Board Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the MAYA Board of Directors Meeting
September 11, 2004
Several board members were unable to attend or arrived late, so minimal business was conducted. The meeting was hosted by Janet Brooks at her home in Northwest Washington, DC. In attendance were Bob Patrick (president), Nanda Bondade, Shelly Greenberg, and Vic Fanney (recording).

Follow-up from previous Board meeting
Bob Patrick stated that he had gone to a Bank of America branch office to transfer money from MAYA’s checking account to its savings account. At the branch, bank staff told him they had no record of a MAYA savings account. Bob stated that he would check with John Ball to determine the actual institutional location and status of MAYA’s savings account.

Bob mentioned that he will make a point to verify accuracy of information on the MAYA Website related to upcoming events. He stated that he was planning to email local studios to request information on special events and suggested that regular communication with studios about such matters would help to foster greater participation in MAYA by studio directors.

Yoga in the news
The group discussed a recent article in the Washington Post on yoga and its commercial success. It was noted that Bob Patrick had provided commentary in the article on behalf of MAYA, and that comments by Douglas Thompson (former MAYA president) were published in a subsequent letter to the editor.

Yogathon
Vic announced that she was finishing up a flyer she had agreed to do as a paid service to MAYA to promote the upcoming Yogathon. Nanda noted that a registration form needed to be added to the current draft. The group discussed the fees currently charged attenders of a Yogathon. They considered raising the fees but decided that the current charges were reasonably proportional to the going rate of an all-day yoga workshop of 6 sessions/teachers.

Retreat, Summer 2005
Bob reported having emailed 5 inquiries to potential venues for the next MAYA retreat to check on their availability. Shelly offered helpful suggestions based on her many years of experience facilitating retreats and said she would review her records to provide Bob with information that could help in his search for a retreat venue. The group discussed whether centers would accept menu stipulations and what could be expected in the way of vegetarian meals. It was noted that Nanda Bondade’s teacher, Arun, would be the lead instructor, but Nanda was uncertain whether he was expecting MAYA to cover the cost of his airfare. Nanda’s understanding was that his presence at the MAYA retreat was part of a larger travel agenda in the U.S. during that time and that MAYA would be sharing the burden of his air fare with other groups. She agreed to follow up with Arun and clarify this information. Nanda also stated that she would email Arun to request a format for his instruction at the retreat.

Other business
Vic raised the issue of promotional literature and the costs involved in producing and distributing promotional materials for MAYA. Nanda felt that MAYA should not spend heavily in this area. Shelly suggested that MAYA should locate “local talents” for such work and negotiate prices MAYA could afford. She asked Vic if she could research this for MAYA and Vic said she could get going rates for services that MAYA generally draws on for its promotional literature.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted by
Vicki Fanney, Secretary

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
July 24, 2004
Bob Patrick called the meeting to order at 3:45 on Saturday, July 24, 2004.

In attendance were: Directors John Ball, Shelly Greenberg, and Bob Patrick, Bobbi Ponce-Barger, Kim Poole. Vic Fanney, Secretary. Members: Janet Brooks, Pat Miller, Diane Pettie, and Anna Varnavas.

Membership
Bob offered the membership report: 172 teacher, 17 student, and 5 newsletter subscriber applications have been processed since April 1, 2004.

Finance Report
John Ball offered the finance report, which is attached. He stated that he would provide the Board an updated report after receiving the invoices and dues payments from Bobbi and Bob. The Board discussed the savings account and voted to hold an amount equal to one year’s operating expenses in the savings account. This is approximately $6,500-or half of the Association’s total expenses. It was agreed that the newsletter was the most crucial expenditure and that it should be funded for at least a year even if at some point assets were unavailable in the checking account to cover all other expenses. Bob Patrick will make the necessary transfer from checking to savings to reach a $6,500 balance.

Community Outreach
The Board discussed an issue that was brought up at the annual membership meeting just prior to the Board meeting. Vic had suggested that MAYA might sponsor teachers in community settings that were lacking a yoga presence and money to fund a regular teacher. The Board agreed that Vic should look into what needs presently exist in the metro DC area and offer suggestions to the Board on how MAYA could respond to those needs through the gift of financial support. John Ball agreed to look into what information the IRS might require from MAYA if it were to fund teachers for the purpose of community outreach.

Another issue, raised by Janet Brooks, related to the larger matter of organizational support of teachers in support of outreach to areas of limited resources. What would be the criteria for screening suitable teachers who would represent MAYA through their service? Specific criteria were not suggested, but all agreed this was an important question and that once interested teachers made specific suggestions, the discussion would continue based on individual cases.

Insurance Expansion
Bob Patrick reported that Venbrook insurance agency had not responded to his email inquiry re: expansion of coverage for MAYA members. The board discussed the fact that the current liability policy covers only basic related needs and that expansion of the policy to include other work-place issues for yoga teachers was likely not possible through Venbrook. The members suggested to Bob Patrick that it would be helpful to contact other underwriters to see if MAYA liability insurance policy holders could benefit from some other available coverage.

MAYA Mail Pick-Up
It was announced that Jessica Weiss had agreed to pick up the mail from the MAYA P.O. box in Silver Spring. In addition, Bob Patrick will purchase a self-inking returnaddress rubber stamp for use by the Association to send correspondence.

Yogathon
It was announced that the next MAYA Yogathon would be held on November 13, 2004, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, MD. The cost of renting the facility would be $268. Bobbi suggested that a spring Yogathon might be held in the District, as the last one held there was very well attended.

Exchanges
Kim Poole announced that she had scheduled a tentative Exchange with Katherine Lawler for October 16 or 23 (or 17/24 alternatively). The location would be Hood College in Frederick, MD. She said it would be a good setting for an Exchange. The topic would be either restorative or Thai yoga. Kim said she would seek to schedule quarterly Exchanges, and the Board members were enthusiastic about this prospect.

MAYA Retreat
Bob stated that Arun, Nanda Bondades teacher, is available as the instructor for the next retreat. The Board discussed the need to find a location because Priest Field is no longer an option. Pat Miller suggested Wellspring. We may be able to find possible sites by checking the. links to some of the places we have already tried.

Founders Dinner
Bob announced that the planned dinner honoring the MAYA founders was coming together well. The Board encouraged Bob to re-announce the event, as there was disagreement over how well the event had been publicized. Bob said an email message to the members would go out soon after the Board meeting reminding members about the event. There was discussion about the silent auction that had been suggested at an earlier meeting as a way to raise money for MAYA at the Founders Dinner. Shelly suggested that a raffle might raise more money. Bobbi indicated that she could not get behind a raffle because it seemed like gambling. The Board agreed to proceed with an auction. Bob stated that a press release had been prepared and would be sent to the local newspapers. The Board also talked about having pictures taken at the dinner, and Bob said he would ask Nanda or a friend of his to take pictures.

Other Business
Bob informed the group that Beth Belton had expressed an interest in volunteering for MAYA. The Board asked him to find out what her talents or interests were and to report back so that she could be advised wisely about volunteer work needing to be done.

New Business
John Ball reminded the Board that as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, MAYA needs to make its financial statements available to the public. There was some discussion about what information, if any, should be posted on the MAYA website, and then it was decided that the webmaster would be asked to place a link to the MAYA information already posted on IRS.gov so that anyone interested would be able to access the information. John Ball showed the Board a copy of the financial report he had submitted to the IRS on MAYA’s behalf. The Board thanked John for the work he put into the tax statement, recognizing the time and labor that John generously had offered to the organization.

Website
Shelly Greenberg raised a concern she had about the teacher listing on the MAYA website. She stated that the two times she had tried to help inquirers locate a teacher in their area of the Metro DC region, she had not found the current search method helpful.

There followed discussion about the different ways to sort the teacher data on the website. Shelly said she thought that there should be more specific sort categories, specifically by city and zip so that a person in Silver Spring, for example, would be able to immediately locate all the teachers in Silver Spring. Bobbi indicated that it might be advantageous to be able to identify teachers within a certain distance from one’s home. Bob agreed, upon request of the Board, to find out from the webmaster how complicated it would be to add new sort functions to the online teacher listing, and to work to delete the material in the format that is currently difficult to access, i.e. the chart format.

Charitable contributions
There was discussion about the kinds of organizations that MAYA has contributed funding to. Pat Miller asked the Board to consider continuing contributions to an ashram in India and the prison yoga program of the Human Kindness Foundation. It was decided to defer Pat’s suggestion until the next meeting when we would have more information about the amounts and timing of our previous contributions to these organizations.

Financial Records
It was agreed that Bob Patrick would take home the corporate financial records that had been in John Ball’s care while he was treasurer, as his term as treasurer had come to an end, and the Board thanked John for his work as treasurer for the organization.

Next Meetings
The next meeting was scheduled for September 11, 2004, 3:00pm at the home of Janet Brooks. Bob Patrick offered to host the holiday party again, date and time TBA.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned. 
Vic Fanney, Secretary

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
December 7, 2003
Board Members Attending: Nanda Bondade, Shelly Greenberg, Valerie Hughes, Ishwari Leifert, Bob Patrick. Also in attendence: Vic Fanney

Discussion of newsletter and website. The time frame between newsletter copy deadline and actual mailing was discussed. It was determined that on average the newsletter requires 8 weeks of production, including editing, layout, and printing. Bob noted that the web designer Sharon Hector would take on the database responsibility for MAYA. Bob and Bobbi have primary responsibility for sending data to Sharon for posting.

Nanda Bondade reported on the November yogathon. She indicated that it was a financial success for MAYA. There was also discussion of how the teachers are found and what the expectations are of the teachers before they offer their workshop. He suggested that MAYA inform all instructors that they should submit an outline before their workshop and they will be asked to follow this outline as closely as possible.

The board discussed the founders day event planned for August. Bob suggested it would be best to broaden the title of the event. He said it would not be a potluck but would be catered.

Bob indicated that he was in the process of drafting a letter to the MAYA-area studio directors to arrange for meetings to discuss MAYA. Shelly Greenberg agreed to help arrange the Bethesda-area meetings. One objective is for the studios to designate a “MAYA contact.”

The board discussed the MAYA retreat. Schiffman was not available for retreat. Lilias Folan had indicated availability in 2005. Valerie suggested a retreat location if the board were to plan for a 2005 retreat. It was agreed that it would be held in 2005, and Valerie would head up the arrangements for securing the facility, provided that Lilias Folan was available for retreat. Shelly will get in touch with Lilias Folan re: availability and fees.

There was a brief discussion of membership and board development. Shelly suggested that each board member should recruit at least one person to become involved as a volunteer for the organization. She said she hopes that the founders day event will help to put some of the original members back in touch with MAYA.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
September 13 , 2003
The Board meeting was hosted by Shelly Greenberg in Bethesda, MD. 

Present:  Bob Patrick, Ishwari Leifert, Shelly Greenberg, Valerie Hughes, John Ball and Bobbi Ponce-Barger. 

The meeting began with the sacred sound of OM. 

