The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a virtual meeting on January 30, 2023 via Zoom.
President Amy Mutal called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Don Dicks led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, with Rashmi Garimella providing the flag.
Attending were George Anderson, Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Bob Auslander, Rich Bergdahl, Gary Cohn, Terry Cole, David DeBois, Donald Dicks, Jocelyn Ellison, Doug Evanson, James Feek, Monica Fratita, Rashmi Garimella, Margie Glenn, Brandon Honcoop, Isabelle Kalisa, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Karin Quirk, Patti Smith, John Storbeck, Pat Swenson, Alice Volpe, and Rick Walter.
Guests:
This evening’s guest was Jim Feek’s wife, Kathy Feek.
Greeters:
President Amy greeted members as they joined the meeting.
Announcements, Club Business, Committee Reports:
The club held its first all-Zoom meeting of 2023 to discuss and hopefully decide two critically important issues. The Club is deciding on meeting frequency and location. We are also hearing a report from a committee established to explore new fundraising options so we can replace the long-running Duck Dash. President Amy Mutal and Gary Cohn worked together to get as many members as possible to attend so any discussion and decision will have as much membership participation as possible. We did very well, with 28 members attending.
President Amy welcomed former and new member Karen Quirk.
President Amy briefly discussed the challenges of the past three years, with COVID-19 and the loss of the Woodmark Hotel as a meeting site. She also discussed the challenges ahead of us, including the challenge of recruiting new members, and our two main topics for the evening, meeting format and site, and fundraising. Members want to feel positive and happy about our activities.
Part of our challenge is resistance from potential members to weekly, in-person meetings, as well as the expense of weekly restaurant meals. We also have a number of “snowbirds” who are out of town for many weeks during the winter and early spring. We will want to accommodate them by having them able to attend via Zoom.
The recent member survey regarding meetings revealed that we want to meet in person 2-3 times per month, that food and drink is not essential, members want more Happy Dollars, Classification Talks, and more committee reports so we are kept aware of all our activities past, present, and future. The club’s board has discussed these issues at length, and presented recommendations for the membership. Issues will be decided by the membership after full discussion.
We want to bring everyone together, attract new members, and provide a consistent way for snowbirds to attend meetings. We will consider a format of two in-person meetings per month, with a Zoom option, and one Zoom-only meeting per month. Once a quarter, we will have a fun, well-planned social event.
These points were followed by much member discussion, especially regarding meeting frequency and Zoom meetings. It is recommended we meet in person on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month as there seem to be fewer conflicts with holidays. We need to have a predictable and published schedule so members know what to expect, and can get it on their calendars. Committee meetings can fill in for the old schedule. Many clubs across the country have changed to every other week.
There was appreciation for the board members’ hard work on this issue.
We then discussed SOI Thai Restaurant & Bar as a venue for the next couple of months. We need a microphone, and without higher attendance, we will have difficulty attracting high-quality speakers. As the club grows, SOI may not have enough capacity. The club does appreciate the manager’s willingness to work with us regarding costs. They have volunteered to store some of our meeting equipment. There are some issues to work out.
There was concern among members about meeting consistency and regularity. But – meeting every week in person will hinder our growth. There was further discussion about other options, such as the Eagles Club, Lynn’s Bistro, and St. John’s Church. Further investigation will be done; these venues present logistical and setting issues. It was suggested that we try SOI for six months, and explore other venues at the same time.
It was decided to meet at SOI at least in February and March, on the 1st and 3rd Mondays, with a Zoom option, and on the 2nd Monday with only Zoom. We will have a social event in March.
The Club will send our weekly texts to remind members of upcoming meetings. It was suggested that the text contain more detailed information.
The club's Fundraising Committee then presented its previously emailed idea that that we move to a “Garage Sale” idea as our major fund-raiser. The committee of Dave DeBois, Pete Anderson, and Rick Walter have spent many hours researching what clubs around Puget Sound do to raise money. Apparently the “garage sale” idea is used successfully by most of these clubs. The Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island has been doing this for 60+ years and raises a lot of money. The event involves literally hundreds of people in the community. All club members must participate. The event takes two weeks to set up, the sale lasts six hours, and then everything is taken down. See the committee’s January 6, 2023 email for more details. It is hoped we can reach out to Kirkland’s Neighborhood Associations to help spread the word and secure item donations.
The Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island has a complete ‘playbook’ that they have made available to us. We are tentatively looking at the last week in June for setting up, hopefully on a Lake Washington School District site. Over time we can build momentum and raise our profile in the area. Volunteer activity and sponsorship dollars can help make us more visible in the community. Committee members have obviously done their homework and are very enthused about transitioning to this new mode of fundraising. There was much concern about making this leap, and a number of issues were discussed. Concern was expressed about the cost of getting out of the Duck Dash contract. Most members seemed to feel that it is time to make a change. President Amy said members are encouraged to contact committee members with additional questions or concerns. It was then decided to put the matter to a vote of the members. Dave DeBois moved that the club replace the Duck Dash with the Rummage Sale beginning this year. Rich Bergdahl seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously! The committee is to be commended for the effort, research, and dedication they have put into this issue.
President Amy reminded us that we will meet at SOI Thai Restaurant & Bar next Monday, February 6, with dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starting at 6:15 p.m., our usual time. Members are encouraged to get their food orders in promptly so our speaker, Beth Gale from the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, will be able to talk with a minimum of disturbance. The following Monday, February 13, will be a Zoom-only meeting; February 20 is a holiday, and February 27 we will not meet. Again, we will do a March social event.
A very momentous and productive meeting for the Rotary Club of Kirkland.
Happy Bucks:
There were no Happy Bucks collected during this meeting.
Program:
There was no program scheduled for this meeting.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dave Aubry, Acting Scribe