As it did last time.
Sorry about that James. I just realized that I forgot to start the recording after we were done with this production.
So that, that being said, we do have confirmed the matching funds through an anonymous donor, which will also donate $10000. But those funds are very specific in their use, whereas middle tennessee electric, we we have a little bit of freedom to do what we want with that, but these will be specifically held 2nd our matching funds will be s.
Specifically held for the purpose of addressing a scenario where volunteer Tennessee is faced with insufficient or or NO funds to cover staff's salaries and and really for NO other purpose. So we'll be holding that setting that aside in a high yield account and whether at by adding new donations to that account or by.
High, high interest, we hope to grow that account if such an emergency would come up and we will again the key is accountability and the assurance that the funds are are used specifically for that purpose and so we'll put that in.
In writing. So, yeah, that's about it on that regard. So I just want Stephanie to to to to tell us share where we are in terms of our account and then Eileen, if you have any updates on our license, our license plate promotion as well, that would be helpful. And, and during this time, if anybody has any questions, please jump right in.
Our current balance is $5817 for 15 sends. We did send the tag for $200 for receiving for the CVA scholarship which was back in April of this year.
Okay, thank you. Eileen, do you have any updates on the license plates and just to help refamiliarize everybody what we're.
We, you know, like as you, as you know, we weren't able to get enough people to sign up for official state specialty license.
So we went, we went the route of creating a, a novelty plate that people could put on the front of their view and we we had some trouble with the printing the 1st 1st batch that actually got distributed.
Had had quite a few laws in it and so we had to do a bunch of back and forth with the printer to have those those plates redone. They have now, they have now been redone and they look good and so anybody who had, who did.
Not request their, their money back that because they paid in advance for the state license plate will be getting a replacement of the novel to play in the very in the very near. Another, another thing is we're going to institute anybody.
Anybody who makes a donation to prints of volunteer Tennessee for $15 or more will will just automatically receive the results to do whatever.
That's great. So, yeah, we're we're we're hoping that that'll boost donations a little bit. And, you know, once again, I'd like to encourage everybody on the commission to consider making a donation of any size.
Two friends of volunteer Tennessee and Jim periodically sends out the link to network so that you can easily do that and you can specify where you would like your funds to go. You know, they can go into general fund or they can go towards GBSA or.
Or any any of our other professional events. So I think that's it Jim. Thanks.
Yeah, that's about it. I I did want to clarify at our last meeting, it's difficult for anybody who just gives a donation that they would automatically give a license plate, a license plate or novelty plate. And these are license plates that go on the front of your car and says volunteer.
Tier on the front tennessee. But but we if you specifically ask for the license plate, we will send that out to you. And when we're looking for other opportunities or incentives for people to give that they would receive a t shirt or something like that. These are ideas that we're throwing around. But overall, I think we're moving in a positive direction and we're very excited.
About what's to come in the coming months.
Thank you so much for your work and friends of volunteer, really appreciate all you're doing. Can definitely see on Facebook the, you know, all the stuff you're putting out. I've been sharing it with my friends and asking them to join too, so thank you. Appreciate that. We have one person that we did not get to introduce. Would you like to introduce yourself?
And your role for volunteered Tennessee and your comfort food. You go to comfort food. She doesn't make everybody in the room. But I Am said Nice to meet you. I am from Department of Children of services. I am the commission I think I've been on for about two and a half years and my comfort food is you can see.
Thank you. Thank you so much. I would now like to call on Gm for the director's report. Thanks Terry. So one, we have a new staff person who is not new to the commission because he used to be a commissioner.
So Jason and Scott is started with us, he's now been with us for a couple months already, which is hard to believe time drives by so quickly. So welcome to Jason. This is his 1st official meeting at the staff member.
So good news, unlike last year, for those of you who were around last year, you might remem remember that we've got two primary operational grants and at this time last year we were uncertain about one of those and whether or not it was gonna be awarded or when it was gonna be awarded. And in fact that.
