Board Meeting Minutes – June, 2025

The meeting is called to order. No changes are recommended to the agenda. In reviewing the previous meeting’s minutes, the board discusses the need for a meeting with the boards of E-USA, KEA, and ESF. Action Item: Brandon and Amanda will bring this up at the DLK meeting this week. E-USA and KEA need to discuss the division of costs and profits for the DLK, and a meeting with ESF and E-USA may be needed for other purposes. Minutes of the previous meeting are unanimously approved.

Standing Reports

President/VP

Springly implementation is actively underway, with work from Amanda, Brandon, Quintyn, and Peggy. It is expected that the organization will be prepared to show results within a few weeks. There are items which will be discussed in New Business regarding the bookmark contest, which the organization can learn from. For example, future projects which are likely to involve significant expenditures or use of the CO’s time, more board involvement, as well as clearer guidelines for any judging which may occur, are needed. Quintyn adds that the Springly implementation is taking longer than expected, but all active contacts have been added in, but not membership histories or information on historical members. While the process has taken longer than expected, it is progressing and will be ready for next steps soon.

Central Office

The deadlines for the DLK are approaching, and Amanda has been working with Chuck to meet these deadlines. Several people who signed up for both NASK and DLK have purchased a meal plan only for NASK but not for DLK. Amanda and Chuck are both making notes so that the process can be clearer next year. Registration numbers for both NASK and DLK are particularly high, and the budget looks like it will likely have a surplus. The LKK treasurer has been effective and detail-oriented. Matt lauds the LKK treasurer’s expert controller skills. Several international participants are working on the visa process, but at least 110 participants are expected.

Treasurer

The QuickBooks Online migration has been completed, and one relatively unconcerning accounting error is being addressed. The treasurer report is uploaded separately. Deepika, the accountant, has been working pro bono for the first half of 2025. The organization is very close to the budget, with expenses being less than planned. Fundraising strategies planned for the second half of this year can wait until after the DLK, in order to have a better assessment of fundraising needs. The bookstore has already earned above what the budget expected it to earn for the entire year, and the costs of operating the bookstore are much less than what was expected. Brandon asks whether Esperanto-USA is in a good position to add to the bookstore inventory, and Matt gives suggestions on what questions could be answered in order to make the best decisions on purchasing for the bookstore. Kinen asks about the programmatic expenses which are listed in the budget spreadsheet. Matt explains that, as records were not clearly kept previously regarding program expenses, part of the transition is to align our budget in order to provide more financial transparency to both the board and the members of Esperanto-USA. Ruth reports that Esperanto-USA may be receiving a large donation of Esperanto books from one or more members. Matt states that, if needed, Esperanto-USA can look into additional storage space for excess inventory. 

Executive Committee

Charlotte reports that the matters which the executive committee has been discussing have already been brought to the board via Slack.

Membership Committee

Peggy reports that she is needing assistance from at least two people who can read through and take a draft of a survey, then talk through the survey with the membership committee. Charlotte and Enrique both volunteer, as does board candidate Bradford Smith. 

Old Business

The board agrees to table the discussion of a job description and review for the Newsletter Editors, as well as tabling a discussion of creating specific positions or focuses for all board members (e.g. membership, education, communications).

New Business

Dulanda Kongreso

Filmographer

A suggestion has been made to hire a filmographer to create professional quality recordings of several key sessions in the DLK. The LKK does not have a budget for this, and as E-USA would be the primary group to benefit from this, it is proposed that Esperanto-USA hire a specific filmographer, whose work has been reviewed by several sources. The cost would be $1000 Canadian. Kinen asks about the filmographer’s Esperanto capabilities, and Brandon clarifies that they are familiar with Esperanto and will work with a designated local Esperantist to support any language needs. Matt clarifies that the money for this would be listed as a cost of the conference. Quintyn suggests that, if this is a cost of the conference, it be left to Amanda’s discretion. Enrique recommends that the films be shared with KEA as well. Ruth raises questions about what will be done with the finished project, suggesting that it could come partly from the promotional budget if it is used for promotional purposes. The board agrees to leave this line item under Amanda’s discretion, as she has been working most closely with the DLK. The filmographer would create a short promotional video for NASK and the DLK, as well as filming three particularly chosen sessions which are most likely to interest members. It is recommended that a board member accompany the filmographer for each recorded session.

DLK Merch

Brandon recommends also delegating this to Amanda, with input from board members via a new “merch” channel which can be created in Slack.

Annual Report

Quintyn asks for board assistance in creating and formatting the annual report ahead of the conference. Madeline, the summer intern, will also help with this report. Quintyn will reach out to board members after the board meeting to request assistance with this.

Dinner with Life Members

A suggestion was made to host an appreciation event for life members, such as a special dinner or reception with life members and the board. There is already a spot in the program for a reception with the board and life members on Sunday. This would be right before dinner and would not require any large expenditures. There is a prelego which would occur at the same time, but board members are asked to be aware of this and be prepared to attend.

Meeting with ESF

This could take the form of a meeting over dinner on Saturday. If a formal agenda is required for such a meeting, then it may be best not to hold the meeting over dinner. Brandon and Amanda will discuss with Chuck Mays and come back to the board with suggestions.

Deklaro de Toronto

It is customary for congress resolutions to occur at the formal closing ceremony, and Humphrey Tonkin had suggested that a formal statement on international friendship and hope could be a helpful statement for the kongreso to produce. Charlotte provides context for the resolutions which are usually presented at kongresoj.

Executive Session

Charlotte moves that the board go into executive session at 5:04 PM Eastern time. Enrique seconds. Unanimously approved. At 6:00 PM Eastern time, the executive session was ended, and the meeting came to a close.