ArkGeo_Board
07-25-2009, 06:48 AM
Arkansas Geocachers Association
July 10, 2009
Board Member and Committee Reports
President's Report:
Goal 1 - Increase membership to 200 by 5/31/09.
Status 07/06/09 - Voting membership is 183, an increase of 18 new members since our last meeting in April, but below the goal off 200. Membership on 5/31/09 was 178. Although the goal in the membership was not met, 48 new members joined since July 1, 2008, when the goal was set. This is an increase in membership of 36% and is commendable.
Goal 9 - Meet each of the ArkGeo Election Schedule milestone dates.
Status 06/30/09 - All Election milestones were met for the 2009 Board member election.
Goal was met.
Treasurer's Report:
Bank balance as of 7/10/2009 is $1114.10.
Website Manager's Report
No Report
Election Committee Report:
The following members volunteered for committees at the event at Lake Ouachita. They are listed with their committee preferences and have been approved by a majority of the Election Committee.
Committee liaisons be thinking about who needs help. Could we put this on Friday's agenda? Thanks!
Blair Shelton (pshelto) Camden, AR - Events Committee
Linda Treadway (Angel06) Heber Springs, AR - Any except Fund Raising
Judy Thiedeg (MathSeeker) Jacksonville, AR - Any
Brenda Bain (bluesybreeze) Clarksville, AR - Events Committee - will also remain on the Fund Raising committee
Thanks, ya'll!
I think this is all we have nominated this quarter, so this also serves as the Committee's Report.
No Report???
Fund Raising Committee Report:
Clarksville - $238 in sales
Russellville - $96 in sales
ARKGEO Event - $552 in sales.
Future planning is up in the air; we’ll see what our new liaison’s direction is…Rich was always wanting to double the money on items sold. We have apparel covered, I think, and nicer things will end up earning a lower profit%. We’ll have a good idea starting in 2 weeks with our next meeting…..we’re meeting now and thinking about some new ideas for the next meeting.
Committee Members:
Brain Landers, GeoJeepers - Chairman
Chris Atkins, OENavigator
Brenda Bain, Bluesybreeze
Tim Stone, BSA534
The committee meets via teleconference every other Tuesday evening. All members are very active.
Fund Raising Initiatives:
Car Window Decals
100 decals were purchased for $2.50 each
Stickers are being sold for $5 each for a profit of $2.50 per decal
Ball Caps
60 caps were ordered, 30 with customized stitching that was available as a pre-order
Caps cost $10 with customized stitching, $8 without
Caps were sold for $16 with customized stitching, $13 without for a profit of $5 or $6 per cap
Path Tags
Original order of 20 bags sold out in less than two weeks
Second order of 20 bags of same tag design was filled
We get $5 for each bag sold
We bought 5 bags to sell at events (although no tags were sold at recent Russellville events)
Current Projects:
New T-shirt design in time for the annual event. Old T-shirts have been marked down in anticipation of the new T-shirt.
Potential new pathtag design depending on sales of current tag.
_________________
Community Relations Report:
Community Relations Committee
The Community Relations Committee assisted the Events Committee with the 2009 ArkGeo Annual Meeting by soliciting donations for that event.
The Community Relations Committee also makes the following recommendation to the board:
That ArkGeo participate in a month long campaign to conduct trash clean up, trail maintenance, and other volunteer projects at Arkansas State Parks and with the U.S. Forest Service. That a press release be sent to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to announce the campaign. That the Community Relations Committee and Events Committee coordinate the campaign and establish a series of CITO events in conjunction with the projects to be held in different geographical locations and days and dates though out the state during the selected month.
Report prepared by David Spicer
Events Committee Report:
ArkGeo Annual Meeting Notes:
Overall feedback from the membership has been very positive. Everyone enjoyed the Hot Dog Roast and we had quite a turnout for it again this year. This is definitely something we want to do each year as it continues to grow. We had a really great turnout for the CITO event on Sunday although the park was already really clean. The silent auction was a success and with additional items next year it will do even better. This should be a good fund raising activity for us in the future. Everyone really liked the path tags. It would be nice to be able to do it again next year, however we will need to be sure to start the process earlier to avoid having to rush at the last minute. The only negative comments that have been made is that a few folks felt they did not have enough notice on the location and date. We had the event listed on GC.com 3 months in advance which is as far out as allowed. The Committee is working on finalizing plans for next years event to be held at Petit Jean State Park. Should know for sure by next week. This will allow us to get the location and date posted to the forums as soon as possible and the committee can post updates as the plans progress. One other thing we did not do is get a group photo. This is something that needs to be done at all future events.
Celebrate Summer Event:
This is an event that we got into a little late in the process. This years event is not one that we are really going to be a part of due to the distance away and not having enough time to participate in the planning process. There are two main caching groups that have done most of the work and most of the other organizations have made donations. We have not been asked to officially make a donation yet. It would benefit ArkGeo to participate in these events in the future as they are moving the event to different locations around the South each year and eventually could be held right here in Arkansas. We will need to decided on a volunteer liaison to help with next years event.
CITO or Trail Maintenance:
This is a subject we have been discussing for quite some time. The community relations committee and events committee are discussing the best way to implement a statewide CITO program and the possibility of adopting a section of the Ozark Highlands Trail or some other trails.
1st Ever Arkansas Challenge Event:
Discussions have begun about the possibility of ArkGeo hosting a challenge event. The idea for now is to have it at Mt Nebo State Park in early November. The layout of the trails at Mt Nebo will allow challenging terrain with multiple access points so strategy will play a big part in how many caches each team will find in the allotted time period. The challenge will consist of approximately 30 caches hidden along the trails in the park. There will be a three hour time limit and each cache will have a point value with points deducted for teams finishing over the time limit. More details to come as time goes on. This will be a great event to draw in cachers from other states. A large group from Texas has already shown interest in attending. This will be an excellent way to show everyone why geocaching in Arkansas is better.
Boy Scout Programs and other Geocaching presentations:
Over the past year ArkGeo has participated in several presentations on a very limited basis. We need to put together a plan to be able to participate in more of these educational opportunities. Help will be needed from the membership to identify possible events for geocaching demonstrations. These presentations will go a long way in achieving our commitment to improving geocaching in Arkansas through education.
Website Management Continuity Special Committee:
Mike and Wayne is looking into a new website and manager.
Status of ArkGeo Goals
woodwalker had a meet and greet in Helena.
Team Pink is having a meet and greet in Jonesboro, and also Batesville
CacheMates is planning a meet and greet in Texarkana or Nashville.
Topkitty is planning a meet and greet in Jacksonville.
Paris1Time is planning a meet and greet in NWA.
July 10, 2009
Board Member and Committee Reports
President's Report:
Goal 1 - Increase membership to 200 by 5/31/09.
Status 07/06/09 - Voting membership is 183, an increase of 18 new members since our last meeting in April, but below the goal off 200. Membership on 5/31/09 was 178. Although the goal in the membership was not met, 48 new members joined since July 1, 2008, when the goal was set. This is an increase in membership of 36% and is commendable.
Goal 9 - Meet each of the ArkGeo Election Schedule milestone dates.
Status 06/30/09 - All Election milestones were met for the 2009 Board member election.
Goal was met.
Treasurer's Report:
Bank balance as of 7/10/2009 is $1114.10.
Website Manager's Report
No Report
Election Committee Report:
The following members volunteered for committees at the event at Lake Ouachita. They are listed with their committee preferences and have been approved by a majority of the Election Committee.
Committee liaisons be thinking about who needs help. Could we put this on Friday's agenda? Thanks!
Blair Shelton (pshelto) Camden, AR - Events Committee
Linda Treadway (Angel06) Heber Springs, AR - Any except Fund Raising
Judy Thiedeg (MathSeeker) Jacksonville, AR - Any
Brenda Bain (bluesybreeze) Clarksville, AR - Events Committee - will also remain on the Fund Raising committee
Thanks, ya'll!
I think this is all we have nominated this quarter, so this also serves as the Committee's Report.
No Report???
Fund Raising Committee Report:
Clarksville - $238 in sales
Russellville - $96 in sales
ARKGEO Event - $552 in sales.
Future planning is up in the air; we’ll see what our new liaison’s direction is…Rich was always wanting to double the money on items sold. We have apparel covered, I think, and nicer things will end up earning a lower profit%. We’ll have a good idea starting in 2 weeks with our next meeting…..we’re meeting now and thinking about some new ideas for the next meeting.
Committee Members:
Brain Landers, GeoJeepers - Chairman
Chris Atkins, OENavigator
Brenda Bain, Bluesybreeze
Tim Stone, BSA534
The committee meets via teleconference every other Tuesday evening. All members are very active.
