ALL FRETS - July/August 2018 ENTIRE ISSUE | Page 30

responsibility due to their annual hosting of the Eureka Springs event shortly after our convention. Ron McLawhon brought up
concerns regarding contract language regarding our use of an outside A/V vendor (which had since been addressed) as well as the
use of assigned vendor space for breakfast service (which will need to be addressed for security reasons). McLawhon also
questioned the room night commitment of 420 total rooms with a 20% attrition clause, noting that a 336 room night commitment
might be very close to actual utilization. President Grosser thanked Baier for his efforts in researching and securing an acceptable
contract and, with board approval, agreed to present the proposal to the membership for approval the following day.
To report on activity within the ALL FRETS Library, Grosser called upon Larry Rutan in the absence of Librarian, Glenn Peisker. Rutan
reported very little activity in the library, with less than a dozen requests fulfilled during the previous year. Rutan also reported that
cataloging of the library’s holdings is an ongoing project which will never be fully complete based on ongoing contributions.
In the absence of ALL FRETS Foundation chairman, Andy Johnson, president Grosser called attention to Andy’s written report of
activity with the foundation during the previous year. A review of door prize proceeds to date ($2,677.00 pre-sale and over $400.00
on-site) resulted in continued support of the annual fundraising effort.
To report on efforts to expand the social media presence of ALL FRETS, Grosser called upon Tyler Jackson. Tyler called attention to
the existing ALL FRETS “group” which is active on Facebook – but is actively populated with many individuals who are not members
of ALL FRETS. Noting the group as a “free for all,” Jackson reviewed his recent work in establishing an official ALL FRETS Facebook
page which would allow the organization to maintain a degree of control over the content which is currently disseminated around
the internet under the ALL FRETS brand. Jackson’s hope is that once the official page is established, current participants in the
“group” will migrate to the official page and be encouraged to become members. Johnny Baier affirmed his belief that the casual,
often negative personal commentary witnessed in the current “group” page is doing more harm than good for the ALL FRETS brand.
He further noted that participants in the “group” seem either completely disinterested in actually joining ALL FRETS or believe that
their participation in the “group” automatically makes them part of the organization. He stressed the need for enlightenment
regarding who we are, what we do, and what action is necessary for someone to actually become part of ALL FRETS. Tyler noted
that once the new page is operational, he will utilize the previously budgeted $300.00 to promote the site and encourage
membership from within the existing group.
Each year the board reviews the balance of the cash reserve account to determine if a transfer from the Foundation account
principal is needed to supplement operational expenses. Baier reviewed that the minimum established balance for the cash reserve
account is $40,000.00. Noting that the current cash reserve balance is in excess of $48,000.00, Baier stated that a transfer from
Foundation principal to the cash reserve account would not be necessary at this time. For review, Baier pointed out that a
substantial portion of the existing Foundation principal exists as the result of transfers of excess operational funds during past years
when membership numbers were higher than their current levels. Concurrently, the board had previously approved the existing
threshold and procedure for reversing Foundation principal to cash reserves if and when such funds are needed.
Prompted by Grosser, Baier went on to review and opine regarding the long-term financial viability of the ALL FRETS organization.
Baier began by stating that at its current membership level, ALL FRETS is “bleeding” approximately $10,000.00 annually when
comparing cost of operation to income. In an attempt to avoid an ope