Lily Meeting Minutes for 29th June, 2008

 

Location: DFW Hindu Temple, Irving

 

Time: 2.30pm ~ 5pm CST

 

Agenda:

 

1.      Dinner proceeds, suggestions for future – 15min

2.      Pratham – 25min

3.      Radio show – 10min

4.      Next fundraising appeals – 5min

5.      Scholarship Applications – 15min

6.      Computer center issues – 10min

7.      Joint venture in India – 10min

8.      AOB – 15min

 

Attendees:

 

Basab Chatterjee

Rakhi Mukerji

Subash Mukerji

Prasad Sarkar

Maya Sarkar

Fulu Lahiry

Anirudha Maitra

 

1. Lily Fundraiser and Auction held on 30th. May, 2008:

 

  • Financials
    • Gross Take  $44,000 (Approx)
    • Expenses: $14,000 (Approx)

 

  • Lessons learnt from the dinner:
    • Need to ensure that a good sound system is procured ahead of the program
    • Need a speaker of substance
    • Need to focus on people who are likely to be big token donors

 

  • Proposal: An appreciation dinner be held in 2009 and a follow up fund- raising dinner in 2010. Planning should start now for the 2010 event to help ensure that we are able to come up with strategies/ideas/plans to raise large sums of money.

 

  • Gift of $3000/- Received from a Seattle Trust Fund: donation to be used for one particular project/coaching school/scholarship, etc.
  • Proposal: A portion of the money raised at the 2008 dinner to be added to the endowment fund. This is to be raised as a separate discussion at the next meeting.

 

 

2. Partnership with Pratham:

 

  • Pratham’s proposal:
    • start an educational program in West Bengal. 
    • help raise money
    • train teachers
    • recruit volunteers
    • Kids to be taken out of school for 2 hours to be coached

 

  • Goal: 3rd. and 4th. Graders learn basic math and reading in two months.  The kids will be monitored on this at a later time. $30,000/- needed per district.
  • Suggested India team to go out and investigate on the merits and de-merits
  • The issues of continuing to engage with Pratham for the next steps was put to vote as follows :

 

Vote on: Continuing to engage with Pratham and explore this option further:

               In Favour: None

              Opposed: Subhas M, Rakhi M, Maya S, Chaitali P (by Proxy), Meenakshi M (by   

               Proxy), Anirudha M.                   

              Abstain: Prasad S, Fulu L, Basab C

 

Outcome: Pratham/Lily collaboration not approved by majority of Lily Committee Members.

 

3. Radio Ad’s publicity

 

  • Fulu Lahiry will co-ordinate between the perspective speakers and the Antorik Radio Jockeys.

 

4. Next fundraising appeals

 

  • Fundraising appeals to be sent out by July 15th.  This includes a copy of the Annual Report, pledge form and write up in Bengali.

 

5. Scholarship Applications

 

  • In 2007, of the total of 104 awarded scholarships, 50 were new.
  • For the current year, we have received 20 applications out of the expected 45 available slots. Per Mr.Sarkar, we should be able to find suitable candidates for the rest of the seats.
  • Mr.Sarkar announced that all of the Smile Scholarship students have secured 1st. Division in their board exams.
  • New requirement that has now being added to the Simile Scholarship pre-requisite:  All the applicants have to provide a family income certificate along with the application form.
  • Proposal made to try and expand the Smile program to states other than W.Bengal. To this effect, Mrs.Rakhi Mukerji has volunteered to provide a contact in Assam (Maya Chowdhury).
  • The proposal is to have about 5 awardees from Assam for 2008-09

 

6. Computer Center issues

 

Ghatshila Computer Center:

 

  • The school will need Lily to support the teacher’s salary of up to Rs.50, 000 for 2008. The suggestion was that Lily will pay up to 50% of the requested money and the school will raise the other half but cannot charge the student any more than Rs50, if they are required to pay any fees to help meet the schools obligation.
  • This motion was put to Vote :

Agreed : Yes: Subhas Mukerji, Rakhi Mukerji, Maya Sarkar, Anirudh Maitra, Prasad Sarkar, Fulu Lahiry, Basab Chatterjee

Disagreed: None

Abstain: None

 

Hotor Computer Center

 

  • Started teaching English.
  • Have 120 students
  • 8 computers needed to be installed. Based on local input, it was suggested that we buy 2 computers for now and then add the other computers. It was also agreed on buying a stand by computer.  This will be kept in the Kolkata office to be used, if any of the production systems break down, or are sent for repair(s).                           

 

 

Dhulai Computer Center

 

  • Will need to add a floor to the existing building. It was proposed that the money from the Seattle Trust be used for this.

 

7. Joint venture in India (Community works)

 

  • Suggestion made to invite a representative from Community works to present their proposal at the next Lily meeting in July’08
  • An electronic copy of the document sent by Community works  to be send out to  Lily core group prior to the next meeting (Action Prasad Sarkar)

 

 

 

8.  AOB

 

# Need to update/change the Lily Foundation register address (Prasad Sarkar)

# Send out thank you notes to major donors (Anirudh Maitra)

# Explore the availability of a webmaster to update Lily website.