State and University Employees Combined Appeal Advisory Board Meeting Minutes

Call to order

Cindy called the meeting to order at 10:24 a.m.

A quorum was present.

Introductions

Board members and Charity representatives introduced themselves.

 Approval of Minutes

Prior to accepting the minutes it was recommended that, “The Executive Meeting” sentence be stricken frorm the May 17 minutes and that it be noted that Bernie Dorocke will not be able to participate as a retired Board Member.
Minutes of the last meeting were reviewed and approved.

Cindy welcomed Lee, Nancy, and Miguel to the Board and thanked them for their commitment to SECA. Lesa Myers has resigned from the Board, and Cindy recognized Lesa for assistance as a Board Member.

Campaign Update – The SECA marketing tools, i.e. booklet, posters, notepads, forms, tabletops, and transmittal forms, were sent to print in late July. Our printers and vendors are running full throttle to make sure all of the above-mentioned items are top quality and that they will be in the hands of the ambassadors nearly 4 weeks prior to the campaign. Approximately 110,000 booklets have been printed, bound, boxed, and will be distributed to all of the state agencies and universities.  Over 20,000 SECA notepads (giveaways) have been printed, and mailed to each ambassador. Approximately 4,000 posters and 2,400 transmittal forms have been shipped to ambassadors.  Additionally, over 60,000 blank forms and nearly 50,000 SECA Pledge Forms are in the process of being printed and mailed to each ambassador. Several revisions were made to the 2007 booklet and we were able to keep our goal of 112 pages. Cindy and Margarite assisted in editing the final proof in a timely manner to ensure no additional printing costs and to review an exceptional 2007, SECA Booklet.
The Ambassadors training is next week and John and Cindy are finalizing the logistics and materials needed to complete this day of training. John has mailed copies of the 2007 booklet, notepads, posters, and tabletops to all of the Charity Members for their office records.

Staffing and Recognition – The Hile Group (Christine and Adam) will be facilitating two key areas of next week’s ambassador training. Cindy and John have met with Christine on four occasions since the Board Retreat to fashion an upbeat skills related training format for the training. Key breakouts and discussion will center on “Building Teamwork”, and “Recognizing Barriers And Overcoming Them”. Only one ambassador responded from the Chicago area, therefore, it was agreed that the training would be held in Springfield. Next year the Board will review all options to see if a Chicago training is an feisible. Board members suggested that during the training at some point there should be a breakdown of new ambassadors, seasoned ambassadors, and university ambassadors. John will include this breakout time for each group and ensure a Board and Charity Member has a role in shaping this forum. Cindy reports that due to legal issues we will not be using Targets or Goals as benchmarks for the campaign. Instead, the 2006 contribution total (2006 Campaign Report March 8, 2007) will serve as a guide for the agencies and universities. Cindy also again reminded all of the charities to review the Workplace Giving Act, statutes, and rules sent to each charity earlier this year to make sure all are in compliance. Cindy stated that these rules statutes will be placed on www. secaillinois.org or will be linked to this site. Cindy received a complaint from the Peoria area, and upon review, no action was taken. This serves as a general reminder for all of the charities to be mindful of the regulations and laws regarding SECA. Margarite made a motion to have all of the universities and agencies compile their totals so that we have an accurate percentage of total employees contributing to SECA. Discussion centered on the reporting from various entities and their required dates of campaigns and reporting structures. This motion was seconded and passed.

Technology- The electronic form is still a primary focus for this committee. Cindy reports that with the budget crisis, and no budget to date it is difficult to get the attention to move this issue within CMS. Barbara Boden requested that the charities develop a search to purchase such a mechanism as the present system is nearly 25 years old and simple electronic reporting of campaign information is needed by the charities and their national directors to make budgeting and campaign planning decisions. Cindy suggested that the Committee meet early this fall once the budget is finalized.

Marketing – Margarite reported that the Marketing Committee met via teleconference to specifically identify a Chicago Charity Fair. This event will be held at the State of Illinois Building James R. Thompson Center, in Chicago on September 26. Once plans and logistics are complete an email will be sent to the Board and Charity Members. Jacquie, and Mattie will assist in the planning and organization of this fair. A SECA Press Release will be held on September 13 in Springfield. This is a very good opportunity for charities to address the press. Honorary Chair Duckworth, and Acting CMS Director along with a few other speakers will speak and address the press. Advisory Board members are encouraged to attend. John discussed the opportunities and difficulties of planning Charity Fairs in conjunction with flu shot vaccinations. John will contact universities and major agencies to see if the flu serum will be available during the campaign season. Charity Fairs will be strongly encouraged at the ambassador training and via email contacts with the ambassadors. Margarite reminded all that it is the Charity and Board members' responsibility to continuously search out new prospective Board

2007 SECA Video – John reported that the 2007 video production is complete. This video is a little less than 7 minutes and will be captioned. The video will be placed on the secaillinois.org site and DVD copies will be forwarded to all ambassadors, charity and board members by August 19, 2007.

Web site-Secaillinois.org - Cindy and John have meet with CMS webmasters to identify a complete update for the 2007 campaign. The SECA site will be under construction for a week or so in mid-August, but it will be updated and ready for additional information in the very near future.

Old Business: 2007 Budget:
SECA 1 st Quarter Budget - John asked if everyone received the budget review. Everyone reported that they had the report. John briefly reviewed the expenses and line items, and reported that this report accurately reflects the transactions for the SECA budget to date. John asked if there were any questions and no one had any questions. John reported that all of the last year's budget reports and audit information was submitted to Mr. Allen Murphy, CPA for the annual audit. Mr. Murphy will contact John and Cindy with the final report, which will be distributed to the Advisory Board and Charity Members.

New Business: None reported.

Adjourn: 11:44

Next Advisory Board Meeting will be held on October 2, 2007 in the Chicago and Springfield video Conference Centers.