Was not awarded until after the fiscal year had already begun. But this year we're in much better shape. Both of those operational grants have already been awarded for the fiscal year that starts, starts in July. So we don't have that uncertainty about whether or not we've got our operational funds that covers, you know, staff staff salaries and these meetings.
Things and and supplies, all that kind of stuff. So that's, that's really good news. On the not so great news, the president's budget request again calls for essentially eliminating the America agency, which is the the federal funder for a lot of.
Well, most of the work that that the commission does, it it reduces it from roughly just a little bit over a billion to about a hundred million, which is essentially a wind down budget for the agency to you know cease operations and and close its stores. Now that that is just.
The starting point from the, from the executive branch, the legislative branch will begin working on the, their version of the federal budget and hopefully will end up where it's not eliminated and that the agency has continued to be funded. But that's where that's where we are right now.
I think that's it. We've got other things that we'll discuss later on, including, you know, kind of the the an update on the America funding process, which again for those of you who were at the March meeting, you know, that the timeline for that has been pushed back at the federal level.
Which pushes back things at the state level and again we'll get into more detail about that in in a little bit. Okay, thank you Jim. Is there anything that we can do about that PDR? Was there anything that we can do as a commission? Well, the, the, the commission can continue doing its work in reaching out to both state and federal legislators to educate them about what the commission does.
So that they understand the value of, of the work that state commissions do and that the americal programs do. The again the the president's budget is, is the executive side and is not automatically what the legislative branch.
Congress does. And in fact, the, the previous year presidential budget did the same thing and in the 1st term, the 1st term, it also included each year the presidential budget also included elimination of the America agency. So there there is.
There is a, a bit of difference between what Congress thinks should happen and the president thinks should happen on a wide variety of things. But you know specifically related to the America agency, it's continued to be funded, but it's not, it's not guaranteed, it's not something that we know for sure will happen and we'll we'll continue to provide a.
States as Congress works through its appropriations and starts developing the budget for the Americas agency. We'll, we'll let you know what comes out of that. I just want to thank our staff for being so faithful and continuing to do the work for the commission despite some of the things that we've had to face. We really appreciate you.
Thank you, thank you. All right, our 1st order of business is to confirm a quorum. There are currently 24 voting members, so we'll need 13 voting members for a quorum. Miss Betty White, would you please do a roll call? Okay, George Bothy.
Here. Thank you.
Destiny Brown.
Present.
Kim Carpenter Drank, Stephanie Davis, President, Nathan Farner. Present. Amy Gillett, Amy go Ford.
Present, Rebecca Henderson.
Doesn't.
Andrea Health.
Andrea, I think she might be coming in late. James.
Gotcha. Holly Jones. Greg Lyless. President. Lee Motton.
Maddie radcloth. Here, there is over here. Tracy Vander, Amy Walter, betty wife, here. Rystal Whitney.
Present.
Eileen Yvonne Wood.
Yeah.
Patty would be.
Well Sean Dixon. Is that? Adam Darvis. Present. Yester race.
Present.
Trinity Weather's.
Present.
Nancy Shelly. Patty Smith.
Present.
Just the young blue.
Present.
Is there anyone I didn't call or who else he has left out?
Okay verifying the number that we have. Sure.
I still see another attendee here, so I don't know, say attendee one.
Sorry, this is Neilla.
Yeah, I don't, I don't know it's a it's a44 phone number. I don't know if that.
Yeah, I had to switch over to my state phone.
Okay, so is that you the four four number.
Yes sir, that is at 44045405 NO the I am 419. Yeah, it is 440-45-4058. Yes sir. Okay.
We got it. Okay.
Thank you. Sorry about that.
Oh, that's ok that's ok. Good. Oh yes I count 15. Awesome. Okay, so our next order of business is to approve, review and approve the minutes of the last meeting for March the 9th 2026. Hopefully you've received these minutes.
