German Village Society Board of Trustees
Meeting Agenda
November 1, 2010
1. Public Participation Darci Congrove
2. Secretary’s Report Jeanne Likins
Approve October 4, 2010 GVS Board Meeting Minutes
3. Staff Reports (written report) Jody Graichen
(written report) Russ Arledge
4. Treasurer’s Report Roy Bieber
Balance Sheet (written report)
P & L (written report)
5. Committee Reports
Standing Committees
Executive Darci Congrove
---GVS staff update (oral report) Darci Congrove
---Monster Bash (oral report) Darci Congrove
---Oktoberfest (oral report) Darci Congrove
---2011 Board Meeting Dates and Times (oral report) Darci Congrove
---Meeting Haus Volunteers Appreciation Event
(oral report) Jeanne Likins
---Website (oral report) Brian Santin
---Civic Relations (oral report) Crystal Seamon
Finance (written report) Roy Bieber
Motion to approve 2009 German Village Society Audit
Roy Bieber
Historic Preservation (no report) Will Eylar
---Streetscape/Third Street Master Plan (no report) Brian Santin
Long Range Planning (written report) Carolyn McCall
Go Green (no report) Crystal Seamon &
Brian Santin
Organizational Development (written report) Jim Hopple
Parks, Public Spaces and Community Events Sara McNealey
(no report)
Special Committees
Membership (written report) Jeanne Likins
50th Anniversary (oral report) Sarah Irvin-Clark
German Village Business Committee (no report)
David Cunningham
Marketing (no report) Norm Hall
Campaign Planning Sub-Committee (no report) Jim Nichols
6. Old Business
7. New Business
8. Adjournment
November 1, 2010
Monthly Report to the German Village Society Board of Trustees
Submitted by: Russ Arledge, Office Coordinator
I started the month off with a two day museum conference on October 1-2 where I attended 10+ hours of workshops covering topics such as marketing, how to recruit/train/retain volunteers and docents, bringing history to life, how to connect with teachers and how to tailor our tours and materials to meet the State of Ohio education standards, and many more topics! I’m preparing a summary of each topic and will direct the material to the appropriate committee.
On Wednesday, October 6th the 4th Grade Class from Saint Mary School paid a visit to the German Village Society Meeting Haus to present us with a giant "Happy German-American Day" card made by the students.
On October 16th was the German Village Safety Day. In attendance were the Columbus Police Department and their mobile command vehicle, several vendors demonstrating their safety and security products, and nursing students from Capital University conducting a heart/health screening and providing free blood pressure checks.
One of the highlights of the month was the premier showing on October 19th of the WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods – German Village at the Arena Grand Theater. Many months of hard work was finally brought to the big screen!
The Volunteer Appreciation reception hosted by the GVBC on October 24th was very much appreciated by the volunteers and they enjoyed meeting the owners of the various shops and restaurants that they refer visitors to every day.
I was also kept busy with making all of the updates on the 2011 Membership materials, and all of the behind the scenes work for Pub Crawl, Safety Day, WOSU premier, Volunteer Appreciation reception, and now Monster Bash.
Meanwhile the Visitor Center Volunteers were kept busy this month welcoming over 415 visitors, and the Group Tour and Scavenger Hunt Volunteers Bob Jackson, Connie Swain, and Kathy Wightman were kept busy hosting over 220 students, teachers and chaperones!
It’s been a busy month… all for now.
Historic Preservation Officer staff reportNumber of Attendees: / New Members?:
Executive Summary:
· Assisted residents, members, and Commissioners with questions regarding Certificate of Appropriateness application process and specific applications/addresses;
· Assisted H&G Chair with code questions regarding potential properties to feature on 2011 Tour;
· Participated in WOSU web chat during premiere of Columbus Neighborhoods: German Village on 10.19.10;
· Amended GVS work schedule for November and remainder of 2010;
· Began reviewing application process for “Great Places in America” designation through American Planning Association (APA);
· Edited Neighbors4Neighbors Weekly Digest;
· Drafted weekly columns for ThisWeek German Village
German Village Society
Long-Range Planning Committee
Meeting Minutes - October 21, 2010
______
Attending: Eleanor Alvarez, Nick Cavalaris, Janet Druen, Cindy Farson, Teri Moore, Jay Panzer, Jo Anne St. Clair, Carolyn McCall (chair).
