January 2015

Jody Williams, President, called the meeting to order at 2:50 pm. Other Board members present were Leslie Altick, Jim Harris, Todd Makler, Paul Davis, Kevin O’Leary, and Dave Puryear. Also in Attendance was John Prior.

The minutes from the December 4, 2014 meeting were approved.

Budget

The 2015 Budget was discussed and approved with small changes. In accordance with our bylaws, this budget was proposed in September and adjusted as appropriate based on expenses during the Fall. Some changes were made at the December board meeting. Four changes were made or adopted at this meeting.

1. A transfer of $600 to the Education Fund from the 2014 surplus was approved along with an increase in rental income expected from that Fund in 2015. This will keep the Education Fund in balance through 2015.
2. Capital Expenses and Extra Capital Expenses were combined into one budget line.
3. Net income from the Firecracker Sectional was increased from $0 to $1500, reflecting the December Board decision to raise table fees to $12.
4. The Capital Expense budget was reduced by $1000 to $12,000 and the Supplies budget was increased by an equal amount to reflect more closely the actual expenses in 2014.

The budget was adopted unanimously with these changes.

Initiatives for 2015

The Board will focus on 5 priorities in 2015:

1. The Future of the Firecracker: 2016 and Beyond. This Committee will include Kevin O’Leary, James Stuart-Smith (last year’s Firecracker Chair), Gill and Paul Barsley (2015 Co-Chairs), and others to be recruited.
2. Member Communications: Dave Puryear will chair this Committee with assistance from Leslie Altick and Paul Davis as well as other volunteers. The Committees mandate includes the future form of the Kibitzer, the organization of our many volunteers, email software, and other topics.
3. Member Involvement: This Committee will be chaired by Leslie Altick with assistance from Paul Davis and other volunteers. Some of its work will overlap with the Member Communications Committee, but its mandate is to increase membership and involvement. This includes more attendance at smaller games, more volunteer opportunities, and a greater sense of ownership among the members.
4. Education Funding: Paul Davis will chair this Committee which will focus on the long-range financial health of our education programs, including investigation of qualifying for 501c(3) status. Alan Cummings has expressed interest in this area and will be recruited to serve on the Committee.
5. Defibrillator Training: John Prior will chair this activity. A class is tentatively scheduled for late January to provide Red Cross certification in the use of the Defibrillator which the Unit purchased last year.

Board Meeting Schedule

The next Board meeting will be February 17 at 3:45 pm. Thereafter, the Board will meet on the 2nd Tuesday each month following the Tuesday game.

Volunteers Needed

Jody Williams will be sending an email blast asking for volunteers for several tasks, including the Art Chair, the Unit’s column in the District 21 Newsletter, and the Trophy Committee. The Trophy Committee will select a nominee for the District 21 Goodwill Award. This nomination is due January31. We also need a second Unit Representative to District 21 to join Pru Saunders who has agreed to continue her work in this role.

Reports

President: Jody Williams noted that our annual financial review by Granville is scheduled for January 14. She commented that Pianola, a software package with email capability and partnership options, is being tried at Los Altos Country Club and they will let us know how successful it is. The Finance and Investment Committee is in place with Leslie Altick as Chair and Jim Harris, Todd Makler, and Larry Mohr as members. The Firecracker Committee has signed contracts with the hotel and Convention Center.

Treasurer: Todd Makler will provide a graph with cumulative table counts for the Unit to be posted monthly on the website. Monthly expenses versus the budget will also be posted. We received a $100 donation with no designated purpose. The Board voted to apply it to the Education Fund with an understanding that future donations be directed to the Finance and Investment Committee. For the year the Unit is in excellent financial health. We began 2014 with a budget calling for a deficit of $1460 for the year and ended with a surplus of $2520 even after transferring $6000 to the Education Fund. The surplus and our ability to make this grant to education were primarily the result of increased table revenue, the Learn Bridge in a Day program, and the Eddie Kantar Seminar.

Unit Games: Jim Harris reports that we will have more Unit games this year. We have scheduled two games a month through June. He received various comments regarding the Holiday Party which was a free meal and a free game again this year. Some members felt it should be limited to members. Others felt that the non-members in attendance were regular players who help support us through table fees the rest of the year. A poll of our members would help to clarify their preferences.

Facilities: Carpets and chairs at the Bridge Center will be cleaned the week of the Burlingame Regional (Feb 10-16).

The meeting was adjourned at 4:10pm.