Board Minutes May 2016

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These minutes were approved at the July 2016 board meeting.

EBC Board Meeting Minutes for May 9, 2016

Board meetings are open to the EBC members and the public.

  • Location: room 113 Education South, University of Alberta
  • Start Time: 6:30pm

Please RSVP to [board@edmontonbikes.ca] if you plan on attending. Please include a brief summary of any agenda item you would like to table. Thank you!

Attendance

  • Meeting Chair: Jon
  • Minute-taker: Karl
  • Food by: Adrian
  • Board attendance: Jon, Nancy, Geoff, Adrian, Rachel, Anna, Karl, Derek
  • Staff attendance: Chris (6:55)
  • Regrets: Dan
  • Absent: Jasmine
  • Guests: n/a

Call to Order

  • Meeting called to order by Jon at 6:39pm.
  • We thoroughly enjoyed Adrian's homemade bread!

Logistics for Next Meeting

  • Date: June 13, 2016
  • Location: rm 113 Education South
  • Chair: Geoff
  • Minute-taker: Derek
  • Food by: Nancy

Approval of Agenda, Minutes, Reports (5 min)

  • Motion: To approve this May agenda, the April 2016 minutes, and reports as presented below. Moved by Geoff, Karl. Motion Carried.

President's Report - Jon

Treasurer's Report - Geoff

Executive Director's Report - Chris

Strategic Planning Committee Report - Derek

Current & Completed Business

Updates on Action Items From Previous Meeting (5 min)

  • Everyone log your 2016 board volunteer hours for the past month.
  • Everyone sign reports that you have reviewed each month.
  • Committee Chairpersons to post all committee meetings to EBC calendar - public ones go on "EBC Events", other committee meetings go on "EBC Internal" calendar.
  • Jul 2015: Jon, Nancy, Anna, Geoff, Chris Chan will meet to get an orientation and see if Asana can be used for board tasks/to do list too
  • Dec 2015: Anna will book 30 min meeting before board meeting for Asana orientation by Exec.
  • Sep 2015: Anna to post final financial policy to wiki and (Feb 2016) all new TOR (Executive, Policy, HR) to wiki
  • Feb 2016: Geoff to get access online to Tangerine (ING) account where casino funds are cashed in the interim in order to view balance
  • Apr 2016: Jon, Geoff connect regarding the budget allocated for the Program Coordinator. Regardless if we have charitable status or not, we should know what our budgetary constraints are.
  • Apr 2016: Derek & SP Committee to share program eval criteria with ED/staff to begin testing.

COMPLETED

  • April 2016: Anna to email the staff regarding the best date for the Board meet and greet event. The event will likely be 4:30PM or later.
    • Meet and greet = moved location at last minute. Good attendance, about half of board in attendance. Molly and Keith in attendance.
  • April 2016: Jon, Nancy, Geoff, Anna (Exec Committee) to meet before May mtg to make plan for best and worst case scenario of charitable status application to report at AGM.
  • Apr 2016: Jon, Geoff to reconcile the budget to reflect this 15,000 grant as well as the money we recently received from the Kinsmen Club.
  • Apr 2016: Karl to determine the specific 'ask' from the Alberta Bicycle Commuters.
    • No formal ask will be coming forward as ABBCC have found other funding.

Financial Review (20 min) Geoff

  • Presentation of details associated with current EBC deficit
  • See Treasurer's Report for May (above)
  • As of Feb, we are $30k worse than our budget (deficit)
  • Where is this big gap?
    • Spent $15k on website but it didn’t show up in the budget
    • Didn’t claim casino revenue in December
    • We incurred casino expenses in December
    • Bike sales to end of February are under budget
    • Utility adjustments in December
    • More sales in the bike shops
    • Expenses up too. Up $4k on both sides
  • Received grants incl. $17.5 CoE grant received in May
  • We need more revenue to get us back to our budgeted position
  • Discussion notes:
    • Jonathan: Molly to write grants once we have identified who we can apply with. Charityvillage.com – list of all corporate foundations
    • Chris 3 questions
      • 1. Q: What’s our timeline for getting March/April financial reports from bookkeeper? A: soon
      • 2. Q: Can they be presented as actual, budgeted and YTD? A: that is done but reflects original budget. Nancy: is there a contractual obligations to write reports? A: Before next month’s end
      • 3. Q: Neil Carey (predecessor) uploaded the Simply backups to Google Drive. Can this be done? A: Geoff will request
  • Action Items: Geoff will ask bookkeeper to be more prompt in statement preparation.
  • Action Items: Geoff will look into putting Simply back ups into Google Drive.


