May 2018 Board Minutes

 

San Diego Mountain Biking Association Board Meeting

Wednesday, May 16 , 2018 7:00 - 9:00 PM,

Mission Trails Regional Park - Visitor’s Center

For information contact: info@SDMBA.com or

Kevin Loomis President

President@sdmba.com  

Meeting begins at 7:07 PM

 

Introductions/Roll Call

 

Attendance:

 

Kevin Loomis - President

Ben Stone - Vice President

Susie Murphy - Executive Director

Joshua Bonnici

Jason Showalter

Matt Bartelt

Tim Ingersoll

Don Sutton

 

Patrick Meehan

 

Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items (2 mins. limit per individual; must fill out comment card prior to call to order) Opportunity for members of the public to speak to the Board on any subject matter not on tonight’s agenda

 

Patrick - lives in Fallbrook, had a class in Mission Valley and has always wanted to come to a meeting.

Q: What areas are there in Fallbrook to ride?

A: Santa Margarita Trail, Vail Lake

 
  • Board meeting  generally deals with the running of the organization and strategic planning

  • First Monday of every month is Advocacy Meeting, which is more exciting and goes over trail building/advocacy

 

Call to Order

 

Consent Agenda

    1.    Approval Meeting Minutes 04/18/2018  

  • Move approval of April Meeting minutes to next month

 

    2.    Approval March 2018 and April 2018 Financials

  • Going over finances from the previous two months

  • Susie met with bookkeepers last week with Al, looking for a consistent format for financials with the board

  • March and April differences:

    • April came out in separate document and March is in a packet. Al will decide how to present them each month

    • Taking a look at numbers, we are close to the same as last year because of the difference in Pamo Valley funds and spending

 
  • Susie was full time last year

  • Q: does this include new membership transition? A: No

  • Much of the same, numbers were similar to last year with no unusual numbers

  • Would like to see better numbers, though there was an increase for Pamo Valley

  • If money = trail, then this past year was a success!

  • Hopefully by the end of the year with Orosco and Laguna there will be several projects in the works that we will have funding for

 
  • Anything on the statement of activity that we want to review?

    • Statement of activity January-April: membership is up, individual contributions are slightly down

    • Professional fees were for trail building/trail design

    • Insurance is a big cost

    • Pamo Valley is another larger cost

  • Al as a Treasurer

    • Doing an amazing job at managing finances and making positive changes

    • Is very proactive and has become quickly acquainted with Memberleap and our Quickbooks

 
  • Information for anyone who is on the board:

    • Will formalize the process of asking for funds

    • Will fill out a form on Memberleap that will have a questionnaire and a summary of why funds are needed and how it was used

      • Will be able to be shown for grants and budgets more clearly and transparently.

 

Kevin makes a motion to approve March and April 2018 financials

Don seconds, passed unanimously

 

Old Business

    Item 1.  Support of SB5 2018 Parks and Water Bond

  • Decision to support it or not support it?

    • Too many unknowns, for now will be staying neutral

    • Susie will stay in touch in order to acknowledge this bond and those who support it

 

Requests for Continuance on any current Agenda items

 

Discussion Agenda  

Item 1.  Review of Mission Statement (Susie) 15 mins

 

Discussion:

  • Kevin Loomis - you want a mission statement that you can remember as a group

    • Currently, the mission statement is long and difficult to remember

    • Mission statement probably took 20 hours originally

    • Mission statement should be one sentence

 
  • Matt Bartelt - wants to put together a mission statement that we can stand by

    • We need a statement that is clear and concise, as well as a newsworthy mission statement

    • Bullet points work, however it is not a mission statement.

    • SDMBA promotes usage and trails use in San Diego county.

    • Catch phrase, one line, etc. would be good for mission statement. In the “about us” section, we can list more details about what we do.

 
  • Ben

    • There were many sides to this. How do we want to appear to members? As mountain bike advocates.

    • How do we want to appear to the rest of the world? Good stewards of the land.

 

Mission questions:

  • What is SDMBA’s purpose? Why does SDMBA exist?

    • Land use advocacy organization

 
  • Should include that SDMBA is a nonprofit that is dedicated to protecting and promoting MTB access in SD County

  • Talking about legal vs. nonlegal trails?

    • Would we want to include legal or sustainable terms in there?

 
  • Need to form a subcommittee to make some recommendations

    • The mission statement has to be a certain number of characters for grants that Susie submits

    • Do not look at everyone else’s mission statement, it can make the process more difficult!

    • Make a subcommittee on this issue

    • Put a callout to the board to see who wants to be on the subcommittee

    • Tim, Susie, Matt

    • Anyone who is not on the committee - check out other mission statements and “about” pages, including: Evergreen WA santa cruz sierra buttes NEMBA

Vision:

  • What problem is SDMBA seeking to solve?

  • Where are we headed?

  • If we achieved all strategic goals, what would SDMBA look like 10 years from now?

  • Vision statement - Susie is comfortable with this

 

Values:

  • What values are unique for SDMBA?

