X-Spam-Flag: NO X-Envelope-From: nichols78@msn.com Return-Path: Received: from bay0-omc3-s4.bay0.hotmail.com (bay0-omc3-s4.bay0.hotmail.com [65.54.246.204]) by mail925c35.nsolutionszone.com (8.13.6.20060614/8.13.1) with ESMTP id mB5MV0F2026333; Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:31:02 -0500 Received: from BAY107-W16 ([64.4.51.116]) by bay0-omc3-s4.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959); Fri, 5 Dec 2008 14:31:00 -0800 Message-ID: Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="_d0d7ba2b-e4a1-4d70-8ba7-93c29fd7385f_" X-Originating-IP: [66.112.57.247] From: Rene Nichols To: Chamber of Commerce , "Acct.Abililty/Stacey Viers" , Port Austin State Bank , "Port Austin Motel/Ricou, Michel" , Captain Morgans , Huron City Museums , Independent Bank CC: Subject: RE: Monthly Newsletter & a few other things Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:31:00 -0500 Importance: Normal In-Reply-To: <46DBCE3C1E8C48119F359496A9137C61@RABBIT> References: <46DBCE3C1E8C48119F359496A9137C61@RABBIT> MIME-Version: 1.0 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Dec 2008 22:31:00.0168 (UTC) FILETIME=[26200C80:01C95729] X-MMR: 0 X-Antivirus: Scanned by F-Prot Antivirus (http://www.f-prot.com) --_d0d7ba2b-e4a1-4d70-8ba7-93c29fd7385f_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Joyce=2C =20 Your newsletters have been nice. The change in content is based on feed b= ack from many businesses over a period of time. The items I've listed are = things members have said they'd like to see as well as some items I'd like to see included to keep all members better informed. I've m= entioned at several meetings that with everyone having a business and personal schedules, not e= veryone can make our meetings. The newsletter is a great tool to keep them informed. At th= e same time, it gives the board an opportunity to be more transparent. As I've mentione= d, if they can see where their dues money is going=2C they'll see it's being used wisely.=20 =20 If you have completed a December newsletter, by all means send it to Stacey= for a quick review and then get it out to our members. I have mentioned at previous me= etings that I'd like to have content from our meetings included. Maybe we can add newslett= er content as an agenda item so nothing gets missed. With the director's position bei= ng an independent contractor, whether it be you or anyone else, I feel the content of the new= s letter should be board driven. =20 =20 I have tried to answer some of your questions in red below. We can work on= more of the details later. Adding these or other changes will take time. I was hoping some of = them could be included in the December newsletter=2C but let's work towards January. =20 Rene =20 From: pacofc@airadvantage.netTo: nichols78@msn.com; pacofc@airadv.net; acct= .ability@yahoo.com; sschmidt73@hotmail.com; ricou@centurytel.net; dfinan@ce= nturytel.net; mpfinan@centurytel.net; lwiese@ibcp.com; mikemorgansr@aol.com= CC: nichols78@msn.comSubject: Re: Monthly Newsletter & a few other thingsDa= te: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 14:41:04 -0500 Rene=2C =20 I thought that the newsletters I have been doing were well-received and I h= ave had lots of compliments on them. I'm not so sure that changing them dra= stically is the way to go, but if that's what you want done then that's wha= t'll get done. I wish you would have brought up some of these ideas at the = board meeting the other day. I think many of your ideas have merit, but per= haps other Board members have additional ideas. Do the other Board members = feel the same way on these issues?=20 =20 I just re-read your email with your laundry-list of things that you want in= future newsletters - and I have a couple of questions and concerns: =20 1) I have been sending out the "approved" minutes to members. So do you wan= t the unapproved minutes ALSO sent out - or JUST the unapproved minutes? = The approved minutes are a month and a half old before the membership recei= ves them. By sending the current month's unapproved minutes, members would get them in a more timely= fashion. It shouldn't be a problem attaching the previous month's approved minutes and the current month's unapproved minute= s. =20 2) You want the names of members listed in EVERY newsletter? This is only = to help the membership work on our new member drive. Once the Visitor's Guide goes to print, we would just print new member= s as they come in and it would be a great time for you to tell the general membership about the new business with a newslette= r story. It's an attempt to help the businesses network and a nice way to welcome a new business. The purpose of writing sto= ries to cover current members is to avoid "why didn't anyone ever write a story about my business". =20 =20 3) I already contacted various businesses about their hours so I would have= that information handy for email and phone inquiries. But I'll add this in= to the newsletter, at least the info. I have You want this listed in every newsletter also? One of the most common comm= ents that has been made to me is that businesses would like a means to notify other members of their change in seasonal hours. I = could, for example, let the general membership know via the monthly newsletter when I will close and re-open. If each motel did th= is, it would help those that are staying open determine when they could "get away" and not be missing an oportunity to be the only motel= open in town. I think it's great that you have gotten the information to have on hand and appreciate that. This is just another mean= s of businesses being able to communicate with one another and hopefully help each other out. I had thought the web site coul= d have a form you've designed that all members could click on,complete and return to you. You could then, in turn, get the info= rmation to all members via the newsletter. Just an idea.... =20 4) If a report needs to be in for every event from every chairperson - then= they will need to get the needed information to me. I have tried to includ= e a story about all events in previous newsletters, but I am not always abl= e to get the details in a timely manner. Getting the info in a timely manner is definately an issue. If we give each chairp= erson a small packet when they volunteer, it could include a budget outline to follow to present to the board for approval, how monies= recieved should be handled, and a deadline date that would get a status report on their event in the next newsletter. This woul= d help the treasurer, director, secretary and at the same time, keep the general membership well informed. Also a great way for a ch= air to let the membership know where help is needed. =20 5) I already list the board members and their phone numbers. Adding their e= mail addresses is a good idea. The same goes for events. I already include = a list of upcoming events, but adding contact information in the "calendar"= can be done easily. That would be great. I know all members don't have e-mail, but with all the different ho= urs business owners have, it might make all of us more accessible to each other. =20 All of the extra items you have included in your list will make for a VERY = lengthy newsletter. Hopefully people will still read all of it.=20 I agree. Let's hope that all members find the newsletter a good tool to ke= ep informed with each other and with chamber events without having to attend meetings. =20 =20 I have the newsletter for December already done and had planned to send it = out today. I guess that isn't going to happen. It is going to take quite a = bit of work to add all of the additional items into it that you had listed = in your email. I'll try to get that done over the weekend, but it probably = won't be ready until next week. Please send your newsletter to Stacey as i= t stands and get it out. We can work on these changes the next few months. I really hope you included some= thing about the membership drive and the list of current paid members. If not, not to worry. You can do that as an e-mail = to the membership. I don't want you to hold it up for my letter to the members either. Just plan on me including one each month.= If we aim for the newsletter to always go out the Monday following our meetings, that would give those of us with reports, et= c. to be included a regular deadline to work towards. It wouldn't hurt to get a friendly reminder though! =20 =20 =20 As for non-newsletter issues - =20 1) Picking up the mail and distributing it is part of my job description. M= ost of the mail is generic, addressed to the director, or bills. Whenever a= nything is directed to a particular individual, I give it to them unopened.= I didn't realize there was a problem with my getting the mail. But that's = fine if you want someone else to pick it up. I thought the current process = was okay, but after giving it some serious thought, I really feel it should go through the hands of the secretary firs= t. It's possible Stacey won't want to be bothered, and if so, we can leave it as it is. It's not that often that it would be an issue, h= owever there are those few times that it would matter. Because of this=2C it might be wise to have the secretary do this. =20 2) I thought I was doing the Car Show committee a favor by getting the ad = checks to the treasurer. Again, if that's a problem, someone else can do it= . I was just trying to be helpful. I realize that and appreciate it. My e= xperience has shown that each chair handling their own funds provides for more accuracy and accountability as well as le= ss recording and work for the treasurer. =20 =20 3) You also mention about the chair of a committee presenting bills to the = board for payment approval. I'm confused. I thought that that was the reaso= n you wanted an event budget approved, so that bills could be paid for pre-= approved items as they came in. EXAMPLE - I specifically asked about the Po= lar Bear Dip t-shirts at the last two meetings. I will need a check for the= m in order to pick them up. I can't really wait until after the January mee= ting. Do you expect me to pay for them and then turn in a bill? If that is = the case, then please let me know that. Per our by-laws, the board should = be seeing a report from the treasurer for all bills needing to be paid and = the board needs to ratify the list for payment. It is a pain as it is currently set = up, but unless and until we choose to ammend the by-laws, we need to follow= them the best we can. The purpose of the chair submitting a budget for ap= proval means that when the chair is ready to submit the bills for payment t= o the board, the prior budget approval assures the chair that the bills wil= l be approved for payment. Without a pre-approved budget, the board does n= ot have an obligation to pay those bills, however that doesn't mean we woul= dn't! As for the Polar Bear T-shirts, you should just have LaNette write y= ou a check for them. The board will be meeting to fix the current payment = process that is in violation of our by-laws, but until it's fixed, we'll ju= st have to pay our bills as we are currently doing. =20 4) When you say you want anything that I send out to be reviewed/approved b= y the secretary, you mention the newsletter & visitor's guide. There are LO= TS of things that I send out in my normal routine of doing things. Sometime= s there are tight deadlines. Are you also talking about press releases, let= ters, emails, website information, photographs, magazine articles, etc.? Pl= ease clarify this. My main concern is for items that go to print. If we om= it or make an error in e-mails, website info, etc. these can all easily be = amended with another e-mail, etc. Those items that go to print should always be reviewe= d/approved since correcting or amending is usually not possible once an item goes to print. Having the secretary take a quick= look at press releases, magazine articles, Visitor Guide, & newsletters sh= ould take place. While the board is fortunate to have a director that can= produce these items, the responsibility of oversite falls to the secretary= , an officer of the board. As an example, the list that went to EDC for pu= blishing had the incorrect title for the Car Show, as voted by the board. The board cannot expect the direc= tor to get everything accurate. If the list was sent to the secretary for review, it may have been caught and corrected. Why would= n't we want to have a check system in place that might lead us to less mistakes=2C errors or omissions?=20 =20 =20 =20 Well, it is after 2:30 - my time was up an hour and a half ago. Enough said= . =20 Joyce =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Rene Nichols=20 To: Chamber of Commerce ; Acct.Abililty/Stacey Viers ; Port Austin State Ba= nk ; Port Austin Motel/Ricou, Michel ; Captain Morgans ; Huron City Museums= ; Independent Bank=20 Cc: Nichols=2C Rene=20 Sent: Friday=2C December 05=2C 2008 3:59 AM Subject: Monthly Newsletter & a few other things Hi Joyce, For our next and future newsletters, I'd like to see the followin= g content: Copy of unapproved minutes for members to review. (as an attachm= ent)List of current members that have paid 2009 dues and a reminder that pe= r ourby-laws, dues are due Sept 1.A brief note to the membership updating t= he status of the Visitor's Guide. Forexample, how many members have taken = out and paid for an ad to date.A list of upcoming chamber events, name of t= he chair person and their phone number.A report from each Chair with an upd= ate on their event.A monthly report from the Treasurer. Monies received, d= etail of expenses paidfor the previous month and account balances.A short n= ote from the President.Names and e-mail addresses of our board members.Date= of next board meeting. Date of next membership meeting. (Not every board m= eeting has to be a membership meeting).A recognition area to thank members = for their recent volunteer efforts.I'd like our businesses to be able to po= st their new seasonal hours, particularlystores and restaurants.A feature s= tory each month on at least two current businesses.A feature story for each= new member.The fireworks committee has a series of fund raising activities= planned. We need tofeature them every month.We need to note that we are d= oing a membership drive to get as many new membersnow so they may be includ= ed in the visitor's guide. At this time, I'll ask that our secretary review= all content for accuracy before sendingit to our membership. I realize you= r current format requires you to create the newsletter