Author: mcmadmin

Date: May 16, 2018
Place: Steve Case’s House
In Attendance: Carl, Brad, Bob O, Giovani, John B, Steve, Robert, John, David
Minutes Submitted by: David

1. Check in

2. Welcome Robert and John to the MCM Board

3. Review of past weekend was positive. Things that made the weekend work well: having workshops volunteers before weekend, posting workshops on web, posting a timetable for weekend events (workshops, meals, events etc.) Acknowledging the men who have past at the beginning of circle, taking time to speak about these men before the break helped the group process, volunteers for duties went smooth, high energy at weekend.
Future weekends
a. Program Committee to decide how to get workshops
b. Post event times on Friday Night
c. Consider having a time to remember men before break will be up to Program Committee

4. Treasure’s report: MCM Spring ’18 summary:
Income $2,42.00 auction
$3,070.00 registration
Expenses ($2,577.09)
Net Income $630.75
Current Balance $3,694.24

5. Minutes from General Meeting on May 4, 2018 were accepted with minor changes

6. Mugs T shirts, Bandanas: The upfront costs along with the minimum orders make mugs and T-shirts items prohibited at this time. Robert will check with Liberty Graphics as to costs of a bandana with logo.

7. Acknowledgement of presenters of the workshops will continue at the weekend. The Board felt that it was unnecessary to send out further thanks after the weekend.

8. Accomplishments to date: MCM is financially sound with $3500 in reserve/working account. MCM Website has been re-built and is active. MCM has 501c3 status. New Men’s Initiative is in place, Auctions raise money and are fun. MCM is able to give tax slip to people who donate. Presence at Common Ground Fair. Business cards are being posted on Bulletin Boards. MCM Manual nearly complete, By-laws have been rewritten. Average attendance for weekends is over 30. Board is healthy and strong.

9. Secretary Position: Lew will talk with Charlie for details and will consider taking on this role.

10. Medical Kit Update:
a. Board has authorized Joss to go through the kit and update it, add a tick remover to kit. Costs will be covered.
b. Carl will check with Tanglewood and ask if the “Epipens” located in the kitchen can be used by MCM. If used do we need to use one do we replace it or is this part of our rental fee.

11. Directions for the future:
a. How to change what we feel is the present image of “A group of secretive old men meeting in the woods”. We need to think of ways to inform and attract younger men 20-45 into this group. We need to figure out a way to use social media to help in this effort. Subject to be further discussed at next board meeting.
b. MCM Weekends will now be referred to as “MCM Weekend Retreat”. Most people can identify and understand the word “retreat” which will help explain what we do. The Website will need to reflect this new title.

12. 501c3 –
a. Who will keep tabs on these forms? John B and Ian? (this needs to be checked)
b. Non-Profit Status — Yearly Fillings
c. Our tax benefit form need to have EIM Number added. (Who was contacting Charlie to get form and do this?)
d. Info on file is in PDF Format. Bob has the technology to change the format so it can be updated
e. Donations and Sponsors need the new form with the EIM number. Once we have this edited form an e-mail message will be sent out to the May, 2018 participants letting them know it is available upon request.

13. Pictures and Book for archiving men who have attended weekends: Names will still be added to the pictures but will not be published publically. The pictures with names can be used in the book that Giavanni is working on. This can be brought to the men’s Weekend Retreats. If falls under the current confidentiality rules of MCM.

14. E-mail Procedure. MCM will use Blind Copy for e-mails going out to the General MCM Community. The list containing the weekends participants contact information will go out only to the people at that weekend. Any man at the weekend can ask that his info be removed. Bob O and Charlie the updated, entire MCM list of names.

15. TABLED TO NEXT MEETING: Web site managers, website guru, Facebook Managers roles need to be clarified. Keeper of the Mailing Lists as well as Post Master General roles also need to be defined.

16. TABLED TO NEXT MEETING: Communications Director

17. Board Meeting Food: The host will decide if it is a pot luck or if they are providing the food. The host can also provide a main meal and ask for people to bring items. This information will be e-mailed to the board in advance.

Next Board meeting at David’s house in Jefferson. Wednesday, June 27, 6-8

Minutes accepted June 27, 2018

Date: May 6, 2018
In Attendance: Men from the May 4, 5, 6 weekend
Minutes Submitted by: David, assisted by John Sommo

1. Board members were recognized for their hard work these past years. Charlie and Paul were thanked for their service as they leave the board. Charlie will continue to be the registrar. Charlie was further recognized for his energy, hard work and extra time he has given to MCM.

2. John Summo and Robert Davis were voted in as new board members. John B and Bob O decided to stay on the board at this time.

3. Next election will be at the May weekend in 2019.
• Current Board terms until May 2019: Tomas, Lew, Carl, David, Ian, Brad
• May 2020: Steve A, Steve C, John S, Robert D, John Giovanni, John B, Bob O
• The board is attempting to develop a rotation of members on the board. At the present time, any board member can request to leave the board at any time. Board members with their experience will be encouraged to stay for more than one “two year” term. Past board members are always welcomed to rejoin the board. There is no limit as how many terms can be served.
• MCM have a 13 board member limit which is currently at its capacity.

