The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, March 7, 2013

ATTENDANCE: Paul Domalakes, Gary Evans, Lona Farr, Casey Gallagher, Joel Gilley, Jo-Ann Kelly, Linda Lapos, Thomas Lubben, Ben Marcune (phone), Blake Marles, Joan Miller Moran, Patrick Mulcahy, Patricia Mullin, Barry Pell, John Russo, June Schlueter, Susan Sefcik, Ron Sheppard, and Robert Snyder.

ABSENT: Judith Harris, Peter Krajsa, Kathleen Kund Nolan, Will Neuert, Noel Panebianco, Christine Perrucci, Dennis Razze, David Rothrock, Father Schubert, Douglas Smillie, and Ruth Spira.

Staff: Jill Arington and Debra Walter.

I. Opening Prayer

A. John Russo led the prayer to open the board meeting, making special mention of the loss of Linny Fowler and Priscilla Payne Hurd.

II. President’s Welcome

A. John Russo welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced new Board members Blake Marles and Gary Evans.

B. Everyone introduced themselves for the benefit of the new members.

III. Approval of Minutes from January Meeting

A. Lona Farr made a motion to approve the minutes and Linda Lapos seconded.

IV. Committee Reports

A. Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee met on February 21st.

2. The Committee discussed ways to respond to the potential $60,000 budget shortfall and agreed that the best response was to make low-risk cuts wherever possible but avoid cuts that would affect the quality of the art or the Festival’s ability to fundraise.

3. The Committee also discussed names for key campaign leadership positions, such as Campaign Chair.

B. Committee on Directors

1. The Committee on Directors met on February 28th.

2. Two new members have joined the Board since the January meeting. The Committee plans to keep the recruitment pipeline full to facilitate continued growth and address normal attrition.

3. Orientation lunches need to be arranged for our newest Board members. The Committee also discussed the addition of a second level of orientation, involving a tour of the PSF offices with presentations by key staff members.

4. Mentors will be assigned to new Board members.

5. Board-wide self-assessments are to be completed every two years, and such an assessment should occur at the end of this year. Additionally, there is not yet a mechanism in place to conduct the individual self-assessment that should be completed at the end of each Board member’s three year term.

C. Gala Committee

1. This year is as important as any for the Gala in light of the financial decisions the Festival faces.

2. The Gala Committee includes many non-Board members, and the subcommittees are energized in their preparations:

a. The décor team is making plans for decorating the University Center.

b. Deb Walter is leading the aggressive efforts of the Sales team.

c. The Auction team, headed by Anne McGeary and Lisa Razze, is planning a wine & cheese party for April 7th to generate buzz and collect auction items for the Gala. The party will be held at Anne McGeary’s house and will be very nicely done.

3. Joel distributed handouts pertaining to Gala Sponsorship and the progress of the Board thus far in filling Gala tables.

a. The back of the progress report can be filled out and returned to Casey to help coordinate the Board’s efforts in inviting new guests to the Gala.

b. John and Brenda McGlade have agreed to be honorary co-chairs of the Gala and Air Products has signed on as Gold Sponsor.

c. This year, the committee is going to experiment with appointing “table captains,” or regular attendees of the Gala who will be responsible for filling tables with new guests.

4. John Russo thanked Joel and the Committee for their work in securing the Gala’s first ever Gold sponsor. Patrick Mulcahy thanked DeSales University for functioning as in-kind gold sponsors every year. Tom Lubben commented that Gala fundraising is the best way to address the budget shortfall.

D. Strategic Planning Committee

1. The Strategic Planning Committee has not met, but will meet in the coming months.

E. Institutional Advancement & Fundraising Committee

1. The Institutional Advancement & Fundraising Committee is focused on creating new opportunities to bring more people to the festival, and making new friends who may turn into potential donors.

2. The next meeting will be on April 2nd at 5:30pm in the Kender Conference Room.

F. Audit Committee

1. The Audit Committee met on January 30th to review the 2012 Audit, which was a clean and unqualified audit.

2. The 990 is available on the Boarddocs page.

V. Guild Update

A. The Guild Board has not met since the last board meeting but is engaged in their usual preparations for the season.

1. The annual volunteer letter will be mailed out shortly. The Membership Committee is also exploring creative marketing outlets to grow the Guild.

