ISPC Board Meeting Minutes 7-14-2018
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emailISPC Board Meeting Minutes, July 14, 2018
- Roll Call
Susan Aarup, Bill Bianchi, Anna Carvlin, Jordan Centers, Pam Gronemeyer (via phone), Mark Johnson, Lauren Kadziel, and Sean Zolfo (via phone) were present. Also present was Anne Scheetz, Chuy Campuzano, and Donna Janovsky.
- Approval of minutes from May 2018
Pam made a motion to approve the minutes and Mark seconded the motion. Unanimous approval from members present.
It was noted that minutes should include any item that was voted on by the Board outside a regular meeting. The item should be included in the minutes of the previous meeting prior to approval of those minutes.
- Treasurer’s report
Reviewed proposed 2018-2019 budget as provided by Mark.
Mark made a motion to approve the budget with the addition of a line item under Expenses for the fundraiser/membership drive. Susan seconded the motion. Unanimous approval from members present.
- Update on Single Payer Study (Bill)
Text complete for four out of five chapters. Graphics are currently in process. Three consultants have been and/or are assisting with economic research, editing, and graphic design.
The publication will first be released by chapter (or sets of chapters) online. The whole publication will be published in hard-copy thereafter.
The publication should serve as a technical basis of support for single payer and to inoculate against arguments regarding the costs of single payer. The goal is for the publication to be accessible as possible to the public, and to benefit a variety of groups.
- Discuss potential policy regarding privacy & protecting personal information
Anne provided, and the Board discussed, a proposal for a policy to provide specific guidelines for the organization in handling personal information. Anne to send the written policy via electronic communication to the Board for review.
- Review the by-laws!
It was agreed that the by-laws will be stored with the website but will not be published publicly on the website. The purpose is to ensure they are stored in a permanent place.
- Deciding who’s next President!
Mark made a motion to elect Jordan as President. Anna and Susan seconded the motion. Unanimous approval from members present.
Jordan made a motion to elect Sean as Secretary. Bill seconded the motion. Unanimous approval from members present. Lauren offered to write minutes for Sean in the event of his absence at a meeting.
- Discuss Single-Payer strategy conference & National M4A campaign and follow-up from townhall
No response as of yet from National Nurses United regarding termination of national organizers nor organizational support as outlined at the townhall. They have hosted a series of four conference calls to train people to host canvasses for Medicare for All.
It was suggested that townhall attendees be added as single payer supporters through ISPC’s listserv. Anne will reach out to Chicago area partners for approval.
It was also suggested to maintain contact with Chicago area partners through quarterly conference calls. Jordan will reach out to Chicago area partners.
Communication will be sent out to all townhall attendees once plans have been made.
- Updating the website
Suggestions on improving website and social media provided by digital media expert free of charge.
It was suggested that the organization consider combining the website and social media committees. Jordan will reach out to the chairs of both committees.
Anna suggested improvements to the user interface of the membership and donation pages. These improvements aim to streamline where you can do both and make it clear what donations are used for. Anna suggested having a tagline for the organization. She mentioned research that had been presented at the Single Payer Strategy Conference that favored ‘healthcare as a basic need’ over ‘healthcare as a right.’
Lauren and Anna plan to join the website committee.
- Hiring a part-time independent contractor
The advantages of disadvantages of hiring a contractor versus part-time staff was discussed. It was generally agreed upon that a contractor who is project-based is more appropriate for ISPC at this time. There are no plans to hire a contractor immediately, but the Board will consider the need ongoing.
- Fundraising for the coming year (Anna Carvlin)
Anna presented a proposal for a fundraising and membership drive.
The tentative timeline for this drive includes: a newsletter mailed to members/donors in September, gathering events in October, and an end-of-the-year appeal mailed in December. Anna suggested hosting ‘Healthcare Horror Stories’ events in October. These can take place in various locations, preferably in varying congressional districts.
It was generally agreed upon that mailings would be printed in a union shop. It was discussed that any direct appeals for donations will include requests for action. It was discussed that direct-appeals and donations should be followed-up with phone calls.
- Announcements
Senator Durbin is having a fundraising breakfast on the morning of July 30th, Medicare’s 53rd birthday. The Legislative Committee is writing a letter addressed to Senator Durbin calling for his support for Improved Medicare for All. ISPC members plan to flyer outside the event with the letter.
Dark Money is playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center starting July 27th.
Schedule of upcoming board meetings (all scheduled for 10:30am-12:30pm):
- August 25th
- September 15th
- November 17th