Virginia Master Gardener Association, Inc.

Bi-Monthly Board Meeting

April 10, 2010

Hosted by Gloucester Master Gardeners

Attendance:

(Arlington/ Alexandria) Joe Kelly; (Bedford) Patty and Bob Gamache; (Chesapeake) Pinky Derieux; (Chesterfield) Lynne Foote; (Fauquier) Jim Scibek; (Fairfax) George and Gwen Graine; (Gloucester) Deb Bartok-Newton, George Simpson, Bill Walker, Jim Newton, Mo Lynch, Susan Malcolm, June Young, Kathy Gierlak, Wile Blair, Mary Simpson, Sally Moore, Dan Nortman, Bonnie Bernard; (Green Spring) Cyndi Bishop, Joan Richard; (Hanover) Cheri Haggerty, Christy Brennan; (Henrico) Beverly Cochrane; (Hill City/Lynchburg) Deborah Straw; (James City Co./Williamsburg) Jim and Nelda Pressly; (Loudoun/ Leesburg) Larry Burk; (Prince George) Cheryl Sebera, Barbara Geer; (Prince William) Janet and Bill Scott, Pat and Frank Reilly; (Rockbridge) David Mims, Ted Jenks; (Newport News) Peggy Fox; (Norfolk) Tom Bolt, Don Snipes; (Northern Neck) Edward Munns; (Northern Shenandoah Valley) Fran Gregory; (Stafford, King George, Spotsylviana, Fredericksburg) Gwen Pate; (Virginia Beach) Paul Campbell, Jim and Mary Ann Kincaid, Fran Shelton, Betty Villers, (Va. Tech) Dave Close; (Western Tidewater) Betty Jo Hendrix.

Call to Order:

President Betty Villers called the meeting to order at 10:00 am.

Bonnie Bernard, VMGA Unit representative and President of the Gloucester Master Gardener Association, welcomed everyone to Gloucester and introduced Dan Nortman the Gloucester Extension Agent.

The Gloucester Master Gardeners are grand marshal of the daffodil festival and have several large projects throughout the area.

Introductions:

Betty asked every member to introduce themselves and the unit, committee or office they represented.

The Unit representative roster was passed around and representatives were asked to update information and return the form back to Christy.

Minutes – Christy Brennan

The minutes of the December 2009 meeting were accepted as posted on the VMGA web site.

Treasurer’s Report – Bill Scott

Bill presented the treasurer's report. The last educational program was very successful, well attended and well organized.

The report will be filed for audit. (Report is attached).

Special Report- what changes will the state budget cuts have on the VCE Master Gardener Program? Pat Reilly provided an historical perspective of past challenges to the program and what VMGA Units and local associations did and can do in response.

Dave Close provided an update from VCE to the General Assembly budget requirement for a strategic plan.

Committee Reports:

Newsletter- Peggy Fox- Chair

Peggy thanked all units for articles submitted for the newsletter.

She reminded the reps to let us know what is going on in their area by sending her articles and unit newsletters.

Send unit reports to Cheryl Sebera by April 20^th.

Membership- Mary Ann Kincaid-Chair

As of April 8, there are 639 members of the Virginia Master Gardener Association. Of these, 477 are Active members; 6 are Auxiliary members; and 156 are Lifetime members.

This is an increase of 74 members since the February 2010 report. The increased membership is due largely to the March Education event in Petersburg.

There are currently 61 more VMGA members than reported a year ago.

362 Active memberships will expire the end of May. Renewal notices to these members will be sent in mid-April.

Unit Support- Frank Reilly – Chair

The committee consists of Pat Reilly, Pinky Derieux, Karen Sacasky, and Frank Reilly and whomever else we need.

The unit support committee prepared a budget issues website, and sent over 8000 e-mails messages out asking for support for the VCE programs and MG’s in particular.

Communication Committee

Members: Dawn Meyerriecks (Web Master), Cheri Haggerty, Kathryn Debnar (maintains the calendar page), Shelby Snyder, Tom Bolt, George Graine, Betty Truax, and Chair, Frank Reilly and whoever else we can get.

1. Since the report for the February meeting, there have been 2994 unique visitors to VMGA.net they visited a total of 20,563 pages. The visitors visit between 6 and 7 pages in addition to the front page when they come, and click an average of 8 times per visit. This is a very favorable “dwell time” that most commercial sites would be proud to have.

2. Since the February report, the web page has been updated on 374 separate occasions.

3. The most popular pages in the last two months have been; calendar and educational events, about VMGA and membership. But more than 68% of viewers come through the first page.

4. About 28% of our viewers come through search engines.

5. Kathryn Debnar is accepting changes to the calendar page.

6. Membership Applications are available on line at the membership page.

7. The new MG college page is up and presentations are available.

Finance Committee- Ted Jenks

The Finance committee will present a balanced budget at the Annual meeting in June. The proposed budget is attached.

Education Committee -Barbara Geer – Chair

Members: Barbara Geer, Betty Jo Hendrix, Patty Richard, Mildred McDuffie, Ira Wallace.

The Mini College titled “Leading Edges in Consumer Horticulture” held in cooperation with VA State University was a success. There was very good feedback from most MG’s who were very appreciative and would like to attend a similar program again. There were 120 registered, with 113 in actual attendance. 

Extraordinary support [planning, printing, supplies, etc.] from Andy Hankins and VSU staff and facilities may actually give us a small 'profit'; they provided 'up-scale' folders, programs, badges, etc. much above the quality we would have used to 'stay within the budget'. 

Other main VSU contributions were in advising on topics, finding speakers and cost-free use of an excellent facility. 

The Director of Programs at VSU is quite interested in the VCE-MG program and wants to see the Survey results.  We will comply and will request for approval a similar Educational program at VSU for early spring of 2011. 

Fall 2010 program will be in Rockbridge County. 

Coordinator Endowment Committee: Kathryn Debnar- Chair

Kathryn was not present, Dave Close gave the report.

Total contributions are $316,280.63

Cash on hand 128,392.95

O/S Pledges 16,405.00

Mr. Dempsey Pledge 100,000.00

Dawn Lerch (bequest) 50,00.00

Interest Earned 21,482.68

In order to receive documentation for a tax deduction all donations must be submitted to VT. Make checks payable to “VT Foundation”, add Account #886119 in the memo line and mail to: CALS Development Office, 215 Hutcheson Hall (0402) Blacksburg VA 24061.

Virginia Green Industry: Cheri Haggerty- VMGA Representative

Cheri was not present and Betty gave the report. The 2010 Go Green Festival will be the second week in September at the Science Museum of Virginia. Cheri will be asking for volunteers.

Education Endowment committee- Leslie Paulson-Chair

Leslie was not present, Betty gave the report. Committee members are: Mary Ann Kincaid, Debbie Hizer, Jack Prince, Jane Wyman, Jim Revell, and Jeff Goggin, all are previous scholarship recipients. She reminded us that it is every reps responsibility to get the word out concerning the availability of scholarships. These six scholarships were restructured to represent the needs of the larger and smaller units. Please remind Unit Coordinators and Extension Agents to nominate a recipient.

Fund Raising- Patty Gamache -Chair

Patty is retiring from the committee so please consider taking the position of fund raising chair.

Sales continue to be strong since the last meeting. We will have new items available at MG College, a new MG window cling and a long-sleeved sweatshirt.

State Fair- Christy Brennan

Master Gardeners had a large venue in the Fish and Plant Center and had over 20 tables available for demonstrations and publications. Please consider volunteering your unit. The new location at the Meadow is just down I-95 and we are still having over 10,000 contacts and hundreds of volunteer hours. What a great chance to showcase Master Gardener units and projects to state officials who attend the fair!

The new venue has a lot of opportunities to offer Master Gardeners and we hope more units will choose to participate this year.

VCE- Dave Close

1. From the 12,000 comments, six themes emerged:
• Value-enhanced agriculture
• Sustainable natural resources and environment
• Healthy living for youth (obesity)
• Building capacity for communities
• Healthy families and communities
• Organizational excellence

The focus areas align with the five key initiatives of the College. During the months of April, May, & June, the Strategic Planning Committee will be writing the 2010-2015 VCE plans. Suggestions and directions from the process will be implemented on July 1, 2010.

2. As of April 10, Dr. Rick Rudd has stepped down as Interim VCE Director and will be returning to the Ag Extension & Education Department as Department Head. Dr. Alan Grant will step in as Director of VCE until a permanent Director of VCE can be hired. A committee will be assembled to conduct a national search within the next couple of weeks.