2. Maryann Kelly has begun placing orders for souvenirs.

3. Beverly Kuhar is making plans for the Bard’s Birthday dinner, to be held on Tuesday, April 23rd in the University Center.

VI. Administrative Update

A. Casting is nearly complete. The Festival used a casting director for the first time to free up Patrick Mulcahy for Endowment Campaign activity.

B. Board membership is at an all-time high.

C. Campaign preparations are robust.

D. The new DSU sound system install is going well.

E. Part of the “loop” road leading to Labuda from Landis Mill Road will be closed this summer as part of the University’s Campus Master plan.

F. Lisa and Casey attended national TCG (Theatre Communications Group) Audience (R)Evolution convening.

G. Sponsorships and the Annual Fund are behind last year but ahead of all other years.

H. Ticket sales are off last year’s pace by 3.5% in tickets and 7% in revenue.

I. The Festival is budgeting for breakeven this year, though we are concerned about a deficit. PSF is in contingency conversations with DSU, and has decided against draconian cuts. Expenses are $120,000 below last year, a 6% reduction of the total budget and an 8% reduction of cash budget (presently at the 2010 level).

J. We are planning to apply for additional grants this year with the help of Jeanne Shook, who is providing freelance development support, funded by the University to free Debra Walter’s time for the Endowment Campaign.

VII. Audit FY2012

A. Bob Snyder walked the Board through the 2012 Audit. He highlighted that while revenues were down, the audit illustrates the Festival’s excellent expense control, and stated that other than ticket sales, the University couldn’t be more pleased with the management of the Festival.

B. Lona Farr thanked Bob for the excellent explanation of the Audit. Patrick Mulcahy echoed Lona’s comment and thanked DeSales University for their ongoing support.

VIII. Campaign Activity and Update

A. In order to free more time for the campaign, most of Debra Walter’s routine grant-writing duties have been transitioned to Jeanne Shook, and Patrick will not be directing this summer. PSF is also seeking to engage a 20 hour per week development assistant to assist Debra Walter for the three years of the campaign.

B. The Campaign’s case statement is in development and will soon be shared with the Board. The Festival is also developing policies to guide the campaign process.

C. We will soon be running PSF’s Theatre Manager database and DSU development lists through WealthEngine to identify prospects for the campaign.

D. Patrick and Lona will plan to integrate meaningful experiences about the Campaign into the Board meetings.

E. The hot topic in Campaign preparation right now is the selection of the Campaign Committee and Chair.

F. Lona Farr led the board through an exercise exploring the most important and least important factors in a person’s decision to give. Research shows that the mission of the organization, regard for management, and fiscal stability of the organization top the list of reasons people give. Appealing campaign materials, tax considerations, and guilt feeling were the least compelling reasons. She commended Patrick and the PSF for their efforts in compressing 30 months of campaign activity preparation into 30 weeks. Patrick thanked Lona for the energy she has put into this campaign.

IX. New Business

A. Debra Walter reported that cultivation efforts reached 130-150 new people last season. She has circulated several emails about events for Season 2013, including “Dinners with Dennis and Deb,” “Savoring Shakespeare” events with June Schlueter, backstage tours, and alternative events for guests who have already taken the backstage tour. She asked the Board to review those emails and respond to her about dates by March 15th. Jo-Ann Kelly applauded Debra’s efforts and encouraged everyone to take advantage of these special events.

B. John Russo noted that ComputerAid had purchased a block of 60 tickets and the process to set it up was very simple. AFC First Financial was the first company to purchase a corporate subscription. Jo-Ann Kelly shared her plans to bring her women’s group this summer and Patrick shared his plans to organize an event with Brookside Country Club.

X. Adjournment

A. Lona Farr made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Jo-Ann Kelly seconded.

B. The meeting was adjourned at 8:55pm.