  • What values should guide the operations of SDMBA?

 

Item 2.  Financial update and actions - (Susie) 5 mins

  • Al is stepping in and doing amazing work, Scott is still there for consultation.

    • Want to do something very special for Scott at the VAP

    • Currently there is one MFCU card that Scott has that will be put in Al’s name.

 
  1. Approval of MFCU credit card for Exec. Director with $500 limit

  • If Susie could get an MFCU credit card with a limit on it, she could charge to the SDMBA account and it would go directly to Quickbooks

  • Access to Susie for Quickbooks is more integrated with the website now

  • Can create expenses and categorize them, saves time for bookkeepers

  • Question: is Scott still “agent for service”? If so, he will still have to do disclosure for Board of Directors

    • Secretary of State Agent for Service - listed as the agent for the organization.

    • Will name board of directors, etc. - will Al take care of this? If he cannot, Josh Bonnici would be able to take care of this

 

Action Item:

    Kevin Makes motion to approve a credit card for Susie from MFCU with a $1000 limit to be given to Susie Murphy

Ben seconds, no discussion, unanimously approved

 

2. Application for Resale and Sales Tax License for merch sales

  • Should have a license and be paying sales tax for these sales

  • This would help Susie to go through purchase orders, she is regularly asked for a license.

  • Al is already working on this process

  • Since the online store is open, we need to do this

 

        3. Enroll SDMBA as recipient of vehicle donations

    • Doesn’t cost anything or time, Al just has to do paperwork to set up

    • We do not take possession of the car, that is the responsibility of the company

  • Matt - are there carrying fees? What are out of pocket costs for joining this program?

  • Al to bring more information about vehicle donations next time

  • Carrying fees, annual fees, etc?

 

    Item 3.  Membership update (Susie) 10 mins

                     Summary Report    

  • April 30 was the day that SDMBA began its own membership and membership went live

    • Susie met with marketing company, there are some constraints within memberleap

    • Table shows membership numbers as of 5/16/18

  • SDMBA only membership donation - about 90 people did this before the 30th

  • 304-310 members signed up in this period of time

  • Total membership dues - over $12,000 including extra donations

 

Marketing company (Velocity X)

  • Has been done:

  • Initial email announcing split from IMBA in May, targeted email to Trek Trial Members

 

Coming:

  • Targeted email program to Trek Trial Members

  • Set up a module within Memberleap called a “renewal messaging campaign” set up to go to existing members before their membership expires, during, and after

    • Everyone kept same renewal date from IMBA

    • People who are SDMBA/IMBA members are expiring, Susie is trying to ensure that the people who are expiring are getting the messaging that they need to be able to join SDMBA

    • No one is a renewal at this point, everyone is technically new

    • People can use the same email address, but may have to create a new username.

Recommendation for board members: makes sure to let Susie know if you create a new username so that she can ensure that you have admin privileges

 

Question 1: Can we create terminology on the website that is clearer?

  • Not just new membership, something like “converting to SDMBA only membership” or “New SDMBA membership” “Become a new SDMBA member only, click here!” “New SDMBA local member”

  • The page will be changed for renewing members when it comes time for people to renew

  • The system is working, we should be more concerned with the number of people signing up or not signing up

  • Susie can change the verbiage to make terminology more clear

    • Kevin thinks that the verbiage is currently clear

 

Question 2: Matt - is there a way to track what was successful?

  • Google analytics plugged into site. Susie is not familiar with it

    • Ben - Susie to ask for Google analytics credentials and he will work on it

 

Membership campaigns sheet:

  • Combination of Velocity X and SDMBA communications

  • Susie - if there is a better way to do this, she is definitely up for suggestions!

    • Trying to track communications that went out

    • Kevin - having a meeting with memberleap about tracking these numbers without have to do it manually

    • Tracks recipients, open rate, number of members gained from communication

 

Another spreadsheet - manually generated membership data

  • Shown by membership types and totals

  • In 2 weeks, made 43% of what we did for the year last year

  • New members are only new members under SDMBA group. How many were existing members before?

    • 310 new sdmba members, 690 IMBA/SDMBA members not expired, 2000+ trek trial members

 

Velocity X:

  • Kevin talked to Ben to confirm some questions that he had about Velocity X

    • Kevin and Ben to sit down next week to chat about this marketing and make sure that it will work moving forward

  • Hired them to take care of marketing push, new member campaign, trek conversion

    • Trek conversion has given us 2 new members, which Susie figured out

  • Susie identified duplicates from 2000 names

  • There is a contract that is month to month

  • 6 Degree Network - Kevin would be in support of them

 

Allocating funds for a social media push

Action item: social media push on specific days that we are not doing an email

  • Weekdays are the best to engage

    • Two M-F days that we are not doing an email, do a push with 2 different ads

  • Previously successful - 10 reasons you should be a member of SDMBA

  • Sponsored posts - Instagram and Facebook simultaneously

    • Ben has targeted groups for these social media ads

  • Kevin wants to try a project with Messenger

    • Ben - it is somewhat complicated, we have tried it before and it was not that successful. Facebook ads would give us a good start

 

Kevin makes a motion to approve $200 for social media push, Ben seconds, unanimously approved

 
  • Question: Josh - how do we track it?

