President

Notes for MN-stf Presidents

This document outlines the primary roles and responsibilities of the MN-stf President. These can be broken down into categories: liaising between members and the Board (uncommon, but occasionally you will be asked to make requests for someone uncomfortable speaking with the board directly), and scheduling bimonthly meetings.

Meetings

The President's primary responsibility is to recruit hosts for MN-stf meetings. Meetings are typically held on the first and third Saturdays of every month. If it's convenient, feel free to shift things around to, e.g. the 2nd and 4th Saturday, instead. You will need to convey the meeting locations to the Einblatt editor by the 20th of the preceding month. You should also arrange to have the meetings announced a few days beforehand on the LiveJournal page, FaceBook, and any other social media you may have access to (including Natter). Post announcements to both the MN-stf pages and the Minicon pages.

Mn-stf board elections happen in the month immediately prior to Minicon. Nomination meetings happen in the two meetings prior to the election. For example, if the election is the first weekend of March, the nomination meetings will be in February. These may be adjusted to accommodate skipped meetings, as the bylaws state that there must be two nomination meetings prior to the election meeting.

Nota Bene: There is a fundamental conflict between members who will not attend a meeting at which firearms are permitted and members who will not attend meetings at which firearms are prohibited. There will always be somebody who is unhappy when the voting meeting site is selected.

Scott Raun, wearing his board member hat, stated the following in February 2015:

There are several ways to submit your ballot: 1) Mail it to Laura Krentz, to arrive before the voting meeting. 2) Hand deliver it to Laura Krentz before or at the meeting, before ballot counting starts. 3) Get someone you trust to hand-deliver your ballot to the membership secretary (currently Laura Krentz) before ballot counting starts. 4) (Probably) Leave the ballot in the box that is typically provided on Dreampark's front porch starting a few days to a week before the election. Given #1, I feel that we are providing a method of voting that does not require them to enter someplace that requires them to leave behind their gun. They may be discriminated against to the extent that they have to wait a while to find out who the new board is (until it is disseminated via various electronic fora), but I feel that is the consequence of their choice. If they really feel strongly about it, they should volunteer to host the voting meeting - or find someone to host it that they can carry their gun at.

Reimbursements for Hosts

The standard reimbursement for hosting a meeting is $75. There are three exceptions:

• The New Year's Eve party host gets $200.
• The Pool Party host (or whoever does the shopping for supplies) also gets $200.
• The Picnic host has a $100 reimbursement plus the cost of the park rental fee. In 2016, the park fee is $125, and is expected to be $150 in 2017.

Special Event Scheduling

• Currently, Bill Christ handles scheduling for the MN-stf Picnic, which usually happens on the 3rd Saturday of July. The reasoning behind this date is that there enough time to recover from Convergence, but any later in the year and it starts getting dark too early.
• Minicon Hotel liaison handles scheduling of the Pool Party, which usually happens sometime in February. The hotel liason can be, but is not necessarily, the host. The host is typically found by the Minicon Chair(s).

Sample emails to send to meeting hosts

email template to obtain info for the Einblatt

• Make sure to cc: this email to einblatt@mnstf.org

Thank you for agreeing to host a MN-stf meeting on [Date]. Below are some questions to help us get relevant information into the appropriate issue of Einblatt. Please use reply-all to ensure that the information gets to the editor of Einblatt.

How to list host(s): What #(s) and name(s) to give FFI: Address [if left blank, we will pull this from the current MN-stf directory]: Smoking ok?: Pets present? Ok to bring?: House child-friendly?: Do you want a note saying no guns [possibly better to not address it if you don't care]? Any special activities or food to advertise in the blurb?:

The deadline for the relevant issue of Einblatt is [month] 20, 2014. Again, thank you for hosting!

pre-meeting info for hosts

• Send these tips & pointers to the meeting host a few days before the meeting.

Hello [name],

Thank you for agreeing to host a MN-stf meeting on [Date]. I just wanted to contact you with some info and suggestions as you prepare for the upcoming meeting.

There is a reimbursement to help cover the cost of food, drink, and other supplies. Please contact Carol Kennedy for the $75 reimbursement for hosting.

You may want to post informational signs before the meeting starts. Some signs that might be useful:

• "MNStf meeting here" (put it on your front door)
• where to put coats/bags
• where are restrooms
• where is soda pop/beer
• wi-fi password, if you choose to make one available
• any space that is off limits

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting!