HELD REMOTELY ON 2023-OCTOBER-11
Meeting Guidelines and Protocols
This was generated by Zoom’s AI
Nguyen, the Board President of SF Pride, led the introductions of the attendees, including Joshua, Suzanne, Jokie, Chris, Marcus, and himself. Nguyen also assigned meeting roles, with Joshua and Jokie not objecting to his roles as timekeeper, stack monitor, and vibe watcher. Marcus was invited to read the organizational mission statement but had technical difficulties. Joshua then read the mission statement. No unfinished business was discussed, but there were no new business items either. Suzanne then gave an agency update, appreciating the attendees for their time.
Suzanne discussed the recent developments and challenges at SF Pride. She mentioned that the virtual model for the AGM proved efficient and may be continued in the future. She also reported on the successful fifth annual golf tournament, which brought in a significant income despite high expenses. She also discussed the ongoing negotiations to select a new production company for SF Pride, and the need to find new revenue streams and cost savings to maintain and improve the event.
Suzanne discussed the progress on an RFP for community stages and mentioned ongoing collaboration with the CAC. She also shared her recent meeting with Supervisor Mandolin to discuss securing city funding and the potential for formalizing this process. Joshua acknowledged the ongoing busy period and expressed support for the team’s work. Jokie provided positive feedback on a recent event and raised the need for a new location for the following year due to construction work at the current venue. Chris confirmed the commencement of the RFP process for all types of activations and noted the necessity of finding a new location for the event.
Marcus expressed interest in debriefing with Suzanne, Alicia, Jack, and possibly others about the Event Production Company for the following year. Suzanne confirmed that a decision on this would be made soon. Additionally, there was a discussion about the need for a more streamlined operation and ensuring that stages are awarded through a competitive process. Joshua mentioned a house music label had expressed interest in producing a stage, and Suzanne encouraged them to fill out the RFP. Chris announced that an online application process would be implemented for stage producers to apply, with the goal of making the process transparent. Suzanne reiterated the importance of finding a sustainable revenue model for SF Pride, given financial challenges faced by the organization.
Nguyen provided an update on the agency’s progress and thanked Suzanne and Sf. Suzanne announced that board member Angela Remy would be awarded woman of the year in her Congressional district. Jokie shared news about a new law mandating LGBTQ+ cultural competency training for all public school staff in the state, a development she had previously advocated for. Congratulations were given to Jokie by Nguyen and Joshua announced an upcoming event, ‘glow in the streets’, a Halloween celebration in the Castro on October 20th. The event will feature DJs, drag queens, and a costume contest with donations requested. Nguyen expressed gratitude for the dialogue during public comment and invited anyone to memorialize a dearly departed person. Joshua chose to honor those affected by the ongoing challenge in Israel and Palestine. Nguyen thanked everyone for attending and reminded of the approved quarterly meeting cadence.
Nguyen announced the schedule for the next member meeting and subsequent meetings every three months. There was uncertainty about some attendees for the upcoming meeting, with only Joshua and Nguyen indicating interest in the long-range planning committee. Suzanne emphasized the need for diverse perspectives in this committee and had started reaching out to influential LGBTQ people connected to donors to discuss revenue issues. A forthcoming event called ‘transcend’ was causing some disruptions within the team, as evidenced by the absence of Janelle and Chris. A concerned voicemail regarding global issues was left by an unidentified person, which was viewed as alarming due to its dark tone. Despite the challenges, the team agreed to move forward with their plans.
Joshua and Suzanne discussed the need for the group to plan future meetings, potentially in January, including a three-day board retreat. Suzanne emphasized the urgency of finding a new executive director and the impact it could have on timing. Joshua agreed that long-range planning was important and suggested they needed to do prep work for these meetings. They also discussed scheduling a meet-up for the second or third weekend in December. Chris contributed, mentioning his availability for the last weekend of January. Suzanne and Joshua agreed to review the committee structures, efficiency, governance, and the balance of the working board, expressing dissatisfaction with the board’s work ethic.
The team discussed the changing dynamics of volunteerism, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community. Joshua highlighted the generational aspect and the importance of pride events. Chris elaborated on the shift in the non-profit space, where previously volunteers were mainly from those who could afford to volunteer their time, but now even those who can’t afford it are expected to volunteer. Suzanne emphasized the control and power dynamics associated with volunteering. The conversation concluded with Chris agreeing that if one is elected to a board, they should dedicate their time, similar to volunteering.
Josh and Suzanne discussed the potential of introducing a paid model for their organization, with Suzanne emphasizing the need to find a new sustainable model and Josh suggesting that people might be willing to pay for an exclusive experience. They also talked about the need to cut costs and the importance of finding new ideas. Chris brought up the idea of an adult-only space within the pride footprint, which Josh saw as an opportunity for an enhanced, paid experience. Suzanne agreed, suggesting they target a slightly older demographic who might prefer a smaller, more comfortable experience. They concluded that they had a lot of work to do, but were excited about the potential opportunities.