NORTHWEST CHORAL SOCIETY
MEETING MINUTES
September 11, 2012
CALL TO ORDER:
The September 2012 Board Meeting of the Northwest Choral Society was held at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 1095 Dempster/Thacker, Des Plaines, IL. The meeting was called to order at 6:33 PM by NWCS board president Penny Perles. The following board members were present:
David Hitch Penny Perles
Noreen LaValle Diane Szuberla
David Martin Ruta Veitmanis
Mary Jane Matecki
Also present: Alan Wellman, Artistic Director
Penny Perles announced that Jonna Guendling is leaving our chorus. She is finding the travel distance from her home too much. Also, Candy Mealer will not be singing this session, but will continue her duties as Corresponding Secretary.
MEETING MINUTES:
The meeting minutes of the August 7, 2012 board meeting were reviewed and two corrections were needed.
Under Promotions, the second to last sentence that starts “David Martin could help lessen…..” should now read: “David Martin offered to do the technical work necessary to enable the designated maintainers to edit the website when needed, to interface with the site hosting service, and answer questions and troubleshoot as needed, but he does not want to be responsible for keeping the content on the site up-to-date.”
Under Old Business, fifth bullet, the second to last sentence that begins “We will sing…..” and the last sentence will be combined to read: “The chorus members who participated in the WCGs will sing on Sunday at 3:00PM and use the songs they sang there.”
Noreen LaValle made a motion to accept the corrected minutes. The motion was seconded by Diane Szuberla. The motion passed.
TREASURER’S REPORT:
Noreen presented the treasurer’s report for August. Cash disbursements totaled $740.00. Cash receipts totaled $276.50. Our regular account balance was $10,533.15. Including the J. Melcher Memorial Fund and petty cash, our final total was $13,625.15. Mary Jane Matecki made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. Ruta Veitmanis seconded the motion. The motion passed.
PROMOTIONS:
Alan Wellman will ask Geoff Green if it is possible to put the three designs of the individual concerts this season onto the season flyer.
Diane Szuberla announced that we have now received twelve Early Bird ticket orders (17 tickets) and $1124.00 in donations and are expecting $100.00 in matching funds from Northern Trust.
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE:
David Hitch announced that changes have been made to the packet of information we will present to possible corporate donors. For example, the donation levels will be: platinum level $2,500.00, gold $1,500.00, silver $500.00 and bronze $250.00. Some changes have also been made to the benefits we will give the donors in return. David still needs to consult with Alan about these changes.
Once the packet is finalized, we will begin going to businesses in the area and will ask our members to recommend businesses. A letter and donation form will also be sent to the people on our mailing list. We will wait until the end of October to ask chorus members for donations. David Martin suggested that we also send members a letter with the donation form.
At the moment we will ask for donations in check form, but Alan will look into how we may also be able to accept donations by credit card.
David Hitch has already received a $100.00 donation from a business customer.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE:
David Martin stated that the three potential new members from our Meet & Greet did come to our first rehearsal. He knows of no other potential members at this time, but several former members will be returning this session.
SUNSHINE COMMITTEE:
Since Jonna is not returning to chorus, Penny is looking for a new candidate for this position.
OLD BUSINESS:
Alan suggested that we involve audience members as well as chorus members in our quest for a new name for our group. For example, we could ask for name suggestions at concerts as well as on our website, then put the best three suggestions for a vote with a gift to the person with the winning suggestion.
At next week’s rehearsal, September 18th, we will have chorus members vote on the changes to the bylaws.
We will order the new women’s concert wear this week. We have a coupon for a $100.00 discount plus will receive a 3% discount if we pay with one check. Future chorus members will need to buy the dresses at the full price.
The chorus members who participated in the WCGs will sing Sunday October 21st, 3:00PM, for the Des Plaines Arts Festival. Chris Stukel is preparing a brochure to hand out to the audience. Mary Jane will give Chris a copy of a letter she has already prepared which introduces our group.
NEW BUSINESS:
David Hitch will provide a signup sheet for members who would like a copy of the CD he prepared highlighting the World Choir Games this summer.
After the WCGs, it was suggested that we might begin competing in other choir festivals in the USA. As examples, David Hitch presented literature on two international choir competitions – one in Missoula, MT next summer and another in Charleston, SC next April. Alan will also look for local competitions.
We have received an invitation to sing at an October 13th memorial service for children who have died. The invitation is from a member of Bert Matulis’ church who has also attended our concerts. Alan suggested that we honor this request with a small group of perhaps eight singers.
NEXT MEETING:
Our next Board Meeting will be October 9, 2012, 6:30 PM, before rehearsal at St. Martin’s.
ADJOURNMENT:
The Board Meeting was adjourned at 7:29 PM by a motion from Noreen and a second from David Martin. The motion passed.
Ruta Veitmanis
Recording Secretary
Northwest Choral Society