Board of Directors Meeting
March 25, 2007
ATTENDING: (Board members) Arthur Aldridge, Steve Criss, Aaron Curtis, John Lorentz (OSFCI Secretary), Aaron Nabil, Patty Wells; Sam Justice (OSFCI Attorney), Debbie Cross & Paul Wrigley (Susan C. Petrey Fund); James W. Fiscus (Clayton Fund and Endeavour Award), Ruth Sachter (Potlatch Chair); Sue Renhard, Brenna Sharp and Vincent Vaughn.
Absent Board Members: Karyn Hoffert (proxy held by Steve Criss), Andrew Nisbet III (proxy held by Patty Wells), Linda Pilcher (OSFCI President) (in “work hell” at the moment), John Williamson (OSFCI Treasurer) (preparing a house to be sold).
The meeting started at 2:05PM, presided over by John Lorentz
I. Minutes of Previous Meeting
Paul Wrigley moved that the minutes from the previous meeting be accepted and no one was opposed to the motion.
II. Treasurer’s Report
John Williamson could not attend as he was busy getting a house ready to sell. He did pass on a current financial statement of the OSFCI accounts (Click for 2006 & 2007 reports). The 2005 tax forms have been filed. In the process of that, he also discovered that no forms had been filed for 2002, so he also took care of those. Current balance is $13,651.76 (not counting the CDs), so we’re solvent again. This is not counting any surplus from GameStorm and Potlatch.
Patty Wells: Where do the Treasury records live now? John L.: My guess is with the Treasurer, but we need to find out.
III. Reports on Sponsored Activities
A. Conventions and Bids
1. OryCon 28 (2006)
This is still an agenda item because the books haven’t closed for this event. Has there been any progress? Patty: At the last OryCon meeting, Patty took the checkbook in for Mary Olsen to write checks at the meeting and the checkbook was left with Mary. As far as she knows, Marc hasn’t gotten together with Mary to close the books (mostly because Marc has been in and out of town a lot lately). Patty does know that the books were up to date heading into the convention last November. Marc is still planning on meeting with Mary to wrap things up, also with meeting with John W. to work out things on the corporate side, but he just hasn’t had time. (John W. Also needs to get together with the OryCon 29 Treasurer, since right now only he can sign checks on the Ory29 bank account.)
John L: The final membership number for Ory29 (from the Regress Report) was 1,296 membership–after adjusting for duplicates and non-attending program comps at Ory27. That puts Ory28 about two dozen more than the previous year.
2. Potlatch 16 (2007)
John L: The papers distributed at the beginning of the meeting (see below) included a financial summary (as we know it right now) of this recent convention, including checks that we know we need to write (such as to the hotel, and refunds on a couple of banquet tickets). Ruth Sachter: We had a successful convention, with the surplus coming mostly from lower expenses than expected, rather than any jump in attendance. Michael (Czarcasm) did an excellent job on keeping the costs down for the Hospitality Suite. People liked the convention and folks are already talking about doing it again (probably in three years–next year it’s back in Seattle, and then in San Francisco in two years). The hotel loved us.
The one thing we probably didn’t do as well with as we should have was that we should have had a larger hotel block. We based the number of rooms on the previous usage at Potlatch and we were very conservative with it. Unfortunately, the scrapbookers’ and the cheerleaders’ conventions across the street took all the available rooms and we weren’t able to expand our block. So we had people scattered around it other nearby hotels.
3. Gamestorm 9 (2007)
Papers were distributed (it will be posted as soon as I find a copy). Aaron Nabil: GameStorm 9 is running ahead of GameStorm 8 at this point. The at-the-door count is projected to be about 150 (this is a very conservative number).
Aaron Curtis: They are having problems with the hotel. The short version is that they’re not being very “service oriented”–ever since the renovation, they’re not being very helpful and not forthcoming on a contract for GS 10. So GameStorm may have to find another hotel (once again).
