UMass Amherst Alumni Association
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Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Worcester Crowne Plaza
6:00 p.m.
Committee Members: Ron Grasso, Sean LeBlanc, Kathleen Mitchell, Andy Hochberg, Anna Symington, Kim Sherman, Hal Lane, Ron Spicer
Absent: Christine Lopes, Mary Custard
Staff: Deb Masloski and Kevin Fleming
Guests: Toivo Tammerk
Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the 11-14-07 Executive Committee meeting were not attached to an email to the Executive Committee members. Because of this, approval of the minutes was tabled until the next Executive Committee Meeting.
Advancement Updates
Toivo updated the Executive Committee members on the status of the UMass Amherst Campaign. He noted that the campus recently had its best financial quarter in the past 5 years. Additionally, he relayed that the UMass Amherst Foundation Board recommended hiring about 20 more fundraisers, that funding for these positions has been approved, and that several fundraisers have been hired since the recommendation.
Toivo discussed the Constituent Relations Management (CRM) program proposed by President Wilson’s Office, which calls for consolidating the alumni databases of each campus under the purview of the President’s Office. President Wilson’s Office recently notified UMass Amherst that they intend to remove the servers containing UMass Amherst alumni information from the Amherst campus in January 2008. Executive Committee members discussed possible ramifications of consolidating the databases to the Alumni Association, including:
- Concern for the privacy and personal information included in the Alumni Association database, which is in direct violation of the Alumni Association’s confidentiality statement
- Alumni being contacted about things they have no affinity for, and choosing to “opt out” of receiving mailings/emails altogether
- All servers and control of UMass Amherst alumni information will reside with an entity outside the Amherst campus, and UMass Amherst staff will have restricted access to all mailing & email lists, alumni information, and donor information.
- Restricted ability to contact UMass Amherst alumni with the timeliness and format that we would like.
- Inhibited fundraising ability for UMass Amherst, and concern that donations may be diverted to other campuses
- That the CRM program could be the first step in consolidating many different operations within the UMass system, including advancement and alumni relations
- Restricted ability to negotiate partnerships with outside affinity partners resulting in a huge loss in revenues for the Alumni Association
- That the alumni database is a critical and essential element to the Alumni Association’s authority and autonomy, and relinquishing oversight of the database will adversely impact both
Many Executive Committee members expressed concern about the proposed database consolidation plan indicating that it represents a monumental change in the way the Amherst campus and Advancement – including the Alumni Association -- do business and there is no way at this point to clearly evaluate what the impact will be to the Alumni Association’s current business practices and future revenue-generating capabilities. Several committee members also stated their belief that the failure of the President’s Office to consult with the Alumni Association on the plan, in combination with lack of sufficient notice of the plan’s implementation, represented a fundamental lack of collaboration and inclusion on the part of the Board of Trustees and President Wilson’s office. Deb reported that a number of additional campus groups have also expressed concern with the intent and timing of the CRM and database consolidation plans.
Potential courses of action were discussed. Committee members reviewed and amended a draft resolution opposing confiscation of the UMass Amherst alumni database.
Motion: Ron G. made a motion, seconded by Anna, to approve the resolution as amended. The motion passed unanimously.
The resolution states: The UMass Amherst alumni/donor database is jointly owned by the UMass Amherst Alumni Association and the UMass Amherst campus. The Alumni Association started collecting information about its alumni as far back as 1890 for the sole use and benefit of the UMass Amherst campus and the UMass Amherst Alumni Association. The Alumni Association considers all information in the alumni/ donor database to be privileged and proprietary and not available to be shared with the University’s five – campus system. UMass Amherst alumni have entrusted the UMass Amherst Alumni Association and the UMass Amherst campus to keep their information private and the Alumni Association will not betray that trust. To protect the interests of our 210,000 UMass Amherst alumni, the UMass Amherst Alumni Association resolves that the alumni/donor database and servers must remain on the Amherst campus and not be removed.
Additionally, the group discussed further action the Alumni Association should consider to prevent consolidation of the Amherst database, including the possibility of legal action if necessary. Committee members decided not to pursue any immediate action but will ask the Alumni Association’s legal counsel to review this matter as soon as possible.
President’s Update
Kathleen provided several campus updates. The Chancellor’s search committee will meet this week to discuss a strong pool of between 12 to 40 applicants. A new chair of the Board of Trustees has been elected. Additionally, an invitation letter to Governor Patrick is being drafted, which will suggest but not require a bio-initiative theme at the proposed fundraising dinner. Finally, Kathleen met with four volunteers from the Cape Cod Club. They are concerned with some minor communication issues, but are generally supportive of the work of the staff and the Alumni Association, as well as the past support that Hal has provided.
Executive Director’s Report
Deb is currently working with Toivo on the process to fill the vacant Executive Director position, and they have already received responses to a request for proposal from four prospective search firms. They will be seeking a candidate with extensive knowledge of non-profit organizations in order to take the Alumni Association to the next level, but are not necessarily seeking experience specifically in alumni relations. The search committee will place a high priority on the final candidate being an alumna/us of UMass Amherst.
In addition, the testing and implementation of Harris is progressing well, but has taken longer than anticipated. As a result, the deadline to switch over to Harris on January 1, 2008 has been extended, and the contract with PCI has been extended for a couple of weeks. Additionally, the Charlotte club will be co-hosting a pre-game reception prior to the NCAA soccer semi-finals. Further, Norma Heim is currently working on an ad campaign to educate alumni on the difference between donating to UMass Amherst and becoming an Alumni Association member. Finally, Deb encouraged Committee members to review the document placed in their packets that outlines best practices and principles of non-profit governance.
