Minutes of Development Committee Meeting January 30, 1996 Meeting called to order at 7:35PM 1. INTRODUCTIONS Present: A.Ouellette, R.Last, G.Pearson, N.Bartlett, M.Zahab, M.Richard, D.Shaw 2. PROJECTS: (a) Auction Supplemental ======================== The supplementary "silent auction" (whereby bids are sent to a sealed e-mail box until the closing of the auction) has been on hold for several months. Mike Mason prepared the auction screens but the special mailbox he requested from the SysAdmin has not been setup yet. This project is being postponed until after the AGM. G.Pearson noted that we need to begin work on the Fall Auction. An Auction Committee will be struck at the next DevComm meeting - proposed time frame for next auction - Oct. - Nov. 96. (b) Glentel Communications Presentation ======================================= A video and oral presentation was made my Andre Gaudet & Reine Savard about GlenNet & Glentel Associates regarding a fundraising opportunity for non-profit organizations. Glentel has 50,000 customers and is headquartered in B.C. A. Gaudet explained Glentel's long distance "rebilling" plan -- it is essentially an affinity-style program whereby an organization like FreeNet offers the package to its membership, Glentel offers saving to the members on their long distance bills and the organization benefits by receiving a percentage of each members' total long distance bill before taxes each month (5 0omestically and 2.5 2nternationally). Customers who are currently signed up with Bell do not have to change carriers - Glentel handles the billing but the carrier remains the same. There are no sign-up charges. The cost of mailing the sign-up forms (approximately $1 per customer) is usually shared equally between Glentel and the participating organization (50 cents each). If FreeNet participated, it would likely prefer such forms to be sent electronically and only to those members who specifically request it (via e-mail or by downloading) making the $1 mailing expense unnecessary. It was suggested that Glentel might wish to consider remitting its 50-cent-saving on each new customer to FreeNet. Glentel offers two savings plans above and beyond Bell's regular calling discounts: Plan 1: 250ff all calls Plan 2: - Pay $1.49 per month and get 600ff the number you talk to the most every month. - 400ff all North America calls between 5PM and 9PM seven days a week - 250ff every other time. At the request of the Director of Development, Glentel provided three references of organizations currently participating in the program. The Vice Chair has received positive feedback from one group so far and will continue to research the matter. According to Glentel, long distance bills average about $40 per month per customer yielding about $2 per month (5) per customer to the participating organization. It is possible, however, that FreeNetters use long distance services less than the general population because of their access to e-mail. In any case, there seems to be potential for a reasonably good revenue stream with very little effort if enough members sign up. In general, offering our members an opportunity to save money and help NCF at the same time is an attractive proposition, especially since they can avoid the inconvenience of switching carriers if they are Bell customers. It was suggested that feedback might be sought online to determine the level of interest. At the same time an analysis needs to be done of the administrative procedures involved in setting up and maintaining such an arrangement. The matter was deferred for further study and input. (c) Relocation ============== A committee is being struck by the Executive Director to locate space for NCF's proposed "Outreach Centre". When potential locations are identified, the Development Committee will be asked to follow up with donation requests. 3. FUNDRAISING IDEAS GROUP This is an important group that should be kept active and given more visibility. The group has been inactive since completing its research and recommendations on "PIDs" last fall. D. Shaw was appointed interim Head of the FIG, responsible for recruiting a new member and putting the group's mandate on-line. 4. ONLINE DONOR DRIVE The online funding campaign has been prepared along with new funding area menus and has been ready to go since December. The campaign offers tangible incentives for donations at various levels as outlined in the new Donor Recognition Program presented to the Board in October. One of the incentives is a Personalized FreeNet Address (PFA) for use on the NCF e-mail system by donors of $100 or more. Software written by the Technical Director to take reservations of PFAs was to be ready in December but is still incomplete. The campaign is 2 months overdue but will be launched as soon as the Technical Department's programs are ready. 5. CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP G.Pearson is keeping up regular communication with NCF's donors and a number of potential donors, most recently by sending them personalized letters of invitation to NCF's birthday celebration and including news about NCF in the letter. They also receive NCF's news releases. Board members were encouraged to invite prospects to the birthday celebration and were given a sample letter of invitation to use. M.Zahab will design a newsletter template based on a HomePage design for faxing out news about NCF. Board and Development Committee members should contact the Director of Development to arrange a follow up to any prospects they may have. Usually this involves arranging a meeting for the Director of Development and the Board/Committee member to inform the prospect about NCF and outline the benefits of becoming a sponsor. 6 1996 DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY The key elements presented in 1995 will continue to be the foundation of NCF's development strategy. Government funding is drying up; therefore, more emphasis will be given to corporate sponsorships and partnerships that can generate earned revenue. NCF's migration to the Web will offer new and enhanced opportunities for raising funds and attracting corporate sponsors. However it is premature to lay out detailed plans about how to capitalize on these opportunities until NCF's Web Committee has been struck and we have some idea as to its direction. 7. OTHER BUSINESS: a) Increasing Public Awareness ============================== NCF needs to encourage new members to register on FreeNet since new members represent the largest source of donations. Although NCF plans to set up a Public Relations Task Force which might be responsible for increasing NCF's public profile, there is an immediate need to get FreeNet's dial-up numbers more in the public eye, especially since NCF is not listed in the Bell directory. R.Last offered to look into getting frequent or permanent Public Service (PSA) listings in the newspapers. b) New Benefit Project D. Shaw outlined a Pool Tournament which she has organized to benefit NCF: - Minnesota's has donated space. - Pool League will organize the event. - 30 to 40 people already interested in participating. - Three people are canvassing for prizes. - A. Ouellette will check on availability of trophies. - Might be held during March break. - No cost to NCF. The committee expressed in confidence in D.Shaw's ability and thanked her for arranging for FreeNet to be the beneficiary of this event. c) Demo Presentation M.Richard offered to help G.Pearson with the tech setup for an online demo he is doing for a group of sponsors on February 14. Meeting adjourned at 9:20 PM