4/10/24
Prepared by Gretchen Hesli (2024 RCMG Secretary)
Summary for the April RCMG Board of Directors Meeting
The RCMG Board Meeting was held on April 9, 2024 on Zoom. The next Board Meeting is scheduled for June 11, 2024; there will be no meeting in May due to the Plant Sale. Board meetings are open to all volunteers.
Committee Updates
Finance Committee Update
Laura Savin reported that the Finance Committee is meeting for the first time on Thursday, April 11th.Currently there are three members in addition to Laura: Sandy McDonald, Betsy Van Hecke and Kathy Passe.
Plant Sale Committee Update
Cheryl updated the Board on her committee’s work as we get closer to the date of our sale (May 18th at Aldrich Arena). Plants have been ordered. A hoop house will be set up at the Barn to house and grow the natives until the sale day. Permits and insurance has been obtained. Boxes are being collected and stored. It’s a flurry of activity!
Education Committee Update
The educational schedule for the year is complete!
There is NO MEETING in May, as we focus on the Plant Sale. However, a visit to the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden is tentatively set for May 9th. More info to follow.
In June we will gather at the Barn for demonstrations by fellow MG volunteers. This is always a fun activity and a chance to visit our “headquarters” if you haven’t already been there.
Six volunteers have agreed to offer their gardens for our Garden Gate Tours this summer. Surely with an organization this large, there are MANY MORE of us with yards and gardens to share? Please consider signing up for this fun project.
New Member Committee Update
Mother Nature interfered with plans to hold the Volunteer Project and Activity Fair on March 26th, as we received the first significant snowfall this winter! The Fair has been rescheduled for April 23rd at the Roseville Skating Center.
Interns are making progress in the Core Course and we are starting to see some volunteer hours as well.
Communications Committee Update
Check out the 2024 Volunteer Directory that is live on our website, and put faces to the names of your fellow volunteers.
You will also find a new video on growing tomatoes.
Flyers for the Plant Sale are ready to distribute and will be available at the Volunteer Project and Activity Fair and at next week’s member meeting. You can download the print-friendly PDFs on the Plant Sale Update page.
Activity on our social media sites has been “off the charts!” Please remember to “follow, like and share.”
Leadership Updates
Secretary Update
The March Board Minutes were approved.
Treasurer Update
Kathy presented the March Treasurer’s Reports, which were approved.
Program Coordinator Update
Darren’s been working with Ramsey County at our Barn site, keeping them in the loop about activities that will soon take place there as our Spring/Summer season begins. See Darren’s digest for more news.
Chair and Vice-Chair Report
Vice-Chair Report
No report from Vice-Chair Kay Wimer.
Chair Report
Julie reminded the Board that our RCMG non-profit strategic planning will begin on July 1st, with Julie, Gene, Karen and Kay taking the lead.
Old Business
Square (Credit Card) Readers—Kay Wimer
Six new Square devices (for credit card sales) have been purchased. Along with the four we have there will be enough for each cashier at the Plant Sale. A couple of the old readers have gone missing. If you have a device in your possession, please return it and we’ll add it to our inventory. A new check-out/return-back policy is being created to better keep track of these devices.
New Business
Technology review and Technology Administrator—Julie Bechtold and Kay Wimer
Julie and Kay are working on a review of our current technology with an eye to the future. The goal is to centralize data making it more accessible and transferable from one Board of Directors to the next. With that in mind, they are researching Google Workspace for Nonprofits, a no-cost platform to manage data and participants. (Currently Board Members keep files and data on their personal Google accounts, and often need to purchase additional storage.)
Related to the above, the Board agreed that a position should be created for a Technology Administrator, who would lead technology changes and upgrades, assist with members’ issues with access, write procedures for new (or existing) technology, etc.
Since Julie will have too much time on her hands(!) once her term as Board Chair ends this year, she has offered to take on this role initially. Her assistance should lessen the need for Brianna and/or Darren to assist some of us “clueless” volunteers (speaking of myself in particular!) who struggle with Google Docs and Drive!
2024 Board Leadership: Julie Bechtold (Chair), Kay Wimer (Vice-Chair), Gretchen Hesli (Secretary), Kathy Passe, (Treasurer), Simba Blood (Education Chair), Gene Ranieri (Education Co-Chair), Karen Randall (Membership Chair), Tiffa Foster (Membership Co-Chair), Nanette Boudreau (Communication Chair), Stacy Sola (Communication Co-Chair), Darren Lochner (Program Coordinator).