4. Treasurer’s report: $3870.49 before the weekend. Currently $3125 . The next report at the board meeting on May 16 will include auction ($242), fees collected from 34 men attending, expenses, donations.
a. Use of funds was discussed. The “New Man’s Initiative” was explained and unanimously approved. Any amount of money over the $3500 operating and back-up fund account will be used to waive the fee for a new man attending the weekend. Ex. If we have $300 over, the first 3 new men get their fee waived. Scholarships, which are different, are still available upon request.
b. Liability Insurance went up from $400 to $406 yearly
c. Auction was voted on to be continued for next weekend

5. Quilts: Tomas is the quilt curator. Any man can request a quilt by calling Tomas. The quilts are used for all types of events from weddings, sickness, death and even to bring in positive energy to sell a house.

6. The results of the mugs and T-shirt sample voting was discussed. This will now go to the board for a decision. Bandanas were suggested as something the board may consider.

7. Attached to these minutes are the names of the volunteers for the October 12, 13, 14, 2018 weekend.

8. A Drum was donated to MCM that can be borrowed by contacting Charles G, our new Drum curator. This drum has special meaning as it belonged to a past member Buddy, given to Hank Lunn and now to the MCM community members,.

9. Emails to MCM members will be kept to Maine Coast Men business only. No solicitations for outside interests will be considered. Men in need of support for illness or death can request information sent out with permission granted by the family. A procedure will be developed at the next board meeting. In the meantime, feel free to contact David or any board member with your request.

10. Men are asked to post MCM business cards to all bulletin boards at places like restaurants, stores, community buildings etc. This is an attempt to advertise our existence. More business cards are available by contacting David Hanc.

11. MCM is asking men to bring in pictures of past weekends with a list of who these men are, if possible, to archive our past. A booklet of some type will be set up to record memories of the men who have died. John Giovanni agreed to lead this effort.

MCM Jobs and Tasks: October 12, 13, 14, 2018
Program Committee: Carl, Ian, Lew
Weekend Facilitator: John B ___________ (Board Member)
Fri Night Pot Luck: Tom Beal, David Hanc
Sat Breakfast: Tomas, Daniel
Sat Lunch: David, Andrew
Sat Dinner: John Giovanni, Andrew
Sun Breakfast: Charlie, Maine Bob, Daniel
Variety Show: Hank, Vincent as back up
Auctioneer Open_______________________
Auctioneer Assistant/Recorder: Tom Beal
Coffee Meister: Parker, Back up Carl
Workshop Organizers: Charles G, Back Up Tom Beal
Registrar: Charlie C, Back Up Maine Bob
Treasurers: Ian, Tomas
Post Master General: Maine Bob O _____
Food Master Chef: Brad, Vincent
Master of the Kitchen: Brad, Vincent
Dishwasher Meister: Alan, Lew
Med Kit Supervisor: Joss Back Up: Alan
Quilt Curator: Thomas
Tanglewood Liaison: Carl, Back Up Tom Jamrog
Brochure: Tom B , Vincent
Brochure Proof Reader: Rick A. /Mike A
Fire keeper: Holbrook
Keeper of the MCM Bocce Balls: David
Bell Keeper: Charles G, Holbrook
MCM Signs: Charlie, Steve A
Photographer: Maine Bob O, Backup; David
Website Guru: Tom B.
Website Managers: Needs to be defined
Facebook Managers: Charlie Dan Advisor Maine Bob
Keeper of the Mailing Lists: Charlie C and Maine Bob
Common Ground Fair Coordinators: Charlie, Maine Bob O.
2018 Set-up Thursday: Bob, Charlie
2018 Take Down Sunday: Bob
Volunteers for table: Andrew, Robert D, David, Ian, Lew, Brad, Steve, Carl,

Minutes accepted by Board on May 18, 2018

Date: April 10, 2018 
Place: Giovanni’s (John) 
In Attendance: Charlie, Giovanni (John), Steve C, Brad, Maine Bob, John B., David 
Minutes Submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Acknowledged and talked about the men who have died in this past year: John Bly, Bob Lumbert, Joe Rehmeyer, Les Hyde (Kevin Meunier -we were notified about him on April 27 after this meeting) 
a. Opening circle — Program Committee (PC) will announce the men who have recently died and hold a minute of silence. The mentioning of the names of all men who have passed will be just before the break during the opening circle. 
b. A workshop called “Processing Death” will have time dedicated to talk about these men. 
c. E-mails: when men die a notice will be sent out to the MCM members via e-mail once we have been given permission by the family to send it out or once the information has been made public. 
d. The use of the MCM e-mail list for other reasons such as “GoFundMe” requests or other solicitations is prohibited. MCM e-mail is to be used to promote this group and to support the MCM mission statement. 

3. Treasure’s Report — There is $3876.49 in the bank account 
a. $3,500 is our reserve account. This money is used to cover costs such as insurance, supplies and scholarships for the weekend as well as be a back up amount for leaner times. For the upcoming weekend the money over this amount will be used as a “new man initiative”. The first 3 men to sign up who have never been to a MCM weekend will have their fees waived. Using this money in this way promotes our goal of increasing membership as well as supporting our mission. The board will assess how this was received and consider this initiative for future weekends. 
b. Cups and T-shirts. The membership will get a chance to see examples of the cups this coming weekend and decide if MCM should invest in them as gifts or as something people could purchase in the future. We will try to have t-shirt prices available. 
c. General Meeting Suggestions: 
i. Solicit men to sign up for meals after each meal during the weekend. 
ii. Announce board openings or job opportunities on Saturday 
iii. If suggestions are made from the floor, it may be appropriate
to announce that the board will discuss the item and bring
information back to the next weekend. 

4. Minutes from Jan 16, 2018 board meeting were reviewed and accepted 

5. Who is leaving the board? Charlie will be leaving the board but is willing continue the role as registrar. Charlie, our registrar, will work with the treasurer in regards to who and how much money is being used for scholarships. 

6. Status for 501(C)3. 
a. A write up is needed for the records to explain what this 501(C)3. means for MCM. Charlie suggested that we wait until we hear form the IRS after the 1023 EZ form has been submitted and accepted. 
b. Charlie will submit the 1023 EZ form 
c. Charlie will develop a letter so the men donating auction items can fill it out to use the gift as a tax write off. 

7. Quilts. Thomas is the current quilt curator. He will be asked to bring them to the weekend if they are not in use. 

8. Common Ground Fair: The MCM application is in. Charlie and Maine Bob will set up on Thursday. Men will be encouraged at the weekend to sign up for slots during the fair to be at our table providing information. 

9. May 2018 MCM weekend 
a. Young man activities: Tomas will organize Bocci game, Brad will include them in the kitchen, boys will be encourage to look at the workshops and join in if interested. 
b. Task List: David will update 
c. Mentors will be assigned by the registrar for any new men. The mentors are board members and the new men will be assigned someone they do not know. 
d. Agenda for Business meeting. A large paper will be posted so men can list items before the meeting on Sunday. (David) 

10. Next meeting will be the General membership meeting on May 6, 2018 

Next MCM Board Meeting will be May 16, 2018 from 6-8 at Steve Case House. 

Board Approved by e-mail on May 2, 2018 

Date: Jan 16, 2018
Place: David’s House in Jefferson
In Attendance: Charlie, Lew, Steve C. Steve A. Giovani (John), David, Carl, John B.
Minutes submitted by: David assisted by Charlie notes

1. Check in
a. (Correction: the date on the agenda should read Jan 16, 2018)

2. Review of Minutes from Oct 23, 2017 — accepted with revisions

3. Treasure’s Report: Currently we have $3,876.49
a. The amount in the reserve account was increased to $3,500. Discussion on how to spend monies beyond reserve account was tabled.
b. Weekend deposits can be made by Treasurer or designee of Treasurer.
c. The Treasurer needs to be on the MCM Board of Directors.

4. Remembering those who have died —
a. Memorial scholarships will not be used as a way to honor a man who has died. Time will be put aside to talk about men who have passed at the weekend. Possibly a workshop or a time around the outside fire pit. Giovanni and David will discuss this and prepare a process to be tried at the next weekend.
b. Ian purchased 6 statues that look like Joe to be auctioned off. Ian asked if this money could then be donated to the family. At this time, MCM does not solicit funds from MCM members for other organizations or individuals.
c. Tomas will get the quilt from Barb R. Giovanni will check in with Tomas and offer to pick them up .

5. Tanglewood Liaison — Carl
a. Carl received an e-mail from Patti and will forward this information to the members of the board.
b. Carl will work on identifying the areas where a workshop can be held. He will note the size of the room and if it has heat and/or electricity.

6. MCM Weekend May 4, 5, 6 2018
a. Program Committee: Vincent and David – Topic: Passion
b. Creating Workshops: V and D will recruit members for workshops so information can be put on website as well as on brochure.
c. Fold and Stamp Party on March 20 at Steve Case’s house
d. Brochures get sent out March 26. A note needs to explain to people the importance to sign up early to help make plans for food, supplies, etc.
e. Info for Brochures is due late February. Charlie will help train people developing the brochure.
f. E-mail/Blurbs reminding people of the weekend. Program committee will write these up and send to Charlie to be posted
g. Auction monies will go into the General Fund. A financial assistant will be needed to work with Auctioneer (Charlie) to keep track of the money and who bought what.
h. MCM will be developing a form so men can claim their donations for tax purposes.

7. Use of Electronics at the MCM Weekend.
a. Personal use of electronics will be discouraged in the main lodge and any area that men are gathering or talking.
b. MCM Photographer, Maine Bob, is the only person who is allowed to take pictures of any kind at the weekend.
c. Electronics can be used in a workshop if needed. Presenter will be responsible for any equipment used.
d. Electronics can be used in a presentation but not used as the presentation.

8. Mentor Program: The registrar will contact board members to mentor new members. The registrar will attempt to assign the mentor early enough so the new man can be contacted by the mentor to welcome him.

9. Setting the tone of the Opening Circle and Weekend. Refer to the past minutes (10/18/15 #21) on writing a blurb for men to read when registering. Men who have passed will be asked to join us in spirit at the beginning of the circle. Program Committee will set the tone.

10. Variety Show — When the Variety Show is announced at the weekend, it will be mentioned that men showcase their act in a reasonable amount of time so all acts can be enjoyed without going late into the night. The MC will work to keep the acts moving along.

11. Decreasing MCM Board e-mails was discussed at the last board meeting.

12. Use of Electronics (See item #7)

13. Other:
a. “Hook Topics” or workshops will be posted on Facebook and/or Website — Program Committee will get these to Charlie to post.
b. Inviting specific groups to weekend. Specific groups will not be targeted but rather a general invite to all self-identified men will be used as in the past.
c. T-shirts — Giovani will contact Dan K about artwork. We have a logo but need a copy that will be used to print. David will find out the price of shirts and mugs for the next meeting.
d. Common Ground Fair — When do we need to sign up by? Charlie is the coordinator and will contact Maine Bob.
e. Lew discussed his ability to be present at the Board meetings. Lew was encouraged to stay with the board and support when he can. The Board realizes that it can be difficult to travel to meetings especially in the winter.

14. Next Meeting Date: March 20, 2018 from 5-8* at Steve Case’s House in Rockport
*note that the board meeting will be held first and then the stamp and
Fold fun will begin. (Note this meeting was cancelled, Stamp and fold
was completed by several board members)

(the meeting for March 20 was cancelled)

Minutes approved April 10, 2018

Date: October 23, 2017 
In Attendance: Steve C, Steve A, Giovanni (John), Bob, Carl, Brad, David, John, Charlie. 
Guest: Robert Davis 
Minutes Submitted by: Charlie 

1. Meeting at Brad’s house in Thomaston started at 6:25 with check in. 

2. Welcomed new board members Steve Case, Giovanni Carbone, Steve Assante and guest Robert Davis. 

3. Impressions of the weekend: low level of volunteering was a concern, lack of relating to the WabiSabi topic was disappointing but the authenticity of communication was appreciated (no filler/small talk). The closing circle needs to be held sacred as well (no crosstalk/ questions/ joking). Perhaps we need to set the expectations better at the opening circle. 

Homework for all of us: how do we set the tone of the opening circle? Start with silence, build the container, etc. Program Committee needs to plan for this with our input. 
Also some concern that the variety show went on too long. Set the expectation of the men and the emcee that 4-5 minutes are enough. Announce when recruiting for the talent show. 
Also concern that no workshops were planned in advance – created on arrival. Couldn’t we do better if we planned earlier? 

4. Treasure’s report: Income from the fall weekend (attendance & auction) $3,781.00 weekend expenses (includes banner and stand*) -$2,842.39 surplus from weekend $ 938.61* — used at Common Ground Fair and will be used in the future. 
Brad given $2,915 to deposit. Ian was sick and called in, Tomas was absent. 

5. Mentors seem to have been dropped out this time. 

6. Accepted minutes from the Weekend. 
a. Title changes / Missing Job titles — David will go back to the original list and bring it up to date for the May meeting 
b. Added backups to a few 
Request to get minutes out a week in advance and bring ten copies. 

7. Picture and address list were sent out in record time. Kudos to photographer and registrar. Registrar reported 10 men signed up right away, 25 phoned it in, 10 showed up with no notice. Makes planning tougher! 
The policy we adopted on 10/17/2015 states that men need to be 14 years of age to attend. Young children have been brought to the weekend and this cause some discomfort for some men. Children are wonderful however will it change what a man my say out of respect for the child and his parents. This past weekend due to Joe’s health a child was brought. It was addressed at that time. A statement needs to be included in our confirmation letter that we ask men top respect the no children rule. 
The image of MCM is that we are a men’s group. 

8. Auction: POLICY no split donations in the future (ala Kaley and Nepal). Hartley Spencer donated the generator to be an “at large” item with Carl in charge. 

9. Proposal to streamline the business meeting at the weekend that we get sign-ups for each meal at each meal by carrying the task list around and recruiting. 

10. A proposal to name the scholarships after Joe Rehmeyer was discussed and postponed. 

11. Added a job to the task list for Common Ground Fair coordinator with Charlie C. as the next one. Carl can set-up the booth on Friday morning and Bob can take it down and out on Sunday. 

12. Reminder that the large meeting room is a non-workshop space. Carl to check on which big buildings up by Ledges have power and could be used for bigger workshops that need space. 

13. Review of electronics at the weekend policy to allow them for presentations was tabled for the future. 

14. Charlie passed on Gerry Murphy’s request to use e-mail list and was to remind him that the list is for MCM business only. 

15. Decrease e-mails (old business) among the board. Emails using MCM Board list should be limited. If a board member sends out an e-mail asking for an opinion hit “Reply to sender” rather that “Reply to all”. Unless necessary e-mail will not be used for discussions as this can produce many e-mail threads. 

16. The suggestion at the end of the General Meeting minutes that the Treasurer did not need to be on the executive committee was clarified and withdrawn. 

17. Program for next weekend will be about Bringing your Passion. 

18. Topics we didn’t get to “Other from Minutes”: 
a. Suggestion to encourage men to post Hook Topics on Facebook 
b. Inviting specific groups on Saturday: gay, Bi, transgender day for Father and sons 14+ 
c. T-shirts again 

Next meeting Tuesday, January 16, 2018 6-8 PM at David Hanc’s in Jefferson. 

IAN’s Year End Treasurer report: 
We began the year with a balance of $2,657.47 
Year end balance $3,876.49 
Increased our bank account by $1,219.02 YEAH !!!! 

Accepted by the board 1/16/18 

October 15, 2017

• There were about 35 men at the weekend. Joe & Ben Rehmeyer attending the closing circle. 

• The membership acknowledged Alan Pooley for his years of service on the board. 

• Request to get Greg Kimura’s poem, Before The Men’s Retreat, on the website. 

• David made a plea for volunteers when we make a request for help by email, as we did for Tanglewood’s Blueberry Run and the Common Ground Fair. 

• Treasurer reported we had $2715.70 before the weekend and that we took in $775 from the auction (total would later go to over $1000 before donating $78 something to Nepal). 

• Ancient History: a box of treasurer’s records from Richard Chalmers was opened and group photo and mailing list from 2008 was posted. Charlie C. noted that the balance in the treasury, what we paid to Tanglewood for rent, and insurance were all basically the same as today. 

• David informed the members that the Main Hall would not be used for workshops in the future so that it would always be available for conversation. 

• Carl S. plugged the outreach effort at the Common Ground Fair and said he got a lot out of meeting new men and women and talking about who we are and what we do. 

• Bob Poole reminded us of the last event he went to about 15 years earlier, Father-Son Connect. Carl S. urged us to make the effort to reach out to younger men. 

• Hank L. noted that he has been running a successful “Connections” program for years that touches men, women and kids. He noted that grades 3-5 are a tremendously important time to start making those connections. 

• Jeff K. suggested “hook” topics on the website or FaceBook like “Growing up Male in America.” 

• Holbrook suggested we make it clear on the website what kinds of visits are allowed during the weekend. He also suggested we could have a day (presumably Saturday) specifically inviting Gay, Bi-, Transgender men to join us, or a day for Fathers with sons 14 and up. 

• Steve C. asked why not do tee-shirts again? 

• David noted there were three vacancies on the board and Giovanni Carbone, Steven Assante and Steve Case stepped up to fill them, presumably for a two year term ending May 2019. 

• Theme for Spring 2018 – Vincent & David: “Passion: how do you identify your life’s passion?” 

• David encouraged us to start enrolling new men for the spring weekend now while we’re excited. 

• Workshops — Charlie C. noted that the workshops seemed to be created at the weekend without much attachment to the theme and asked how could we make it different. Suggested were to highlight the request to create a workshop in the confirmation letter, to add a checkbox to the registration for “I want to give a workshop,” put the workshops on the website. Tom J. noted two weekends he had attended: experiential stuff in Vermont instead of just talking about stuff, and a Minnesota weekend of “how to” workshops. Workshops might require coordination with attendees beforehand like with instructions to bring a locking knife. Have at least one workshop on the theme. Allow “Pop Up” workshops of only 20 minutes. Up the discretionary amount a workshop leader can spend to $50 before asking the board. 

• A suggestion was made during the Jobs & Tasks portion of the meeting that we could take the treasurer off of the executive committee (by amending the Articles of Incorporation / By Laws). 

• Jobs & Tasks for Spring 2018 
Facilitator — Tom B., backup John B. 
Friday dinner — John Bly 
Saturday breakfast — Tomas, Daniel 
Saturday lunch — Tom B. & Steve Assante 
Saturday dinner — Giovanni, Tom J., John B. 
Sunday breakfast — Steve C., Daniel 
Sunday lunch — Vincent 
Variety show host — Mike Arruda 
Auctioneer — Charlie 
Coffee meister — Carl and Earl Small 
Workshop organizer — Charles G.
(discussion ensued about workshops (see above) 
Registrar — Charlie C. 
Mailing List — Bob O? is this the same job as Postmaster General? 
Food Master Chef — Brad 
Dishwasher — Alan 
First Aid Kit — Daniel 
Quilt Curator — Tomas 
Tanglewood Liaison — Carl S., Tom J. 
Brochure — Tom B., backup Charlie C. 
Proofreader — Rick A. and Mike A. 
Fire — Holbrook 
Bocce Balls — David H. 
Bell — Charles G. and Holbrook 
Signs — Steve A. (Charlie has them) 
Photographer — Bob O. 
Website guru — Tom B. (transfer domain registration to MCM, INC.) 
Webmaster — Mike A.
(Vincent is currently hosting, will be changing services) 
FaceBook — Ham and Dan
(talk to Mike about how to make it an open group) 
Common Ground Fair coordinator — Charlie C. , Carl Friday setup,
Bob Sunday takedown 

