HUMAN RESOURCES ASSOCIATION – GREATER CONCORD, NH

PROGRAM YEAR 2004-2005

BOARD MEETING MINUTES – NOVEMBER 3, 2004

THE CONCORD MONITOR

 

 

Board Members Present:

 

Peg Flint, Doug Chamberlain, Kim Freese, Jen Iacopino, Lori Shackford, Anna-Marie Sparks, Paul Wilson and Tracie Wajer.

 

Board Members Absent:

 

Gayle Troy, Deb Laushine, Maria Manus Painchaud and Sandy Platt.

 

Committee Members Present:

 

None.

 

            In the absence of the President and Vice-President of the Association, Tracie Wajer called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.

 

 

October 6, 2004 Board Meeting Minutes:

 

            Upon motion made by Doug Chamberlain and seconded by Kim Freese, the minutes of the October 6, 2004 Board meeting were accepted as submitted.

 

Treasurer’s Report

 

            Peg Flint distributed and commented upon the Treasurer’s Report, noting that there had been relatively little activity during the month, save for items relative to the October program.  Dan Troy was paid for his website maintenance work and scholarship funds were disbursed to Jefferson Pilot and to Devine, Millimet & Branch, to reimburse them for attendance expenses incurred by Diane Laramie and Newt Kershaw, respectively, for a World at Work course and the IRS Pension Liaison Group meeting.  Peg indicated that an invoice would be sent to MAHRA this week with respect to the final settlement of the September program expenses.  Peg noted that on a year-to-date basis the budget showed a cumulative positive variance of more than $12,000.  Total inflows for the month were $2,340 and total outflows were $3,202.40, bringing the Association’s cash balance to $19,615.30 as of October 31, 2004.  Upon motion made by Peg and seconded by Jen, the Treasurer’s Report was accepted as submitted.

 

            Peg then reported on the final reconciliation of the Association’s agreement with MAHRA in connection with sharing the loss incurred with respect to the September 2nd joint meeting.  The final figures indicate a loss of $1,582.86, of which $730.43 will be borne by the Association and $852.43 will be assumed by MAHRA.

 

            Concerning the audit, Peg noted that pursuant to the discussion at the October Board meeting a letter had been sent to Christine Flanders, CPA, requesting her report prior to the November Board meeting.  Ms. Flanders then provided an updated engagement letter, backdated to August 15, 2004, and a letter setting forth various representations concerning the Association’s accounting policies for the Treasurer’s signature.  During the ensuing discussion, Peg indicated that she could not sign the letter as proffered by Ms. Flanders because it did not in all respects accurately reflect the Association’s accounting practices.  For example, the Association’s books are kept on a cash, rather than accrual, basis, as generally accepted accounting principals (as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)) would normally dictate.  The Board also felt that the terms set forth in the new engagement letter departed significantly from the Board’s prior understanding of this engagement.  Accordingly, upon motion made by Doug and seconded by Peg, it was resolved that Peg and Maria be authorized to offer Ms. Flanders the sum of $1,000 in full payment for her services, conditioned upon the immediate release of her review report and her acceptance of a letter, in a form acceptable to the Treasurer, setting forth representations concerning the Association’s accounting practices in a form acceptable to the Treasurer.

 

Membership

 

            Jen submitted a memo to the Board presenting three applications for renewal membership, one in the professional category and two in the affiliate category.  It was noted that the professional membership, that of Marie Lang, was being treated as a renewal rather than an application for initial membership due to her previous membership from 1992 through 2000.  Upon motion duly made by Jen and seconded by Peg, these renewal applications were approved by the Board.               

 

Committee Reports:

 

            Leadership Development

 

No Committee report was submitted to the Board prior to the meeting, and neither the Chair nor a Committee liaison was present.  Tracie noted that the Committee liaison to the Program Committee had not attended recent Committee meetings.  

 

Marketing/Public Relations

 

The Committee report was submitted to the Board via e-mail prior to the meeting.  Paul Wilson noted that Brenda Rugg had replaced Crystal Hill as the Committee member in charge of the website.  She may be reached at brugg29@earthlink.net.  The brochure design has been finalized and preparations are underway to order an initial print run of 500 brochures.  The Committee is also working on its business plan, as well as a possible insert to the Concord Chamber of Commerce newsletter, at a cost of $225.  Upon motion made by Jen and seconded by Doug, the Board approved this expenditure.  Anna-Marie Sparks will look into the possibility of the Association joining the Chamber or having the brochure insert sponsored by one or more employees of Board members who are themselves Chamber members.

 

            Membership

 

The Committee’s report was submitted to the Board via e-mail prior to the meeting.  Jen noted that the membership directory for the current program year had not yet been prepared, and that this would be done after the close of December when the bulk of the membership renewals have been processed.  Jen also pointed out that when members leave their employers there is a need to target the employers and have them encourage the employee’s replacement to join the Association, since membership is on an individual rather than a firm/employer basis.

 

            Finance

 

The Committee’s report was submitted to the Board via e-mail prior to the meeting.  There was no further discussion.

 

            Opportunities

 

The Committee’s report was submitted to the Board via e-mail prior to the meeting.  Neither the Chair nor a Committee liaison was present, and there was no further discussion.

 

            Program

 

The Committee’s report was submitted to the Board via e-mail prior to the meeting.  Tracie noted a delay with respect to certification credit for the November program, due to a last minute change in the speaker.  In lieu of the originally scheduled program concerning compensation and performance, Jim Kimberly will present a program on a topic to be announced.  The December meeting will be a game show format hosted by Jim Reidy.  The October evaluations suggested that the Association consider reviving its annual “best practices” program.  There was also discussion of a program focusing on networking, which attracted somewhat less interest.  In lieu of a program formally dedicated to networking, it was suggested that a program featuring assigned seating to be considered.  The reception for committee members prior to the October program proved very popular.  It was suggested that for the 2005-2006 program year the Association consider scheduling two dinner meetings with receptions preceding: one to recognize committee members and the other to welcome new members.

 

Old Business

 

            There was some discussion concerning possible future joint meetings, with MAHRA or otherwise. 

 

            Tracie then led a discussion of the Association’s SHRM Chapter Achievement Plan, which is due January 31, 2005.  Tracie noted that in order to achieve a “Superior” ranking, as it did last year, the Association needs to garner 75 points through its various activities, programs and initiatives.  The Board reviewed various activities qualifying for credit, and it was the consensus of those present that the Association’s activities should be sufficient to merit a Superior rating once again.  Tracie may send e-mail queries to the entire Board and to the membership at large concerning their activities which might be creditable for this purpose.  If input from the Board discussion and other sources is insufficient to support a Superior ranking, the Plan will be discussed again at the December Board meeting.

 

New Business

 

Tracie noted that the Association had recently received notice that it had received the coveted Pinnacle Award.  The efforts of Maria and her SNHU students in this regard were duly noted.

 

There was discussion concerning possible member gift items for the December meeting.  Tracie will explore these possibilities further, including collapsible umbrellas and ice scrapers, each bearing the Association’s logo.  There was also discussion of a charity drive of some sort (food, clothing and/or toys) at the December program.  Various Board members will investigate these options further.

 

            There being no further business to come before the meeting, upon motion duly made and seconded, the same was adjourned at 3:40 p.m.

 

            THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1 AT 2:00 P.M. AT THE CONCORD MONITOR.               

                     

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

                                                                                    Douglas R. Chamberlain, Secretary