KAA Ad-hoc for Review of Finance Structure. [Hart, Kent, Keeney, O'Bryan, Gracey,
Estes, Kent, Borden]
Conference Call on April 8, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. (EST) Call 888-272-7337, Conf ID
6747972
Goal
Develop a model to keep the organization in sound financial condition.
Areas to review and recommend changes in:
v Chapter Administrators’ Salary
Ø Current is Base Salary plus Event bonus and travel.
Ø Income sources Portions of:
§ Membership
§ Events
§ Tradeshow at annual Meeting
§ Advertising on the web site
v Newsletter
Ø Currently newsletter is printed quarterly [Background info: Cost is approximately $5 per newsletter for production, printing, postage and handling]
Ø Suggestions to review
§ A bimonthly (6 issues) E-newsletter (3-4pages) and an annual printed newsletter after the annual meeting each year. (12-20 pages)
§ An E-newsletter sent out quarterly with no printed copies being sent out.
Ø How to cover Production cost of newsletter.
§ Membership
§ Advertising in the newsletters
§ Sponsorship.
v Workshops
Ø Develop a cost structure for workshop.
§ Sponsorship
§ Food
§ Speakers local vs. regional.
§ Administrative cost
v Annual Meeting and Conference
Ø Location
§ Hotel s within walking distance.
§ Local attractions (entertainment and food)
§ Cost of Meeting rooms and other space.
§ Parking.
Ø Types of speakers and Honorariums
§ Key note Speaker
§ Regional speakers
§ In state speakers
Ø Lunch cost
Ø Tradeshow booths
v Website
Ø Cost of maintaining and up grading of the site
§ Addition of a business directory page.
§ Page for current and past newsletters
Ø Sponsorship
§ A page for Sponsors.
§ Portions on the bottom of each page for sponsors.
Ø Editor cost
v Membership Dues
Ø Price breakdown
§ Office cost.
· Mailings
· Supplies
· Equipment.
· Phone/internet
§ Newsletter
§ Chapter Administrator
§ Website
§ Tree climbing championship
Ø Types of membership
§ Regular member or Professional Member rate
§ Student membership rate
§ Senior membership rate
§ Associate membership rate
§ Sustaining or Corporate membership
§ Lifetime membership
The following suggestions are in no particular order of importance:
Suggestion #1: Produce 5 bi-monthly e-newsletters (2-3 pages) each year with the final newsletter being titled ANNUAL REPORT. This Annual Report would be produced with a December 31 date. This Annual Report would include each feature article that was written during the year as well as one financial report, one letter from the president, one article from the chapter administrator, one article from the vice-president, one article from the certification liaison, one article from the TREE Fund liaison, and one article from the newsletter editor. The Annual Report would be produced in color and on good quality (recyclable) paper. The e-newsletters that have to be produced on paper (for those members without email) would be black ink on white paper from a copier. A percentage of membership dues would be ear-marked for newsletter expenses. The annual report would cost approximately $5 (copying and postage). An e-newsletter that has to be mailed would cost approximately 75 cents each (copying and postage). The Newsletter Editor should be given $300 to produce the annual report and $100 to produce each of the e-newsletters. The Newsletter Editor should receive half of the advertising dollars generated for newsletter ads. The Chapter Administrator would be paid 20 cents for each newsletter mailed (labeling, stamping, trips to post office). Each newsletter would be approved by the President prior to publication.
Suggestion #2: Establish Associate/Senior/Student membership dues. Associate members would receive the newsletters (e-newsletters only) and receive a small discount (perhaps $5) on attendance at the annual conference and workshops. Associate membership fee should be based on newsletter and administrative costs. The cost of associate membership should perhaps be $20 (57% of regular membership).
Suggestion #3: Establish a Sustaining membership rate for Corporate Sponsors. ISA currently has this at a rate of approximately 5 times annual professional membership. For us that would mean $175. I am checking with ISA as to what benefits they offer for this type of membership.
Suggestion #4: Establish a Lifetime membership at a rate of 10 years of membership. For us that would mean $350.
Suggestion #5: Regular membership would have a name change to Professional membership.
Suggestion #6: Chapter Administrator base salary would be based on membership dues ($20 on professional dues and $10 on associate dues). The portion of sustaining membership dues would be calculated based upon what benefits we give our sustaining members.
Suggestion #7: Annual conference price will be based on expenses for 50 members to attend. Fee will be set with cost plus the following: $10 discount for professional members to attend, $5 discount for professional members to attend, and $10 discount for each member of the sustaining company’s membership to attend. Direct costs for room rental, AV rental, food, and speakers honorarium and travel costs (for CA, President, and speakers) will be the first to be considered in calculating conference fee. There should be a $20 per person administrative cost added to each person’s conference fee. This $20 addition will cover mailings, name badges, folders, and printouts associated with the conference as well as a payment for the Chapter Administrator (CA might get $5-7).
Suggestion #8: The Chapter Administrator will solicit sponsors for the two-day Annual Conference. Sponsorship money will be added to the total for the annual conference and the CA will get 50% of the profit from the conference, i.e., if the more sponsorship money the CA sells, the more the CA and the chapter make.
Suggestion #9: Workshop fees will be calculated similar to the annual conference with an attendance of 25 with a $10 administrative fee added.
Suggestion #10: The Chapter Administrator will be paid at a rate of $100 per day whenever required to represent the association at meetings or booths. Hotel will be paid for by the association if overnight stay is required. A half-day rate of $50 will apply if the Chapter Administrator is required to travel to a 2 hour meeting.
Suggestion #11: Small updates to the chapter website made by the Chapter Administrator will be a part of the membership dues administrative cost. Major website changes will be based on the $100 per day rate.
Suggestion #12: If a certification workshop is scheduled, the money will be taken from fees collected (and paid by ISA) to cover administrative cost. The Executive Committee shall make the determination if the fee for the workshop will be paid by the registrants in full or in part with the certification money covering the remainder.
Suggestion #13: If the Chapter Administrator is required to help proctor an exam, the $100 day rate will apply (location would determine if the rate was for more than ½ day). This money will be taken from certification funds.
Suggestion #14: $5 of the membership dues will be used for additional incentives given to members at the Annual Conference, i.e., in 2008 we had a member reception and gasoline give-away.
Suggestion #15: Add a list of members with their city and a certified arborist symbol by their name (if certified) on the website. Add a list of arborists for hire on our website with their contact information and link to their webpage. Perhaps let each for-hire arborist add 25 words to this listing about themselves as a membership benefit. We could offer an additional space on our website for a fee.