Minutes of the Berkeley Go Club General Meeting
January 21, 2006
Prepared by Roger Schrag, Secretary
In attendance: Ken Pelter kicked off the meeting at 5:20 pm. The following full members were present, constituting a quorum: Nick Burgoyne, Ray Chen, Ted Christen, John Givens, Ron Goldberg, Mark Harris, Ken Pelter, Dennis Rhodes, Roger Schrag, and Leonard Sosnoski, Limited member Stephan Ritter and guest Kevin Yi were also present. Jimmy Zhang had appointed Ken Pelter as his proxy.
Treasurer’s report: Ken reported that as of April 23, 2005, the club’s bank balance was about $2,300 and as of January 21, 2006, the balance is $2,003.04. This implies that the club lost about $300 during the last nine months. Ken also reported that for the last nine months of 2005 the club had income of $4,093 and expenses of $5,742. Rent during the nine months totaled $3,600 and incorporation expenses totaled $582. It was not immediately clear where the other $1,560 in expenses came from, and it also appeared that the income and expense figures did not correlate with the bank account balance figures reported. Ken will investigate this further and deliver a financial report soon.
Membership: At this time the club has five members at the sponsor level, ten full members, and three limited members. There were 13 full members in April, 2005, indicating an increase of two since then. The club has a goal of 20 full or sponsoring members in order to cover the basic expenses of the club.
Accomplishments since the April general meeting: A lot has been accomplished since the April 23, 2005 general meeting.
- The club has incorporated and elected a board of directors and officers.
- The club has an up-to-date website at www.berkeleygoclub.org. Jason Pfaff is the webmaster.
- The club has its own bank account and post office box.
- The club is an AGA chapter, listed on the AGA website.
- The club has begun outreach efforts by offering go demos at Games of Berkeley on Monday nights.
Nonprofit status: The club has filed the necessary paperwork with the California Secretary of State and the IRS in order to apply for nonprofit status as a mutual benefit corporation, indicated by the IRS as a 501c(7) corporation. We are waiting for the state and federal taxing authorities to make a determination, which can take a few more months. As a mutual benefit corporation, the club would not need to pay income taxes, but donations made directly to the club would not be tax-deductible. The club is in discussions with the American Go Federation to see if there might be a way for tax-deductible donations to be directed to the club.
Plans for 2006
Monday nights at Games of Berkeley: Go demonstrations on the main level at Games of Berkeley in downtown Berkeley will continue Monday nights from 6:00 pm until store closing at 9:00 pm. In addition, one or two rooms downstairs will be available for people to play go games. Ken wants volunteers to help in this effort, perhaps committing to one Monday per month. Ideally there will be a volunteer upstairs for the demos and downstairs to act as monitor for the games.
Tournaments: Ken announced that the club will host a beginners’ tournament (10+ kyu) at Games of Berkeley in the downstairs rooms on February 25. The club has nine full Ing sets (boards, stones, and clocks). Some of these sets are already being stored at Games of Berkeley. Ken hopes to hold a full tournament (not just for beginners) later in the year. Ron said he might be able to assist with providing facilities for a larger tournament.
Teaching go: Ken wants the club to teach go in schools in the area to 7 to 18 year olds as another form of outreach. He asks for volunteers to help with this. The club will check with contacts in the school system in order to get this initiative going. Ken has curriculum materials for teaching go to children, and he has some experience doing this as well.
Grant funding: When the club gets its nonprofit determination, we will be in a better position to approach foundations and angel investors to apply for grants. These funds would probably be used to secure a larger space for the club. Relocating the club to downtown Berkeley would also put the club closer to the university campus, making recruiting on campus more feasible.
Participation in cultural events: Another way for the club to reach out to generate interest in go and find potential new members is through participation in cultural events. For example, perhaps the club could get a booth or a table for demonstrating go in the upcoming Chinese New Year festivities in Oakland.
Board Elections
The following people were nominated for the club’s 2006 board of directors: Ted Christen, Herb Doughty, Ron Goldberg, Mark Harris, Ken Pelter, and Roger Schrag. John Givens and Leonard Sosnoski were also nominated, but both respectfully declined. A suggestion was made to vote on a slate composed of Ted Christen, Ron Goldberg, Mark Harris, Ken Pelter, and Roger Schrag. Nine votes were cast in favor of the slate and one vote was cast against the slate. Thus the slate was elected.
The 2006 board of directors for the club shall be: Ted Christen, Ron Goldberg, Mark Harris, Ken Pelter, and Roger Schrag. The new board will meet within the next two weeks in order to elect officers.
Action Items
The following action items were identified during the course of the meeting:
- Ken and Ron to clarify figures in Treasurer’s report.
- Nick will join Ken at Games of Berkeley to try it out.
- Ron will check his schedule to see if he can help out at Games of Berkeley.
- Ken to make sure club supplies stored at Games of Berkeley are properly labeled to avoid any confusion in the future as to what belongs to the store and what belongs to the club.
- Ron will check into getting a booth or other form of participation in Chinese New Year activities in Oakland’s Chinatown.
- The new board of directors will schedule a board meeting within the next two weeks.