at home. For thetim= e being, I have no problem with you creating it using Word or another progr= amthat is currently available on the Chamber computer. I know it won't bea= s nice looking or include pictures, but I feel the content is more importan= t at this time.We need to focus on using the monthly newsletter as a means = of getting timely andhelpful information to the general membership.As for t= he timing of the newsletter, the secretary should have the unapproved minut= esto you within a week of our monthly meetings. The treasurers report shoul= d be presentedas a short one page document at our monthly board meeting whi= ch you will put in thenewsletter. The rest of the information should be ea= sy enough to keep updated. My letter this month will let them know to conta= ct the chamber office with seasonal hours of operation and let them know yo= u'll be featuring a couple businesses each month. I'll have it to you by M= onday. On a seperate note, all ad monies and forms for the Car Show should= be going to thecommittee chair. The chair should record his/her list and = then submit the checks to thetreasurer when the ad sales deadline has been = reached. It is then the chair's responsibilityto forward that information = to his/her sub committees for further action. I know you've beenhelping ou= t, but this is the procedure that should be followed. When bills need to b= e paid, itwill be the chair's responsibilty to present them to the board fo= r approval of payment. We needto follow this procedure with each event so = nothing falls through the cracks. I know you'rewilling to help where ever = needed if the chair asks for it. Lastly, I'd like the secretary to get the = chamber mail and dispurse it. This is no offense to you,but there is infor= mation that comes to the chamber that should be viewed by a board memberfir= st, not by a member, employee or contractor. The system is currently backw= ards. It isalso our secretary's responsibility to discuss correspondence r= eceived at our board meetings. We've come to depend on you as director to p= erform functions that board members shouldbe doing. I'd like to correct th= at, if possible. I also want the secretary to review anymaterial that may = be going to print on behalf of the chamber. You've been doing a great jobi= n that area, but a board member needs to put an approval on any content tha= t representsthe chamber. At this time, I want that approval to come from t= he secretary. There are exciting times coming to Port Austin. We have a ye= ar to get the chamberin line with these changes, performing as a well oiled= machine and ready to move intothe new Welcome Center when completed. Whil= e these changes may be difficult for you andthe board, I'm confident you ca= n implement them and help our chamber move forward. I'll have my letter for= the newsletter to you by Monday. Rene=20 Suspicious message? There=92s an alert for that. Get your Hotmail=AE accoun= t now.=20 No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / = Virus Database: 270.9.14/1832 - Release Date: 12/5/2008 9:57 AM _________________________________________________________________ Send e-mail faster without improving your typing skills. http://windowslive.com/Explore/hotmail?ocid=3DTXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_spee= d_122008 --_d0d7ba2b-e4a1-4d70-8ba7-93c29fd7385f_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Joyce=2C
 =3B
Your newsletters have been nice.   The change in content is based= on feed back from many businesses over a period of time.  The items I= 've listed are things members have said they'd like to see as well as some<= BR> items I'd like to see included to keep all members better informed.  I= 've mentioned at several
meetings that with everyone having a business and personal schedu= les, not everyone can make
our meetings.  The newsletter is a great tool to keep them informed.&n= bsp; At the same time,
it gives the board an opportunity to be more transparent.  As I've&nbs= p;mentioned, if they can see
where their dues money is going, they'll see it's being used wisely. <= BR>  =3B
If you have completed a December newsletter, by all means send it to Stacey= for a quick
review and then get it out to our members.  I have mentioned at previo= us meetings that I'd
like to have content from our meetings included.  Maybe we can add new= sletter content
as an agenda item so nothing gets missed.  With the director's positio= n being an independent
contractor, whether it be you or anyone else, I feel the content of the new= s letter should
be board driven. =3B
 =3B
I have tried to answer some of your questions in red below.  We c= an work on more of the details
later.  Adding these or other changes will take time. I was = hoping some of them could be included
in the December newsletter=2C but let's work towards January.
 =3B
Rene

