Communications & Development Committee Notes
- 12.05.2022 Minutes
- 11.01.2022 Minutes
- 10.05.2022 Minutes
- 08.31.2022 Minutes
- 07.27.2022 Minutes
- 06.29.2022 Minutes
12.05.2022
7:00-8:10 pm
Attendees
Chris Pelly, Christina Maggi (Chair), Michael Harrison, Rick Fornoff, Scott Clodfelter
Unable to attend
Nicole Losey, Phil Trunnell
Notes/Next Steps
Christina reported on the hiring of Scott Money, President of DezignSeed Consulting (DSC), a WildApricot Partner, for professional assistance on an as-needed basis that will include design, training and technical help at $80/hour (nonprofit rate)
Christina and Chris participated in a 1.5 hour DSC WildApricot Administrative Training, which covered all administrative menus, with a high level overview of how they work and the functionality available; DSC will provide a video of the training
Christina will email some date options for Email Designer Training with DSC
Christina will share DSC recommendations for improvements to the website; we will then determine which ones to implement (ourselves or with DSC assistance)
Christina will add the people that were not on the master list previously uploaded to WildApricot but are on the current WordPress subscriber list (as provided by Michael)
Christina will prepare a document of the names on the master list that do not have an email address, which means they can’t be added to the website, and distribute it to all board members so that they can provide email addresses wherever possible
Christina will ask Phil if he can provide instructions on the process of uploading contacts and if he can upload appx 24 additional contacts that Chris will provide
Christina will ask Phil if he can add the 4-5 people who recently joined or renewed their HCCA membership to the database with their gift information
Christina will forward the photos Chris provided for local landmarks to Michael for addition to the new website under the Haw Creek Valley tab
Rick and Scott will review the website (hcca42.wildapricot.org) and offer their comments/suggestions
All significant changes to the website should be completed before Jan 10
At the Jan 10 board meeting, Chris will propose adding two new membership levels (Friend $50 and Supporter $100), and Christina will ask board members to review the website and offer comments
Christina will send an automated renewal email to all board members as a test, in preparation for sending a mass email asking all contacts to renew their membership
Phil will test/confirm financial links/reports (audit trail) based on board member gifts
Christina will create/revise member gift acknowledgment emails
Goal is to redirect domain to WildApricot and launch the new site in January; once the site is fully propagated and we’ve confirmed all links work correctly, Christina will send an email to all contacts who have not yet renewed asking for their membership gift
Christina, Nicole and Michael will be the primary website administrators handling events, emails and membership issues; Phil will handle all financial aspects ensuring website gifts align with bank statements (audit trail); Renate will continue to receive inquiries sent to info@hawcreekavl.com; we will attempt to recruit additional volunteers who can help manage website tasks
Christina will ask Nicole to add an icon for Nextdoor next to Facebook and Instagram, and change all icons to white
Scott reported that HCCA is following 30 organizations on social media and sharing info/links, primarily through Facebook
Everyone agreed that we need to post something after each event as a news item on our website, which Scott will then post on social media
Chris will prepare an update on the Masters Park parking lot for posting to the website
Scott has added Chris and Christina as administrators on Nextdoor and has added Chris, Nicole and Michael as administrators on Facebook; he will prepare a list of passwords for HCCA officers to ensure continuing access regardless of volunteer turnover
Michael will prepare a draft of best practices and recommendations for storing and managing the various passwords used for HCCA for review at our next meeting
Christina will ask Phil if he can research and/or help with setting up a Google business account to enable shared workspace, calendar, and Gmail address
Once we have a Gmail address, Rick will set up a Twitter account for HCCA and share the ID and password with Scott who will add Twitter to Sprout Social, the social media management tool he uses to monitor activity for HCCA
Next meeting Tuesday, January 17 at 7:00 pm
11.01.2022
7:00-8:00 pm
Attendees
Chris Pelly, Christina Maggi (Chair), Michael Harrison, Nicole Losey, Rick Fornoff,
Scott Clodfelter (via phone)
Unable to attend
Krista Gamble, Phil Trunnell, Suzanne Amelung
Notes/Next Steps
Everyone liked the Firma theme for the new WildApricot site, however, Nicole will try to adjust the background colors to create more contrast with the black text
Nicole will continue working on the migration of the site and expects to meet our goal of going live on Nov 10
Christina will ask Suzanne to redirect our domain from https://www.hawcreekavl.com to the new URL https://hcca42.wildapricot.org/ approximately two days in advance of Nov 10 so we can make any needed adjustments before the formal announcement
Michael will upload Bernie’s photos of Masters Park and share them with Nicole for use on the WildApricot site
Michael will download a copy of the HCCA website to ensure access to old documents (minutes, etc.) that are not being uploaded to the WildApricot site
Christina will follow up with Phil regarding activating the online donation function, continuing to use PayPal, and about payment methods mandated or prohibited by WildApricot’s terms of service agreement