Membership & Board Assessments
The Executive Committee had originally planned to hire a consultant to help facilitate the development of a new strategic plan during the February board meeting, as the current strategic plan is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year. After some discussion, the Executive Committee determined that it might be more advantageous to postpone development of a new strategic plan until a new Executive Director and Chancellor are in place. Instead, the committee would recommend hiring a consultant to complete a comprehensive assessment of Alumni Association programs and services, as well as an assessment of the Board and governance practices, with information and recommendations garnered through this assessment to be used in the development of a new strategic plan. Given this decision, the timeline for creating a new strategic plan was estimated at November of 2008 or later. Until that time, the Board will operate under an extension of the current strategic plan.
Related to the assessment, the Executive Committee decided to have breakout sessions at the next Board of Directors meeting so that people could identify specific programs or areas of concern that they would want the consultant to review. Additionally, it was noted that the consultant would probably talk to different constituents within the Alumni Association (such as Alumni Association members and non-members, Board members, club leaders, etc.). The group thought that the Board of Directors should generate a potential list of constituents within the Alumni Association that the consultants should meet with to help form their organizational assessment.
Committee Reports
Alumni Career Services: There are a large number of career services events currently scheduled, and more in the process of being finalized. Kim noted that her committee would be seeking guidance from the Advocacy committee on the format and structure of the event with Madeline Kunin. Finally, Kim noted that the budget for Career Services events was getting tight due to holding the majority of events in expensive metropolitan areas. The committee is researching the feasibility of online seminars, and an Executive Committee member suggested looking for alternate venues in Boston, rather than always using the UMass club. Kim noted that she will look into alternate venues, but does not want to sacrifice the quality that attendees have come to expect.
Clubs Committee: Ron noted that the December meeting had been postponed, and will be rescheduled for January. He also relayed that there are currently seven clubs participating in the National Community Service month.
Audit Committee: Jessica Mutch is a new member of the committee, and has a great deal of professional audit experience. She will be examining the audit report in the upcoming month.
Communications, Membership and Marketing Committee: Life membership sign-ups have again started to rise. Kim Fill has switched positions on campus, and is no longer working for the Alumni Association. As a result, the marketing team is currently understaffed. Sean relayed that the committee had sponsored a WGBY television program for $1,000, which was broadcast in Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. Several volunteers spoke about the Alumni Association, and the Alumni Association received great exposure from the sponsorship. The program will be rebroadcast several times without increasing the cost, providing even more value out of the sponsorship. The committee will pursue the same sponsorship with WGBY in the Boston area. Sean noted that the cost of pursuing this sponsorship dropped from $12,000 originally to $3,000.
Sean discussed the idea to sell advertising space on the Alumni Association website, and distributed a mock-up of what the site would look like with the advertisements. The advertisements would consist of small tile ads and the Alumni Association would retain full content rights, advertisements would be restricted to the launch page only, and there would be no more than three or 4 advertisements. The Alumni Association would have discretionary rights over which advertisers to work with (to make sure that the advertisement is appropriate and does not conflict with any of our affinity partners), although the advertiser would not be required to be affiliated with UMass Amherst in any way.
Motion: Hal made a motion, seconded by Anna, to sell the advertising space as proposed. The motion passed with seven yeas and one abstention.
Finance and Investments Committee: The committee received a proposal for making tactical changes to the investment policy, and will develop a recommendation to the Board of Directors for approval at the February meeting.
Grants Committee: The committee received seven grant applications. All seven requests were awarded grants.
Honors and Awards Committee: Several of the Distinguished Alumni Award recipients have been contacted. If there are any recipients who are unable to attend the Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, the committee does have alternates in place.
Nominating Committee: The call for nominations for the vacant Executive Committee position went out on Monday. In addition, the non-Board positions on the committee have been filled, and the committee will convene its first meeting next week.
Programs and Services Committee: The athletic task force will be meeting with John McCutcheon to see how the Alumni Association can collaborate with Athletics on events around games. Additionally Janine Sicks will be meeting with Byron Bullock and Mike Gargano, the leaders of ALANA and Student Affairs respectively, to begin identifying ways the Alumni Association can better serve ALANA alumni. Janine and Byron will be co-chairing the Homecoming committee this year.
Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs Committee: The committee is deciding on the best avenue to invite Governor Patrick to be the guest speaker at an event on campus. They are also in the process of finalizing the details of Volunteer Appreciation Day.
Old Business
Ron G. also inquired how negotiations were going with University Catering. Deb relayed that Janine is compiling a cost analysis of our expenses from two years ago as opposed to the past year. She noted that we have cut alumni tent costs significantly through sponsorships for food, apples, cookies, reduced menu offerings, and laying out our own linens, yet we are barely breaking even on our events due to the decreased sponsorship from University Catering.
New Business
Kathleen relayed that she had received a letter from a member of the UMass Amherst marching band, seeking financial support from the Alumni Association for a new facility. The cost of the new facility would cost an estimated $10,000,000. Though it was noted that their current facility is less than optimal, Deb noted that the band is receiving assistance through a development officer assigned to this initiative, and also that the price tag for the facility as currently proposed is likely well above what the final building design would entail. Additionally, she noted that Toivo has asked that the Alumni Association refer these types of requests back to Development to ensure that people are not fundraising on their own.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.