Secretary’ s Report:  Minutes from the prior meeting were reviewed and accepted.  Bobbi Ponce-Barger will keep the minutes for this meeting. 
MAYA is still seeking a volunteer to serve as Secretary 

Treasurer¹s Report: John Ball reported as of September, 2003

 

1010 Checking Account 14,784.00 1070 Savings Account 2,127.00 Total Checking/Savings 16,912.00 Dues revenue $8130 Investment income $7 Expenses $6925.77

 

• The Board decided to continue to do business with checks.  It is not deemed desirable to obtain a ATM card or credit card for MAYA use.
• The Board agreed that MAYA exchanges should have 3 person registration at a minimum.  If there are three people registered – the presenter and administrator should do everything possible to conduct the exchange as scheduled.
• The Board agreed to a mailing of the new brochure and teacher inserts to the membership with cover letter.  
• Information on becoming a MAYA chapter has been sent to two entities (one in MD and the other in DE).  The Dela ware people have decided not to affiliate with MAYA and two go forward as an independent organization.
• Bob presented his ideas for honoring our founding members.  The board agreed that it was a good idea.  Following discussion, it was decided that we will schedule an event for March 27th, 2004 for 25-30 people.  The host location with be at John Balls in Vienna, VA.  John will order the food when we know numbers.  Shelly Greenberg will work on obtaining names and numbers.
• The Yogathon will be on November 1st at Christ Unity Church in Gaithersburg, MD.  Cost for the space is $250.00.  Nanda will e-mail the teacher volunteer request.  The information will be distributed in the newsletter and on the web site.
• The Board discussed ideas for connecting with the growing commercial studio segment of the MAYA community.  Ideas included: power breakfasts in different regions, participation in a Founders Day event.
• Eric Schiffman has not been responsive to Shelly¹s inquiries about conducting a retreat for MAYA.  The board decided to pursue Lilias Folan for a retreat in the coming year.
• Bob and Bobbi will schedule a meeting with Sharon Hector to  obtain her services for maintaining the MAYA web site.
• The next meeting and Holiday gathering- will be at the home of Bob Patrick, 5654 8th Road North, Arlington, VA 22205 on December 7 , 2003 at 3:00pm.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
May 2003
Following are actions taken at the quarterly, May 2003, MAYA Board of directors meeting.

• Shelly Greenberg was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for a 2-year term.
• The members voted to temporarily suspend the 1- year teaching requirement in the bylaws for the position of president for a period of 2 years.
• A new slate of officers was approved by the members.
  Names are on page 2 of this newsletter.
• John Ball provided the financial report. Combined checking and savings balance at the time of the meeting: $18,379.87. John agreed to continue to post the financial data and provide reports as needed.
• Scholarship money was approved for Justine Wiltshire in the amount of $300.00. Justine wrote an article for the newsletter in the winter of 2003.
• Board reviewed the latest revision on MAYA chap- ters. It was approved. Bob Patrick will send it to Fern Meierding in Delaware.
• Board discussed changes to managing the website.
• John Ball will work with committee on new architecture for the site.
• Membership report: Douglas had communicated that numbers had dropped from last year. However, MAYA has had a chronic problem with getting members
  to re-up in a timely fashion. Board will wait to talk with Douglas before taking further action. Francis Stakne and Shelly Greenberg agreed to work
  together to try to pull a big name yoga teacher for a MAYA event. Eric Schiffman is the first choice. We may combine this with the 2004 retreat.
• The next Yogathon will be held in upper Montgomery County this fall. Val Hughes will seek a site. (See page 8.)

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
March 15th, 2003
Following are actions taken at the quarterly MAYA Board meeting on March 15th, 2003.

Secretary’s Report.
Minutes from the prior meeting were reviewed and accepted.

Treasurer’s Report.
Figures obtained after the BOD meeting (as of April 28, 2003)

• Checking Account $11,137.63
• Savings Account 2,119.03
• Balance $13,256.66

MAYA Chapters.
Bob Patrick drafted an agreement form for the MAYA board and outlying charters. A few board members made suggestions for improving it. Following the changes the board wants to send it to our Delaware Chapter to see if they will accept the terms laid out in the agreement. Bob Patrick to push forward.

Membership.
311 Teachers, 107 Students, 12 Newsletter Only.

Education. 
It was suggested that since we have a good balance in the treasury that we should look into getting a “big name” person to come teach in our area for MAYA. Shelly Greenberg will try to contact Eric Shiffman to see if he is available.

New Board member. 
Shelly Greenberg has accepted a seat on the MAYA Board of Directors.

Yogathon.
The next Yogathon will be in the fall of 2003 in or around Gaithersburg, MD.

Annual Membership Meeting.
The Annual Membership Meeting was held on May 31, 2003. Our upcoming Board of Directors meeting will be held on September 13th, 2003, at 3:00 pm at Evergreen Yoga Studio, 7603 Granada Drive in Bethesda, MD. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend board of directors meetings.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
December 7, 2002
Following are actions taken at the quarterly MAYA Board meeting on December 7, 2002.

Secretary’s Report:
Minutes from the prior meeting were reviewed and accepted.

Treasurer’s Report as of 12.9.02:

• Checking acct. bal $14,978.20
• Savings acct. bal 2,112.84
• Closing bal $17091.04

There was some discussion about the Deleware region of MAYA and the treatment of money earned at MAYA events there. This led to a larger discussion about communication, board representation and organizational culture. It was decided that we needed a written understanding of procedures for administration and financials. Bob Patrick will begin writing a draft on these topics.

MAYA is still seeking a volunteer to serve as Treasurer.

Deborah Dougherty has volunteered to Chair the yoga exchange program. Kathy Thompson has resigned as chair of education.

Changes to the MAYA By-laws and Articles of Incorporation were presented by Bob Patrick. The changes were voted on and accepted.

The MAYA questionnaire received 25 responses. The responses to the questionnaire indicate that MAYA is providing the services and programs that people by and large desire.

It was voted to keep the membership dues at the current rates.

Pat Miller requested that MAYA send money to The Human Kindness Foundation and to The Friends of the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, South India. MAYA will send each organization $150.00.

The meeting closed and the holiday party, potluck, and gift exchange began.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
September 8, 2002
Following are actions taken at the quarterly MAYA Board meeting on September 8, 2002.

Secretary’s Report:
The minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed and accepted.

Treasurer’s Report: June 26, 2002–Sept 8, 2002

• Beginning balance: $18,280.71
• Income: $899.01
• Expenses: 2,966.93
• Accounting Adjustment: 142.65
• Closing balance to date: $16,355.44

John Ball will design a new form for an expense invoice which will be more compatible with the new program for the treasurer’s report.

Bobbi Poncé-Barger has agreed to fill the position of historian and to begin work on the new t-shirts.

Membership:
Bobbi reported that there is confusion regarding teacher referrals. The teachers who indicated that they didn’t want to be listed on the website were also omitted from the mailing list. This will need to be rectified.

A questionnaire will be sent to MAYA teachers and students by regular mail and will also be available on email. Discussion was continued on the direction of MAYA, where we want to go and how to generate interest and participation. It was decided to wait until we get the results of the questionnaire to determine what approach to take.

Liability Insurance:
Bob Patrick said he is not pleased with the level of service being provided by our current insurance company. They are adequate for processing applications but he has had trouble contacting them for other issues and wonders what would happen if someone had a claim. Citi-group handles liability insurance and Bob will research them and try to find an agent closer to us.

Publicity: 
Amy Halstead will be the new chairperson of publicity.

Budget:
It was felt that a budget should be set up for events. John Ball said he would prepare a financial history of the past year’s events. The goal is to have a budget ready for the March meeting.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
June 29, 2002
The following are actions taken at the quarterly Board meeting of MAYA on June 29, 2002.

Secretary’s Report: 
The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and accepted. In light of the fact that only officers and board members were present and there was not anyone represented from general membership to carry a vote on the bylaws, agenda, and the business of the annual meeting were postponed.