Meeting ended at about 9:35. 
Notes and Minutes by Charlie Crane, secretary 
Minutes accepted October 23, 2017 

Date: August 29, 2017 
Place: Charlie’s house 
In Attendance: Brad, John, Bob, Charlie, Carl, Ian, Paul, David 
Minutes Submitted by: David 

1. Checked in while holding the “Stamp and Fold Party” collating the brochures. 

2. Treasure’s report: MCM has a balance of $3032.38 before any costs for the mailing of the brochures. Financially we are good shape. 

3. Review of Minutes: General Meeting Minutes from May 7, 2017 had been accepted, June 22 Minutes accepted with minor changes. 

4. Common Ground Fair – Sept 22-24, 2017 
a. Charlie will send out another request for men to sign up to sit at the table. 
b. David will make up business cards, Charlie will send Logo to David 
c. Bob will run off copies of the letter from last year’s Bangor Daily paper 
d. Charlie will run off additional brochures/registration forms 
e. Charlie will have the banner made up out of vinyl 
f. We will use one quilt, the other will say with Joe 
g. David will get a table and chairs to Charlie before the weekend 
h. Charlie will set up the night before the fair 
i. Charlie will let the board know the slots that are filled for the table. Board members may be asked to do additional times slots if needed 
j. Be sure to let Charlie know if you will need a ticket to get in 

5. MCM Weekend Oct 13, 14, 15, 2017 
a. Auctioneer Charlie will ask if someone would like to be a mentor for future auctions 
i. Charlie will use the same format as last time minus the silent
auction 
b. Format for young men who attend Saturday will be developed by Brad 
c. Brad and David will facilitate the weekend 
d. Jobs and Task list — David will search past notes for the copy from Charlie. John provided a partial list he took notes on. David will put together what we have and send it out to the board. 
e. Registration at weekend will be covered by John and Ian 
f. Carl, Tanglewood liaison, will contact Steve, caretaker, so the camp information can be given directly to him. Carl will share needed info with the group. 
g. Mentors — the system that we established has been working well. John will assign mentors to new men. The MCM mentors are all board members. 
h. Charlie will send out another e-mail to the men on the MCM participant list reminding them to sign up early and to bring an auction item 

6. Ian had received an e-mail from one of the men about the board controlling what participants do during the weekend. David will contact this man to discuss his concerns and assure him the board has no agenda to direct men during the weekend workshops. 

7. Joe R. is looking for someone to take over the role as “Quit Curator” The men at the weekend will be asked to volunteer. Joe wrote up a detailed description on how to care for these precious items. 
a. Joe has requested that men send him a small item. Ian will write up a paragraph that will detail his health as well as Joe’s request for support and the date of his upcoming gathering. Ian will send this to Charlie and Charlie will sent it out to our e-mail mailing list. 

8. Manual Update — David continues to work on it … with luck it will be ready for this weekend. 

9. Ideas on bringing in younger men to MCM will be discussed at the next regular board meeting (Paul, Thomas) 

10. Update on 501c3. Currently MCM is incorporated. Form 1023ez need to be filled out and submitted. Ian and Charlie will take care of this. 

11. An MCM Blog page to ask for, buy, or sell things will be discussed at the next regular board meeting in Oct. 

Next General meeting will be at the weekend on Sunday Oct 15, 2017. 

The next regular board meeting will be at David’s house (Brad as Backup) in Jefferson on Oct.23, 6-8. 

Minutes accepted by e-mail procedure from the board Oct. 1, 2017 

Date: June 22, 2017 
Place: Charlie’s house 
In Attendance: Charlie, Allan, Brad, David 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Minutes: 
a. Minutes from May18, 2017 were accepted with changes made to #8 “We welcome all self identified men with respect and good will to be part of Maine Coast Men” This will be added to by-laws as well as future flyers 
b. General Meeting Minutes May 7, 2017 – Charlie will send them to David and David will send them to Board to be reviewed and accepted by e-mail 

2. Treasures Report — MCM has a balance of $3,076.38 after having paid all weekend expenses, liability insurance, bought checks and filed with the Sec-retary of State. We have no outstanding bills and none are anticipated. 

3. MCM Google page to share articles: A training session will be planned for the future. 

4. 501 C-3 update: MCM is now incorporated. Ian and Charlie will apply for IRS for 501 C-3 status. Thanks go out to Charlie and all board members for stick-ing with this long process. 

5. Ideas for bringing younger men to weekends: (Paul and Thomas are discussing and will bring ideas to a board meeting in the future.) 

6. MOFGA News: As of June 22, 2017 MCM did not make the cut for a table this year at the Common Ground Fair. 
* Note: Charlie was contacted by MOFGA in July and we currently have a table at the CGF. Charlie is coordinating the volunteer list for men to sit at the table and inform interested people about MCM. Charlie will have our banner made. Next board meeting we will discuss what to offer at he able. (ideas so far are business cards with contacts, the article from Bangor Newspaper, applications to attend. 

