Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011Board Members Present: J. Richardson, Chair; S. Hamilton, First Vice Chair; B.Samiian, Second Vice Chair; M. Buncome; K. Carpenter; S. Clark; E. Cline; V. DellaPorta; J. Gilmore; M. Gonzalez; DJ Hellrung; J. Herbkersman; J. Herring; J. Ligator; J.Robertson; B. Upright; J. Upton; J. Womble; L. Wynn-Hall; A. Bautista; M. Brennan;H. Fischer.Board Members Present Via Teleconference: J. Hanigan, Treasurer;F. Bridgewater-Alford; D. Guild; N. Jones.Staff Members Present: S. Tysver, CEO; L. Beitz, CFO; L. Hull, CDO.J. Hirshan present to record minutes.Board Members Not Present: B. Coleman, Secretary, excused; M. Bedoya Barnett,excused; S. Rodgers, excused; K. Slattery, excused.I. Call to OrderBoard Chair James Richardson called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m.II.III.Welcome & IntroductionsChair Richardson welcomed the group. He asked for input about the change inthe meeting room format. He told Board members they would receive a surveyabout the format of management reports after the meeting.2011 YearYear-End Management ReportCEO Sandra Tysver shared that the full version of the year-end report is postedon the Board portal. She presented the report with the help of the seniorleadership team.Ms. Tysver explained that 2011 was a year of transition. It was a shortened, 9-month fiscal year from January to September. It was the end of the goal cycle.The council finished the first phase of development at North Fork LeadershipCenter and moved into external usage. The 100 th Anniversary kicked off lastweek. The council tackled information technology challenges including use ofthe council enterprise system. Most of the objectives say “Accomplished,” butalso say “work continues.”Girl membership increased more than 4.5%, compared to national girlmembership levels that were flat. National membership overall increased justover 0.4%, including adults.Troop membership in Gateway Council increased this past year. The councilhad 65% of service units increase membership, and there was a 6% increase innon-troop pathways. There was a 1% increase in non-white girl membership.There was a decrease in non-white troop membership, but an increase in nonwhitegirl membership in other pathways. This is a challenge moving into 2012.A question was raised about whether non-white girl membership includesHispanic Girl Scouts. GSUSA uses US Census guidelines that indicate the termHispanic describes ethnicity rather than race. The council does have Hispanicethnicity statistics as well as statistics for race which include Hispanics by theirBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 1

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011race designation.There was a decrease in adult membership for the third straight year.Nationally, adult membership is up. This is an area of concern moving forward.Over 1,700 volunteers attended council-sponsored trainings, and just under270 trainings were offered online.Over 5,000 girls participated in council-sponsored events or trainings. Almost600 girls earned a Bronze, Silver or Gold Award. The number of girls who earnthese awards is part of GSUSA criteria for evaluating council performance. TheBronze Award is the highest achievement a Junior Girl Scout can earn. TheSilver Award is the highest achievement for a middle school-aged Cadette. TheGold Award is the highest achievement earned for Senior and Ambassador GirlScouts in high school.A question came up about whether the council has goals for these awards,either as a percentage of membership or numerical. The council has no specificgoals around these awards, but may want to look at percentage of membership.Almost 5,100 girls camped at a council-owned property in the past 9 months,including North Fork Leadership Center, Camp Kateri, and the Little Houses.North Fork Leadership Center opened operations for troop and councilprograms, day camp and external use. The council is partnering with ClayCounty Schools. The district has grant money to bring schools to North Fork forleadership development using the low ropes course. External use includesbirthday parties, high school football team camps and more.From a financial standpoint, the year ended with a decrease in net assets.Vacation time accrual and depreciation were not budgeted, and without thosethe budget would be more in line with the variance. During the past year, staffmonitored and controlled expenses when the revenue was down. Revenue wasbelow budget in every line item except investments, the Girl Scout store, andmiscellaneous income. Public support was up over 2010 figures because of inkindgifts and government support. Store sales were up, product sales were up,and program fees were up for resident camp as well as day camp. Expenseswere up, and compensation was up due to pension liabilities that will continuefor the next 13 years. Operational expenses were up including financialassistance, North Fork operations, and travel. Occupancy was up as a result ofmortgage interest. Depreciation was up. Even though this is non-cash, it is still avery real expense. The focus going forward is on maintaining expenses,identifying other revenue sources, and finding out where we can increaserevenue, not only from product sales, but in other areas.Accomplishments from the past year include the establishment of the AuditCommittee, and the completion of an RFP process that selected Carr, Riggs &Ingram as the new audit firm for the council. Cash receipts were automated intothe accounting system software. The chart of accounts was converted to alignwith the approved GSUSA national chart of accounts, and historical data wasalso converted. Challenges in 2012 include implementation of electronictransactions with troop accounts to eliminate financial assistance checkswritten to troops, and the ability to draft money from troop bank accounts forBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 2