Christina and Phil will establish membership description/levels and an automatic acknowledgment email for all donations
Christina has reached out to five WildApricot Partners seeking professional assistance on an as-needed basis that would include design, training and technical help; she will share her findings and make a recommendation asap
Christina will prepare talking points on the website transition for the Nov board meeting
Rick will set up a Twitter account for HCCA and share the ID and password with Scott who will add Twitter to Sprout Social, the social media management tool he uses to monitor activity for HCCA
Scott will send links for the HCCA Nextdoor Group, Instagram and Twitter to Nicole so she can add them to our home page
Scott will document our social media account passwords/information so that HCCA leadership will know how to access accounts in the event of volunteer turnover
Michael will put together best practices and recommendations for storing and managing the various passwords used in the organization
Michael will share the master password to the WordPress website with Nicole so she will have full administrative rights
Michael will send Christina a list of people that need to be added to the WildApricot database (those that are not on the master list uploaded to WA in August but are on the current WordPress subscriber list)
Christina will research the cost of setting up a Google business account to enable shared workspace, calendar, and Gmail address
We will work to develop an enticing story about HCCA’s accomplishments since our founding in 1984 to garner media awareness (with the Citizen Times, WLOS and Blue Ridge Public Radio) during our 40th anniversary year (2024) or sooner if possible
Next meeting Monday, December 5 at 7:00 pm
10.05.2022
7:00-7:40 pm
Attendees
Chris Pelly, Christina Maggi (Chair), Scott Clodfelter (via Zoom)
Unable to attend
Krista Gamble, Michael Harrison, Nicole Losey, Phil Trunnell, Rick Fornoff, Suzanne Amelung
Notes/Next Steps
Chris will email Suzanne about migrating website pages to our new WildApricot site
Chris will make another attempt to uncover the password for our old Facebook page so we can try to contact those 600 followers and ask them to follow our new page
Scott will start a new Nextdoor group for HCCA
Scott will activate social media as soon as new content is posted to our website
Scott noted that Instagram is based on photos, not text, and will adapt website posts accordingly
We discussed posting of events from other organizations and agreed that we will post to our Facebook, Instagram and Nextdoor accounts but not to our website unless HCCA is a co-sponsor of the event
Next meeting Tuesday, November 1 at 7:00 pm
08.31.2022
7:00-8:20 pm
Attendees
Chris Pelly, Christina Maggi (Chair), Michael Harrison, Phil Trunnell
Unable to attend
Krista Gamble, Rick Fornoff, Suzanne Amelung
Notes/Next Steps
Christina and Phil had a call on Aug 16 with Suzanne, who indicated that although she hasn’t worked with WildApricot (WA) she’s heard good things about it and would recommend that we move everything to WA as WordPress updates are time consuming
Suzanne noted that our ilovehawcreek.com domain and server space is paid through May 12, 2023; she will purchase/set up the new domain that the committee agreed to, hawcreekavl.com, for $10 for the year (registration will be up for renewal on Aug 23, 2023)
Suzanne agreed to set up an email address using that domain, hawcreekavl@gmail.com, using the server space that we have for ilovehawcreek.com (paid through 5/12/23); after that we will have to renew the server space, which is about $100/year
Phil received the master list from Krista and will format/upload it to WA
Phil and Christina will work together to:
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Recommend website template theme/color scheme
-
Determine member/donation specifications
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Set up electronic acknowledgment language
-
Establish process for $100+ gifts to get acknowledgment letter
Phil will provide login access to Michael, who will review WA and offer suggestions on a plan to migrate ilovehawcreek.com WordPress to hawcreekavl.com WildApricot
Christina will work with Michael/others on content and structure of pages on WA site
Christina will undertake webpage editing and/or writing tasks with assistance as needed
Phil will prepare a 10-15 minute presentation to show board members how the WA system will work for us at the Sept 13 board meeting
Everyone agreed that an Oct 1 live date is unrealistic and acknowledged that the goal is to have the site up and running by the Nov 10 public board meeting
Committee should conduct a tab-by-tab review of the new website to ensure all pages, especially donation pages and links, look and work as expected
Everyone agreed to the fall fundraising plan that Christina presented at the last meeting, which will launch at the Nov 10 event followed by a series of emails and social media outreach beginning on Nov 29, Giving Tuesday
Christina will put together a draft schedule for posting events
Michael volunteered to post on Nextdoor (Haw Creek, Sondley and Bull Mountain)
Chris volunteered to post on Instagram
Chris is working on ideas for the next newsletter, which should mail in late October
Christina will explore vendor and mailing list options
Chris is drafting a brochure, which should be ready in time for our Oct events
Christina will create a welcome packet and connect with new residents in Nov/Dec
Phil will research the cost of having a Google business account and Gmail accounts
Christina will work with Krista to set up a Google Workspace account where we can archive HCCA documents
Christina will set up a shared Google calendar enabling board and committee members to view all meeting and event dates
