[Mark Cowdrey]

Well that’s my country bumpkin take on it. If you are used to cities & getting in and out of big airports it’s probably fine. But my preference is definitely Manchester & if I had the $40 to spend I would spend it. Just my opinion.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Scott,
If there is no price difference (or even if there was) I would fly into MHT. If I never go to Logan (Boston) again it will be too soon.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Ethan,
Which list do you refer to by “That’s”?
I think the benefits that accrue at the business level are also appropriate for the “Farm” level, therefore let’s make them both the same price. The $30 level can be “Family” only.
Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

So far, BoD members who have indicated here that they will attend Sunday’s (11/13) meeting are:
Jen
Pam
Kevin
Erika
Ken
Brad
Mark

Would be good to hear from the balance.
My presumption is that this thread has taken the place of the Doodle scheduler.

Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

Let’s append the “annual meeting document” referred to in the 4th? paragraph to the minutes so it is a concrete part of the record.

Add “nominated” to “Erika nominated as president”

Add “per article” to “how many words are needed per article;the answer was 500 to 600 words.”

Thanks, Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

@Kenneth 30042 wrote:

I see that the first post to this list says the minutes are to go here, but I cannot seem to find them from the last meeting. Are they available somewhere?

Thanks,

Kenneth

The minutes have not been posted yet but hopefully will be very soon. Stay tuned…
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

As a Non-P&E comm. BoD member,
I will chime in and second the previous post by Ed. Thanks Jean, Exec comm & P&E for your work on this.
If we have snow I hope I will be home doing sleigh rides. If not, I will plan to come for at least a day.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

I can do 11/13 7pm.
As a reminder, “we” think that the more cell phones or cordless landline handsets there are on a call the worse the call quality is. Therefore, if you have the option to use a hardwired (old fashioned) phone, please consider doing so.
Jen, should this thread be named something like “We are Trying to sched a NOVEMBER BoD meeting”?

Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

my thoughts, hopefully useful to the Exec comm;
The concept of having a “full complement ” BoD was/is driven primarily as a means to reduce the work load on individual members by not involving everyone in every decision. This is done primarily by the full BoD ceding responsibility to committees and committees taking on responsibility to act independently.

E.G. The finance /Budget comm. meets (which, admittedly, we have not done yet), selects it’s own chair, recruits non-BoD members as necessary. Along with its prosaic responsibility of monitoring the financial health of our organization, the B/F Comm ponders questions such as how much money we need (to do what the BOD (including committees) has outlined for the upcoming year. (Again, when we get to that level of operation, planning rather than reacting.) Will the money come from memberships, event fees, grants,…? This is both a philosophical question (where SHOULD the money come from) and a pragmatic one (where CAN the money come from). The B/F Comm, after doing the research and contemplating, then recommends membership costs, event fees, grant possibilities, etc to the full BoD which votes it after an opportunity to amend.

Same w the Program/events comm. Granted, Bradley’s event is being planned on the fly but I, as a BOD member, am happy to let P&E plan it and make the decisions necessary to do so. We are a young enough organization that I do not think we need to worry too much about precedent setting; just because we do something one way for this event does not mean we have to do it that way in the future. We do the best we can with the knowledge and experience we have, learn, adjust and move on. In this particular case, since this event is being planned on the fly, and since Bradley has expressed an interest in being on P&E, get him on and get him part of this ongoing conversation. It seems if he was it would save alot of second guessing about money, insurance food, etc.

From the above it is obvious that if you are a BoD member with a strong interest or opinion in any particular facet of DAPNet operation, you should be an active member of the appropriate committee.

Finally, I know we are about consensus but we also need to get things done which, in my view, requires leadership.

Thanks for listening,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

@highway 29659 wrote:

I am right aren’t I?

It was Brad that was going to sponsor this event? I will e-mail him if he is the one to get in touch with.

Ed,
The potential workshop I am familiar with is in early December in Athol ,Ma at the Farm School w Bradley Teeter.
His # is 978-575-1470.
See thread below.

http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?4489-winter-dapnet-workshop-idea

Thanks,
MArk

[Mark Cowdrey]

That simplification sounds good to me.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

I am able to get in now.
Mark
PS
Jen/Jean,

How is the search for web help going? If you are banging your head on the wall, perhaps you should let this lie & concentrate on finding web help. Just a thought, do as you think best.
Thanks,
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

I cannot add content to the google doc. Perhaps I am doing something wrong. I can’t remember how I did it last time. Here is my small comments. Good job Ethan. Thanks, Mark Welcome to Draft Animal Power.com Powered by the Draft Animal Network (DAPnet)Shouldn’t this be “Draft Animal-Power Network”? (also on the tab at the top of this page) We are a non-profit organization dedicated to the effective use of animal traction in a modern world, the promotion of draft animal education, and connecting people that love working with draft animals across the world. The use of this forum and website is free, but it does require a lot of volunteer hours of upkeep, as well as administrative costs. All of this is taken care of by DAPnet, and the DAPnet board of directors. Additionally, DAPnet maintains another website (draftanimalpowernetwork.org), organizes events, such as North East Animal Powered Field Days, and facilitates the development of our young organization and the fulfillment of our mission. Most of our funding comes from those of us who pay annual membership dues, a sliding scale cost that you can address as an individual, family/farm, business member, or member of the “founders club”. Please consider becoming a member of our organization. Membership dues can be paid at draftanimalpowernetwork.org. As a member you get (first and foremost), a stake in an organization that connects people, provides education in th euse of draft animals, and is a strong community centered on the use of animal power. You also will receive our quarterly newsletter, written by others in the organization, and invitations to and discounts at DAPnet sponsored events. Visit us at draftanimalpower.org by clicking the Draft Animal Network tab at the top of the screen. Enjoy the forum, and welcome to the network!

[Mark Cowdrey]

I am in favor of an annual renewal date for all.
How about:
For new members, if you join before 6/30, your membership is due 1/1 same as everyone. After 6/30, you are not due until the second 1/1.
We are talking $20 (min) here.
Mark

[Mark Cowdrey]

From a recent email I sent:

Section 1 — Eligibility for membership and annual dues: Application for voting membership in Draft Animal Power Network, Inc. shall be open to any person or organization that supports the purpose statement in Article I, Section 2. Membership is granted after completion and receipt of a membership application and annual dues (for all business matters, the fiscal year shall be 1/1-12/31).

Above is an excerpt from the by-laws that seems to indicate to me that membership runs with the calendar year. How do others read this? Perhaps this year a membership bought in August 2011 can run through 21/12???

Based on our discussion tonight, this is an issue the Outreach comm. should make a recommendation to the board on. However, for now, all should feel free to chime in in this forum
Mark

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