Minutes for the regular National Finance Committee meeting December 27, 2011.
Meeting convened at 8:37 PM (ET) a quorum being present, the Chair and Secretary being present.
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Attending: Ken Aaron, Jim Boyd, Bill Crosier, Marcus Jetter, Campbell Johnson, Kim Kaufman, R. Paul Martin, Tracy
Rosenberg, Barbara Whipperman, also attending was Executive Director Arlene Englehardt.
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Agenda:
1. Roll Call and Approve Agenda (10 minutes)
2. Approve Public Session Minutes (5 minutes)
3. Station Reviews - Fiscal Year Budgets to Actual and Overall Results (45 minutes)
a) WPFW - Marcus Jetter
4. Pending Discussion Items (as possible) (30 minutes)
a) File Naming Protocol
b) Accounting Platforms
3. On-Air Fundraiser Receipts
a) Training Update
Executive Session: Recommended at 10:00 PM (ET) or thereabouts.
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Motion: (Marcus Jetter) “To approve the agenda.” (Passed without objection)
Approve Public Session Minutes 8:47 PM (ET)
Motion: (Kim Kaufman) “To approve the minutes of the December 13, 2011, meeting.” (Passed without objection)
Motion: (Barbara Whipperman) “To amend the November 29, 2011, meeting minutes to say in the KPFK report, ‘$350,000
difference between the Income Statement and the actual monies collected per the Memsys report.’ and ‘The KPFK Treasurer
also believes she noted that the first fund drive of FY2012 came in $200,000 under the goal.’” (Passed without
objection)
Station Reviews - Fiscal Year Budgets to Actual and Overall Results 8:55 PM (ET)
WPFW - Marcus Jetter 8:55 PM (ET)
The WPFW Treasurer reported that the station did 7% better than budgeted in FY11. Major donors and donations were not
broken out. Getting about $87,000 less than budgeted in CPB money posed a challenge. Payroll was about 7% over budget.
Administrative and legal fees and a legal settlement were also over budget. In development credit card fees were over
because the station got more credit card donations. Consultants were budgeted at $0 for FY11 but come in at $94,220. The
station reduced the number of premiums offered during on-air fund raisers and so came in with lower premium expenses.
The Station is using a fulfillment house to distribute the premiums.
The committee discussed the report. Consultants were discussed. In response to questions the WPFW Treasurer agreed to do
further research on the lower premium costs, and the details of the fulfillment house expenses.
Pending Discussion Items (as possible) 9:23 PM (ET)
1. File Naming Protocol 9:23 PM (ET)
The committee discussed standardizing file names for the electronic documents that are sent back and forth by the
committee.
Accounting Platforms 9:37 PM (ET)
The committee discussed the possibility of switching accounting platforms for Pacifica. One proposal would eliminate the
need for the report writing software that some Business Managers have had trouble with. Pacifica’s current auditor says
that a client of his is going to try this and he’ll let Pacifica Management know how that works out. The Executive
Director pointed out that there are a number of issues to be looked at with regard to changing the accounting platform.
On-Air Fundraiser Receipts 9:54 PM (ET)
A file named POLICY ON FUND DRIVES ACROSS STATIONS.doc which seeks to establish a Pacifica-wide policy on fund drives
across stations, and which has been uploaded to the Files section of the committee’s mailing list, was discussed. The
document proposes that Pacifica should set overall principals of ownership of content and who’s allowed to use what, and
have standard rules across the network.
Adjourned 10:12 PM (ET)
Submitted by R. Paul Martin, Secretary.