Meeting Minutes 8-20-11

Posted on Updated on by Cheryl

CDSo BoD Meeting Minutes

Saturday, 20 Aug 2011

Dive Outpost, Mayo, FL

Call to order – GM: 17:25

Attendance – GM, FW, TM, RB, RR

Guests – Cheryl Doran, Bobby Franklin, Xenia

Old business:

    1. • Secretary
      1. • Review of board forum business actions.
      2. • Minutes of 28 May 2011
      3. • Motion carries

In favor: BD, FW, GM, FO, TM

Abstain: RB

No vote recorded: RR

  1. • Leadership reports
    1. • Property report – Status quo
    2. • Committee status and reports
  2. • Treasurer’s report (TM)
    1. • Financial report
    2. • Sales reports
  3. • Training (No Report)
    1. • Training Committee report
    2. • Training certifications report
  4. • Vice Chairman’s report (FW)
    1. • 2012 Workshop status – Chairman Bobby Franklin Appointed
    2. • HECC – Chairman Rick R
  5. • Chairman’s report (GM)
    1. • NSS-CDS processing of membership report – Need to work with NSS webmaster to get online registration for CDS working.
    2. • Audit status report – Needs accounting for some checks paid to Gwen Wyatt

New Business:

M) TM/FW

Renew DO Insurance

In Favor: GM, FW, TM, RB, RR – Motion carries

M) GM/TM

The publication, distribution, or posting of an official document, announcement, or statement in print or electronic form (including venues such as the NSS-CDS-CDS website, Twitter, and/or Facebook) represents the Section to the membership and to the world. For this reason, such communications are expected to be as accurate and appropriate as possible in order to reflect positively on the Section, its members, and the community of cavers and speleologists. Therefore, it is the policy of the Section that documents, statements, and announcements of an official nature must:

  1. 1) Be factual in nature;
  2. 2) Responsibly and accurately represent Section business;
  3. 3) Not disparage or ridicule any individual or group;
  4. 4) Not include confidential NSS-CDS-CDS material;
  5. 5) Not intentionally include anything that is misleading.

Official documents, statements, announcements, or other material of an official nature of the Section must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors prior to publication, distribution, or posting. The Chairman, or the Vice-Chairman in the event that the Chairman is unavailable, shall normally perform this function and shall do so in consultation with the Secretary. The Board may delegate this review authority to persons other than the President for specific publications, announcements, statements, or other material as may be deemed necessary and appropriate.

Material of an official nature to be published in print form in one of the Section’s publications or in other publications must also be reviewed and approved by the Chairman, or the Vice-Chairman in the event that the Chairman is unavailable.

Material of an official nature to be posted on the Section’s web site, or to any Web or Internet site, must also be reviewed and approved by the Chairman, or the Vice-Chairman in the event that the Chairman is unavailable,. Any portion of such material deemed inappropriate may be subject to editing and/or removal by an officer. The Board may override the decision of any officer by majority vote.

This policy applies only to official documents, statements, and announcements related to NSS-CDS business, such as minutes, reports, memoranda, letters, policy statements, announcements, and other official communications or material of an official nature, and is not intended to apply to personal and individual expressions of ideas or opinions by NSS-CDS Board of Directors, members of the Section in un-official and non-business contexts, such as on Cavechat or social networking sites, in letters to the Editor, or the like. The Section encourages and supports the free expression and exchange of ideas among its members.

In Favor: GM, FW, TM, RB, RR – Motion carries

M) GM/FW

The Board adopt the following as the summative Strategic Plan for the National Speleological Society Cave Diving Section. This document is understood to be a working guide for the organization and for the planning committee, which will continue to assist the Board in developing and updating the various goals contained within.

Summative Strategic Plan:

Strategic Goal 1: Increase Public Outreach

Strategy: The NSS-CDS will work to make its name and mission known among the public outside the cave diving community and encourage supporting memberships among people interested in conservation and other cave-related topics.

  1. • By summer 2012 the NSS-CDS Board will address the most effective way to coordinate the outreach efforts to both the general public and the non-NSS-CDS cave diving public. There are many functions and duties within the organization that will need to work in concert to have the most desirable impact.
  2. • By summer 2012 the NSS-CDS will offer a discount for first-year members as part of a coordinated outreach/marketing plan to attract initial membership and then demonstrate the advantages of continued membership.
  3. • By summer 2012 the NSS-CDS will incorporate price/benefit considerations into the dues structure, incorporating the option for members to receive NSS-CDS publications in digital rather than printed format.
  4. • By summer 2012 the NSS-CDS will have in place at least three cooperative marketing or advertising agreements with conservation or exploration oriented organizations that will enable mutual public outreach.
  5. • By summer 2012 The NSS-CDS will present a workshop at Convention that teaches members how to give public presentations and facilitate public outreach, and will provide copies of NSS-CDS outreach curricula, presentation supports, and posters.
  6. • By summer 2012 The NSS-CDS will develop a DVD or downloadable media for use as presentations at meetings such as university outdoor clubs, scout troops, hiking/rock climbing clubs, etc., and at conservation group meetings.
  7. • By summer 2012 the NSS-CDS bookstore will have increased sales by marketing NSS-CDS publications suitable for the general public in bookstores and gift shops of state and national parks featuring caves, and commercial cave operations. NSS-CDS public interest/conservation- themed brochures should be provided for free distribution.
  8. • By summer 2015 The NSS-CDS will open a national caving diving museum at the NSS headquarters with educational exhibits for visitors illustrating the history of U.S. Cave Diving exploration, cave diving archaeology, historical aspects of caves and caving, cave biology, prominent cave divers, cave and karst geology, and the progressive development of cave diving technologies.
  9. • By summer 2016 The NSS-CDS will have a traveling museum exhibit with trailer to be shown at science museums, universities, NSS-CDS regional and affiliate group events, and other venues.

Strategic Goal 2: Increase Caver Outreach

Strategy: Recruit individuals that are involved in the various aspects of cave diving to join the NSS-CDS in order to further our common goals.

Strategy: Increase the membership renewal rate of members, especially those with less than three years as members.

Strategic Goal 3: Increase the scope and quality of Member Services

Strategy: Make the benefits of membership in the Section more objectively apparent and desirable to a wider number of cave divers.

Strategic Goal 4: Improve Organizational Effectiveness

Strategy: Increase the ability of the NSS-CDS to achieve its organizational goals in the most

effective and efficient manner possible given available resources.

Strategic Goal 5: Streamline Organizational Governance and Decision Making

Strategy: Decrease the time needed for the NSS-CDS organization to reach decisions necessary in order to carry out its organizational goals.

Strategy: Institute procedures that will assure the NSS-CDS leadership is as responsive as possible to the membership.

Strategic Goal 6: Transform key aspects of the NSS-CDS organization to ensure long-term success and viability as a membership-based non-profit

Strategy: Establish a formal process for evaluating the effectiveness and responsiveness of the NSS-CDS organization in relation to similar organizations, and be prepared to make bold changes based on the results of such a study.

In Favor: GM, FW, RB, RR – Motion carries

Abstain: TM

M) TM/RR

Move $5000 from the checking account to the money market account.

In Favor: TM, GM, FW, RB, RR – Motion carries

M) GM/TM

Pay for a DEMA booth up to $750.

In Favor: GM, TM, FW, RB, RR – Motion carries

Adjourn to Closed session at 18:25

Resume Open session 18:50

A) Bill Dunn to send a letter to instructor Johnny Richards.

  1. • Next board meeting date, time, location — Friday 4 Nov 2011 at 19:00, location TBD (contact any BoD member for location)

Meeting adjourned 19:00