They would like to hold out $4,000 from any surplus to roll over for hotel expenses next year (in case they have to move again), before splitting the remaining surplus with OSFCIThere was some discussion on this–maybe we should wait to discuss it at the next Board meeting (after GameStorm is over) so that we have a chance to discuss it with the OSFCI Treasurer and to consult the language of the contract? (No one had a copy with them at this meeting.)
Patty: There is a perception in the hotel industry that the economy is improving so therefore it’s time to start raising the rates and demanding more from their customers. Also the new OryCon hotel sales manager is much tougher on OryCon than the previous one–it may be something similar to that. In any case, it’s a good idea to stick some money away as a hotel reserve.
Debbie Cross: Doesn’t the contract only require Board approval if the entire budget changes by more than 10%? Aaron N: Whether or not the contract requires the approval from the Board, GS is seeking it nevertheless (The contract states that Board approval is needed if any budget item changes by more than 10%.)
John L: Is there any objection to approving this change? (No.)
4. OryCon 29 (2007)
Steve Criss: OryCon is still waiting to hear back from the invitees for Artist and Editor Guests of Honor–they have a backup for the Artist GOH.
Jim Fiscus brought up a discussion on the types of GOHs that should be invited to OryCon, and people discussed various aspects of an Editor GOH for a while. Paul: We’re wandering off the topic (i.e. a report to OSFCI on OryCon 29). Jim: There should be an OSFCI policy regarding the Guests of Honor that invited to OryCon; John L: the OSFCI policy has been that the OryCon chair gets to decide who the guests of honor are. (With the exception of cases like this year, where the OSFCI Board invited Robert Charles Wilson since we didn’t have an OryCon chair for next year until after this year’s OryCon.)
Debbie discussed the idea of having a “Petrey/Clarion Carnival” at OryCon on Friday afternoon (see below). This would be a carnival with booths put on by several different fan groups, with the proceeds going to the Susan Petrey scholarship fund. This might or might not be in place of the usual auction. Instead, Debbie may expand the “prize egg” sale she ran last year, with the addition of some small auction events incorporated into other events such as Opening Ceremonies. Steve: this may be a good way to involve some of the young attendees. He is also trying to add other “Under-21” style programming, and he’d like some ideas on that.
John L: As far the current reg numbers, we have currently have 355 members, compared to 288 this time last year. For dealers, we’ve sold 5 booths, 2 tables and 2 side tables. Total income so far (not counting bank card fees) have been $8600 in memberships, $720 from dealers, for a total of $9,348.
A. Funds and Awards
1. Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund
Paul distributed an income statement for 2006 (see below). The fund started with just over $9,000 in the account, they received about $3,000 from OCF and $2,300 from the auction. They gave out two scholarships for a total of $3,200 and a fellowship for $1,600, so the fund ended up with just over $8,000 in the current account. There’s also about $50,000 in the OCF account. The Petrey recipients last year were Gord Sellar from South Korea (Clarion East), Jemma EveryHope from Bellingham, WA (Clarion West) and Vernor Vinge was the Susan C. Petrey Fellow at Clarion West. This year, the fellowship is bringing in Samuel R. Delany. (They’ve already sent out the check for this year’s fellowship, raining the amount by $200.) An auction of centerpieces at Potlatch this year brought in $130 for the Petrey Fund, $125 for the Clayton Fund.
Jim: What effect will there be from Clarion (east) moving to San Diego? Paul: We’ll probably have much more involvement–the people involved with the new incarnation are much more enthusiastic, it’ll probably be more like Clarion West.
OSFCI will also be providing some backing for the Petrey Fund’s anniversary celebration at OryCon this year–probably pay for the cost of a suite.
2. Clayton Memorial Medical Fund
(See below.) No new qualified person has requested aid. (They have received some queries from people who weren’t qualified, or who requested non-medical aid, such as a computer.)
