MINUTES for 9/4/2014 UMTIA Board Meeting
Present: Sierra, David, Isabel, Beth, Susan, Elisa,Mohamud. Started at 6:10pm. Jen and Tara arrived shortly after starting.
OLD BUSINESS
1.Amend and accept minutes from the previous meeting (3 mins)
Amended and accepted
2. Monthly Fiscal Report (David) (5 mins)
See attached reports. No major changes since last month. We’ve paid so far $2065 for website.
3. Monthly Membership Report (Beth) (3 mins)
One new member and one previous applicant sent check. Everyone renewing in Nov. or Dec. is valid for upcoming year.
4. Monthly Communications Report (Susan) (3 mins)
no voice mails.
5. Previous Meeting’s Homework Fulfillment Report (All) (10 mins)
a. Train cancellation & vanpool to ATA conference (David / Sierra)
Train cancelled. Tara will look into rental; still pending.
b. Community presentations on UMTIA and membership (Tara/ Sierra)
Not able to meet. Sierra put together an outline. Will continue to work with it and potentially consult with Elisa.Isabel and Tara will meet. Finish it at some point, and someone will contact Idolly to do presentation.
c. By-laws comparison (Beth)
Everyone has the commented version that Beth sent out. Review over the month, and discuss it next month.
Search for board member. Did finish giving MAP the papers, and Judy admitted to being behind. They will start search now.
NEW BUSINESS
1. UMTIA business cards and files (Explanation) (Jen) (10 mins)
6:35 Jen handed out cards for everyone, some with name, some generic.
Template for business cards will be accessible afterwards and everyone can print up more when they need. Recommend that they print up their own template to be sure that the cuts match.
Dropbox will be used for access to all files of the board, with executive board documents. Password “UpperMidwest2002#”
Jen wasn’t able to finish files but will for next time. Missing some minute reports files, and TP files, and maybe other board members can add to what Jen puts together there to make it more complete.
2. Committee Discussions & Updates (7mins total)
a. Potential medical workshop presenter (Elisa)
Many on board think Dr Westerhause and primary care or immigrant care would be interesting. Maybe Elisa needs to meet with him and discuss. Maybe medical anthropology.Mohamud will ask him.
b. Website (Jen / Tara / Susan)
Carie and Jen conferring about content.Hopes to have it done in a couple weeks. Ready for soft launch next board meeting.
c. Other
3. Jen’s exit (Discussion) (Jen) (10 mins)
a.Name removal.
Need to change name and address with:
Secretary of state
Bank account. Removal of name from bank account (New signer needs to go with David to bank to remove from account)
MNCouncil for NonProfits they’ve been sending stuff to all of us. They’ve been a resource of principles and practices. Insurance offer that never came through. Tara thinks their publications are useful and being on their list allows us to get things free, such as annual guide for grants. Maybe Tara should be the one to receive their material, David suggests.
MAP:
ATA: also remove
b. Resignation letters: send to all members? Ok if we have a plan in place for replacement. Will
c. Meeting room contact: Set up ‘til the end of the year. Could request same location for 2015.
is the contact for reservations.
Jen requests that any assistance to keep name off of stuff will be appreciated.
Offered to repay balance of yearly membership of ATA, but board agreed that she does not need to.
d. Board officer duty changes: Susan wonders if we should discuss now, or wait until Jen is gone. What duties can be taken up by others to relieve Susan if she takes up the duties of president?
Susan feels that UMTIA needs someone with vision/projection to lead.
4. UMTIA’s trajectory, goals, and board member interest/ commitment (Discussion) (Jen/Tara/All) (60 mins)
a. Goal identification (Tara)
1.Everyone write down the one thing they most want to see true in September. (2 min)
2.Everyone write down the one thing they most want to achieve in the next 3 years (for UMTIA). (3 min)
3.Share out (no comments) (5 min)
4.Put stickers on goals you have heard that you would also like to have (green), put red on goals you want nothing to do with, put question marks on ones you don’t understand/have enough info on (5 min)
5.Clarify question marks (5 min)
6.Discuss greens (5 min)
7.Discuss reds (10 min)
8.Create a list of priorities for this year. (10 min)
b. Registry database plans (Tara)
c. Policy examples on NOTIS website (Jen)
d. Board officer job descriptions (All)
The items 4-a to d- were not covered because the conversation that follows took its place.
Jen decided to add this question/discussion as a continuation of the discussion from last meeting. When she looks at the expectations of others and what the resources are, she wonders if UMTIA should continue to exist. It has continued to grow, but it seems like there is less and less interest. Other people could step up to do the workshops, companies that can have others pay for all the effort that it takes to put things on.
Voted whether we will discuss question on “should UMTIA exist or not”. Approved by majority.
Tara says that there are 85 things that need to be done in the field before she feels comfortable with hiring interpreters without checking background. A volunteer organization cannot do it with only volunteer manpower. Tara needs to put her energy into an organization that can get grants, that can hire people, to do this. UMTIA is not capable of doing this. People in MN that could be paid to do the work that’s needed to get there, but it would need some serious grant writing to get there. Tara feels very confident with her grant writing skills and has usually obtained the grants she has requested. Tara would like to develop the database for interpreters, and to do that needs $70.000, hire someone, and this would change our tax category and make things much more complex. Tara could have an organization put together in a matter of days that would be able to take this forward, and once it is running UMTIA could potentially take it under its wing. It might take 4-5 years. Tara feels that ATA would take too long. Comparing to NCIHC, in 2000 already had a test ready to go, but it took many years to actually get it off the ground.
David: if not us, who? Maybe become a more standard board, with an executive director and a book keeper. Would require raising membership fee.
Isabel: Yes
Sierra -decide what restructuring we need to do to exist-,
Beth –would let down a lot of people that wouldn’t have any place to go, people whom we’ve requested that they be members,
Mohamud: – afraid that with people with experience leaving we might not be able to keep up, and has same family situation as Susan, Need new people to replace us; can we get guidance from NAJIT or some other organization?
Susan: not sure -morale is very low-, pull in someone who can give us paid guidance to help us define things, and be totally objective. There was someone at Health Partners (3 day visioning project with ISG in 2005) who helped in 2005. Mohamud will ask Sidney if she can locate this person. MAP does this sort of thing also.
Elisa: goal for this month/year is to get familiarized with website and have it functional.
Beth: Question on upcoming term ends. If bylaw changes are accepted, we can just inform members of current board changes.
Susan: talked at some point on limit of time on board. Would like to see some definition of the constant recycling of board members.
Isabel: palliative care would be a good topic. Susan has a potential speaker on that.
(time permitting and if appropriate)
5. Meeting norms (Discussion) (Susan) (15 mins)
Did not have time
6. Review of homework for next time (Jen / All) (2 mins)