Treasurer’s Report: Mar. 1, 2002–June 25, 2002

• Income $15,383.00
• Expenses $ 3,941.18
• Checking Acct. Bal. $16,234.44
• CD Acct. Bal. 2,099.28
• Total Balance in Maya Treasury $18,339.72

Valerie Hughes was elected Vice-President and board member. Hugh Eckert has resigned as membership chair. Douglas Thompson will take over as membership chair. Lucy Lomax stepped down as Treasurer. Douglas will write checks and John Ball will maintain corporate books until a new treasurer is appointed.

John Ball presented the outline for an automated program that could be used to generate our financial reports. It is Quickbooks Pro 2002.

The annual meeting will take place in December when it is expected to draw a larger attendance to vote on the by-laws. The meeting will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2:00pm at Ishwari Leifert’s in conjunction with the holiday party.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
March 2, 2002
The following are actions taken at the quarterly Board meeting of MAYA held on March 2, 2002:

Secretary’s Report:
The minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed and accepted.

Treasurer’s Report: December 15, 2001 – March 1, 2002.

• Income: $20,776.40
• Expenses: $14,884.65
• Xferred (CD to checking: $7,000.00
• CD Account Balance: $2,085.59
• Checking Account Balance: $6,931.75
• Total in MAYA Treasury: $9,017.34

Prabha Dhage volunteered to do the mailing of events flyers. Valerie Hughs volunteered to chair the Scholarship Committee. Board agreed that the Newsletter committee could be a gateway for information as to what goes on the website. The Corporate Books Task force (Bob Patrick, John Ball, Hugh Eckert and Douglas Thompson) advised the board on auding and public disclosures requirements.

Bobbi Poncé-Barger will serve as Vice-President. Valerie Hughes announced that her two year term as security would end in June 2002. She agreed to continue on as a board member. Jane Fryer sent a request from Romania for yoga eductation materials. John volunteered to be a collection center for materials. Materials would be sent by MAYA.

Next meeting: At the home of Douglas Thompson on Saturday, June 29th, at 2:00 PM.

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
December 15, 2001
The quarterly Board Meeting of MAYA opened at 3:40 P.M. at the home of Hugh Eckert. Attending were: Hugh Eckert, Lucy Lomax, Kathy Thompson, Vic Fanney, Bobbi Ponce-Barger, Ishwari Leifert, Toto, Nanda Bondade, Douglas Thompson, Bob Patrick, John Ball and Valerie Hughes.

Secretary’s Report: 
The minutes from the meeting of September 8, 2001, were reviewed. Bobbi moved that they be accepted. The minutes were unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report: 
The treasurer will present a quarterly report. Lucy presented a beautiful report. The current report is from June 23, 2001 – December 15, 2001.

• Income: $11, 899.35
• Expenses 7,701.52
• Checking Account Balance: $ 4,197.83
• CD Account Balance: 8,068.67
• Total in MAYA Treasury: $12,266.50

Education:
Kathleen Thompson presented the education report April and May are open for educational opportunities. Suggested workshops are: Inward Bound presented by Jane Fryer

Program on special health needs e.g., cardiac, cancer, by Pritty Green. It Could be called “Yoga of the Heart”. There was a question as to whether Pritty Green has experience in working with large groups. It was noted that the Vinyasa workshop was cancelled due to poor response.

Yoga Exchange: 
There is no chairperson for Yoga Exchange. Bobbi said we were doing all right without one. Hugh suggested having an exchange at different local studios once a month asking teachers to present their practice and styles. Bobbi suggested going to well known, formerly active MAYA members such as John Shumacher, J.J. Gormley, and Susie Hurley. The benefits for these teachers would be exposure and access to the MAYA website. We could also appeal to their sense of service and of working together to promote yoga.

John Ball suggested an Ashtanga Workshop in July. Possible teachers would by Bhekaji and Sandra Nicht.