3. Three candidates were interviewed for the Associate Extension Director for Ag & Natural Resources. The candidates included two internal to VCE: Dr. Andy Overbay, acting District Director for the Southwest District & Dr. Dee Whittier of the VA-MD Regional Vet School, and one candidate from the Michigan Extension system.
4. Pest Management Guide – two meetings have taken place: one with agents and MG volunteers and one with authors and specialists. Now a design team has been constructed of VCE Specialists, Agents, and MG volunteers. We have identified three specific changes we intend to implement in the 2011 edition. This is being treated as a long-term process to develop the ultimate PMG. Dr. Joyce Latimer, Extension Project Leader in Horticulture is taking the lead and Dave is assisting her with respect to the MG element.
5. State Record Keeping System update – Dave is looking for two units willing to pilot the new system.
6. MGCAT met in March. The registration fee for 2010 will be $150, up $25 from the past 5 years. Sunday morning has been added back into the schedule and is when Kirk Brown will appear as John Bartram. We will also have a picnic on Sunday like years past. There will be three options for on-campus housing: New Residence Hall West, New Residence Hall East, and the GLC (former Donaldson-Brown hotel conference center). New Res Hall East: $38 (double), $43 (single); GLC/New Hall West: $40 (double), $46 (single); there is also a one-time $2.50 admin fee; meal cards are $24.70/day.
7. Land Care Steward Project – the books are printed and sitting in my office! It is titled Smart Yard Care: Big Rewards from Small Investments in Stewardship. Working on setting up an account to be able to print and sell more copies. They will retail for $19.95 for orders of 100 or more. We will be pre-selling them with registration for MG College.
8. As you may or should be aware, the General Assembly modified the biennium budget and removed language to close offices, consolidate others, and eliminate targeted VCE programs. They have charged the VCE admin team to complete their strategic plan and report to the budget finance committee as to how they will implement the $1.1 million dollar budget reduction for 2011 and the $5.5 million budget reduction for 2012.There are also some talking points for stakeholders to use to continue talking with legislators now that they are back home. Dr. Alan has stated he will develop a task force to begin working on a restructuring of VCE in conjunction with a white paper being prepared to outline the process. Dave has asked Dr. Grant to appointment either the current president or president-elect of VMGA to the task force since VCE depends on MG volunteers to advocate on their behalf. Similarly, VESA (VA Extension Service Assoc.) is developing an advocacy group to educate stakeholders on the value of VCE. Dave has volunteered to serve on that group and he nominated one VCE MG volunteer as a non-paid advocate of VCE to serve on the group too. Designs will be pending until April 16 as to who will be selected to serve.
9. Great article in the Washington Post on April 1: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/30/AR2010033003046.html

talking about the value of the MG program and the short-sightedness of VA’s legislators in how they wanted to ‘prune’ it.

10. An idea has been put forth (by an agent from the Northern Neck) to market the VCE MG program as a private-public partnership. This should be more appealing to our elected officials
11. Dave asked VMGA to endorse and be a co-sponsor of efforts to recycle plastic pots/containers through some cooperating local independent garden centers. This will take place in the Richmond area and hopefully expand beyond Richmond in the future. We will encourage VCE MGs to participate as needed in these events by providing educational materials and answer questions for consumers.

Presidents Report-

· February meeting canceled because of weather but reports from the committees, Dave and meeting of VCE and Executive Board were sent to everyone.

· Thanks to all who sent letters to state legislators concerning the budget cuts.

· Executive Board decided not to allow other organizations to solicit donations through our website as it would undercut our attempts to fund the Coordinator Endowment.

· Reminder to post your Plant Sales and educational events on VA Gardener magazine website at vagardener.com.

Unfinished Business:

Elections -

Jim Scibek reported our first election by email thru Ballotbin was a success. Those without email were sent paper ballots. This process yielded similar numbers in number of persons voting as previous elections using all paper ballots but at a savings of $317. It was decided to allow two weeks for voting at the next election in two year. New officers to be installed at the Annual Meeting, June 26th: Bill Scott - President; Christy Brennan - Vice President; Secretary - Peggy Fox; Jim Kincaid - Treasurer.

MG College -

Silent Auction - Leslie Paulson will be contacting all units to contribute items for the Silent Auction. Remember this is our largest fundraiser for the Coordinator Endowment.

Search for Excellence - Last year we had several groups adjust to the documentation process and try the Search for Excellence competition to showcase a particular project. We have had training sessions for helpful pointers on putting together award-winning presentations. This year we hope more units will participate. The rules, helpful pointers and entry forms can be obtained online at VMGA.net or by emailing Christy Brennan, ctb47@comcast.net

Please let Betty Villers know if you require space and electricity for your presentation by June 5th. Remember the 2011 International Master Gardener College will be in our own backyard (Charleston, WVA) and this will be a great year for us to prepare.

Plant Swap - Bring plants to swap with someone else. There will be a drop-off area at the Registration Tent and you can pick up your traded plants on Sunday. There will be a specially marked table for swap plants at the Plant Sale on Sunday.