On 1st by way of email, please take a moment and review.
Does anyone have any corrections or additions?
Do I hear a motion to approve? A second Eileen? Betty, would you please do a row convent? Yes, I do. Thank you. I'm sorry it's a little slow because my computer would not download the roadfall so I have to do it.
Which now it used to be hard to do it by online, but now ok George Bobby.
Abstained.
Destiny brown. Yes. Stephanie Dates? Yes. Nathan Farmers? Yes. Katie does Ford.
Yes.
Rebecca Henderson. Yes. James. Yes.
Greg Lyles? Yes. Maddie Redcliff. Yes. Terry Silver. Yes. Tracy Vanderbay. Yes. Eddie White. Yes. Whitney.
Yes.
Eileen Wallam. Yes, Yvonne Wood.
Yes.
Okay. Staying in 14, so the minutes have been approved. Thank you, Betty. I would like to call on Eileen for discussion of the commission support grant budget, please, and thank you.
Sure. Yes, sorry. On screen, thank you.
Thank you.
Okay, so for the people in the room, I I, I don't think I'm gonna make be able to make it any bigger than that because I don't actually have control of the of the display. Okay.
I can see it on my computer screen. It looks big enough for me.
Okay, great. That's a bit small though. Yeah hold on. Let me let me get to the actual budget and see if.
Yeah, that's better.
Is that ok with people in the room. I think that's everybody ok with that?
Yeah. Yes, thank you. Okay.
I think that's about this biggest I'm gonna be able to get it. Before we get started so there's there there are several bunches that I'm gonna have to be talking about and.
I I'm just wondering which of these are we going to have to vote on? All of them. All of them. So it I've I've got actually hard copies, I think It's for you.
I yeah ok so you're gonna have to go to so Jim Jim sent me talking points. There's a lot of information so bear with me, I'm going.
To read. So on the, the 1st one is the commission support grant budget, which goes from July 2026 until June 2027. So staff received the.
And then that there's a, there's another budget that follows the commission support grant budget that is the commission investment budget they kind of go together and just as a side th those are the two operational grants that I would mention earlier that have been awarded.
So we're we're the money is in hand. Okay, so we will just retrospect. Well, that's the federal award has been completed and so the money is available. The commission, the executive committee has already approved these budgets, but the full commission typically.
We ratifies that after the fact. So it is after the fact, but these budgets haven't begun yet because they don't begin until July. So staff received the commission support grant and commissioned investment fund application instructions on 20 March and the the due date to submit the budget back was 16 April.
So the executives committee met on 8 April to review and approve both budgets, so my understanding is that the executive committee did approve that. The application instructions specified not to include.
The unexpended 2526 fund. So the budgets are based on allocation for 26 to 27 only. However, we will be able to use the unexpe unexpended funds. So Jim, I actually have a question on that.
Because if you scroll down.
To where the under source of funds there at the end there's a lot the 3rd line is for previous year unexpended federal funds and the number is included there. So I don't understand because my, my notes said.
That they're not to be included, but yet they are but so the the they work to be included in the in the budget request that we submitted for the federal award, but we went ahead and included the estimate of the unextended funds in this budget so that the commission would know.
The total amount that we're actually gonna have available to spend for 2627, but the the budget that was submitted to America did not include the the unextended parts. Okay. Does everybody get that?
Okay, the 2627 commission support grant allocation was $762 more than the previous year. 2627 commission investment fund allocation was the same as the previous year.
The 26th 26 to 27 both both of those budgets reflect current staffing and increases to state.
And FNA expenses. He state and FNA administration expenses are typically only charged to the commission support agreement. However, as a result of the increases, some of those expenses were included in the commission investment fund budget.
This reduced the overall amount available for training and technical assistance. So do you need to add any Yeah ok so what you finished with the support grant budget 1st, is that correct? Did you give us the information for that? Yeah, let's let's.
Go ahead and follow our agenda and let's just see if anybody has any questions. Okay. And I've asked Lizzy to, you know, follow people online if they have a question just to raise your hand so we can call on you hear if anybody has any questions or comments about the commission support budget grant budget for 2627. We'll have those now.
I have a question.
Okay.
This is George Bobby. Does this, does this budget recommendation come as a positive recommendation from the committee?
I believe it's actually coming from the executive committee, correct?
Does this budget come as a positive recommendation from the executive committee?
Yes. Yes.
Alright, then I make a motional approve.
Thank you George. Does anybody have any comments or concerns at this point? Tracy? Yeah, I have a concern, please. Is on sea of travel commissioner travel and staff travel?
Was there an a thought back in March about the increased gas prices that we're seeing? Is that gonna be enough money to be able to even have staff travel commission travel?
Well, well, that is a great question. The bulk of the staff travel is actually included in the next budget that we'll talk about in a second. Okay. So, most of the travel that's in this budget, as you can tell is for commissioner travel to these, these quarterly meetings and in the retreat.
But NO, we did not because the the travel reimbursement for commissioner travel is based on the mileage rate that's set by the federal, the Department of General Services I think is who sets the mileage rate, and so it's.
Based on a per mile amount and not, not gas receipts. So that's already been set. That's it. That that mileage rate has been set. Now they they periodically will update that mileage amount and so it is possible that they will.
Increase it to reflect the increased cost gask cost, but they haven't yet. So it remains at I think it's right now $0.72 or $0.75 per mile or something like that's your question Tracy. It does. Yeah, it does. I just, you know, don't and we we previously had this issue years ago where we didn't have enough money in the budget.
Other commission travels saying.
This this is a a good opportunity for those of you who are able to donate your travel and that would be the part of your giving to friends. It just just a thought, that's all with when things are a little tight. Do I have any other comments or questions? I Believe oh and let you all.
So, yeah, I just wanted to let y'all know I was here but I was on mute.
But we're.
Motion from George Bobby to approve the 26th 27 commission support grant budget as presented. Do I have a second? Nathan, Betty, would you please do a roll call vote? Well, thank you. George Bobby. Bye.
Destiny Brand. All right. Stephanie Davis. Nathan Farner. Katie Gunford. Hi. Rebecca Henderson.
I.
Andrea help.
All right.
James Arguson.
Approved.
Greg Liles. I Maddie Radplay. I Terry Silver, I Crazy Vanderbay, R, Eddie white. Christen Whitney.
I.
Ellie Wallam Bondwood.
Yes.
How you would be.
Adam Jarvis? Thanks. Mr. Rays.
I'm staying.
Trinity weather be?
I.
Nancy Smith.
Patty Smith, Jessica young blue.
Hi.
We have 1515 voting members. Okay, so that's been approved. Eileen, do you have further discussion on the commission investment fund budget for us? No I don't. Okay. Does anyone have any questions or comments on the.
Mission investment fund budget for 2627.
Thank you. Okay, just like thank you.
Just a second. We'll call on you. If you'll put your hand up, we're so happy to have your comments. I promise. Yes. Are these all coming from the executive board recommendation from the executive board? These two budgets are. Okay, so if so for my understanding, then it doesn't require 1st because they're coming from the executive board so we'll just need a second, then we can move to the vote. We would like a vote to support the vote, but we don't need the 1st we just have a second. When it comes from a committee, does it require a motion that just requires. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so, Lizzy, was there someone online that had a comment or a question? Yeah, it looks like George has a question. Okay George.
I just wanted to say thank you to the executive committee for their hard work with this budget right here.
But you're welcome, and we we've spent quite a bit of time going through this, but we'll talk about some other things regarding, you know, the executive committee looking over the budgets because we we really do want the full commission's approval and looking over these numbers to back us up. So thank you. Do I hear a set.
Thank you Tracy. Betty, would you, do we need a roll call vote on this one? Yes. Would you please do a roll call vote and thank you. George Body. Okay.
