On December 19, 2009, the Northern Virginia Ethical Society Board meeting was held via telephone conference call due to snowy weather. Board members present at the meeting were President Hank Gassner, Vice President Mary Ellen Stanton, Treasurer Sven Sinclair, Secretary Andy Stanton, Mary Bellamy., Marianne Moerman, Karen Raymond Hart, and Carole Rubin. Leader Jone Johnson Lewis also attended.
The Board approved the November 21 Board meeting minutes. We reviewed the To Do list by email before the meeting. Our insurance company requires that we have a sexual harassment policy. Mary Ellen, Carole, Andy and Jone will draft a formal policy on sexual harassment during the summer. We will schedule platform chair training after the holidays on a Tuesday evening at Green Hedges. The youth group book sale has been postponed to January.
The Board addressed the membership survey and agreed to send suggestions by email on the three or four things we, as Board members, would like to learn from a survey and what information would be useful to help establish NoVES priorities.
Jone then gave her Leader’s report. She is scheduling Adult Ed. classes. There has been a request for classes on nights other than the Tuesday night we have at Green Hedges. She is finishing her plan to write letters to members on their birthdays and for the members to have anniversary meetings with her. Mary Bellamy will call visitors to NoVES to tell them that the Winter Festival has been moved to January 3. Susan Bagot indicated that she would be attending one of our Platforms this year. Jone discussed the December AEU meeting in NYC on increasing membership at which Alice Mann of the Alban Institute spoke. The chief idea Jone came away with is to consider how members evolve through time because of their membership. Jone noted that we had more people there than any other Society. Hank said the AEU Executive Director said she was planning for an AEU workshop with Alice Mann in the Washington area. Jone has been working with the Publicity committee to change our Knot advertisement for weddings to show that we are now offering same-sex marriage ceremonies for DC weddings. The ad will also mention that we offer marriage preparation coaching since Jone and Mary Ellen took a training course. Other officiants may eventually receive training if marriage preparation coaching proves useful. Jone’s sabbatical will take place January 2011 through April 2011.
Sven gave the Treasurer’s report. Cash receipts from pledges are $3,000 higher than at the same time last year. Leader services are slightly up and Adult Ed is slightly down. We have additional expenses this year because we’re renting Green Hedges Tuesday evenings. Two additional pledges were received.
Hank gave his President’s report. The Board retreat will be moved to the third Saturday of February. The AEU membership meeting suggested looking at membership as an integrated process, from greeting, joining and becoming involved. Because a summer break causes people to get out of the habit of coming to Platform, perhaps we should have a rudimentary summer program.
The Board agreed to join the DC Coalition of Reason. We have no financial obligation and can withdraw if the positions it takes are inimical to us. The Board discussed creating a task force on emergency issues. Mary Bellamy agreed to facilitate the first meeting. Several members have agreed to participate in the task force. The Board addressed committee definitions and agreed that definitions will appear in the Members’ section of the website. The definitions are a work in progress and can be updated. The Board discussed formation of a Personnel committee that would serve as a facilitator rather than a decider. The Board agreed to revisit this issue at the next meeting
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