3. Endeavour Award
(See below.) The Award now has enough for a bare-bones award presentation this year–$1000 for the winner, $100 for each of the finalists who attend and about $120 for the glass plaque. Sarah Bryant, the new administrator, has been doing a very good job in getting the books read–the process is way ahead of schedule.
IV. Other Continuing Business
A. Hotel Committee
Patty: Aaron C. has already discussed the GameStorm hotel situation. Arthur Aldridge is being added to the hotel committee–he is going to be working with Patty on OryCon this year. 2008 was previously signed at the Marriott for OryCon. 2009 was going to run into problems because the city will be no longer making off-site parking available to the hotel for a subsidized rate, so it will cost us a good bit more to rent one of the hotel parking levels for use as an exhibit hall (art show and dealers), but Patty was able to get that year’s contract under the wire. (She was given a 24-hour notice before they raised the rates significantly.)
With the renovation, the various costs at the Marriott have gone up–but even with the new costs, we aren’t paying as much as the final years at the Doubletree Columbia River hotel. But, as Patty said during the GameStorm discussion, the hotel industry feels that the economy is improving and they are raising their rates all around. But at least we’ve gotten a chance to build up the coffers again to give us leeway to go searching for another hotel–if need be. We’ll also be receiving from the hotel something on “how Marriott would like to be marketed” to avoid the problems arising from the photos that were put on the web from a party at last year’s OryCon.
It’s hard to know how rates may go up, since with the meeting space rate going up may also include some of the subsidiary costs that were previously charged separate.
John L: On the subject of hotels, for any future small OSFCI events, I heartily recommend using the Red Lion Convention Center. They’ve been very good to work with for both the Smofcon (Dec 2005) and Potlatch (March 2007), and they’re at a very central location (good transit, plenty of places to eat nearby).
B. Audit Committee
The audit meeting is scheduled for April 22nd, with the deadline for materials on April 1st. (This meeting was cancelled because nothing was submitted–we hope to get it rescheduled soon.)
V. New Business
No new business, so the meeting was adjourned.
The next meeting is the Annual Meeting, on May 21st. We’ll approach PSU about using their space again.
Potlatch 16
Preliminary Post-Con Report – as of March 24, 2007
EXPENSES
Budgeted | Actual | |||
Hotel | ||||
Programming Space | $2,750 | $2,750.00 | ||
Hospitality Rooms | $758 | $711.04 | ||
Other Miscellaneous | $250 | $140.00 | Tips for staff | |
Total Hotel | $3,758 | $3,601.04 | ||
Pre-Con Expenses | ||||
Mailing Progress Reports | $25 | $58.50 | ||
Program Book (150 books) | $200 | $183.79 | ||
Bank Fees | $60 | $70.00 | ||
PayPal Fees | $200 | $121.79 | ||
PO Box | $76 | $80.00 | ||
DBA Fee | $55 | $55.00 | ||
Reg Expenses | $50 | $52.40 | ||
Contingency | $50 | |||
Web Site Fee | $75.00 | |||
Progress Report Printing | $39.99 | |||
Publicity | $67.19 | |||
Programming Expenses | $77.20 | |||
Total | $1,166 | $696.48 | ||
Hospitality | $1,500 | $696.48 | ||
Pass-Along Funds | $1,000 | |||
OSFCI Fees | $320 | $250.00 | ||
TOTAL EXPENSES | $7,424 | $4,949.46 |
INCOME
Memberships | Budgeted | Actual | ||
10 @ $25 (Committee) | $225 | $250.00 | ||
10 @ $25 (Committee) | $225 | $250.00 | ||
45 @ $35 | $1,557 | $1,557.50 | ||
30 @ $45 | $1,350 | $1,370.00 | ||
40 @ $50 | $2,000 | $1,850.00 | ||
20 @ $60 (At-The-Door) | $1,200 | $1,523.03 | ||
Dealers (8 tables @ $30) | $240 | $200.00 | ||
Writer’s Workshop | $150.00 | |||
Writer’s Workshop | $150.00 | |||
T-Shirts (net) | $170.91 | |||
Brunches (net) | $114.95 | |||