New Business

Alberta Transportation Bikeway Design Guidelines - draft (2 min) Nancy

  • Bike Calgary put together recommendations for the Bikeway Design Guidelines. They asked EBC to sign on as supporters. Nancy asked for the final copy for circulation and will share once she receives it.
  • Action Items: Nancy will share final copy of Bikeway Design doc when available.

Exec Director verbal update (10 min) Chris

  • Submitted cheque to Geoff for Kinsman grant to finish off website stuff
    • Geoff: How much more funding is required for YCR2 inventory management system? Chris: This is the $15k we needed to complete the project.
  • Have hired a BW assistant manager. Funded by Canada Summer jobs grant: Brendan accepted. We applied for 16 weeks, got 9 weeks. Goal is for him to do at least one special project

Options for YCR2 Location: Jerry Forbes Centre and Goodwill Industries (30 min) Jon

  • Review info in President's Report (above).
  • JFC
    • Space for multiple community groups
    • Pay them $25k-27/p.a. for lease
    • 24/7 access
    • Building community engagement space. Allows to stage events
    • ‘Modernised’ building
    • Rotary grant available, some $60k available. Janine has confirmed the Rotary money can be put towards the program
    • Could commit to a two year lease
    • Problem at present: logistics is difficult
    • Current Tenant has an option to stay
  • GW
    • North American organisation that provides employment to adults with disabilities
    • In order to fund the programs, they ‘recycle stuff’
    • Majority of income comes from sales. $20m revenues p.a.
    • Closely associated with the Rotary Club in Spruce Grove. They found out about YCR2 through Rotary
    • They see value in partnering with EBC
    • Get requests for bicycle donations
    • They want to do bicycle refurb at 114 St 168 Ave Central Hub
    • Everything they collect through donation centres collected and refurbed
    • Space can be used for a variety of purposes
    • Moveable workstations
    • Can repair and refurbish bikes at the centre
    • 3500 sq ft is our ask
    • Their Asks: 0.25 EFT to help out
    • In the event that there are grants, double up in applying for grants
    • Financial obligations: ongoing as per the above
    • Jonathan wants to reach consensus with the board. Binding agreement wouldn’t get approved until the board approves
    • Tamara from Goodwill outlined next steps: EBC to forward any areas to be addressed and respond to. Stipulations as per Tamara’s letter
  • Discussion notes about GW option:
    • Derek: Location and access by bike? Jonathan: Gerry Forbes is easier than Goodwill centre. Rachel: It’s an OK place to drive to
    • Goodwill Centre will have a ‘pound store’
    • Nancy: Consider this: 10 years rent (250k in today’s $$) versus 10 years at 0.25 EFT. Geoff: About half of the financial commitment
    • Adryan: Good fit. Cost factor significant
    • Jonathan: commercial imperative behind GF’s offer. Goodwill can see cost efficiencies
    • Anna: 0.25 FTE is an ambiguous ask for us. Would prefer to commit to dollar figure. Wants to see their Financial situation, perhaps detailed financial audit. Jonathan: agrees this should be stated in dollar terms. Need measurable metrics for the commitment we are making.
    • Jonathan: Allow the agreement to be reviewed on an annual basis. Our needs will change over time
    • Adrian: does it have to be a paid 0.25 position? Jonathan: They are big on partnerships. Chris: He thought the offer on the table is that we would be contributing to a 0.25 position for Goodwill staff
    • Jonathan: What are the benefits beyond YCR2? Room for more inventory, including room for vertical space. Would be an opportunity to do work on bikes as well
    • Anna: could use CFEP infrastructure grants to build it up as a site
  • Motion: To authorize Jonathan or his designate to continue discussions with Goodwill Industries for the purpose of entering into a binding agreement/lease to store and service YCR2/EBC inventory. Moved by Anna, Derek. Motion Carried.


