WRFI-Meeting Minutes-November 2023
WRFI Board of Directors Meeting
Tuesday November 14TH, 2023
In Attendance:
-Peter Bakija
-Amie Herman
-Corinne Shanahan
-Talaya Centeno
-Joseph Haefeli
-Carlos Gutierrez
-Theresa Lyons
-John Young
-Felix Teitelbaum
Not in attendance:
-Chantal Thomas
-Fred Balfour
-Robin Elliott
-Joe Romano
Call to Order at 6:05 pm.
Agenda Items:
Consent Agenda:
Consent Agenda: Lack of quorum for the first half of the meeting. Will re-address in December.
Board Reflections:
Board Specific Issues:
Committee Reports:
Development and Outreach Committee: Reports that board contribution match was successful, board as a whole contributed $10,000 to the station, and board is now 100% giving to the station. In 2022, WRFI unrestricted contributions totaled $122K; in 2023, WRFI unrestricted contributions is currently at $98K as of November. Need to raise $24K to meet last year’s total. To beat last year’s total, we’d need to raise $30K by the end of the year. Will discuss end of year fundraising drive shortly. Room for additional underwriting and giving. Development team is spearheading some underwriting, using a recently developed underwriting one sheet. Amie discusses the idea of “LYbut”—people who gave to the station Last Year, but not this year. Discussion of making some calls, including some major donors. Joseph asks if “LYbut” folks are One Off donors, or regular donors who fell off. Amie discusses data analysis, but what we know currently is that they gave in the past, and did not yet give this year. Felix discusses looking at how much money came in from this point (early November) through the end of the year last year. Felix discusses that by the end of the week and month, we should know about a Community Foundation grant and a Cornell grant, totaling $15K that could come in by the end of the year. Discussion of reaching out to a professor at IC, and teaming up with a class to have IC students helping work on board and fundraising issues, and potentially recruiting students to the station as volunteers. Corrine asks about asking this class to think about strategic planning and/or doing some market research, and possibly tapping them for social media work. Asking students “What do you want from a media source” is a valuable question.
Development Committee is currently working on the Park Grant.
End Of Year Fundraising Drive: Felix reports that they focused on the KXCI (Seattle) fundraising efforts, and want to lean into Donor Centric fundraising. The focus is not “WRFI Needs X”, but instead “You, the Lister/Donor have the opportunity to help make big things happen”; having a mandatory meeting for all staff to get trained and invested in fundraising better. Jim has a great understanding of the new language, and will help in implementation. Looking for donors to provide written testimonials; audio is good too. Adding more pre-recorded pitches. Asking board members to record some pitches. Corrine asks how a Donor Centric model will change how training is done. Felix responds that we need to change how we are doing things, and this is part of the change. Having a meeting where positive and negative moves can be modeled. Corrine also asks about how specialty programming last membership drive went; Felix discusses how currently, any specialty programming is being shared with the community through the station, and encourages more specialty programming. Felix also discusses planned pairings of DJs and co-hosts for the Fund Drive as well. Discussion of Board Members coming in to help the fund drive, and Felix again suggests pre-recording.
Corrine indicates that Board Members should be prepared to give some major donors, or lapsed donors, a call. Try and get donations in by the end of the year.
Amie discusses a potential outreach event; a potential WRFI screening of the film Food and Country, a documentary about sustainability, climate, and food. Potential for a co-sponsorship with Cinemapolis. Amie has a connection with the Director. Potential for pre-and-post film discussion/panel/on air interviews/etc. Possibility for early 2024.
Underwriting: Felix shares the new WRFI underwriting one sheet. A 2 sided page for distribution; limited information on pricing, testimonials, a link to hear a spot, advantages of underwriting, a map of the listening area. Felix indicates we have copies to be mailed or hand delivered. Focus is on locally owned business or non-profits that operate in the area. Sheet is not to close sales, but to open opportunities and relationships. Carlos asks if there are any big B (socially responsible) corporations that could benefit from our underwriting. Corrine asks what the Board would be comfortable doing in terms of generating underwriting contacts. Theresa discusses the idea of leveraging the status of being a board member and contacting businesses that people have connections with. Felix will email the PDF to the board for proofreading.
Governance Committee: No new developments.
Personnel Committee: No new developments.
Finance Committee: No new developments.
ED Report:
Felix filed WRFI ownership reports successfully. Felix filed the permission to go silent in Watkins Glen, now that WINO 91.9 has gone off the air. Financial books are up to date for submitting for 2022, working with John the treasurer. Felix, Carlos and friends removed the Watkins Glen electronics gear. The old location relationship has been resolved—rent is paid, electricity is shut off, the antenna still is sitting on the site, but will be removed soon.
Felix reports that there is a potential new spot for the WINO 91.9 transmitter, looking out over Watkins Glen, Montour Falls, and up the lake. Rent is incredibly reasonable. Definite potential.
Still working on a solid lease for the WRFI pole upgrade at the Ecovillage site.
Felix and Corinne met with the Elmira/Watkins Rotary Club, did a presentation on the station. Looking for an opportunity to follow up. Possibly getting contacts for people to make announcements on our What’s Happening announcements as a starting point.
Had a second Listening Room event at Buffalo Street Books, great turn out, Felix and Celia presented.
Felix discusses a Cornell student group who met with Felix and DJ Big Scoob, to potentially help with adaptive technologies to help volunteers with different capabilities. John mentions how inclusion leads to more inclusion, and how this is opening pathways for more people to become involved.
Questions about the mobile radio lab trailer; we reallocated state grant money from the trailer, and instead are using the state grant money on equipment for the studio; discussion of potentially selling the trailer. The station currently lacks the facility and capacity to get the radio trailer operational. The insurance issue is still up in the air. Trailer is still in Felix’s driveway, and potentially could see some damage, and questions about insurance came up.
Meeting adjourned at 7:20 pm.