“Village Connections” (aging in place/concierge services) [Eleanor Alvarez]
Eleanor gave a brief update on the research that the committee has done to date. She is keeping a master notebook for reference, as we are starting to accumulate quite a bit of information.
One of the programs that the committee has looked into over the past several months is Capitol Hill Village in Washington, DC. Thanks to a connection made by Eleanor, two of the founding members of Capitol Hill Village, Mike and Judy Canning, will meet with our committee on November 18 to offer insights as to how they got the concept off the ground.
In preparation, the committee brainstormed a list of questions for the Cannings. Eleanor is condensing the information, which she will send under separate cover. Eleanor and Carolyn will coordinate meeting details. The Cannings graciously offered to stop in Columbus as they return home to Washington from Chicago. In appreciation, Eleanor has invited them to stay in her cottage for the evening, and we will invite the Cannings to join us for dinner following the meeting.
Eleanor has also extended an invitation to Capitol Hill’s executive director, Gail Kohn, to meet with us in December via Skype. We are awaiting confirmation. We are interested in learning more about how the program functions today.
On the local front, Jo Anne St. Clair told us about conversations taking place locally with an aim toward creating a formal Lifelong Communities/Age Friendly/Livable Cities initiative in central Ohio. Jo Anne will keep us apprised of developments.
Next steps: In January, we will digest what we learned, discuss how it applies to German Village and determine what additional work is needed to formulate a recommendation. We plan to make a report to the GVS board in February or March.
Downtown Development [Nick Cavalaris]
Our committee continues to monitor nearby development and assess potential impact on German Village. Nick Cavalaris reported that Columbus Commons is moving along, with sod being installed on the 9-acre park this week. The opening is projected for spring 2011. A representative of Columbus Commons, Amy Taylor, will be invited to our February meeting to give us a better understanding of what is envisioned for the project, particularly the planned commercial/office/retail space.
Nick called our attention to the Scioto Mile project, which stretches from the Whittier Peninsula to the Arena District, is another major development that is expected to add to the downtown area’s amenities.
Next steps: Nick will continue to monitor the progress of these projects. The Columbus Commons representative will be invited to join us at our February meeting.
Business/Residential Mix [Jo Anne St. Clair]
Jo Anne St. Clair reported that Roxyanne Burrus, a city planning expert formerly with the City of Columbus and now with Ohio State, was very receptive to the idea of assigning the busiiness/residential mix project to a class, probably in the winter quarter. This is a very promising development. In addition, Jo Anne has agreed to chair a sub-committee that will pursue this initiative.
Next steps: A luncheon meeting will be held with Roxyanne Burris on Nov. 2 to determine the project scope and timeline. A small sub-committee has been formed to oversee this initiative, but all Long-Range Planning committee members are welcome to participate. Please contact Jo Anne St. Clair if you are interested.
* * * * * * * * * *
Next meetings:
Thursday, November 18 (6:00 - 7:30 p.m.: Meeting with Capitol Hill Village founders)
Thursday, December 16 (6:00 - 7:30 p.m.: Meeting Capitol Hill Village executive director)
Meeting Schedule for 2011 (second Thursday of every month):
January 13
February 10
March 10
April 14
May 12
June 9
July 14
August 11
September 8
October13
November 19
December 8
All meetings are at the Meeting Haus starting at 6:00 p.m.
Committee: / Board Chair/Rep: / Meeting Date:Membership Committee / Jeanne M. Likins / October 18, 2010
Number of Attendees: / New Members?:
8 / None
Executive Summary:
· Continued membership efforts to recruit and retain members, prepped 2011 materials for early November membership launch, as well as documented what’s been done in 2009-2010, and compiled a comprehensive membership analysis for 2007-2010.
· Prepared email letter (attached) to send to non-members who purchased tickets to GVS events, such as the Pub Crawl and Monster Bash, inviting them to consider attending other events and joining the GVS.
· Finalized revised membership form, letters and related materials (attached) which will be copied and prepped by the Meeting Haus Mail Team for mailing in early November.
· Prepping materials for 22 Neighbor Representatives to deliver to non-GVS members in their “districts” in December with the rest being mailed bulk.