Next meeting is Wednesday October 5 at 7:00 pm
07.27.2022
7:00-8:30 pm
Attendees
Chris Pelly, Christina Maggi, Phil Trunnell, Rick Fornoff
Unable to attend
Krista Gamble, Michael Harrison, Suzanne Amelung
Notes/Next Steps
Everyone present agreed to serve on the committee and Christina volunteered to chair
Christina will email Suzanne, Michael and Krista to seek their opinion about WildApricot, the new information management system that the board approved and we are planning to use; target date to go live is October 1
Christina will arrange a meeting/call with Phil, Suzanne, Michael, Krista and Chris to discuss and determine which option we want to go with:
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Keep existing WordPress website, which will require viewers to leave our site in order to make a donation, or
-
Migrate our WordPress website to a WildApricot template to create a seamless experience when making donations
Phil will prepare a presentation and show board members how the WildApricot system will work for us at the September 13 board meeting
Chris will talk with Michael about posting new content to the website
Rick suggested HCCA open a Twitter account
Phil will research the cost of hiring a social media consultant
Rick will find out what Gmail options are available for HCCA and if we can get the same address for our URL
Krista will set up a Gmail account using the name Rick recommends and create a Google Docs Work Space where we can archive HCCA documents
Christina will set up a shared Google calendar using the Gmail address and enable board and committee members to view all meeting and event dates
Christina will follow up with Michael about setting up a Get Involved page on the website
Christina will follow up with Krista, who is organizing the various lists into one master Excel spreadsheet, which Phil will format and upload to the new system
Phil will work with Christina to set up automatic electronic acknowledgment emails and a system to identify larger ($100+) gifts that will receive an acknowledgment letter
Christina distributed draft language for use on the website and in HCCA materials, which was reviewed and approved; a slightly revised mission statement will be reviewed for approval at a future board meeting
Christina distributed a draft marketing plan for a fundraising campaign that would launch in October with a newsletter appeal (and announcement of a public board meeting on November 10), followed by a series of emails and social media outreach beginning on November 29, Giving Tuesday
Christina suggested exploring event sponsorship and foundation funding—to be discussed with Sarah/others at a future date
Committee should conduct a tab-by-tab review of the website before the newsletter mails to ensure all pages, especially donation pages and links, look and work as expected
Chris is working on drafting a brochure that can be used as a handout at events
Chris will order HCCA stickers with the website address—pending a new URL
Christina will follow up with board members and compile brief bios for the website
Christina will work with a local realtor to identify new residents and deliver a brochure/membership form to introduce them to HCCA
Next meeting: Wednesday August 31, 7:00 pm
06.29.2022
7:00-8:30 pm
Attendees
Chris Pelly, Christina Maggi, Krista Gamble, Meghan Quinn, Phil Trunnell, Renate Rikkers, Rick Fornoff, Susan Michael
Unable to attend
Michael Harrison, Suzanne Amelung
Notes/next steps
Chris and Christina co-chaired the meeting and Chris will recommend that the board formalize a Communications & Development Committee at the July 20 meeting (members would include Chris, Christina, Krista, Meghan, Michael, Phil, Rick, Suzanne)
Rick will review the website to see if he can work with WordPress (an open-source content management system) and help improve its functionality (Chris will get access info from Michael and send it to Rick)
Phil is researching subscriber database options that will enable us to capture donor and gift information and will present examples and costs at the next meeting
Krista will organize the existing membership Excel spreadsheet so it can be used for mailings (Chris will send her the most recent list)
Phil will receive all new donor information for accounting purposes and then forward data to Krista for incorporation into member spreadsheet—need to determine how acknowledgment letters will be processed and mailed, and how to link new information to the email list, which is managed by Michael
Krista will set up Google Docs (with seamless sharing) as a way to archive HCCA documents/achievements for future reference as board members change
Meghan will continue to serve as the website content manager and upload HCCA committee descriptions (Christina to send document)
Meghan will update the website calendar weekly (tentatively on Wednesdays) with events as provided by committee chairs
Christina and Meghan will review and refine the mission statement, value proposition and other language for the website with assistance from Chris and Rick
Krista volunteered to manage the HCCA Facebook page
Meghan will manage the HCCA Instagram account (Christina to send her password)
Chris will draft a brochure that can be used as a handout at events
Chris will order HCCA stickers
Christina and Krista will put together a sample welcome package for new residents
Christina will draft a marketing plan to launch a fundraising campaign in November
Christina will recommend to Leslie that the Community Outreach Committee make connections with local groups and/or table at local events such as the tailgate market, PTA, Haw Creek Commons, etc.
Integrate QR code in all media
Next meeting: Wednesday July 27 at 7:00 pm