Members in Attendance: Mandy Walker-LaFollette, Tendai Muparutsa, Heather Steele, Maria Minnaar Bailey, Caden Davis, Jesse Larson
Members Absent: Adrienne Stewart, Michael Sibanda
Non-voting members in attendance: Claire Jones
Meeting lead: Tendai
Notes taker: Mandy
Was a quorum of Board members present?: Yes
March Notes/Minutes
Approved via email.
Check-Ins from Last Month
(Claire) Question from Marketplace Coordinator: Does 5% commission on sales above $500 apply to donations as well as sales? The Board agrees that it does not.
(Claire) No answer from Blessing yet about creating a promotional video for Zimfest.
(Claire) Claire has added Mandy’s name and contact information to the Emergency Response clause in the Letter of Agreement. The LoA with Conference Services is not yet signed, as we are waiting for concert equipment rental numbers from our Concert Producer Alex.
(Tendai, Jesse) Jesse is still in the process of following up on a lead for a new board member.
Treasurer Update (Heather)
Heather was able to remove/add the necessary people on the ZA Bank account.
The problem with Coeus sending emails to Janis Weeks has been fixed. Heather will forward emails to Claire moving forward.
Proposal to Switch from Square to PayPal
Gary Spalter proposes we switch from using Square to PayPal. This would include purchasing the PayPal device. Gary has used the device before and found no issues. Benefits of switching include slightly lower fees, more varied and secure payment methods, and consolidating payment platforms. Drawbacks include the price of the device, and learning the new system. The Board agrees that this is a good idea, with a couple of questions to Gary before proceeding (are we sure there’s no monthly fee, and what is the replacement policy in case of damaged or lost device?).
Teacher Background Checks (Heather)
Claire checks periodically, but Heather will forward emails to Claire moving forward.
Lifetime Membership Purchaser Comment (Jesse, Claire)
Membership charge showed up on a credit card statement in a weird way. Mandy will check if we can change how the charge shows up.
2025 Festival Update (Claire)
- Workshop schedule is done and teachers have been sent acceptance letters with links to contracts/agreements.
- These are individual emails, not a bulk email, but still many went into spam folders (Claire thinks due to attached PDFs). Teachers team is needing to make sure everyone receives the email.
- Claire will double check that Caden’s teacher email got sent out.
- Jake is working on RegFox registration, targeted to open for members on May 1st.
- There is a proposed concert schedule, and performers have been sent initial messages.
- Non-US resident Zimbabweans are working on visas; those in Zimbabwe are finding that interview appointments are not available until the end of July – too late despite fast-tracking Zimbabwean acceptances. They will keep checking and wait for earlier appointment dates to open up. Can also pay for expedited appointments or go to a different embassy.
- Still need help with Publicity and Outreach. Caden will follow up with Warner.
Revisit Welcome to Zimfest Literature Ideas? (Maria, All)
The Board continues to brainstorm the topic of “Welcome to Zimfest” literature or videos, and welcomes feedback. They also discussed hosting a “movie night” at Zimfest.
Monday.com
Mandy set up a Monday.com account for Zimfest (free for nonprofits). Monday.com is project-tracking software that’s been really useful in automating tasks, sending reminders, etc.
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