George.
Desney Brown?
All right.
Stephanie Davis, Nathan Farner. Where do you go for it?
I.
Rebecca.
I.
Andrea Yell?
Hi, James Hardware.
Hi.
Greg Lyles. Hi, Maddie Wetcliff hi, Terry Silver, I Tracy Vandervate R Betty White yes, christopher Brittany. Hi, Eileen Wallam. Hi.
Yvonne Wood.
Yes.
Adam Jarvis.
Thank you.
Nester raise?
Obstain? Nancy show.
Jessica young blue.
Hi.
Trinity weather speed.
I.
So we have 15 out of 1530 members. Okay, so then the 2026 commission investment fund budget is approved.
We did discuss the volunteer generation fund budget as an executive committee. However, due to our long discussion we lost our quarter. So Betty, would you please give us a little discussion on the volunteer.
I mean eileen the generation fund budget. Okay, 2627 volunteering generation fund budget.
Staff received the volunteer generation fund application instructions on 1 April. The due date was 30 April and the maximum request was capped at $500000. Staff conducted outreach to potential partners with partner.
Applications due on 20 April. The executive committee met on 8 April to review and approve the budget. However, the committee felt well informed before approving the volunteer generation fund budget. The remaining committee members recommended that staff submit the application based on actual.
Submissions from partners. The total partner requests exceeded $500000. Where am I.
And Total partner request succeeded $500000 to include volunteered tennessee direct expenses and stay below the $500000 CAF staff reduced partner request based on multiple factories.
There is a chart available if needed. Thank you Eileen. Does anyone have any comments or questions? Terry, do you, do you want me to run?
Quickly through this budget since the executive committee didn't have time to discuss it. I think that would be a good idea. Okay, so as Eileen mentioned, there are some volunteer Tennessee direct expenses in this budget, but the majority of the funds are, would be passed through to the partners that want.
Have to be part of this volunteer generation fund grant. So a little bit of staff time and benefits that go along with that. A little bit of travel for various things for staff. We included some funding to do the volunteer Tennessee roadshow to increase visibility of volunteerism across the state. Just a little bit of money for supplies and that kind of thing, some conferences, that kind of thing. A little bit of supplies, again, some roadshow.
Supplies, then the tennessee kids summer challenge will actually we'll talk about that a little bit later, but that's something that potentially volunteer Tennessee can be taking on the kids summer challenge. In the consultant and contractual section, a little bit of funding for a grants management system to make.
Manage this, this grant and the subgrants that would be under it if it is funded, you know, some funding for the kid summer challenge, again, that would be primarily to do a couple things related to tracking the hours of the the youth you're involved, that kind of thing. Training, a little bit of training money, that's primarily registration for.
For our conference for the sub grantees to attend our conference and then for a staff member to attend attend a national conference. The other support costs again the largest line item is that federal share 406000 that would go to the partners that would be subgrants under this, this budget.
The statewide volunteer management portal is the the next largest item. That's the Tennessee serves portal where people across the state can find volunteer opportunities and nonprofits can post their volunteer opportunities. A few other things you can see some you know staff.
Computer phone space, background checks for for any staff that don't currently haven't already gone through a background check. And you can see the total is just a little bit under the $500000 cap. And as Eileen mentioned, we do have a, a chart that shows the partner reductions if you, if you want to get into that.
How the staff came to, to its recommendation of how to reduce because again, their request alone exceededed the $500000 cap even before we put in the volunteer tennessee direct expenses. So it would not have been possible to include.
Their full request in the budget. If you want we can go through that and give you a little bit more detail on how the staff kind of arrived at the the reductions for those individual partners.
So this charge lists all the parties. Right. Yeah, there were 12345. Yes. But you're at this point you're not being asked to vote on funding these individual applicants because this grant has not been approved at the.