7. Using a Phone Tree to stay in touch: Charlie and Thomas are working on a proposal to share with the board. 

8. MCM Auction will be held again at the fall weekend. A mentor will be sought from the men attending to help organize in the future. 

9. Donations to MCM , letters, tax codes etc: 
a. MCM needs to get 501C-3 status first. Ian and Charlie will get in contact with the IRS. 
b. The Treasurer will need to send out acknowledgement letters at the end of the year for donations. A generic tax form letter will be developed or copied from an other organization, on-line may be a possibility. 
c. Donated items for Auction may also be claimed for tax purposes. (Details need to be worked out) 

10. MCM Weekend Oct 14,15, 16, 2017. 
a. Brad is working on the Program for the fall. 
b. Idea: Items for sale/trade have a blog page where men can go to list what they need or for have to offer to trade/sell before the weekend. 

11. Fold and Stamp Party is August 29 at Charlie’s house. Brochure goes out Sept 4, 2017. Flyer needs to be completed by August 14. 

12. Other: 
a. MCM will continue to offer a $30 Saturday for men to experience the week-end. These men will be assigned a mentor using the guidelines of our current process. 
b. Scholarship names will be kept confidential between registrar and treasurer. 
c. The lower age limit for men to attend the Saturday or the weekend is 14. Young men who are age 14-17 can attend for free with an adult. 
d. Children should not be brought to the weekend. 
e. Weekend for young men — Can we build a Saturday program for them? (Will be discussed at the next board meeting to discuss) 

Next Board Meeting: August 29 6-8 at Charlie’s house. This will also be a work session for the Fold and Stamp Party. 

Minutes accepted at the August 29, 2017 meeting by the board 

Date: May 18, 2017 
Place: Charlie’s House 
In Attendance: Alan, Paul, Charlie, Thomas, John, Bob, Carl, Brad, David 
Minutes submitted by: David 

1. Check In 

2. Thanks and welcome go out to the newest members of the MCM Board, Paul Bernacki and Thomas Levesque. 

3. Review of weekend — Great weekend, Successful auction, Beneficial Ted Talks discussion, Coffee quality discussed, Enjoyable Variety Show, Brotherhood was greatly felt — a successful weekend. 

4. General Meeting Minutes from the weekend will be sent to David and the board to be read and accepted (Charlie). 

5. Treasure’s Report: 
Income from weekend: 
auction $576.00 
registration $2670.00
Total $3246.00
Expenses from weekend: 
Postage $122.50 
Printing $287.89 
Food $600.00 
Coffee &pots $98.20 
Program $31.65 
Tanglewood $1540.00 
Insurance $200.00 
Total $2880.24 
Beginning balance $1639.08 
Income +$3246.00 
Expense -$2880.24 
End balance $2004.84 

6. Review of Jobs and Tasks for Fall Weekend– 
a. David will discuss with Joe ideas on how to get men’s attention and respect during announcements at the weekend. 
b. Facilitator’s role is described in the Manual and will be shared with Joe 

7. 501 C-3 update: The paperwork was signed by the President and Secretary and will be submitted to the state. Charlie was recognized by the board for playing a pivotal role in getting the paperwork ready for MCM to become a non-Profit with a 501 C3 status. Charlie will send the board a completed copy of the Articles of Incorporation along with the By-laws. 

8. The Board will add the following statement to the by-laws as well as future flyers: “We, the MCM board, welcome all self identified men with respect and good will to be part of Maine Coast Men” 

9. MCM Manual — Copies were passed out and men were encouraged to send David feedback. David’s goal is to have this ready for the Fall Weekend. If you were not present and would like a draft, contact David Hanc at hmmmbus@aol.com 

10. David will contact Jim D and inform him he is no longer on the MCM board. Jim will be encouraged to attend the weekends and consider being on the board again in the future. 

11. Weekend Cancellation policy reviewed. We need a minimum of 10 men signed up one week before the weekend in order to hold the event. Money will be returned to the people who signed up in the event we need to cancel. (1/31/2017 -#6) 

12. Paul and Thomas will develop ideas to bring in younger and more men to the weekend. Thomas and Charlie will discuss ideas on how to do a phone tree or a way to communicate with men other than at the weekend (phone tree?). These items will be on the next agenda for the board to discuss. 

13. Auction — Future Plans — Discussion centered around how men can sell personal items on Craig’s list or e-bay and donate the money to MCM. This will be an agenda item for the next meeting. 
a. A suggestion was made that pictures of future items for the weekend auction be posted on our MCM website. This will be considered. 

14. Sculpture Race this summer. Maine Coast Men should consider this idea to advertise our existence. Ian had proposed this idea and is encouraged to follow up with the board if there is interest or people to pull this off. If it is too late for this summer then next summer should be considered. 