The Cardiac Training Workshop as originally planned will not be done. Mala Cunningham would still like to teach the workshop and can extend the course over three weekends. However, Lucy cannot take more time to coordinate this. Douglas noted that this is a very complex workshop and requires a lot more effort than other workshops. He will tell Mala that it will not work for us at this time.

Bobbi proposed a Meditation Workshop by Edward Espe Brown next fall. We could offer a 60/40 split on the fee plus airfare. We could contact the Washington Mindfulness Society to assure a large enough response. John noted that some presenters with a high profile present a financial risk. Lucy said that due to the increased interest in yoga an occasional high profile name would be warranted. John responded that if we decide to do something, we should budget it and prepare to take a risk. Hugh said teachers should be encouraged to promote events.

Membership:
Report given by Hugh Eckert

Hugh said that we could do membership online for a cost of $10 a month to MAYA. He contacted “Payments Online” and it would cost $.25 per transaction. There are six membership types listed. He also suggested eliminating membership cards. He made a motion toward this and Nanda seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Bobbi suggested that we expedite registration online. Toto said it is already in place, and encouraged people to go to the site and update data.

A website with Yahoo costs $15 a month. There was a question to who is getting the bill.

Hugh announced that he would be passing on membership in July when his two-year term is over. Bobbi asked if Hugh and Toto would be willing to continue facilitating the website. They agreed to do this. After some discussion, Hugh agreed to be reimbursed at $25 per hour for four hours a month. Douglas moved that $1200 a year be budgeted for maintaining the website. Valerie seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Bobbi said that information regarding teacher style has not been available for teacher referrals. Toto said the primary teaching style will be available on the website for teacher referrals. Bobbi suggested that there might be a liability issue in bypassing the personal contact in teacher referral. This will be discussed further at the next meeting.

Membership Development:
There is not a chairperson for this committee. It would involve going over membership lists and phoning those who have not renewed their membership. Ishwari volunteered to take over this committee.

Correspondence:
Scholarship: 
Will be discussed at next meeting.

Communication:
Brochures:
Vic has a draft that will be ready for review by the end of the month. Kathleen reported the person she had recommended to design a new logo is not a graphics designer and she is disappointed in his lack of interest in the project. The logo on the website is well liked and Toto will research if it is free for us to use. Bob Patrick moved that we proceed with procuring a service mark for a new logo. Lucy seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Newsletter:
There was such a huge response to the subject of “Change” for the last newsletter that some articles had to be bumped and will be included in the next issue. Toto suggested that articles could be put on the website for a month. Bobbi said if interest continues we can expand to ten pages. We are within the budget and may even be able to do an upcoming issue of twelve pages. Douglas proposed increasing the budget to add two extra pages.

Vic and Bobbi both want to eliminate the quarter page ad at $45 and only offer the half page $85 ad, because they both require the same amount of work. Hugh suggested a separate meeting to discuss advertising on the website.

Graphics:
John Ball requested to be removed from this committee.

Publicity: 
No report. Douglas will call Ren Fields.

Teacher referrals:
Ishwari reports an average of one per week.

T-Shirts: 
Bob said there are very few left. We will try to sell them at $5 a piece at Yogathon. Douglas questioned whether they are making any money. John said that if we sell over $1,000 worth per year we would have to collect sales tax. This will be discussed at the next meeting.

Liability Insurance:
Bob reported that some members have over-paid and that he is working on getting a refund. MB Insurance backdated insurance to the beginning of the term for people who applied later. Members can write a letter requesting a refund.

Health Insurance:
There are five members participating in health insurance.

Retreat: 
Bobbi reports that the cost per person to MAYA is $167.70. The last retreat we charge $235 for members and $260 for non-members. Hugh suggested a $250/275 charge. We could offer a reduced rate on massage subsidizing the difference. Massage would be optional and there could be a place on the application to request it. Douglas moved that this proposal be adopted. John seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Yogathon:
The spring Yogathon will be held on March 16, in Annapolis at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. Some ideas for the Yogathon were Kathy Cochran addressing breast cancer and a workshop or exchange on yoga and emotions. There was discussion on the possibility of doing a Yogathon in Richmond/Fredericksburg to help that community get established. John said that Katar Khalsa could speak on the Yoga Alliance but it was suggested that this topic would be more suitable at Retreat or a venue for teachers.