· Outlined the change in Bob’s role as a member of the Membership Committee, which will focus on membership processing and database updating a few days each week during peak renewal time and less time the remainder of the year. We are seeking someone to partner with Bob in this.
· Compiled 2009-2010 GVS Membership Protocols (attached) to document what was done and by whom with all things membership-related.
· Prepared comprehensive GVS Membership Trends 2007-2010 Report (attached) with the chart of 2007-2010 Paid GVS Memberships (attached).
· Next Meeting: November 15th 6 PM, GVS Meeting Haus
Ø Request for staff time or Volunteers? Bob and Russ
Ø Financial Resources? Photocopying and postage for two bulk membership mailings
Ø Issues or concerns that require consideration by the Board or staff for possible response or action with timeline included
Focus on membership and strategies for broadening the base of membership support, both within and beyond German Village.
Next Steps:
· Evaluate 5 member appreciation events for those at $250 and above levels offered this fall
· Plan Welcome New Members Reception for all 2010 members in January
· Begin discussion of how to reach out to and partner with like-minded organizations around Columbus to broaden our membership base
· Membership Committee social/appreciation event in January/February
German Village Society Membership Trends 2007-2010
The purpose of this report is to provide data about German Village Society membership from 2007 through 2010 and to identify trends to improve our understanding about membership, its important role in the sustainability of the Society, and to stimulate ideas for next steps in the years ahead. Please note we are referring here to the number of memberships and not members.
Membership Key to Sustainable GVS
The good news is that the Society has been moving steadily toward a new business model over the last several years as the Board agreed was necessary, starting in 2008. For instance, membership and gifts together provided just 12% of the Society’s revenue in 2007 compared to almost 40% of the Society’s actual operating income (as of October 15, 2010) from membership alone, according to the Treasurer.
The highly leveraged, weather dependent events (Tour and Oktoberfest) resulted in the Society having expenses over budget (or spent more than was brought in) six out of seven years between 2000 and 2007. The Society met its budget during this time without the use of reserves only in 2003.
A dozen new events were created over ten years (1997-2007). None of these was able to offset the risk of these existing highly leveraged, weather dependent events, when coupled with the Society’s overly optimistic revenue projections and its level of expenses.
Since 2008, however, the Society has met its budget without the use of its reserves. This has contributed to stabilizing the Society’s financial operations.
Launching membership renewals and new member recruitment in late fall helps ensure sufficient cash flow for the Society during the winter and spring months.
In support of stabilizing the Society’s operations and financials, the Membership Committee in 2010 has been aggressive in minimizing expenses as follows:
· using email and the GVS website whenever possible rather than paper and postage
· hand delivering 2010 membership invoices with the 2009 GVS Membership Directory saving ($.95/each) in additional postage
· asking Neighbor Representatives to assume the costs of envelopes and other supplies for reaching out to the 50 properties in their 22 districts, including providing stamps when membership materials were mailed
· having a Membership Committee member donate the cost of copying membership materials after securing a 50% discount from Kinko’s
· asking Membership Committee and Board members to provide the food for the summer Welcome New Member Reception with a Committee member providing postage for thank you notes to attendees
· asking the President and Secretary (and their spouses) to host the February brunch to thank members who were at the $500 and above levels at any time over the last four years
· partnering with the 50th Anniversary Committee to offer a preview of the Village Visions Art Exhibit where the refreshments were already secured by the 50th Anniversary Committee
· partnering with GVS members and businesses to offer five member appreciation events for 2010 members at the $250 and above level
2007-2010 Paid GVS Memberships Highlights
Attached is the summary of the 2007-2010 Paid GVS Memberships, a report compiled by Bob Jackson, our volunteer Membership Coordinator. There are not any charter or complimentary memberships included since these skew the total membership numbers.
Over the last four years there has been a difference of only 52 memberships or less than 8% from the year with the largest number of memberships (2009) to the year with the least number of memberships (2008). 2009 was a GVS Directory year and also the year of a significant membership vote, both of which increased membership for 2009 according to verbal reports.
An important challenge for the Society is how to address the fact that of the 2,000 or so addresses in German Village, only 616 or 30% have Society memberships. When one factors in that many memberships are household memberships, the number of individuals who belong to the GVS is believed to be more than 1,000. This has remained persistently about the same between 2007 and 2010 as the above number of memberships demonstrates (and may well be true for years prior to 2007 as well).