Sarah Ritchie-Crowther
Andy VanSchoick
Aaron Silver
Daniel Crowther

Banking/Finances

• Kevin McGlynn resigned as Treasurer due to other obligations and time constraints
• Sarah thanked Aaron for assuming the position of Treasurer
• A Federal Tax number was obtained
• Checking account was opened (6/11/03?)
• Sarah suggested the use of QuickBooks for the accounting since it seemed to be a commonly owned program among the officers and was capable of handling our needs.
• The official name for the checking account is "CDBA" (because the moron at the bank couldn't figure out how to make the computer take a second line of text in the 'name' field.)
• Any 2 of the 4 CDBA Officers are needed to sign on the checks
• The bank Statement will be sent to the Secretary and then disseminated to the Treasurer
• Andy and Sarah are investigating Non-Profit status for Tax exemption

Events

Merli Manufacturing - 06/22/03

• Jim will be doing a "Mystery" demo
• Dan will be doing a Flesh Fork and other assorted colonial cookware
• Andy will demo his easily built propane forge
• Aaron will demo his easily built BBQ forge
• Andy will be cooking on his BBQ too
• Forms for the September Family Event need to be available at this event

Burden Event - 09/07/03? (Pending contact of Burden Ironworks)

• Contact Kelly Akin for a possible demonstration
• Sarah will contact Tom Carol at Burden to secure date and site availability

CDBA 1st Annual Picnic and Hammer-In - Copake Ironworks - 09/20/03 & 09/21/03

• COST - $15 Participation Fee ($20 for the whole family) & NYS Camping Fee $13/night
• Deadline for reservations 09/07/03
• CDBA will handle campground reservations for participants
• Lee Harvey will handle food arraingements
• Picnic on Sat?
• Crafts and activities for the family not involved in Hammer-In
• CDBA will invite Berkshire Blacksmiths

Organizational

• Bylaws will be needed in the near future for Tax-Exempt Non-Profit status (Andy [& Arron?] will investigate "standard" bylaw versions)
  • Duties of Officers
  • Reasons for removal of Officers
  • Length of Officer Terms
• Non-Profit Status
  • Use of Federal forms nullifies the need for a state filing
  • 3 Years of past financial data or 3 year projection of financial state needed
  • Bylaws and "Constitution" or "Organizational Purpose" subject to federal review before Non-Profit status granted.
  • Tax ID number needed (already obtained)
• Preliminary investigation into an insurance policy indicates: (will continue to be investigated by Andy)
  • Having a waiver signed by a dues paying member does help limit liability because they are entering into a paying contract
  • Further investigation into "Event Coverage" will be undertaken

Educational

• Event Goals
  • 4-6 Workshops per year ("Workshop" - A "Members' Only" event for a limited number of members to accomplish a large goal (treadle hammer, propane forge, etc). Many of these require a "materials fee". )
  • 2 Demonstrations per year (A Public Forum where a specific demonstrator(s) shows a the making of items for the edification of both the public and the members)
  • 2 Hammer In's per year ("Hammer-In" - A "Members' Only" event where a specific technique/process/item is demonstrated and then repeated by participants.)
  • 1 Family Event (Picnic/Camping) per year (Will include some forging, but not the events primary focus. Inclusive activities for CDBA families.)
  • Public Event (Demonstrations) reminders will be sent to members and non-members alike
• Newsletter/Website
  • Offer ad space in the newsletter was suggested by Andy with these potential fees
    • "Business Card" $20 non-members / $15 members ($35? per year)
    • "Classified" $5 non-members / Free for members
    • If income from ads are high enough we may seek professional publication
  • Get our own web domain
    • peoplehost.com offers very low fees ($3.95 /month, $8.88 domain registration fee)
    • cdba.org not available, cdblacksmiths.org still available.