Federal level yet. Once the, once the grant is approved at the federal level depending on how much we get, we might need to make additional reductions to the suffer, if we don't get the full request we'd have to make additional reductions. So at that point we would then bring the final staff.
Recommendation on how much the fund out of the for these partners. I think Nathan had a question. So the the Tennessee service budget line, is that both, is that inclusive of our platform and all the sub licenses like one grand? Is that what that is? Yes, yeah, that's a good question. So the this the 74320.
Five includes the statewide license that volunteer tennessee manages and then the individual sub licenses that go to volunteer center primarily volunteer centers across the state, but also including Department of environmental conservation. So yes, it includes it includes the entire thing.
Lizzy, are there any questions online? Any other questions or comments? Just destiny?
Just a clarification question. I know if I'm looking at the correct budget and the volunteer generation fund, we also have benefits retirement for like all the things there, but we also had it in our above budget for commission support and so I just wanted if we could clarify the difference and why it's needed in both.
Yeah, so, so the, the, this budget only includes a small percentage of staff time because we've, we found in the past that it only takes about.
Roughly three to 5 % of a person's time to to manage because there's, there's typically not as many sub grants this and the subgrants that we have are easier to manage than the America grants.
Because they don't have Americap members, it's just it's a a bit easier to manage this volunteer generation. So this refre reflects roughly about three to 5 % of of actually I think it includes two different staff members.
About 3 % for each of them. The other budgets, the commission investment fund includes one full time staff member, the commission support grant includes all the other staff members.
If this grant is funded, we would reduce by the equivalent 3 % of those two staff members funded under the volunteer generation fund, we'd reduce that amount in the commission support grant budget.
So we we wouldn't be taking it, we wouldn't be taking a hundred and 3 % of a staff member we we'd reduce appropriately in, in the other budget. But again, this budget is a national competitive grant, and so we don't know whether or not we're going to get it. So we thought it would be safer to include.
The full staff salaries in the other budgets because we know that we're gonna get those and in fact, we already have them in hand. Does that, does that help Destiny.
Yes, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
Okay, so, I'm gonna ask Lashanne because you know the proper way to do this, but since we don't have the fund, can we go ahead and vote on this ma'am? Okay. Well, yeah, so the the executive committee was not able to approve this because it didn't drop a load form and so we would need a motion in 2nd. Do I hear a motion to approve the 26th 27 volunteer generation fund budget as presented?
Motion to approve.
Second George Bovey.
Thank you George. Miss Betty, would you please do a roll call vote and thank you? Yes. George Bogy. Hi. Destiny Brown.
Yes.
Stephanie Davis. I Nathan Farner. I Katie go Ford.
Yes.
Rebecca Henderson.
I.
Andrea.
All right.
James Hubard. Greg Lyles are Maddie radcliff. Gary Silver, I Tracy Vandervey, R Betty wife. Christop with me. Hi.
Eileen Willem. All right. Yvonne wood.
Yes.
Well Shangixson. Adam Jarras. Nestor raise.
What's you saying?
Trinity weather, Weather be.
I.
Nancy Shelley. I've got a question. If I'm a direct recipient of this funding, do I need to obstain? Yeah, I would I would recommend, yeah. Again, which we're the this is approving the overall budget and not individual subgrant fees or sub licensees, but I think it would be best. I just wanted to be sure. Yeah. Nancy Shelley. I was just affirming. Jessica young way.
Hi.
So the motion carries again 15 in favor, none of us. So when we get in the budget?
It's been approved when we get the budget, we got the money. I'm gonna speak that out. Okay. Thank you. Thank you so much for your comments and Eileen, thank you for the discussion. Jim, I'd like to call you the staff for an update on Americap funding process delays. Real quick, do you have a hand? Yes. I think he loaded. Oh, George, did you have a comment or a concern? We saw your hand up. Just want to make sure.
Not anymore. Thank you. It was prior to the vote, but thank you. Oh, thank you.