    • Run days outside of when we are sending emails. Attribute movement to the social media push

 

    Item 4.  Review of activities for remainder for 2018

  • Color-coded chart for events of this year

    • Meetings are in yellow

 

Upcoming events:

  • Bike to work day tomorrow at Sport RX - goes on until 9 am

  • Tomorrow night - Tiger! Tiger! Is doing a bike month fundraiser - Bike SD/Veloyouth/SDMBA donation

  • Regional bike summit

  • 6/23 Fundraiser party with SDCBC at the Velodrome - SANDAG, City of San Diego are sponsors

  • VIP member only invite event with Kevin at SDRP on 7/14

    • Everyone who joined at the higher level with be invited, potential BBQ after and will be done quarterly

 
  • Bike the Bay will be a big deal

    • off-road option this year for gravel riders

    • Otay River Valley trail. We are helping the coalition plan that.

 
  • Fundraiser at El Corazon in Oceanside (9/8/2018)

 
  • Miramar Air Show Bike Valet again

 
  • October 12-14 Mount Laguna trail fest - 10 people on committee for this event

    • Lots of vendors are interested!

    • A certain portion of funding has to go toward this project

    • Budget is not completed for this yet, $20k profit is the goal

 
  • Volunteer Appreciation Party

  • Photo Contest



 

Item 5.  Rancho Guejito update/future fundraiser (Ben/Susie)

  • A privately owned ranch west of Orosco Ridge

    • 23,000 acres - last intact Mexican land grant, as big as Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. Corporation run by a board

    • Working ranch, cattle, citrus, avocadoes, wine

 

Item 6.  Revised Budget for Ben traveling to Santa Cruz - $1,300 (Kevin)

  • Ben is going to Santa Cruz to work on a project doing machine work.

    • Opportunity to run mini excavators, do trail work with Santa Cruz trailbuilders. Scotts Valley

    • Trip during the week, this covers travel, food and hotel

    • Original budget was $500 for lodging

 
  • Kevin - benefit that will be happening is that expenses will be this type of work for Orosco. Having Ben have experience with this could cut costs dramatically

    • Getting experience with planning/excavation is important, many trails will have to be machine built

    • Trail building arm of an organization is important, builds capacity

      • $800 increase, forces us all to think about where we are spending money

 

Josh makes a motion to  approve an $800 increase on the previous approval for Ben to travel to Santa Cruz, Don seconds. Unanimously approved

 

Item 8.  Update on Goodan Ranch Opportunities +Bike Stand (Kevin)

  • Kevin was out with new liaison Tim

  • New Ranger - Luis

    • Wants to make the park accessible to people

    • New trail, new people in the park, use visitor’s center for meetings, let people drive down the road

    • Willing to do some reroutes for sustainability issues

  • Bike stands are at Jose’s house. 1, but potentially 2

    • Repurpose existing bike stand to install at ranch house

 

Kevin makes motion to repurpose existing bike stand to install at ranch house, Ben seconds. Unanimously approved

 

Item 9.  Approval of Tim Butrum for Sycamore Goodan Ranch Liaison

  • Tim Butrum is new Goodan Ranch Liaison.

    • Filled out a great application online. Was a park ranger, has done trail building.

    • See how liaison is doing with maintenance, then role can grow

  • Do we want a formalized process for liaisons?

    • Submit application - if there are questions, then we can bring the candidate in

    • Review application and vote at the board meeting on future liaisons

 

Item 10. San Diego Trail Alliance letter of support

  • Initial impressions:

    • Don - how do they police if trails are up to standards?

    • The Forest Service will allow us to build trail to our standards

    • This is a compromise, good compromise for public land

    • Directional flow trails will be one direction

  • Met the requirements of letter of support

    • Marty at Backcountry Horsemen pushed hard for this letter of support

  • Half the trail will be multi-use

  • County Supervisor Jacob will have questions about this project. This letter and Chamber of Commerce letter will be important for future grants.

 

 Updates - (Non Discussion Items)

  

Item 1.   Laguna Event Oct. 12-14, 2018 - three planning meetings held so far

 

            

Items for next meeting Agenda

1.    Approval Meeting Minutes 04/18/2018  (incomplete)

    Move approval of April Meeting minutes to next month

 

Board member communications

Item 1.  Knolly Bike Discount - see Susie

Item 2.  Tiger! Tiger! Fundraiser for bike month - 5/17 who can go?

            Blind Lady Ale House - Mondays in May - $ from pizza sales to bike groups

 

Adjournment

Meeting ends at 9:03 PM

 

Next Meeting:       June 20, 2018

 

Meeting Minutes Recorded by: Siobhan Baloochi, SDMBA Secretary