Present
Lindy, Martin, Deb, Nicole, Deirdre, Tasha, John, Don, Tim (by phone)
Roles
- Facilitator: Lindy
- Timekeeper: Don
- Vibe-checker: Deb
- Scribe: Tasha
Agenda
- Ingathering - Martin
- Sept Retreat – Nicole
- Consent form for minors – tabled because Mellen not present
- Greeters – Tasha
- DJ Update – Deb
- Proposal Template – John
- Suggestion Box – Tasha
1. In-gathering
· Martin: We agreed to check in after four meetings to see
how the in-gathering was going and to decide whether we wanted to continue.
Also, if we decide to continue, Martin would like to step down as the
coordinator.
· The purpose of the in-gathering is to provide a 2
-4 minute reflective moment before the meeting starts to create an atmosphere
for being present and being our best selves.
·
Do we want to continue with the in-gathering?
o
John: Let’s make it optional without any formal
structure. Whomever is called to do the in-gathering will do it. If no one is
called, then we can have a few moments of silence.
o
Deb: Let’s keep it but we don’t need a
coordinator.
o
Deirdre: Agrees with John and Deb.
o
Martin: OK with making it informal but the 4
minutes is important.
o
Lindy: The in-gathering is built in to the
consensus document so no need to vote on whether to have it.
o
Voted: Go with an informal, optional
in-gathering.
·
Deb: As part of the consensus process, we should
make the timekeeping more public for the whole group so we know how much time
is left for discussion.
22. Fall
Retreat / Spring Retreat Financial Report/Inquiry
· Nicole: As the chair of the retreat committee, Nicole
has decided that it’s too much work and too late to organize a fall retreat.
The retreat committee will evaluate whether we want to have a fall retreat when
organizing the next spring retreat.
·
The $788 budget deficit for the spring retreat
was due to 1) $168 supplemental food budget, agreed to by Meraki, 2) 3 refunds
were given at the last minute to people who didn’t show up and requested
refunds, and 3) one person still hasn’t paid.
·
Nicole asked the question of the group whether
we should allow refunds because we pay per head, so if people get refunded, PCD
still has to pay.
·
Deb: It’s generous and kind to offer refunds for
family emergencies, but otherwise we should consider not refunding or giving
only a partial refund, or requiring that the person finds someone to fill their
spot, or full refund only one month prior.
·
John: As the person who does the books, he’s not
concerned about a $788 loss for the retreat. We still have plenty of money.
·
Tasha: Feels it’s not right that someone should
get full refund right at the end. There were also a lot of people who were late
in paying, which also doesn’t feel right.
·
Nicole: Next retreat, we will have more formal
guidelines and policies around refunds. She feels like the committee needs to
be accountable for the money as well as the rest. Nicole is committed to being
the retreat coordinator. Gratitude all around!
33. DJ Update
· Deb: DJs met to discuss how they make decisions about
the music selections, especially if a song is particularly edgy or potentially
controversial.
·
Table sharing their discussion because there are
not enough people at Meraki to share their input.
44. Greeters
·
Tasha: Greeter sheet updated and condensed. Shared it
with the group.
·
Nicole called Tim who spoke by phone: 30% of the
time, greeters don’t show up. 40-50% of the time greeters say they can’t make
it when they get a reminder. And greeters are more often late than not. So Tim
has to fill in and find someone to greet on the fly, which often ends up falling on
the same people.
·
Suggestions discussed at WIZ: Announce at circle
the importance of following through with your commitment, mention the
importance of showing up on time, propose that every member greet twice a year,
make it a paid position (it already is), have no greeter.
·
John: Are greeters being reminded? Tim sends a
text on Thursday to remind the greeter.
·
Deb: If we had two greeters, we’d have a better
chance of one of them showing up. Suggest making a strong announcement at
closing circle about the importance of taking the responsibility of greeting
seriously. Suggest that if you can’t greet that you find someone to replace
you.
·
Deb: The suggestion box is missing from the
greeter sheet.
·
Nicole, Deb, and Deirdre all agreed to have a
lively discussion in support of Tim at closing circle to talk about taking the
responsibility of greeting seriously.
· Deb: The suggestion box is missing from the greeter sheet.
55. Proposal Template
·
John: The proposal template online for making
proposals to Meraki feels cumbersome and uninviting. Suggests that the language
and presentation be gentler and that we allow other document formats such as
Google docs, not just PDF.
·
Deb: It’s only meant to be used for more complex
initiatives that take some explaining, not for simple agenda items.
·
Deirdre: Suggested tabling the discussion until
the people who created the template (Oracle, Jenna, Judy) are at Meraki to
discuss.
66. Suggestion Box
·
Tasha: John made a suggestion in the suggestion box to have cones in the walkway to prevent people from
parking in that spot.
·
Nicole and Don: We definitely need it in winter
so people aren’t having to squeeze around cars and snowbanks.
·
Meraki agreed that we can buy a cone.
·
John agreed to buy a cone.
Adjourned at 8:30!!
Next Meeting: Tues, Sept 10 @ Tai Chi Studio
Note: No meeting in August.
