Conference Call Attendees:

Alberto Molina, My Luu, Jenny Chavira, Rosa Balestrino, Aaron Shipp, Mike Jacobs

Absent: Ceu Martinez, Amanda Taffy, Tracey Ober, Marissa Ain, Doreen Oliver

Agenda:

a. Outreach wrap-up (see below)

b. Preliminary strategic plan outline

c. Scheduling next conference call and rough objectives for call

Minutes:

(1) Outreach Survey: (Jenny Chavira and Aaron Shipp)

Suggestions by other Board of Director members to the Outreach Survey have been incorporated in the Outreach Survey.  Aaron Shipp is creating a cover email for distribution of the survey to YAAMNY listserv members.  Objective: to distribute the survey via email on a Wednesday; tbd: Sept. 24 or Oct. 1, 2008

A three (3) week timeframe is proposed for gathering responses to the Outreach Survey.  Alberto Molina and Aaron Shipp are to discuss separately the technical aspects of generating the email distribution list, sources of email addresses etc.

(2) Personal one-on-one Interviews:  the Board generally discussed the purpose of such interviews and the timeframe for conducting them.

The following purposes for such interviews were proposed by Board members:

• tap individuals with leadership ability or others as prospective volunteers of YAAMNY (J. Chavira)
• gather initial information which could be used to modify the interview questions and/or confirm or modify the draft Strategic Plan (drafting details to be discussed by the Board) (J. Chavira)
• tool for advertising and marketing YAAMNY to Yale alumni in the metropolitan area

(3) Strategic Plan

The Board discussed the drivers for the drafting of the Strategic Plan being:

• Board of Directors drafts Strategic Plan and uses information from interviews (on-line version and one-on-one) to modify such plan; or
• The results of the foregoing interviews will be the primary source of information from which the Board shall draft the Strategic Plan of YAAMNY.

Considerations for the Board included:

• the need for consensus among the Board of Directors of YAAMNY as to which approach to adopt in drafting the Strategic Plan (My Luu)
• the goal of the AYA plan is to keep it as a living and organic plan, one that is meant to change and be modified in light of an ongoing interview and information gathering process
• attention needs to be placed on the number of interviews that are completed, in order to be able to present a Strategic Plan at the November AYA delegate assembly that is based on a credible and meaningful survey process with a certain critical mass
• Drafting of the Strategic Plan could be shared among YAAMNY's different committees or responsibilities for certain sections of the Plan could be allocated among Board Members pursuant to their individual preferences

Resolution:  (proposed by A. Shipp, seconded by R. Balestrino, approved unanimously by Board Members in attendance, constituting a quorom)

(1) YAAMNY Board shall begin drafting the Strategic Plan as soon as possible, with the objective of delivering a comprehensive draft to the AYA Assembly by the 2nd week of November 2008

(2) The interview process will be conducted contemporaneously with such drafting of the Strategic Plan, in order to keep the momentum.  Interviewing and drafting are on parallel tracks.

Next Steps:

• J. Chavira will post to google docs or other space on internet/ emails for general viewing by Board Members notes from the retreat and sample Strategic Plans of other organizations, including the AYA mission and plan template http://www.yaamny.net/YAAMNY_MISSION,  http://www.aya.yale.edu/strategicplan/.
• Board Members are to review this information and the AYA suggested template for a Strategic Plan prior to next week's meeting, in order to present to the Board at the next conference call meeting ideas concerning YAAMNY's mission statement and goals.  Each Board Member should develop his/her own ideas about what YAAMNY's purpose could/should be. 

Next Conference Call: 8 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008

Agenda:

Consider general themes and ideas around the possible mission for YAAMNY and primary goals that might be part of the YAAMNY Strategic Plan