Pass-Along Funds | $1,000 | $1,000.00 | ||
Advertising | $15.00 | |||
TOTAL INCOME | $7,572 | $8,186.39 | ||
NET AMOUNT | $3,236.93 | |||
AFTER PASS-ALONG FUNDS AND EXPECTED OSFCI FEE | $2,186.93 |
Susan C. Petrey Scholarship
Income Statement – 2006
Balance (12/31/2005) | $9,025.03 |
Income | |
Oregon Community Foundation 2005 | $1,794.00 |
Auction Income | $2,305.00 |
Fanthorpe Contest | $19.87 |
Interest | $9.22 |
Expenses | |
Scholarships | $3,200.00 |
Fellowship | $1,600.00 |
Balance (12/31/2006) | $8,353.12 |
OCF Balance (12/31/2006) | $50,475.73 |
2006 Recipients
- Gord Sellar – South Korea
- Jemma EveryHope – Bellingham, WA
- Vernor Vinge (Susan C. Petrey Fellow)
2007 Recipient
- Samuel R. Delany (Susan C. Petrey Fellow)
First Quarter 2007 Activity
- Centerpiece auction at Potlatch raised $130
- $1800 to Clarion for 2007 Petrey fellow
The Susan C. Petrey Clarion Fund has been giving scholarships since 1982. Currently we are awarding one full tuition scholarship to each of the two Clarions. In addition we now give Clarion West an $1800 grant for one of the instructors to be the Petrey Fellow. This makes our total commitment about $5000 per annum. In recent years, nearly all of our income has come from the Petrey Auction at OryCon which raises between $1500 and $2000. This means that the balance is taken from payout of the interest on the principal which is held by the Oregon Community Foundation. We have not adding anything to the principal in 10 years.
Marking the 25th Anniversary of the scholarship, we would like to see 2007 as the year we are again able to add something to the funds held by OCF, helping to ensure that the scholarship will survive into the future. In addition we want to raise awareness of the Petrey Fund, of Susan Petrey herself, and of the wonderful contributions of the Clarion Writers Workshops to the genres of speculative fiction. OryCon/OSFCI can help us meet these goals in several ways. In addition, the focus on the Petrey Fund might help attract more establish authors to OryCon.
IDEAS:
Offer people an opportunity to donate $1, $5, or more at the time register. All they need to do is check a box and the amount will be added to their registration fees.
Invite as many Scholarship recipients as possible to participate in programming.
Provide us with a Suite on Saturday night to have a gathering of Clarion graduates, instructors, and supporters. We try to get donations to defray the cost of refreshments. Having a few good silent auction items in the room might be an option.
Have a Petrey tribute page in the program book and publicize the Petrey Fund and related events in precon publications..
Offer a program item about all of the OSFCI charities as well as other fannish charities.
Offer a program item about the writers workshop experience with both graduates and instructors sharing their experiences.
Offer a program item about vampires and their ilk with someone on it who can draw Susan’s work into the discussion.
Working the Petrey Fund into Opening Ceremonies & costume events, maybe doing something like a pledge break fundraiser or auctioning off a few of the better items. We have trouble getting enough people to attend the auctions with the large number of other things happening simultaneously. Getting a chance to take advantage of the largest audiences at OryCon would be wonderful.
Run with Pirate theme of separating folks from their money. Hijack panels (with knowledge of participants) for a couple of minutes to sell eggs, auction something or just take up a collection.
Use your imagination. One year Linda sold balloons at registration, someone could organize a raffle, put a donation jar in hospitality or use your imagination.
Plan to donate a portion of the OryCon surplus to the Clarion Fund.
As usual provide a space in the dealers’ room for either auction display or “egg” sales.
The Big Pitch: A Petrey Carnival
Ursula Le Guin has suggested we emulate WisCon by have a “gathering” on late Friday afternoon. It is reminiscent of a school carnival with booths and fun things to do. Attendees buy tickets for maybe 50¢ each. Each booth would cost one or more tickets depending on what it is.
Friday afternoon is generally slow and this would give attendees something fun to do. Andy says using the big ballroom at that time would not be a problem.
The committee could take the Pirate Theme and run with it in this venue. Perhaps call it Pirates Cove or I’m sure that someone could up with something far more clever.
It would require someone to be over all in charge, but would have the advantage of being modular. In other words, individuals or groups could be asked just to design and run one booth. They would be responsible for setting up and tearing down and providing materials and prizes if required.
Getting good publicity on the website and in progress reports might encourage people to arrive in time to go to the event.
Some big name authors might like to participate to help with fundraising.
Paul of course will be busy with our business stuff in the dealers’ room. I can not possible organize everything related to Petrey by myself. This would mean bringing some enthusiastic people on board to help organize things.
Some of things that WisCon does are Tarot and Palm readings, hair braiding, decorating postcards, making a memory book, bake sale, etc. I have been brainstorming with myself and came up with a few ideas.
- Buy an argument Monty Python style. One ticket if it’s with me or more tickets if it’s with a famous author. (Actually Monty Python could provide several ideas. Surely there’s something that can be done with a dead parrot.)
- Pin the Parrot on the Pirate or pin the X on the treasure map.
- Face Painting or impromptu costume building.
- A coin toss to win Pirate’s Booty
- Filk Karaoke
- A personalizes artist’s sketch.
- A Pirates Chest Pinata. A ticket for a chance to swing at it.
- Cotton candy or popcorn if the hotel would agree.
- Lego building with a theme
- Drop the peg (leg) in the rum bottle.
- Use a hook on a string to hook prizes from a treasure chest
The Clayton Memorial Medical Fund Award
Report to the OSFCI Board
March 25, 2007
Requests for Aid:
We have received no requests for aid since our report in December.
Funds Available:
The Fund has about $7,000.00 in the bank.
Board of Trustees
No changes
Board of Trustees, march 25, 2007
Committee Members | First Appointed | Term Expires |
---|---|---|
James Fiscus, Chairman | October 1996 | Novermber 2008 |
Page Fuller, Treasurer | October 1996 | Novermber 2008 |
Karyn Hoffert, OSFCI Rep. | July 2005 | November 2007 |
Geri Jeter | November 2002 | November 2007 |
Ruth Sachter | November 2002 | November 2007 |
Marc Wells | November 2003 | November 2007 |
Submitted,
James W. Fiscus
Chairman, Clayton Board of Trustees
The Endeavour Award
Report to the OSFCI Board
March 25, 2007
Financial Report:
Bobbie DuFault’s group, CBR, held an auction at RadCon, and donated $88.00 of the proceeds to the Award. We have also received Microsoft’s matching funds for the $750.00 donated at OryCon.
With the recent donations, we have $1,722.27 in the Award’s account, giving us enough to ensure our health for the 2007 Award. We continue fund-raising to ensure the future of the Award.
Committee News:
Our Administrator, Sarah Bryant, is doing a spectacular job of running the day to day work of the Award, and the preliminary judging is well ahead of schedule.
We received 30 books, a few short of what we usually get.
Endeavour Committee, march 25, 2007
Committee Members | First Appointed | Term Expires |
---|---|---|
Sarah Bryant, Administrator | October 2006 | November 2009 |
James Fiscus, Chairman | October 1996 | November 2008 |
Page Fuller | October 1996 | November 2008 |
Marilyn J. Holt | September 2000 | November 2008 |
Sara Mueller | October 2003 | November 2007 |
Alan Rosenthal | January 2006 | November 2009 |
Sheila Simonson | October 1996 | November 2007 |
Shawn Wall, Treasurer | November 2005 | November 2007 |
Submitted,
James W. Fiscus
Chairman, Endeavour Award