New Business:

Board Meeting Cancellation Policy adopted - The Board voted to adopt a Meeting Cancellation Policy to be added to the Standing Rules. " Before canceling a Board Meeting because of threatening weather, the President shall consult with the host and the Executive Board. Members of the Board and unit reps will be notified by email and/or phone 24 hours before the Board meeting of the cancellation. The cancellation notice will also be posted on the website".

Diane Relf EEF Scholarship Fund - We voted to give an additional scholarship to Master Gardener College this year to honor the memory of Bud Gregory who passed away in December. Bud was an active member of the VMGA.

Audit Committee - Deborah Straw was appointed chairman of the Audit Committee to audit the Treasurer's books before the Annual Meeting.

Silent Auction - Bill Scott introduced a new plan to rotate the Auction responsibility each year at MG College similar to the rotation of the Bi-monthly VMGA meetings. Looking for large units or several units to work together to chair this very successful Coordinator Endowment Fund raiser. Let Bill know which year you would like to volunteer for.

Botanical Interests Seed Company - At the suggestion of Beverly Cochran from Henrico MGA to partner with Botanical Interests as a fund raising opportunity for the Coordinator Endowment and after some research, the Executive Board recommended we accept the opportunity to earn 20% on all seed sales (no sales tax) for the Endowment. Information to place an order will be posted on the VMGA website.

Announcements:

Educational Event: Community Garden Workshop - April 17th, Roanoke

Next Bi-Monthly Meeting - Friday, June 25th 5:00 PM - MG College

Annual Meeting - Saturday, June 26th, 7:00 PM - MG College

Meeting adjourned at 1:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Christy Brennan, VMGA Secretary

VMGA, Inc.

DRAFT FY2011 Budget Assumptions

June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2011

• Membership dues are based upon prior year actual collections and are reduced $300 from last year.

• Revenue from education activities is projected on last year’s experience and forecast to offset expenses.

• Fundraising revenue represents income from the sale of t-shirts and other merchandise. Silent auction revenue will be given directly to the VT Foundation and will not flow through VMGA records.

• The combined line item for Communication/Support expenses is composed of $225 for Communications and $50 for the Unit Support Committee.

• Education represents the expenses of FY2011 educational activities forecast at a break-even level. Refer to the related income in the revenue section of the budget.

• EEF Scholarships are forecast to be paid from operating funds in FY2011. The current VMGA endowment does not generate sufficient revenue to fund the scholarships and growth accumulation. One of last year’s scholarship winners had to leave MG College on the first day therefore, this scholarship will be awarded this year. In addition, the VMGA Board voted in ??????? to create an additional scholarship in memory of Mr. Bud Gregory. That will bring the total scholarship awards for this year to eight (8).

• Election expenses are not included since there will be no election this year.

• Fundraising Gifts to VT Endowment represent the contribution of revenue from the sale of merchandise described above to the endowment for the state coordinator.

• Marketing expenses include $250 for the Maymont Booth, $50 for membership in the Virginia Green Industry Council (VGIC), and $50 for a donation to the VGIC Green Festival in the fall since they do not charge MGs for a booth.

• Membership & Roster expenses approximate the costs of producing the membership directory and other expenses incurred to acquire new members and renew members in FY2011. If an electronic solution for the directory were utilized, as discussed in the Finance Committee report, these costs would be significantly reduced.

• Newsletter expenses are composed of $840 for printing costs and $360 for postage and labels to provide for the mailing of 125 issues. This assumes the remaining 450 copies are provided electronically by email.

• State Fair expenses are forecast at $400 which is the same as 2010.

• Officers’ expenses for Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer are based on historical actual data.

• The President’s expense represents a contingency fund to be used at the President’s discretion with approval of the Executive Board

		VMGA, Inc.
		DRAFT FY2011 Budget
		June 1,2010 to May 31,2011
Income
	Membership
	Regular						$ 1,100
	Lifetime/Advanced Payments						4,000
			Total Membership				5,100
	Gifts for EEF Scholarships						-
	Education				6,000
	Fundraising				1,000
			Subtotal		7,000
Total Income							$ 12,100
Expenses
	Communication/Support						$ 275
	Coordinator Endowment Committee					100
	Education				6,000
	EEF Scholarships						800
	Elections						-
	Fundraising Committee						50
	Fundraising Gifts to VT Endowment			1,000
	Marketing						350
	Membership & Roster						2,100
	Newsletter						1,200
	State Fair						400
	Officers' Expense
	President						300
	Vice President						25
	Secretary						75
	Treasurer						125
			Subtotal		7000		5,800
Total Expenses							$ 12,800