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011product sales through the automated clearing house (ACH) process. With thepossibility of accepting credit cards at cookie booths, the council isinvestigating who will pick up the associated charges. Other councils are takingcare of credit card fees, because if the sale revenue increases then the chargesare covered. At a national level there has been a movement to include troopbank accounts in council financial statements. The auditors are requesting thisinformation. All troop bank accounts use the council Federal ID number. Theyshould be on the books.A question was raised about the sentiment of troops regarding these proposals.The council has not had any communication at this point with the troops onthese subjects. Troops had issues with the conversion as banks no longerprovide free checking and added more charges. Troops have not yet beenapproached with ACH.The auditors requested balances on all troop bank accounts, but theinformation is not currently available. The council asked the auditors to make anote of this in the management letter. Other Florida councils’ auditors haverequired this information for the past few years. Other councils have resistedup to this point. It would be a huge undertaking and there would be significantstaff time involved. It would not have been possible to gather this information intime for the audit. If the national organization requires this, then the council willhave no choice but to follow. GSUSA is suggesting but not requiring this yet. Thecouncil wants to be in a similar position with other councils in Florida, and in thefuture will align with GSUSA.In terms of public support, the council ended the 9-month fiscal year belowbudget. The number of donors is steady even though it was a short fiscal year.There were over 1,000 donors – individuals and organizations – who gave to GirlScouts of Gateway Council. The Fund Development Committee plans todiversify public support revenue by identifying new donors, and finding otherways for them to give. Different people and different organizations havedifferent ways to give back. The council will offer a variety of options, and thedonors will match them with the way they wish to connect with theorganization.A question was raised about the fact that some people wait to give until the endof the year and whether or not this had an impact. This was taken into accountin the budget.For the product sales department, there was an increase in cookie revenue of2%, and girls sold 3% more boxes of cookies during the January 2011 sale. Thesale missed the budget, and there is an aggressive budget for 2012. There areexpanded leadership opportunities for participants in community groups. Theincrease in girl participation was only 1%, and it is a major challenge to get moretroops participating, as well as more girls within the troop participating. If troopparticipates, about 95% of girls are likely participating. Efforts will focus on anincrease in troop participation. Average sales per girl went up. Budget is set highbecause this stream represents 60-65% of council revenue.BOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 3

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011Discussion followed about whether there is a correlation between non-whitetroop participation and product sales. There is no correlation. Troops in lowincomeareas are very active in product sales and annual giving. They have ahigher participation rate than troops in other areas. The cookie sale is a brandpromise - the council gives all Girl Scouts an opportunity to participate. Thecouncil has a responsibility to broaden the ability for girls in troops and girls inother pathways to participate, even if not convenient to do so.It was suggested to consider allowing Girl Scout cookie “franchises” for girls whomay not be Girl Scouts but would like an entrepreneurial experience. Thiscookie pathway has been the topic of general conversation at the council, and isworth further discussion.The communications department focused on a goal about brand awarenessand linking the council’s messages to the national Girl Scouts leadership model.All exposure and publicity is positive, getting the Girl Scouts name out in thecommunity. The real challenge is to get the message right. The council wantsthe brand to be associated with girl leadership.There are two in-house groups working on technology. One is looking at currentsoftware including Personify, Sage, software for the council store and thecouncil websites. The group examines what resources exist that are notcurrently being used and could improve customer service. This past year thecouncil successfully converted Personify with a major upgrade to the databasefrom the national organization. The Raiser’s Edge database is now in the cloud.The first priority in the next year is funding to upgrade the telephony system toVoice over IP to connect all council offices with one system. The council will alsoupgrade the office Internet connections. Work continues in assessing needsincluding the server, operating system, and phone system.Governance focus was on constituency engagement. The structure ofassociations was eliminated two years ago when the bylaws changed. Nowthere is a different type of delegate appointment and communication model.There are 23 service units that have appointed delegates so far, more than half,which is an increase from last year. There were three in person and two virtualmeetings held this fall. The virtual meetings had slightly higher participationthan in person meetings. Members are using the virtual option as an easy way toconnect and communicate. An online delegate orientation brought delegatesup to speed. Input was solicited from delegates in a variety of ways throughoutthe year. The new system is not static, and allows the council to gatherinformation in a variety of ways from delegates and the membership.The 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts is in 2012. Plans include building theendowment, an event at the Ritz Theatre, and Campfire, Cocktails & Cookies,the council’s major external fundraising event this year. There is an alumnaeidentification initiative and a new award for Sustaining the Mission. FoundersDay Events were very successful, organized at the service unit level. Girl ScoutsForever Green is the national Take Action project that links the Girl ScoutsLeadership Experience to the environment. Funding through GSUSA from theBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 4