~ Break 7:55-8:05pm ~

Karl departed at 7:55 for ABBCC conference call. Anna took on the minute-taking role for remainder of meeting.


Membership (20 min) Jon

  • Current membership status
    • May and Nov end dates
  • EBC membership general principles and values
    • Lower price?
    • Honorary memberships for promotional purposes?
  • Reducing membership attrition (board discussion)
  • New membership opportunities (board discussion)
  • Discussion notes:
  • Membership status/number
    • Geoff: Wonder what form of memberships these are - bought a bike or signed up for membership? Chris: This is possible. Currently 76% of our memberships are *not* from bike sales. Could analyze this further by looking over the data more closely.
    • Rachel: Are 2 year memberships less than buying 1 year membership two years in a row? Chris: Yes. Rachel: I had paid for 2 years but did not get auto renewal this year. Could other members being experiencing this glitch? Chris: Very few members have multi-year memberships. I will look into this.
    • Adrian: Part of this may be to educate our shop volunteers to "push" membership sales. When I'm in the shop and its busy, I am more likely to help the next patron than to delve into membership sales talk with a finished patron. Could easily push the membership. Many responses from patrons is positive to membership fee of $25 esp at BWS.
    • Nancy: Ditto to Adrian. Could we streamline info that we collect to get faster sign up? Chris: Mailing info is useful for demographics. Used to send newsletters and mail cards to members sometimes. Could make street address non-mandatory on form. Could highlight email and postal code on form as essential info. Derek: Could simplify from exact home address to postal code or even just quadrant of city. Chris: The more detailed the data, the more effective we can be with advocacy issues. Jon: If we just get postal code, allows for greater member privacy and is quite easy for volunteer to get from patron.
    • Geoff: Rather than volunteer having to do the spiel, could have a small promotional slip that describes the benefits of membership. Chris: Membership benefits are listed on member card and full details on webpage which is also listed on card.
    • Geoff: Could look at software to streamline memberships.
    • Jon: Big dips in membership in May and Nov. Would do well to focus on membership renewals (who have already been convinced once) than to seek out new members.
    • Adrian: Could we call our members at renewal time? This would improve retention. Chris: Even just one volunteer to do this would be beneficial. Could target members who have renewed in the past and thus likely to renew again.
    • Nancy: Could have a membership campaign. All correspondence in one month would be about membership, might include personalized emails or phone calls to current members. Slower month would be a good time to do this.
    • Geoff: Should have large sign (equal to shop rules) at each shop about Benefits of Membership at EBC.
  • New membership opportunities
    • Geoff: There is a lot of value in the shops and the shops cost a lot of money to the org. If we give out certain free memberships, should budget for this and outline reasons why/criteria we would give these out and to whom. Jon: Or could be free memberships for a particular program, eg. Low Income Program = free membership.
    • Rachel: As a student, I like student deals.
    • Chris: We already have a low income / student membership price. It is self-identified.
    • Anna: Would like to see data for low income purchased at BWN vs BWS vs online. Same for regular memberships, and membership+donation. This would help us see what type of membership we are currently recruiting at each shop and could then target market based on the findings.
    • Nancy: Could we do corporate memberships? Solicit this at Lunch & Learn sessions? Chris: Les and I tried this in 2015. Not much interest.
    • Derek: If Fort Mac has taught us anything, people like to donate by phone/text. Could try a campaign to capture interested folks that are not in the shops.
  • Next steps
    • Jon: Form a sub-committee to pick up these ideas and begin implementing. Geoff, Derek, Adrian, Chris. Rachel is willing to be involved via email.
    • Geoff can sort through some data on the membership to get more details.
  • Action Items: Jon, Geoff, Derek, Adrian, Chris will meet as ad-hoc subcommittee about membership in May.

In Camera Session - N/A

Adjournment

  • Motion: To adjourn the meeting at 8:45 pm. Moved by Geoff, Anna. Motion Carried.
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