MNSTF board meeting, May 9, 2025, 4:00pm, by videoconference. Attending board members: Matt Strait (recording), Linda Lounsbury, Scott Raun, Delia Ihinger, Hershey Harris. Others attending: Lizzy Adams. == Approve previous meeting's minutes == Approved! == Proposal from Lizzy Adams to start a magazine == Lizzy Adams is a writer and editor. She just graduated from Metro State. She's interested in starting a SF magazine, and doing outreach for it in libraries and schools, and doing writing sessions. They would like advice and help with bringing in donations. Linda: are you looking for startup money? Lizzy: no. Looking mainly for the affiliation. What can Minnstf provide? We can take donations tax-free. We can distribute magazines at our events. We have a bunch of authors in our group. Linda: would you like to pay authors who contribute? Lizzy: That would be nice. Depends on the funding. Don't want to charge for submissions. Linda: is it a print magazine? Lizzy: yes, that's the goal, with 250 copy print runs as the goal. Looks like it would be $600 to do that for 28 page magazines. Thinking of a $3 fee for a PDF version or a print version. Matt: how many people are involved? Lizzy: including me, five. (1) Editor in chief (2) managing editor, (3-5) others. They are figuring it out. None of them are on the business side. Matt: what would you do if you ended up with extra money? Lizzy: the goal is to run break-even. We'd pay writers more, or print more copies. Delia: do you have writers lined up? Lizzy: Yes. Goal for the first year is 100 submissions. Also think they can get some art, at least a cover. Planning on one issue a year to begin with. Maybe get up to four eventually. How can Minnstf be involved? First option is to structure our support as grants, and they say "sponsored by Minnstf". Second option is that we structure as a project of Minnstf, in which case we'd want more oversight. Linda: would you like to be part of the club? Lizzy: yes! But I don't know how. Scott et al: it's easy! You just come to a meeting and sign in. Discussion of upcoming meetings ensues. The board suggests that Lizzy talk to her co-editors and decide which way they'd like to structure. == Review TODO list == * (2025-02) Scott will ask Carol if the books are balanced for 1/31/2025 and 2/28/2025 statements. Carol has balanced the books through 3/31/2025. There's a $100 discrepancy that Carol is trying to work out. We have $3100 in checking as of 4/30. That's after paying the storage locker for May and June and the art show grid purchase. * (2025-03) Scott will check with DD-B that he can still be the board-chat back-up admin, webmaster and FANPA director. He said yes to all. * (2025-03) Scott will get the presumed ASCAP bill and get it paid. Got the bill. Scott will work on getting it paid. They want about $120. * (2025-03) Scott will ask Carol and Irene about being (assistant) treasurer. They said yes. * (2025-03) Scott will talk to Dean about being a signer. Back on the TODO list. This is the only pending officer position. * (2025-03) Scott will ask Carol about cheer secretary. She says yes. She'd like us to do some additional publicizing that this exists. Carol has posted it to the Minnstf Facebooks. We can also announce it at meetings from time to time. Linda can say it at the next meeting. DONE: * (2025-03) Hershey will ask Sharon about president -- she accepted. * (2025-03) Hershey will talk to Richard about being a signer -- he accepted. * (2025-03) Hershey will talk to Aaron about Vanguard -- he accepted. * (2025-03) Matt will ask Jim about quartermaster -- he accepted. == Review recurring task list == Scott needs to renew mnstf.org and minicon.org. Scott will do the taxes. Scott will renew our assumed name, and will let us know how the filing worked. Scott will renew us with the secretary of state. Matt will tell Beyond Conventions that we're jubileeing them. Get our bank and investment account balances. Matt will ask Aaron. Matt will ask Andra for the Minicon 58 balance. == Book donations == Linda is working on book donations to two schools. The librarians are enthusiastic. Linda is working with Dreamhaven to get a good list of books. == Adding officer positions for electronic accounts == We would like to make people who have control of our various electronic accounts into officers, because then we will automatically keep track of who they are and verify each year. Who are they? The various social media things (Aaron) Twitter: at least two accounts -- find out how many Facebook: 2 accounts - Access: Scott and Emily for Minnstf. Delia for Minicon. Bluesky -- just Aaron? Matt will ask Aaron what all he has control over. Discord - what is the status? Does Laurel have control? Scott will get on this. Dreamwidth: two accounts: Matt, Scott, Rachel Kronick mnstf.org Dreamhost account - DD-B's, and Matt has full access domain name - Owned by board@mnstf.org, Scott renews website access - DD-B, Matt, Clay, Chris Weiss mailing lists - natter - Dean, Minicon concom - Matt and ??? We should probably disable/delete the old Einblatt list. == Officer reports (offices held by board members) == Vice President: Hershey Harris -- no report -- we haven't even had any meetings lately. Correspondence Secretary: Hershey Harris and Linda Lounsbury -- Linda has a NESFA Instant Message and an ASCAP bill for Scott, and has delivered registrations to Clay. Membership Secretary: Scott Raun -- data entry is current. Recording Secretary: Matthew Strait -- doing the minutes right now. Rune Editor: Matthew Strait -- has done nothing. Archivist: Matthew Strait -- still archiving. Linda found interesting things about Minicon 9. Matt is looking through Minneapas -- cataloging their dates and looking for a song for Nate. == Officer reports (offices held by others) == None present. == Conventions == * Minicon 58 It seemed to go well. Don't know what the finances are yet. * Diversicon 32 We haven't heard an update. Should get Scott L to go to the next meeting. * Minicon 59 GoH are still coming. * Minicon 60 Working on author GoH. Got a rejection that is Trump's fault. * Minneapolis in 2073 Put an ad in the Seattle Worldcon program book. Treasury now has $1.30. == Next meeting == 6pm in person on Sunday June 15. Scott's house. == Review new TODO list == * (2025-05) Matt will tell Lizzy when the next meeting is. * (2025-05) Scott will ask Carol if the books are balanced for 4/30/2025. * (2025-05) Scott will get the ASCAP bill paid. * (2025-03) Scott will talk to Dean about being a signer. * (2025-05) Linda will advertise the Cheer Secretary at the next MNSTF meeting. * (2025-05) Scott will do the taxes. * (2025-05) Scott will renew us with the secretary of state. * (2025-05) Matt will tell Beyond Conventions that we're Jubileeing them. * (2025-05) Matt will ask Aaron for investment account balances. * (2025-05) Matt will ask Andra for the Minicon 58 balance. * (2025-05) Ask Aaron what social media accounts he controls * (2025-05) Discord - what is the status? Does Laurel have control? Scott will look into it. * (2025-05) Matt will get the old Einblatt mailing list disabled/deleted. * (2025-05) Matt will add a back-up admin for the Minicon concom mailing list. * (2025-05) Matt will tell Scott Lohman when the next meeting is. * (2025-05) Scott will renew Minicon's assumed name and let us know what the filing process was (paper or online). * (2025-05) Scott needs to renew mnstf.org and minicon.org.