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011Jessie Ball duPont Fund will support all councils in Florida. The Celebrate aCentury event will be an opportunity for girls and their families to spend theweekend at North Fork Leadership Center.A question was raised about whether there is an event that will be sustaining tonext year that can be used as a revenue-generator. The 100th Anniversaryshould be used as a starting point to capitalize on the celebration. There arethree projects that will endure. The alumnae identification initiative is designednot to solicit gifts this year, but to nurture alumnae as future donors. Thetargets are primarily women who were Girl Scouts 15 to 20 years ago and wouldnot be in any database unless they are a volunteer or have made a donation inrecent years. They must self-identify. The endowment campaign will continue,with a goal of $100,000 for this year. The special event, Campfire, Cocktails &Cookies, is an evening event and is very different and branded differently fromWomen of Distinction or Women Who Make a Difference. Those luncheons maycome back, but this event could also be repeated. A suggestion was made forBoard members to send an email to fellow employees for alumnaeidentification, within the guidelines of their corporate communication policy.IV.QuorumChair Richardson officially declared that quorum was reached.V. Approval of AgendaMotion: Approve the agenda for the November 17, 2011 Board of Directorsmeeting as presented. Motion made by First Vice Chair Susan Hamilton. Themotion was seconded by John Herbkersman. Motion Carries.VI.Consent ItemsInformation was posted on the Board portal including minutes from the lastBoard meeting, the loan resolution for North Fork Leadership Center and AdultRecognitions.Motion: To approve the consent items as presented. Motion made by JaneUpton. The motion was seconded by First Vice Chair Hamilton. Motion Carries.VII.Action ItemsFinancial Statements – September 2011 Year EndBoard Treasurer Jennifer Hanigan presented the financial statements for theprevious year. The fiscal year ended in September and showed a slightdecrease in net assets. Compared to the 2011 budget, there is a negative$218,000 variance primarily comprised of depreciation and accrued vacation.Vacation accrual is a new item that was suggested by the new audit firm. Thisincludes vacation time that employees have not yet taken but are expected totake. Since the fiscal year ends in September and the vacation cycle goesthrough December 31, there is a difference shown. This change meets currentaccounting standards. Now that the vacation time is accounted for, it willfluctuate up and down year to year. This item has not been seen before on anyfinancial statements.BOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 5

