2023-06-07 WCU Steering Committee Meeting

Robert_H · June 18, 2023, 8:52pm

2023-06-07 WCU Steering Committee Meeting

Meeting Notes

Harpreet expressed our want to be sure everyone can learn how to run the meetings. And then explained about the transcription service we can use for meetings. As well he discussed transparency we want to have with the membership for any decisions and how we can have this available on the website to the members but not necessarily the public.

Discussed roles of the committee members.

For the treasure and Secretary record keeping we need to come up with some forms or guides. Discussed about using Memberful as a platform for dues.

Setting an agenda online such that members can add things to it as well as perhaps having a member make a short video going through the agenda to help members know what is going on.

Regarding the membership coordinator we discussed the book club and the idea that we can run it for new members frequently and that we can improve it with feedback.

We also discussed a system for making people available to talk to potential members between full meetings.

Riley brought up the importance of social events for building a group and for potentially bringing people in. We also talked about the potential of attending or reinforcing other community events.

For attending such events we talked about shirts. Talked about where we could print shirts and about using their first dues to “cover” a shirt for new members.

Regarding Campaign Coordinator Harpreet discussed the purpose of focusing on two campaigns at once and how we can address other issues. Each campaign will have a leader and should have benchmarks we can assess for when the membership votes on reapproving a campaign. Those reapproving votes will happen every 6 months.

We assigned the President role to Campaign Coordinator for legal papers. Finally we agreed the Steering Committee will meet on the first Thursday and third Monday at 6.

AI Meeting Summaries

Meeting Summary 1:

Topic 1: The importance of checklists

Discussed the need for a checklist to ensure smooth running of meetings.
The checklist would be a guide on how to conduct meetings, manage time, and ensure everyone gets a chance to speak.
The idea is to train members on how to lead a meeting and maintain order.

Topic 2: Budget for membership

Discussed the use of a transcript software like Otter AI to transcribe meetings and summarize the text for easy reference.
Discussed the need for transparency in communication and decision-making.
Discussed the use of a steering committee section on the forum for communication and decision-making.
Discussed the use of Webflow for the website, which has a membership aspect that can hide certain things behind a membership wall.

Topic 3: How much should dues be

Discussed the use of a platform like Memberstack for collecting dues and managing memberships.
Discussed the need to also accept cash payments for dues, especially for members who may not have bank accounts or credit cards.

Topic 4: How do we handle dues paying members and donors

Discussed the possibility of having a separate category for donors who support the cause but may not be active members.
Discussed the potential issue of quorum numbers being diluted by a large number of donors who are not active members.
Discussed the possibility of using ActBlue for fundraising.

Topic 5: How to organize volunteers

Discussed the need for a system to organize volunteers and keep track of their contributions.
Discussed the possibility of using Google Drive for record keeping and sharing of important documents.

Topic 6: Question and Answer for Membership Coordinator

Discussed the responsibilities of the Membership Coordinator, which include managing the Google Drive, preparing meeting agendas, scheduling meetings, and managing the calendar.

Topic 7: Building a team of mentors and the membership pipeline

Discussed the need to build a team of mentors to guide new members.
Discussed the need to create a membership pipeline to ensure a steady flow of new members.

#Meeting Transcript Summary 2:

Building a Membership Pipeline: The team discussed the importance of building a membership pipeline and how to improve it. They discussed implementing a membership pipeline that includes political education, such as a book club and a reading group. They also discussed the idea of recording meetings and uploading them for members to watch at their own time.
The Importance of Having Social Events and Fun: The team agreed on the need for social events to make the community more engaging and fun. They discussed the possibility of organizing social events like cleanups, garden events, and attending city council meetings.
What to Do at Social Events: The team discussed potential activities for social events, such as park cleanups and community garden events. They also discussed the idea of creating a YouTube channel for posting videos and creating short TikTok clips from their meetings.
Onboarding Process: The team discussed the need for a welcoming email for new members and a series of informative emails for people who sign up. They also discussed the possibility of offering new members a 30-minute one-on-one session either through Zoom or in person.
How Many Focus Campaigns to Have: The team agreed on having a maximum of two focus campaigns at a time to avoid spreading their resources too thin. They discussed the need for regular reviews of these campaigns and the possibility of changing them if necessary.
The Importance of Facilitating: The team discussed the importance of facilitating and helping communities to help themselves. They discussed the need for a bottom-up approach where the community drives the dialogue.

Additional Topics:

T-shirt Design and Distribution: The team discussed the design and distribution of T-shirts for their members. They discussed the possibility of ordering T-shirts from a local union printer and giving them to members who have been with the organization for two months.
Leadership Roles and Responsibilities: The team discussed the roles and responsibilities of the leadership, including the need for a president and vice president for tax purposes. They also discussed the need for a chairperson to lead board meetings and walk through the agenda.
Meeting Schedules: The team agreed to meet on the first Thursday and the third Monday of each month to work on the agenda and prepare for the general meetings.