Old Business:

Maya Chapters
Douglas said not much has been done since we have been focusing on our books.

Calendar Fund Raiser
The calendars have earned a net profit of $719. Hugh said they would give the remaining calendars to MAYA without charge and MAYA would get full earnings.

Yoga Day USA/Yoga Alliance
This discussion was tabled since Bobbi had to leave.

New Business:

Corporate Books
John Ball gave a presentation on corporate books, procedures and policies. Because of our size we are responsible for meeting federal guidelines for a non-profit organization. We are required to make our financial records available to anyone who asks. We can satisfy this requirement by posting them on the website. Our records are also subject to being seen so corporate record books should be kept as meticulously as possible. We need a set of policies and procedures. There will be a special committee and meeting to address this subject. Members of this committee will be:

• John Ball, chair
• Douglas Thompson
• Bob Patrick
• Hugh Eckert
• Lucy Lomax (financial)

Miscellaneous:
Douglas reported that Kathy Cox can no longer do mailings. Nanda volunteered to do mailings. Emily Best is so busy with work that she needs to resign as Vice-President. A replacement will be discussed at the next meeting.

Douglas said in recognition of the huge contribution that Toto has made to MAYA, that he should be made a volunteer member and made a motion for this. Hugh seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.

Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be March 2, 2002, at John Ball’s house.

Douglas requested that the June meeting be held at his house.

The meeting adjourned at 6:10 P.M. followed by the Annual Holiday Party

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
September 8, 2001
The Following is a summary of the decisions taken and the issues raised at the Sept. 8 Board of Directors meeting.

• John Ball to research tax-exempt status in DC, MD, & VA.
• Kathy Rowley has stepped down as head of education committee and resigned from the Board. Kathy Thompson will assume this position.
• Cardiac training scheduled for January has been canceled due to cost uncertainties.
• Kay Hawkins has stepped down as head of scholarship committee. Position is open.
• Hugh Eckert was voted in as a new board member.
• Proposal presented to add a northern region chapter of MAYA. Further discussion necessary for final approval.

Treasurer’s Report, FY July 2001–Sept. 2001

• Checking Account Beginning Balance: $3,000.00
• Total Income: $5,209.81
• Total Expenses: $2,422.69
• Ending Balance: $5,786.46
• CD Account
  • X-ferred from prior checking account: $9,000.00
  • X-ferred to new checking account: $1,000.00
  • Interest: $17.05

Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association Board Meeting
June 23, 2001
Following is a summary of the decisions taken and the issues raised at the June 23 Board of Directors meeting.

Treasurer’s Report, FY April 1, 2000–March 31, 2001

• Beginning Balance: $3,623.30
• Total Income: $26,801.00
• Total Expenses: $21,725.83
• Ending Balance: $8,687.47
• Account Balance, June 22, 2001: $14,708.15
• Membership dues netted $8,431.00.

Several exchanges and workshops were agreed up on and scheduled, in particular, a cardiac yoga workshop by Maia Cunninghlm is slated for the weekends of January 17–20 and 25–27, costing $1250 per student.

Hugh Eckert’s membership report stated that MAYA has 252 members: 178 teachers, 74 students, and 11 Flyer subscriptions.

The MAYA brochure needs to be updated and reprinted, and Emily Best and Vic Fanney agreed to work together on this project.

Emily Best was warmly applauded for her 3-year term as editor of the MAYA Flyer. Bobbi Poncé-Barger and Vic Fanney were introduced as the next editorial volunteers, and a discussion was held on finding a new name for the publication to coincide w/the redesign of the brochure.