15. “Before I die, I would like to …” project: Hank L felt he would like to develop this idea in Camden and possibly Rockland. This idea came from the Ted Talks presentation at the weekend. David will contact Hank and offer MCM support. 

16. Variety Show in Belfast — The board will support this and present the idea at the General Meeting seeking volunteers to organize and run this event at the fall weekend. The money will go to the scholarship/General fund for MCM. 

17. MCM board was asked if we would consider sending out a complete mailing list to all men on the mailing list. The board decided that we would not send out this list. Currently we send out a weekend list to the participants of the weekend that they attended. If a man is looking for the address or information to locate a particular man they can contact the board and we will help make that connection. Brad suggested that if a man dies or is in need of support MCM should be able to send information out. MCM Board would need to receive permission from the family first before sending out information or requests for support using our e-mail list. The exception is if the news is already public such as an obituary in the newspaper. This will be brought up for discussion at the next general meeting in the fall. 

18. Charlie will check with MOFCA to see if space is still available for us to have a table. 

19. The Board agreed to spend $100 to buy a banner that MCM can use at events such as Common Ground Fair etc. Paul and Dan K will discuss design and colors. Charlie will coordinate this effort. 

20. Tomas encouraged the board to post items, sayings, info etc. to Facebook. 

21. A workshop on Death and Dying would be welcomed at the next MCM weekend. 

22. Next Meeting will be at Charlie’s house with Brad’s house as backup. June 22 6-8. David will e-mail the board to see how many men will attend to be sure we have a quorum. 

Minutes accepted at the board meeting on June 27, 2017 

Date: May 7, 2017 
Place: Tanglewood 
In Attendance: See attendance list from weekend 
Minutes submitted by: Charlie 

1. Be it noted that on Friday night, Charlie announced that the Board had been working on getting us incorporated as a 501(c)(3) corporation and that the Articles of Incorporation and proposed Bylaws were available for inspection on the bulletin board; and be it further noted that Phil then proposed that the membership acknowledge that the Board had probably done all the due diligence necessary and that further inspection by the members was probably moot; and furthermore that the grunts and huzzahs that arose from the aforementioned members did seem to imply that a majority felt thusly; be it therefore incorporated into these minutes that said proposed Articles and Bylaws were approved by the membership unanimously. 

2. Pursuant to the aforementioned Articles and Bylaws, the point was raised that Board members should serve two year terms, staggering them so that they don’t all expire at once and Charlie, Brad, Bob O, and John B. all requested one year terms, Paul Bernacki volunteered for a one year term, Alan Pooley withdrew from the board, and Tomas volunteered for a two year term, leaving Ian, David and Carl committed for two years. 
Board meetings are open to all men. Contact any board member to find out next date of board meeting. 

3. Treasure’s report: Exclusive of weekend income and expenses we have $1239.08 (just paid liability insurance $400). We will continue to strive to get and keep $3000 in the bank for future weekends. 

4. Charlie repeated that the membership voted in the fall that if ten men are registered one week before the event, the event will go ahead and that the Tanglewood Camp would not charge us if we have to cancel. The Camp and our long relationship with them were acknowledged. Ivan was encouraged to remind them that they have a willing pool of volunteers for a work project when the need arises. 

5. The results of the phone-a-thon were roughly one-third of the phone numbers we had were no longer good, one-third left messages and we never got a call back, and one-third good contacts were made. [We don’t even have phone numbers for half of the men on our old mailing list.] 

6. A brief discussion ensued about how men whom we hadn’t seen for awhile came to be at this weekend. The overwhelming sense was that meeting another man and being invited/encouraged made all the difference. Charlie proposed a phone “tree” for the next weekend, and perhaps even monthly calls to keep men abreast of what was going on in a personal way. 

7. The Auction was declared a resounding success with $640.50 appearing as a total on the bid sheet, but some of that was our “funny money” so we won’t realize the full amount as a donation. Men requested that we do it again at the next weekend (until it gets tired)(and that we advertise it better because men didn’t [necessarily] read the part of the flyer that said to bring something). A new weekend role was created for Auctioneer and Charlie volunteered. It was also suggested that we could make a donation to the community and get a little publicity with the money raised from the auction. Tom J. also suggested we post some of the donated items to the website as a preview before the fall event. 

8. Ian invited us to consider entering the Sculpture Race to be held in Rockland this summer. Rules: it has to roll, under human power, and meet someone’s definition of art. Those who knew what he was talking about were all for it, the rest were not opposed. Holbrook proposed a pocket trumpet accompaniment to our “float”. 

9. Hank L. loved the idea prompted by a workshop for a “Before I Die, I’d Like To: ____” wall. Possible venues were discussed; Rockland and the new Camden Farmer’s Market location were candidates. 

10. Tom J. reminded us what a smashing success a previous variety show fund raiser had been in Belfast(?). We have no shortage of talent in the organization, notwithstanding the flailing displays of the previous night. 

11. Ben M. requested an update email list be sent to all the members. [Board needs to discuss.] 

12. The meeting was adjourned around 9:40. 

Minutes Accepted by board May 18, 2017