 =3B

From: pacofc@airadvantage.net
To: nichols78@msn.com; pacofc@airadv.net; = acct.ability@yahoo.com; sschmidt73@hotmail.com; ricou@centurytel.net; dfina= n@centurytel.net; mpfinan@centurytel.net; lwiese@ibcp.com; mikemorgansr@aol= .com
CC: nichols78@msn.com
Subject: Re: Monthly Newsletter & a fe= w other things
Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 14:41:04 -0500


Rene=2C
 =3B
I thought that the newsletters I have b= een doing were well-received and I have had lots of compliments on them. I'= m not so sure that changing them drastically is the way to go, but if that'= s what you want done then that's what'll get done. I wish you would have br= ought up some of these ideas at the board meeting the other day. I think ma= ny of your ideas have merit, but perhaps other Board members have additiona= l ideas. Do the other Board members feel the same way on these issues?
 =3B
I just re-read your email with your lau= ndry-list of things that you want in future newsletters - and I have&n= bsp;a couple of questions and concerns:
 =3B
1) I have been sending out the "approve= d" minutes to members. So do you want the unapproved minutes ALSO sent out = - or JUST the unapproved minutes?   The app= roved minutes are a month and a half old before the membership receives the= m.  By sending the
current month's unappro= ved minutes, members would get them in a more timely fashion.  It shou= ldn't be a problem attaching the
previous month's approv= ed minutes and the current month's unapproved minutes.
 =3B
2) You want the names of members listed= in EVERY newsletter?  This is only to help the = membership work on our new member drive.
    = ; Once the Visitor's Guide goes to print, we would just print new members a= s they come in and it would be a great time for you
    = ; to tell the general membership about the new business with a newsletter s= tory.  It's an attempt to help the businesses network
    = ; and a nice way to welcome a new business.  The purpose of  writ= ing stories to cover current members is to avoid "why didn't
    = ; anyone ever write a story about my business".
 =3B
 =3B
3) I already contacted various business= es about their hours so I would have that information handy for email = and phone inquiries. But I'll add this into the newsletter, at least the in= fo. I have
You want this listed in every newslette= r also?  One of the most common comments that ha= s been made to me is that businesses would
like a means to notify = other members of their change in seasonal hours.  I could, for example= , let the general membership know via
the monthly newsletter = when I will close and re-open.  If each motel did this, it would help = those that are staying open determine when
they could "get away" a= nd not be missing an oportunity to be the only motel open in town.  I = think it's great that you have gotten the
information to have on = hand and appreciate that.  This is just another means of businesses be= ing able to communicate with one
another and hopefully h= elp each other out.  I had thought the web site could have a form you'= ve designed that all members could
click on,complete and r= eturn to you.  You could then, in turn, get the information to all mem= bers via the newsletter.  Just an idea....
 =3B
4) If a report needs to be in for every= event from every chairperson - then they will need to get the needed infor= mation to me. I have tried to include a story about all events in previous = newsletters, but I am not always able to get the details in a timely manner= .  Getting
the info in a timely ma= nner is definately an issue.  If we give each chairperson a small pack= et when they volunteer, it could include
a budget outline to fol= low to present to the board for approval, how monies recieved should be han= dled, and a deadline date that
would get a status repo= rt on their event in the next newsletter.  This would help the treasur= er, director, secretary and at the same
time, keep the general = membership well informed.  Also a great way for a chair to let the mem= bership know where help is needed.
 =3B
5) I already list the board members and= their phone numbers. Adding their email addresses is a good idea. The same= goes for events. I already include a= list of upcoming events, but adding contact information in the "calendar" = can be done easily.  That would be=
great.  I know all= members don't have e-mail, but with all the different hours business owner= s have, it might make all of us more
accessible to each othe= r.
 =3B
All of the extra items you have include= d in your list will make for a VERY lengthy newsletter. Hopefully people wi= ll still read all of it.
I agree.  Let's ho= pe that all members find the newsletter a good tool to keep informed with e= ach other and with chamber events
without having to atten= d meetings.
 =3B
 =3B
I have the newsletter for December alre= ady done and had planned to send it out today. I guess that isn't going to = happen. It is going to take quite a bit of work to add all of the additiona= l items into it that you had listed in your email. I'll try to get that don= e over the weekend, but it probably won't be ready until next week.  <= FONT color=3D#c00000>Please send your newsletter to Stacey as it stands and= get it out.  We can
work on these changes t= he next few months.  I really hope you included something about the me= mbership drive and the list of
current paid members.&n= bsp; If not, not to worry.  You can do that as an e-mail to the member= ship.  I don't want you to hold it up for
my letter to the member= s either.  Just plan on me including one each month.  If we = aim for the newsletter to always go out the
Monday following our me= etings, that would give those of us with reports, etc. to be included a reg= ular deadline to
work towards.  It = wouldn't hurt to get a friendly reminder though!
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
As for non-newsletter issues -
 =3B
1) Picking up the mail and distributing= it is part of my job description. Most of the mail is generic, addressed t= o the director, or bills. Whenever anything is directed to a particular ind= ividual, I give it to them unopened. I didn't realize there was a problem w= ith my getting the mail. But that's fine if you want someone else to pick i= t up. I thought the current process was okay, but aft= er giving it some serious
thought, I really feel = it should go through the hands of the secretary first.  It's possible = Stacey won't want to be bothered, and if so,
we can leave it as it i= s.  It's not that often that it would be an issue, however there are t= hose few times that it would matter.  Because
of this, it might be wi= se to have the secretary do this.
 =3B
2)  I thought I was doing the Car = Show committee a favor by getting the ad checks to the treasurer. Again, if= that's a problem, someone else can do it. I was just trying to be helpful.=   I realize that and appreciate it.  My exp= erience has shown that each chair handling
their own funds provide= s for more accuracy and accountability as well as less recording and work f= or the treasurer. 
 =3B
3) You also mention about the chair of = a committee presenting bills to the board for payment approval. I'm confuse= d. I thought that that was the reason you wanted an event budget = approved, so that bills could be paid for pre-approved items as they came i= n. EXAMPLE - I specifically asked about the Polar Bear Dip t-shirts at= the last two meetings. I will need a check for them in order to pick = them up. I can't really wait until after the January meeting. Do you expect= me to pay for them and then turn in a bill? If that is the case, then plea= se let me know that.  Per our by-laws, the board= should be seeing a report from the treasurer for all bills needing to be p= aid and the board
needs to ratify the lis= t for payment.  It is a pain as it is currently set up, but unles= s and until we choose to ammend the by-laws, we need to follow them the bes= t we can.  The purpose of the chair submitting a budget for approval m= eans that when the chair is ready to submit the bills for payment to the board, the prior b= udget approval assures the chair that the bills will be approved for paymen= t.  Without a pr= e-approved budget, the board does not have an obligation to pay those bills= , however that doesn't mean we wouldn't!  As for the Polar Bear T-shirts, you should just h= ave LaNette write you a check for them.  The board will be meeting to = fix the current payment process that is in violation of our by-laws, but until it's fixed, we'll= just have to pay our bills as we are currently doing.
 =3B
4) When you say you want anything that = I send out to be reviewed/approved by the secretary, you mention the newsle= tter & visitor's guide. There are LOTS of things that I send out in my = normal routine of doing things. Sometimes there are tight deadlines. Are yo= u also talking about press releases, letters, emails, website information, = photographs, magazine articles, etc.? Please clarify this. My main concern is for items that go to print.  If we omit or ma= ke an error in e-mails, website info, etc. these can all easily be amended = with
another e-mail, etc.&nb= sp; Those items that go to print should always be reviewed/approved since c= orrecting or amending is usually
not possible once an it= em goes to print.  Having the secretary take a quick look at press rel= eases, magazine articles, Visitor Guide, & newsletters should take= place.   While the board is fortunate to have a director that can produce these = items, the responsibility of oversite falls to the secretary, an offic= er of the board.  As an example, the list that went to EDC for publish= ing had the incorrect title
for the Car Show, as vo= ted by the board.  The board cannot expect the director to get ev= erything accurate.  If  the list was sent to
the secretary for revie= w, it may have been caught and corrected.  Why wouldn't we want to hav= e a check system in place that might
lead us to less mistake= s, errors or omissions? 
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
Well, it is after 2:30 - my time was up= an hour and a half ago. Enough said.
 =3B
Joyce
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
 =3B
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2008 3:59= AM
Subject: Monthly Newsletter & a = few other things

Hi Joyce,
 
For our next and future newsletters, = I'd like to see the following content:
 
Copy of unapproved minu= tes for members to review. (as an attachment)
List of current members th= at have paid 2009 dues and a reminder that per our
by-laws, dues are due= Sept 1.
A brief note to the membership updating the status of the Visit= or's Guide.  For
example, how many members have taken out and paid = for an ad to date.
A list of upcoming chamber events, name of the chair = person and their phone number.
A report from each Chair with an update o= n their event.
A monthly report from the Treasurer.  Monies receive= d, detail of expenses paid
for the previous month and account balances.<= BR>A short note from the President.
Names and e-mail addresses of o= ur board members.
Date of next board meeting.
Date of next membershi= p meeting. (Not every board meeting has to be a membership meeting).A recognition area to thank members for their recent volunteer effor= ts.
I'd like our businesses to be able to post their new seasonal hours,= particularly
stores and restaurants.
A feature story each month on a= t least two current businesses.
A feature story for each new member.
= The fireworks committee has a series of fund raising activities planned.&nb= sp; We need to
feature them every month.
We need to note that we are = doing a membership drive to get as many new members
now so they may be i= ncluded in the visitor's guide.
 
At this time, I'll ask that ou= r secretary review all content for accuracy before sending
it to our mem= bership.
 
I realize your current format requires you to create = the newsletter at home.  For the
time being, I have no problem with= you creating it using Word or another program
that is currently availab= le on the Chamber computer.  I know it won't be
as nice looking or = include pictures, but I feel the content is more important at this time.We need to focus on using the monthly newsletter as a means of getting tim= ely and
helpful information to the general membership.
As for the tim= ing of the newsletter, the secretary should have the unapproved minute= s
to you within a week of our monthly meetings. The treasurers repo= rt should be presented
as a short one page document at our monthly board= meeting which you will put in the
newsletter.  The rest of the inf= ormation should be easy enough to keep updated. 
My letter this mon= th will let them know to contact the chamber office with seasonal hours of = operation and let them know you'll be featuring a couple businesses ea= ch month.  I'll have it to you by Monday. 
 
On a sepe= rate note, all ad monies and forms for the Car Show should be going to= the
committee chair.  The chair should record his/her list an= d then submit the checks to the
treasurer when the ad sales deadline has= been reached.  It is then the chair's responsibility
to forward th= at information to his/her sub committees for further action.  I know y= ou've been
helping out, but this is the procedure that should be followe= d.  When bills need to be paid, it
will be the chair's responsibilt= y to present them to the board for approval of payment.  We need<= BR>to follow this procedure with each event so nothing falls through the cr= acks.  I know you're
willing to help where ever needed if the chair= asks for it.
 
Lastly, I'd like the secretary to get the chambe= r mail and dispurse it.  This is no offense to you,
but there is in= formation that comes to the chamber that should be viewed by a board member=
first, not by a member, employee or contractor.  The system is cur= rently backwards.  It is
also our secretary's responsibility to dis= cuss correspondence received at our board meetings.
 
We've come= to depend on you as director to perform functions that board members shoul= d
be doing.  I'd like to correct that, if possible.  I also wa= nt the secretary to review any
material that may be going to print on be= half of the chamber.  You've been doing a great job
in that ar= ea, but a board member needs to put an approval on any content that represe= nts
the chamber.  At this time, I want that approval to come f= rom the secretary.
 
There are exciting times coming to Port Aus= tin.  We have a year to get the chamber
in line with these changes,= performing as a well oiled machine and ready to move into
the new Welco= me Center when completed.  While these changes may be difficult for yo= u and
the board, I'm confident you can implement them and help our chamb= er move forward.
 
I'll have my letter for the newsletter to you= by Monday.
 
Rene
 


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