Board of Directors Minutes
June 2008

A regular meeting of your Board of Directors was held at the Resource Center on Monday, June 9, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. Present were Charles Bovaird, Richard Corzo, Sean Henderson, John Lansdale, Patrick Libert, Rob Limbaugh, Anna van Ommeren, Jeff Setaro, Jim Scheef. Also present was Fran Ryan. President Rob Limbaugh presided and Secretary Anna van Ommeren kept the record. Minutes of the last meeting held on May 12, 2008, were presented and approved after 2 minor corrections were noted. Treasurer Charles Bovaird reported current cash assets of $7,538.82, consisting of total bank and postal accounts in the amount of $7448.80 plus postage on hand of $90.02. Subtracting a liability of prepaid dues in the amount of $1,403.00 left a net equity of $6,135.82. He also reported that the current membership is at 258,112 of which are electronic. He also mentioned we have 208 valid email addresses.

Fran Ryan from Danbury's Commission on Persons with Disabilities attended the meeting to present a possible collaboration between DACS and Danbury's Summer Youth Employment Program. These are intern programs/initiatives for Danbury children (ages14-18) who meet one or more of the following requirements: they participate in the school district's free or reduced-price lunch program, come from families that meet income requirements, or have a disability. The interns, who successfully completed last year's Summer Youth Employment Program with exceptional employee reviews from their supervisor, are assigned to volunteer agencies by the City of Danbury after comparing agency requests and interns' skills. The program runs for six weeks beginning in July. The interns will earn $7.65/hr for 20 hours per wk for the 2008 program, paid by the City. Also, they must be supervised by the agency and must participate in six offsite training days. Possible work tasks were discussed, such as helping with the newsletter or marketing. Working in a virtual office environment was also mentioned as well as computer recycling and learning computer repair. However, the discussion also considered the concerns regarding program requirements such as full-time supervision and insurance issues. Nevertheless, it was decided that this effort is worth pursuing, and for DACS to develop a long term plan to be able to work with the organization to explore the possibilities for implementation by next summer.

The subject of the general meeting dates for the February 2009 to June 2009 schedule was brought up. Danbury hospital has informed DACS that due to a conflicting schedule the auditorium will not be available on the first Tuesdays during those months. Rob suggested a survey of the members be conducted to see whether a first Monday of the month, year ‘round might be preferable. Suggestions for the best way to conduct the survey were discussed. Other ideas for general meetings, such as synchronizing with other groups in the area to share presenters or taking advantage of web-ex presentations, were mentioned.

Next on the agenda was Microsoft software orders from TechSoup. Patrick explained that DACS is eligible to order up to 6 products over 2 years and that we are still eligible for two products within this time period. Richard requested Office 2008 for MAC. A software order cannot be used in a production environment or to generate revenue, but can be used for evaluation and testing. Patrick offered to check and process any ordering.

Regarding the community site, Rob gave a progress report and mentioned that after some initial software and installation troubleshooting, he will continue working with it. He also mentioned the need to create documentation in case anyone else needs to work within the system.

Rob brought up the subject of finding a new ISP for DACS and mentioned some of the requirements such as supporting linux/php, the ability to run CRON jobs, and enough bandwidth. A virtual private server would also be preferred. Jeff mentioned some benefits of the “Yahoo small business” plan and he and John will submit some alternative hosting suggestions.

Rob suggested DACS create a flyer to promote DACS, the general meetings, and the website address; however this would not be time-sensitive and could be used at any time. There will be a need for someone to take on the task of creating and distributing the flyer. A brief discussion about the Newsletter ensued. Presently it is mailed to 149 members, and 50 more copies are mailed to libraries. Due to the variation in postage costs, it was discussed whether it was worthwhile to continue mailing it to the libraries. It was brought up that libraries are the second best source of new members. Charlie explained the process of labeling and post office delivery, and Rob suggested that there be a back up person in case he is unavailable. Patrick explained the work flow required, and outlined the reasons the July newsletter was delayed.

Sean mentioned that he uses free promotional tools (such as Craig’s list, MySpace etc.) to promote DACS and wondered whether DACS should consider allocating a budget for promotion and presenter’s gifts. A budget allowing for specific expenditures could be established so that there is a structure regarding available funds for specific items. This would also help with planning for future marketing efforts.

Flo Ferrara has been actively seeking out potential presenters, inviting them to the general meetings to show our membership attendance. This has led to success in securing several speakers.

Ed Hicks has volunteered to speak at a general meeting with a presentation about GPS and cartography. The change in the time schedule for the upcoming July meeting was mentioned, Gary will start the camera presentation first at 7:15, and Lisa will present at 8 p.m., Gary and Lisa will both take questions at the end of the presentation.

-Anna van Ommeren

 

 


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