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011In the September financial statements, public support is down. Particularly,government contributions are down $36,000, primarily AmeriCorps. Productsales revenue is up 3%, but still missed budget. Day camp attendance wasbelow expectations this past year, and investment income was up $50,000. Onthe expense side there is a positive variance, due to staff turnover, and twovacancies. That number fluctuates due to attrition. Occupancy was fairly flat,and financial assistance went up this past year. Program operations showed apositive variance that offset the financial assistance, with savings in suppliesand travel. The depreciation variance is close to $172,000, which was notincluded in the budget before. This is the time of year when the council has acash flow situation, and has to access reserves to pay salaries and anyexpenses during these months. When revenue from product sales comes in,they will “repay” these reserves. The council will probably need to accessreserves again before the end of the year for the same reason. A large portion ofrevenue comes from product sales. Not all troops have turned in the funds forfall product sales. This will help offset some of the reserve money. When thecookie sale revenue comes in the council will once again be in a positive cashflow position.The statement of revenues and expenditures breaks finances down bycategory. The variance from the current year actual compared to the year-todatebudget shows where the council stands at the end of September.The statement of financial position shows assets and liabilities. The currentyear balance total is $14,813,025. Last year the balance was more than$15,000,000. This offset has to do with variances already discussed. Given thestate of the economy, the council is still in a fairly stable position at this point,completing the fiscal year.Motion: Accept the September 2011 Year End Financial Statements aspresented. Motion made by Treasurer Hanigan. The motion was seconded.Motion Carries.VIII.Reportsa. Chair’sReport/Governance CommitteeChair Richardson reported that the Governance Committee met a fewweeks ago. The only action the group took was to approve theappointment of Jamelle Overby to fill a vacant slot on the BoardDevelopment Committee. There was discussion about the AnnualMeeting format being fun and festive to recognize the 100thAnniversary. Other discussion centered around upcoming Board workand tasks before the group in the coming year. There is a newrechartering process for Girl Scout councils. Gateway Council will betaking part in that next year. Several committees have ongoing work thatwill continue beyond this Board year, which ends in February. TheProperty Committee has undertaken a property study that extendsthrough next year. The Governance Committee has taken on successionplanning. There is not currently a plan of continuity in place.Chair Richardson reported on the National Meeting in Houston, Texas.There were 23 people from the council who attended. Three proposalsBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 6

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011were presented to the national body, and only one passed. Councils willnow be able to institute a council service fee, an additional participantfee not to exceed the cost of membership that can be added for girlmembers. The language was changed to “council service fee.” Thecouncil now has the option, and that is something the FinanceCommittee, maybe the Fund Development Committee, maybe theGovernance Committee, will take a look at. If instituted, the Board willdetermine how the additional fee will be used. The fee will stay at thelocal level, and the idea will be considered and discussed. The rollingmembership year proposal was assigned to a task force to look atimplementation, and the implications of such a change. The thirdproposal was the timing of elections of national delegates. The proposalwas to move the election one year earlier so national council delegateswould begin a 3-year term two years before the convention. This wasdefeated, but generated the most discussion, along with the rollingmembership year proposal. The council service fee proposal did nothave much discussion.The convention was fun and inspirational, and was the official kick-offfor the 100th Anniversary as well as the official prelaunch of 2012 as TheYear of the Girl. The new GSUSA CEO is Anna Maria Chavez, the firstLatina woman to serve in that capacity. She is the 19th person to lead theorganization and the third to come from within the organization. GSUSAhas a newly elected national board and new Board DevelopmentCommittee. The national Board President was reelected to providecontinuity during the change in CEO leadership. This convention was thelargest with 15,000 attendees including delegates, visitors, andexhibitors. The Girl Scouts Leadership Institute (GSLI) was verysuccessful.Maureen Brennan shared her experience at the GSLI. She described thesessions as training for girls to be entrepreneurs, as with cookie booths.In her classes she heard about strong women who influenced their livesthrough their passions. The program was very interactive with groupactivities and roleplaying. In the Hall of Exhibits the girls learned newthings and met people from around the country.Chair Richardson said 1,200 girls participated in the GSLI. This program isrelatively newly associated with the national meeting, and many girlswho attended were not delegates. There were 11 girls from GatewayCouncil who attended the GSLI.Melina Buncome shared that the trip was a great experience. All thepresenters were Girl Scouts and talked about their experiences growingup, including Vernice Armour, Katie Couric, Yolanda Adams, and CEOAnna Chavez.A question was raised by Second Vice Chair Baraz Samiian aboutwhether information could be sent to council delegates as part of theconstituency engagement cycle. Chair Richardson encouraged everyoneBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 7

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011to visit the council’s blog by following the link on the council’s website.The delegates posted from the convention in real time. One requirementof national delegates is to present experiences at ConstituencyEngagement meetings in the spring. Ms. Tysver added that the delegatesposted lots of photos on the blog and on the council’s Facebook page.She assured the group that information from the trip would be sentshortly to council delegates.Florida Bridgewater-Alford added her comments about the convention.Ms. Bridgewater-Alford was impressed that newscaster Robin Robertsattributed the courage to speak her mind from being in Girl Scouts. Ms.Bridgewater-Alford was inspired and motivated by the speeches andpresentations, and connected the message to the work of the Board,working to make the council and the area viable and sustainable for girls.The movement has sustained for 100 years, and has data to support theenormous effect the organization has across the nation and across theworld.Nona Jones was inspired by the energy of the women and girls, and leftevery evening feeling more humbled by the movement. She was mostimpressed by how articulate the girls are, and when there were issues ofrelative controversy they had no problem stating how they felt.The next National Council Meeting is in Salt Lake City, Utah in October orNovember of 2014.Discussion followed around whether or not the council service fee wasdefinitely going to be implemented, as it could impact members’ abilityto continue to be part of the organization. The optional fee would notexceed the cost of national Girl Scout membership. Currently it is $12. Intwo years the membership fee will be raised to $15. A local council couldadd up to $15 and use that additional fee locally and use it however theBoard will decide. This would not be done without hearing from thecouncil membership.Chair Richardson talked about the First Lady’s visit three weeks ago toJacksonville. GSUSA called the council and requested 10 girls and twoadults to meet Mrs. Obama. Two Girl Board members were identified aspart of the group, and were featured in the newspaper as well as ontelevision.Helene Fischer said she was nervous about meeting such a celebrity, andwas surprised at how interested the First Lady seemed in Girl Scouts.She presented her with a patch as a representation of appreciation.Chair Richardson added that the First Lady is the honorary NationalPresident of Girl Scouts, and sent a video the convention.Ana Bautista mentioned that the First Lady took the time to talk to threeDaisies during her visit.BOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 8

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011b. Fund Development CommitteeSusan Hamilton reported that the Board achieved 100% giving for theshortened fiscal year. Collectively the group donated $19,374. All Boardmembers were given a form to complete for the 2012 fiscal year. Sheencouraged Board members to consider increasing their pledges for the100th anniversary year, and giving monthly by credit card. Her personalway to commemorate the 100th anniversary is giving to The 1912Society, and she urged the group to consider giving at that level.Veronica Della Porta talked to the group about the endowment.Currently the council has $207,000 to continue Girl Scouting programsin perpetuity. Other similar organizations have much largerendowments. Former Board member Nancy Taylor has pledged to give$50,000 to match $50,000 raised by the council. Ms. Della Portaencouraged Board members already giving with credit cards to continueto do so in the upcoming year. She asked the Board to ask friends to giveto the endowment, which can’t be used for operating expenses but onlygirl program. The match for the endowment can be given over the nextthree years, until September 30, 2014.Chair Richardson said this idea for a leadership legacy was borrowedfrom another council, and requires a commitment from Board andBoard committee members and community members. A small team hasbeen assembled to lead the effort. The council will try to have the$100,000 goal achieved in time to be announced at the Annual Meetingin February.Janister Herring presented the status of the Campfire, Cocktails &Cookies event, which will be the signature event going forward. Theevent will take place on Saturday, April 14 from 6 to 10 p.m. at theEpiscopal School on Atlantic Blvd. on the bank of the St. Johns River. Theevening will feature cocktails, a buffet dinner, music, a silent auction,s’mores, and more. Individual tickets are $100. Sponsorships start at$1,000. All proceeds go to Girl Scouts in North Florida, and the dress isresort casual. Sponsorship levels include $15,000 for Presenting, S’moreat $10,000, Thin Mint is $5,000, and Campfire is $1,000. She requestedeach member to become a Campfire sponsor at $1,000. Manycompanies will match donations to non-profits. She urged the group tothink about donors they’ve talked to in the past, and previous donors ofGirl Scouts. Event Chair Jill Dame has a great group of volunteers workinghard to make this the council’s signature event. Ms. Herring challengedeach member of the group to secure a sponsorship, forms were passedout, and an electronic copy was promised. She asked Board members tolet her know if they needed a prospect to ask, or if they had anysuggestions for sponsors. She requested each Board member secureone sponsor by the end of December.Ms. Tysver asked that if the group knew of someone who would like toBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 9

