Date: February 26, 2023, 2pm
Location: Zoom, with side postings on the TSFS Discord channel #febuary-2023-business-meeting
Agenda:
Next Meeting: April 15, 2:00pm, Saturday. Discord #april-2023-business-meeting
Called to order: 14:11 EST
Treasurer Report:
In various accounts, we have a total of $5,808.09. This is less than the outstanding hotel contractual obligations which stand right now at $6,107. We are paying the hotel $1000/month until we have paid what we owe.
The GoFundMe has stalled at $4,703. This includes off-line contributions.
Goal is $11,000.
Ongoing TSFS expenses:
$174/month – storage room
$15/year – Hosting for website, email, etc.
$134/year – Post Office Box
Income taxes (TSFS is not a 505(c)3 organization)
DrG suggested that we ask the hotel to accept what we’ve paid so far.
Non-commital reply.
Sam needs help from someone who knows how to do crowdfunding.
GoFundMe -- Sam needs to post an update to increase visibility.
He also needs to give Marilyn and updated status to put on social media.
Chessiecon 2023
With the idea that we put on a mini-Chessiecon, Miriam Winder Kelly from
the Baltimore Science Fiction Society proposed an inexpensive venue. [See
transcript for who she proposed this to since she was not at the meeting]
Roland Park Community Center would be available Friday and Saturday. It is
used for worship services on Sunday. It has several meeting rooms and a
kitchen. Herveus estimates it would cost $200/hour.
The main question is who would put it on? There was a consensus that not
enough of the people present had the energy to do it. We would need new
committee members. A mini-con would only draw local people. Also we don’t
have any working capital.
Herveus: I think it's really obvious that we have neither the financial or
human resources to even begin to think about trying to do that.
Motion #1:
Reply to Miriam as follows:
After due consideration of the proposed venue of Roland Park Community
Center for a Chessiecon 2023, TSFS has determined that we unfortunately
lack both the financial and human resources to make this a viable operation.
We would like to thank you for the suggestion, and please do not hesitate
to reach out to us in the future, if you may have other ideas as to how
Chessiecon or TSFS might move forward.
Motion carried
Motion #2:
TSFS does not have the financial or human resources to consider putting
on Chessiecon 2023. Therefore, it is moved that Chessiecon 2023 will not
happen. Further, it is directed that this decision be published on the
Chessiecon web page and disseminated broadly across social media.
Motion carried
Future of TSFS:
Sam stated four options for the future of TSFS and Chessiecon:
1) dissolve the corporation all together, and everybody go their separate
ways.
2) dissolve the corporation and try to reincorporate as essentially a
holding company. This would give us flexibility in the future. To have
Chessiecon at a different time of year. This will enable us to have a
smaller, more dedicated group to possibly brainstorm suggestions about
how to revive a convention.
3) we would dissolve formally and attempt to start from ground zero.
4) ??
Herveus read the mission statement from the by laws. Some people think the
corporation itself is worthwhile continuing in a different form. We feel
we still have something to offer the local SF/F community.
There was additional discussion, prompted by Keith, about why it is unlikely
that a small convention like Chessiecon can recover from the pandemic. It
was already declining before. The first Chessiecon was 2014. 2015 had 650
people, but we haven’t had those numbers since.
Perhaps Chessiecon can occur in a different format either virtual or at a
different time of year. That would require fewer people: Still need a con
chair, programming head, tech staff. Perhaps we can get help from the East
Coast Convention Tech Crew.
It is urgent that TSFS reduce all operating expenses starting with the
storage room. We won’t have a physical convention for a while so most of
the items need to be disposed of or re-homed.
Storage Room: There is no complete inventory. Storage room rent is
month to month, there is not a contract for a time period. Payment on the
first of the month. Much discussion of contents and how to move or dispose
of items. From memory:
Meeting adjourned 15:56 EST
Motions:
New Action Items:
Action Items From January Meeting: