TRAVERSE CITY ALANO CLUB
Meeting Minutes
December 7, 2015

The meeting was opened with the serenity prayer at 6:45 p.m. Present: Bob Eichenlaub, Charlie Birdsall, Erin Taylor, Candy Kniffin, Rich Holcombe, Linda Tracy, Eric Pearson. Lisa agreed to take notes.

Bob read the proposed agenda. Our official name is Traverse City Alano Club, although we can choose to go by another name if we so desire. It is confusing with the Alano Club of Grand Traverse also in existence.

Meetings will be held on the first Monday of each month. Later we may decide on a different schedule, but we have a lot to do right now.

The primary objective of the club is to keep a building viable for the West End AA Group. Secondary objective is to serve as a social club for AA members. The group agreed on the financial goal of building a prudent reserve in case West End can’t make the rent. Toward that end the club would charge membership dues.

The group agreed to establish membership dues of $50 per year. This was later amended to allow monthly membership at $5 per month ($60 per year), $50 per year if paid annually up front.

Officers were elected with terms of office as follows:

Position	Officer	Term Length
Board Chair	Bob Eichenlaub	1 year
Vice Chair	Charlie Birdsall	2 years
Secretary	Rich Holcombe	1 year
Treasurer	Lisa Molmen	2 years
Membership Chair	Candy Kniffin	1 year
Social Events Chair	Linda Tracy	2 years
Fundraising Chair	Erin Taylor	1 year
Information Technology Chair	Eric Pearson	2 years

The number of terms offices may be held will be discussed at a later date.

Now that we’re incorporated, Bob will apply for a Federal Employer Identification Number so West End can pay us and we can pay the landlord. We will also seek status as a 501(c)(3) corporation and establish a bank account.

Meeting minutes and bylaws will be posted at the club.

Eric volunteered to set up a website and Facebook account for the club. He would like to help us get started using SalesForce software (free to nonprofits) for our financial recordkeeping, document management and sharing, etc. Facebook can be a private group. The group agreed with the plan and expressed the desire that the I.T. Officer should be a board position with voting rights.

The board discussed our potential agreement with the West End Group, published in a separate document.

It had been suggested that the club take over coordinating the New Year’s Eve Alcathon and the summer float trip on the Boardman River. This was nixed; there is already ownership of those events and we do not want to step on toes.

Club bylaws are needed. Linda has bylaws from a long-standing club in another state, and others will get examples from other clubs in Michigan. We will share via Google Docs at least one week before our next meeting, which is scheduled for January 4, 2016.

(I have a note here about Charlie and Erin doing something about an agreement with West End, but I don’t know what I meant by it. Bob has already shared via Google the proposed agreement with West End from our meeting agenda.)

Options for fundraising and social events were discussed. We’re not ready to move on anything yet, we were just tossing out ideas.

Bob will put board members’ contact information into a document and share. Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.

Notes respectfully submitted by Lisa Molmen.