Aug Board Status Report. Many thanks to those that came out to supported Volunteer Ottawa and the NCF at this years Mayor's Walk. It was a beautiful day for a walk and helped keep the NCF visible to the City. Finances: Donations for August was $12,278 as compared to a budget of $10,649. Given the 5 week donation period for August this is approximately on target. Expenses were slightly over budget at $21,377 versus $19,425. Our current cash balance sits at $58K, approximately on target for this point in our year. Membership: Membership has fallen slightly and now rests at 8,900. Funding Improvements: Changes to web pages, documentation and operational procedures are being made to make donations easier and more fair. The NCF is now asking each and every FreeNet user to share in the operation of the NCF. This year, the guidance is as follows: For members who use NCF's modems, we recommend a donation of $5/month (at least $3/month). For members who use NCF's email or web page hosting, but do not use NCF's modems, we recommend a donation of $1/month (at least $1/month). For members who use only NCF's StartPage, CBC news, and discussion groups (no modems, email, or web pages hosting), we recommend no donation but of course would be pleased to have your support. In addition, all members are encouraged to donate a little bit extra to help others less fortunate, and to help NCF improve services. Members have the option of contributing financially, or contributing time by volunteering with NCF in any capacity. Service Improvements: We have also begun implementing both service improvements as discussed at the last Board Meeting. - The mail throughput has been enhanced, - the NCF file manager is in member testing, - PFA's are now available for any member, - "your discussion groups" are now visible on each member's start page. Modems: All three modem pools are working well. Modem server has been altered to ensure that no overflow occurs during work day hours. Volunteers: The NCF is working with Carleton University Volunteer service to encourage students to volunteer at the NCF. I believe this shows great promise for adding new blood to our volunteer help desk. The Ottawa Public Library senior management has voted to go ahead with a partnership with the NCF. We have now moved to the implementation stage, with meetings starting next week. Thanks all for now. Looking forward to seeing you all at the Board meeting john