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011donate something for the silent auction, please let the committee know.c. Board Development CommitteeMs. Herring reported that the Board Development Committee has filledthe officer slate with Nona Jones as First Vice Chair, who understandsthe commitment to move into the position of Chair in two years. On theBoard of Directors slate, the committee has confirmed all current Boardmembers, and three of the five positions are filled. Ondine Wells, TayloeWhite, and Diane Crawford Evans will be joining the group, as well asadditional candidates.The appointment of Jamelle Overby to the Board DevelopmentCommittee was approved by the Governance Committee. PennyThompson is interested in serving for the next term. There are potentialcandidates from Gainesville under consideration. The committee stillneeds one member for a 2012-2014 term.The committee has decided to reinstitute the Board buddy system as aresource for new Board members. Since these buddies were notassigned this past year, individuals who have recently joined the Boardwill be assigned buddies as well as brand new Board members. The newBoard member orientation for the 2012 slate will also include Boardmembers who did not attend last year. The committee will poll the groupfor times, and the orientation may be offered at multiple times. Thecommittee welcomed feedback from those who attended theorientation last fall. Ms. Herring also mentioned that there will beopportunities for ongoing Board development.d. Committee Reportsi. AuditJoanne Robertson said that the committee had selected a newaudit team, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, and the team is scheduled tomeet with the Audit Committee in January 2012, prior to the nextBoard meeting. There are two significant issues: accrued vacationtime and troop bank accounts. The previous firm worked with thecouncil for 15 years. The council agreed that accrued vacationshould be budgeted for, but troop accounts shouldn’t be addeduntil it is necessary to do so.ii. CommunicationsThe Communications Committee has not yet met and thereforehad nothing to report.iii. Constituency EngagementSecond Vice Chair Samiian shared that the ConstituencyEngagement Committee held five constituency meetings, twovirtual and three in person. The meetings were successful ingathering input. The committee has been working for a year and ahalf. The group is fine tuning their approach to be more active inBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 10

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011order to engage and interact with delegates.iv. FinanceMs. Tysver reported for the Finance Committee. The council ismoving forward with the refinancing of North Fork LeadershipCenter. The most recent step was going to the Clay CountyCommissioners for approval of the bonding issue. The bond wasapproved by the commissioners. Joanne Robertson and BarbaraColeman participated in the hearing as Board members and ClayCounty residents. There was no opposition. The closing will be inmid-December. The refinancing will save over $2 million over thelifetime of the loan.Chair Richardson anticipates a strategic discussion at anupcoming Board meeting in order to go into a more detail onsome of the things that were discussed at the leadership retreat.CFO Lynette Beitz added that the committee will be sending outan RFP for investment firms.v. PropertyJeff Womble told the group about the committee’s first meetingwhere they reviewed the committee’s mission. The committeepicked out dates to visit the council properties. The first tour isFriday, November 18, and the group will tour a significant numberof council-owned properties. Another tour for the otherproperties is on Friday, December 16. There will be make-up toursin January for those who weren’t able to attend theNovember/December offerings. The group is also considering aSaturday tour. After the tours, the group will move toward virtualmeetings.IX.New BusinessThere was no new business to discuss.X. AnnouncementsDeeJay Hellrung shared that she was wearing purple in honor of the 8th AnnualNational Prematurity Awareness Day, and the 1st Annual World PrematurityAwareness Day.Katie Carpenter told the group about a girl program event last evening calledEye Spy. Vistakon hosted 31 girls in 4 th and 5 th grade for an evening withvolunteers at different stations with topics including eye anatomy, opticalillusions, and optical equipment. Doctors and scientists volunteered for theevent. This was a pilot program and Ms. Carpenter shared that her companywould love to do something on a bigger scale. They have put on a similar eventfor 100 kids.Ms. Tysver said that $100,000 had been given to Girl Scouts across the state ofFlorida for the 100th anniversary from Blue Cross Blue Shield. The council isBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 11

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.Board of Directors – Meeting MinutesNovember 17, 2011working with Blue Cross Blue Shield here and in Miami to develop program forgirls that relates to healthy living. John Herbkersman said the company has amajor focus on childhood health and wellness.Chair Richardson stressed that with the upcoming Year of the Girl, Boardmembers should look for opportunities for partnerships with companies thecouncil works with currently. The Year of the Girl provides 365 opportunities toimpact girls’ lives. This will also impact the community by raising awareness ofwhat Girl Scouts can offer for the community.XI.AdjournmentMotion: To adjourn the November 17, 2011 meeting of the Girl Scouts ofGateway Council Board of Directors at 11:53 a.m. The motion was made byChair Richardson. The motion was seconded. Approved.Chair Richardson wished the Board a happy holiday season.Respectfully Submitted By Julie Hirshan for____________________________________Barbara Coleman, Board SecretaryBOD Minutes – November 17, 2011R:/Governance/Board of Directors/2012/November/Board Meeting 11-17-2011 MinutesPage 12