approved via email.
● Board unanimously approves August 2019 minutes.
Finance
To include position of outsourcing and Feasibility
● Issue: Bryce has inquired about pricing for Brooks McGuiness to increase it’s services to help balance accounts and other financial management and take some load off of Travis that has been difficult for him to do alone.
○ Can do databasing, double checking Gary’s work and bill pay, reconciling accounts, report generation, budget assistance and forecasting for an additional $200.00 for a total of $2,200.00/month.
○ Full Outsourcing of financial duties would cost total of $5,500.00/Month
○ Next Steps: Bryce will get more details on exact services. Then board will consider formal engagement letter in October.
Website Rollout
● No more menu drop-downs to simplify and standardize
● Calendar on Website will include calendar links to add to personal calendars
● Search feature fixed
● Home Page revamped to include the most used pages
● Accessibility-no more pdfs and word docs. Updates and important documents will be displayed on the web page with archives after a year on a share drive folder that staff can easily access. Visual impairment improvements.
● Weekly update now integrated into the website
○ links in weekly update
● Phone, desktop, and tablet continuity improvements
● Improved and Standardized forms
○ General Contact Us
○ 1 form for Reserving space at UUCA
■ morged 3 forms into 1
● Press and Media Page added
● Bryce-Member Services part?
○ Membership link will be in the footer?
● Monday-popcorn party to celebrate new website launch
Finance
Feasibility Study
● Study complete Coxe Curry is finalizing their results and preparing to present it to the Committee
● Additional Month Delay Study to be completed by December due to delays caused by focusing on completing sign.
○ Missing estimate on full cost of Option 4
■ September 30th estimate is due from Estimates
■ Project Phoenix will review the estimate on October 2nd
■ 6-8 weeks from when final approval of estimate to Mail letters, Conduct 25 interviews, congregation survey in November.
● Jen-Can congregational survey be released earlier?
■ 2 weeks to draft final report. Est complete in December
○ Bryce is working on infographic insert for order of service for the first week in October.
○ Christian- What & When are communicating to the congregation?
○ Taryn-Could aim to launch survey in November
○ Survey details to come.
○ Dave-If feasibility study indicates Option 4 will not be feasible then we will need a longer lead time to discuss with congregation.
● Current state of finances
○ Danger of $50,000.00-$60,000.00 shortfall at end of 2019.
■ If all pledges are collected we still estimate a shortfall of $20,000.00
■ Why? Last year’s budget estimated an increase of $50,000.00 in pledges that have never materialized.
■ Budgeting process is improving.
● Never before have we accounted for the reality that expenses fluctuate and cash flow fluctuates, which has never been incorporated into budget estimates.
● Travis raise flag for budgeting based on these fluctuations
● Paul Lowry has come up with an algorithm to weight the last 5 years of budget trends.
■ Revenue streams like bookstore, art sales, rental income are all gone while we are at the Treehouse.
● Art Sales $4,500/yr
● Theater brought in $6000/yr
● Space Rentals $13,367/yr
■ Budget committee identifying essential v. non-essential revenue.
■ Possible Revenue/fundraisers?
● Increase coffee house
● Piano lessons/voice lesson
● Art
■ Last year’s work of stewardship is not done.
● Pledge collection letters
■ UUCA’s Access Database is not up to date
● Sharon is willing to volunteer 2-3hrs per day
■ Dave notes that insurance costs should be a project phoenix expense not a budget expense.
● Bryce will diary the insurance costs from this year to have paid by Project Phoenix.
● Dave moves to approve August’s finances. Jennifer seconds the motion. August finances unanimously approved.
● Bryce moves for the Board to authorize money from the emergency operation fund to supplement cash needs for UUCA bills. Board approves unanimously.
Project Phoenix
● Coxe Curry uncomfortable with square footage cost estimate. Detailed schematic estimate for Option 4 underway.
● Dave sought approval from DeKalb County for the LED sign. DeKalb county requires a certificate of occupancy for permanent signs. The permanent sign is no feasible before we move in. A temporary sign is underway.
● New system for recording, displaying, and streaming services for a total cost of $6,000.
● Jennifer-how are expenses authorized?
○ The Project Phoenix website shows expenses
■ Best practices have been that the Project Phoenix co-chairs approve all expenses under $10,000.00
■ Larger expenses have been approved by the Board.
Open Question- How to implement our commitment to healing poverty in Atlanta?
● Tabled for next meeting
Board Committees
ARAOMC Discernment & Way Forward Team (Sharon)
● Meeting with Rev. Strauss, Sharon, and Tony Stringer
○ ARAOMC to represent under represented groups firmly against conflating the mission with Health Relationships Committee work.
■ Jen asks for recommendations for Healthy relationship committee training.
○ Tony Stringer working on a 1 page info sheet,
○ ARAOMC Committee is a sub-committee of the board to legitimize its centrality and authority.
■ ARAOMC Council will be the action group of the ARAOMC
○ Rev. Strauss recommends 6 members for 3 year terms, 2 people rotate off each year.
Nominating Committee (Jon)
● Jon Absent update tabled until October.
Bylaws (Sharon and Sean)
● Meeting set for October
● Jen has drafts for Stewardship Committee 25th
● Sean will create teamwork task for Board direction on By-law evaluation
Ministry Team for Personnel (Rev. Strauss)
● Rev. Strauss looking for recommendations for people with HR experience and Lawyers.
Closing
Process Observation
● Respectful, Report on
● High energy moment- website launch
● Low-point- financial concerns
Extinguishing the Chalice
● “Blessed by our Connections”
Next MEETING October:
● Host (food and drinks) – Sean Golan
● Observer – Jon Johnson
● Opening/Closing Words – Jon Dugger
● Mixer with Staff -food