Fund Raising Initiatives:
Car Window Decals
100 decals were purchased for $2.50 each
Stickers are being sold for $5 each for a profit of $2.50 per decal
Ball Caps
60 caps were ordered, 30 with customized stitching that was available as a pre-order
Caps cost $10 with customized stitching, $8 without
Caps were sold for $16 with customized stitching, $13 without for a profit of $5 or $6 per cap
Path Tags
Original order of 20 bags sold out in less than two weeks
Second order of 20 bags of same tag design was filled
We get $5 for each bag sold
We bought 5 bags to sell at events (although no tags were sold at recent Russellville events)
Current Projects:
New T-shirt design in time for the annual event. Old T-shirts have been marked down in anticipation of the new T-shirt.
Potential new pathtag design depending on sales of current tag.
_________________
Community Relations Report:
Community Relations Committee
The Community Relations Committee assisted the Events Committee with the 2009 ArkGeo Annual Meeting by soliciting donations for that event.
The Community Relations Committee also makes the following recommendation to the board:
That ArkGeo participate in a month long campaign to conduct trash clean up, trail maintenance, and other volunteer projects at Arkansas State Parks and with the U.S. Forest Service. That a press release be sent to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to announce the campaign. That the Community Relations Committee and Events Committee coordinate the campaign and establish a series of CITO events in conjunction with the projects to be held in different geographical locations and days and dates though out the state during the selected month.
Report prepared by David Spicer
Events Committee Report:
ArkGeo Annual Meeting Notes:
Overall feedback from the membership has been very positive. Everyone enjoyed the Hot Dog Roast and we had quite a turnout for it again this year. This is definitely something we want to do each year as it continues to grow. We had a really great turnout for the CITO event on Sunday although the park was already really clean. The silent auction was a success and with additional items next year it will do even better. This should be a good fund raising activity for us in the future. Everyone really liked the path tags. It would be nice to be able to do it again next year, however we will need to be sure to start the process earlier to avoid having to rush at the last minute. The only negative comments that have been made is that a few folks felt they did not have enough notice on the location and date. We had the event listed on GC.com 3 months in advance which is as far out as allowed. The Committee is working on finalizing plans for next years event to be held at Petit Jean State Park. Should know for sure by next week. This will allow us to get the location and date posted to the forums as soon as possible and the committee can post updates as the plans progress. One other thing we did not do is get a group photo. This is something that needs to be done at all future events.
Celebrate Summer Event:
This is an event that we got into a little late in the process. This years event is not one that we are really going to be a part of due to the distance away and not having enough time to participate in the planning process. There are two main caching groups that have done most of the work and most of the other organizations have made donations. We have not been asked to officially make a donation yet. It would benefit ArkGeo to participate in these events in the future as they are moving the event to different locations around the South each year and eventually could be held right here in Arkansas. We will need to decided on a volunteer liaison to help with next years event.
CITO or Trail Maintenance:
This is a subject we have been discussing for quite some time. The community relations committee and events committee are discussing the best way to implement a statewide CITO program and the possibility of adopting a section of the Ozark Highlands Trail or some other trails.
1st Ever Arkansas Challenge Event:
Discussions have begun about the possibility of ArkGeo hosting a challenge event. The idea for now is to have it at Mt Nebo State Park in early November. The layout of the trails at Mt Nebo will allow challenging terrain with multiple access points so strategy will play a big part in how many caches each team will find in the allotted time period. The challenge will consist of approximately 30 caches hidden along the trails in the park. There will be a three hour time limit and each cache will have a point value with points deducted for teams finishing over the time limit. More details to come as time goes on. This will be a great event to draw in cachers from other states. A large group from Texas has already shown interest in attending. This will be an excellent way to show everyone why geocaching in Arkansas is better.
Boy Scout Programs and other Geocaching presentations:
Over the past year ArkGeo has participated in several presentations on a very limited basis. We need to put together a plan to be able to participate in more of these educational opportunities. Help will be needed from the membership to identify possible events for geocaching demonstrations. These presentations will go a long way in achieving our commitment to improving geocaching in Arkansas through education.
Website Management Continuity Special Committee:
Mike and Wayne is looking into a new website and manager.
Status of ArkGeo Goals
woodwalker had a meet and greet in Helena.
Team Pink is having a meet and greet in Jonesboro, and also Batesville
CacheMates is planning a meet and greet in Texarkana or Nashville.
Topkitty is planning a meet and greet in Jacksonville.
Paris1Time is planning a meet and greet in NWA.