Virginia Master Gardener Association

Treasurer’s Report

April 10, 2010

			Balance Sheet
		Data As OF:	3/31/2010
Assets
	Checking Account Balance				$11,503.95
	PDR Education Endowment CD Balance				$14,228.94
	Reserve CD #2 Balance				$4,832.97
	Future Dues CD Balance				$6,018.07
	Fundraising Inventory				$1,945.67
			Total Assets		$38,529.60
Liabilities
	Unearned Income - Future Dues				$7,815.01
	Coordinator Endowment Funds Payable				$653.00
	Coordinator Endowment Planned Gifts Payable				$0.00
	Restricted Gifts for Scholarships				$0.00
			Total Liabilities		$8,468.01
Net Assets
	Accumulated Earnings				$22,818.07
	Current Year Earnings				$7,243.52
			Total Net Assets		$30,061.59
				Total Liabilities and Net Assets	$38,529.60

Virginia Master Gardener Association

Treasurer’s Report

April 10, 2010

Checking Balance	1/31/2010			$8,487.05
	Receipts			$5,450.17
		Coord Endowment Gifts	$125.00
		Dues FY 11-20	$1,560.00
		FY 10 Dues (current FY)	$494.32
		Education	$3,063.00
		Fundraising	$90.81
		Gift for EEF	$168.00
		PayPal Processing Fees	-$50.96
	Disbursements			-$2,484.29
		Comm/Support	$0.00
		Coord Endowment Cmte	$0.00
		Coord Endow Gift Transfers	$0.00
		Education	-$2,095.50
		Education Scholarship-Spec	$0.00
		EEF Scholarships	$0.00
		Elections	-$100.00
		Fund Raising Cmte
		Fund Raising Gifts to Endowment	$0.00
		Marketing	-$50.00
		Membership & Roster
		Newsletter	-$151.30
		State Fair	$0.00
		Officers Expense
		President	-$28.24
		Vice President	$0.00
		Secretary	$0.00
		Treasurer	-$59.25
	Transfers			$51.02
		EEF Gift Transfers	$0.00
		Lifetime Dues Transfers	$0.00
		Reserve CD Transfers	$0.00
		Fundraising Inventory Transfer	$51.02
Checking Balance	3/31/2010			$11,503.95
	Interest Income on Reserve and EEF CD's		$383.42
	Interest Income on Future Dues CD		$153.67

Virginia Master Gardener Association

Treasurer’s Report

April 10, 2010

Year to Date Income & Expenses to Budget FY10
Income YTD
	Committee	Budget	Income
	Membership
	FY10(Lifetime/Prior Year)	$4,000.00	$4,008.00
	FY10(Current FY)	$1,400.00	$1,730.32
	Subtotal	$5,400.00	$5,738.32
	Education	$3,000.00	$6,403.00
	Fundraising	$1,000.00	$3,412.34
	Gift for EEF		$214.00
	Interest Income		$537.09
	total	$9,400.00	$16,304.75
Expenses YTD
	Committee	Budget	Expense	Year-End
	Comm/Support	$275.00	$0.00	$275.00
	Coord Endowment Cmte	$100.00	$0.00	$100.00
	Education	$3,000.00	-$5,439.52	-$2,439.52
	EEF Scholarships	$600.00	-$500.00	$100.00
	Elections	$125.00	-$100.00	$25.00
	Fund Raising Cmte	$50.00	-$228.35	-$178.35
	Fund Raising Gifts to Endowment	$1,000.00	-$228.00	$772.00
	Marketing	$300.00	-$50.00	$250.00
	Membership & Roster	$2,000.00	-$1,258.54	$741.46
	Newsletter	$1,200.00	-$701.26	$498.74
	State Fair	$400.00	-$341.78	$58.22
	Officers Expense
	President	$125.00	-$28.24	$96.76
	Vice President	$25.00	$0.00	$25.00
	Secretary	$100.00	-$7.99	$92.01
	Treasurer	$100.00	-$177.55	-$77.55
	total	$9,400.00	-$9,061.23
Year to Date Endowment & Restricted Funds Transactions FY10
	Fund	Balance to Start Fiscal Year	Funds Received	Transfers	Balance
	Coordinator Endowment	$1,078.00	$653.00	-$1,078.00	$653.00
	Fundraising for Coor. Endow.	$1,411.88	3412..34	-$1,639.88	$3,184.34
	Education Endowment	$353.00	$214.00	$0.00	$567.00
	total				$4,404.34