Okay. Yeah so so I think I mentioned just briefly when I was doing the director report and I I think Eileen might have more to say about all of this although we're happy to fill in as you would like, but the for those of you who either weren't here or weren't at the meeting previous, the typical timeline at the federal level.
Is that well sorry let me let me stop and go back a second and explain that there are two primary funding streams for the Americap grants that volunteer tennessee administers. There is the formula process which every state gets a.
A portion of the federal money and that is based on a population formula, which is why it's called formula. So every state gets a cut of that money. And each state service commission like volunteer tennessee, every state except for South Dakota or north Dakota I can never remember which dakota. But every other state has a state service commission.
That does similar work to volunteer tennessee, including administering the formula funding. Okay, so that's that's one part of money. The other part is called national Competitive and that's where states can send, send up kind of any any of their programs that they would like.
Like to compete against other programs from across the country, and that money is held by the America agency, and the funding decision for that is made by the America agency. This body makes the formula funding decision. So you all based on staff recommendations and recommendations of the grants committee will actually decide which programs get the formula money.
But the America agency makes the decision for the national competitive part of money. The the this body is then still responsible for those programs because the money flows through volunteer Tennessee, but the funding decision is made at the federal level.
That decision on that national competitive process is typically, we typically have it by now. It's usually made late April or early May, and then at this meeting in the past, the commission would typically then decide how to allocate its formulan.
Well, we don't have that national competitive announcement yet and we we've been told that we'll have it in mid June. Now we've done this for some time and so at the March meeting.
The the full commissioned authorized the executive committee to meet after we get that national competitive process announcement and make the funding allocation. So the executive committee has a couple of dates on their calendars held.
For, for that, that decision. So anyway, where we are right now is that we can show you what has been sent to the national competitive process. We can tell you what applications we have for the formula.
Money, but but it's we're not really in the place where this body can yet make a decision on which of those programs actually fund with the formula money. I mean technically you could, but you don't have to wait on that formula announce, that competitive announcement, but.
If typically what happens again for those who of you who are new to this process or maybe it's a little bit dusty, those programs that we send to the national competitive process, if they don't get funded there, they typically will then drop back into the formula process to be considered for formulament.
It's so if you were to go ahead and make the formula decision without knowing the competitive process and you spend all your formula money, if some of those competitive programs don't get funded at the competitive level, they would essentially have to close because there would be NO money left for them.
So the typical process for volunteer ten C has been to wait for that national competitive announcement, absorb any programs that don't get funded competitively into the formula process and then make its formula decision. Is this Ford ok with that recommendation in terms of waiting until we get some more information before discussing this or do you want to discuss it now?
And Eiley I don't know if you have anything to add, I mean, I don't have anything in addition to what you've said already.
I, my recommendation would be to, to wait. Yeah. Well, and the the commission already voted on that at the March meeting, it voted to to wait and not make the decision now but instead authorize the executive committee to make it in mid June.
So I don't think you need to do that again, but if people have questions about the competitive or the formula, what what's on the screen right now are are the the four applicants that volunteered Tennessee sent to the national competitive process?
City or Memphis teacher residency, teacher for America National Chad Newigate and Community Assistance corporation. Those are the 4th memphis teacher residency is what's called a continuation.
So every numerical program when it's funded has three years essentially to operate. At the end of that three years, they have to then apply for a new three year cycle. So memphis teacher residency is currently in, I think they're in year two.
Or they're going into year two or year three, so there were, they were what's called a continuation program. So we expect out of these four that they should get continuation funding because that is typically what the America agency does is it funds its continuation programs 1st.
And then it considers any new or reapplying programs. On the formula side, Eileen, do you want to talk about this or do you want me to? No, you can go ahead. Okay, on the formula side of things.
The, what's on the screen right now are all of the programs that are currently in Volunteer Tennessee's formula portfolio and all of those programs are continuation programs.
And again, and it's been typically it has been volunteered tennessees, operational stance has been to fund continuation programs. Although we may have to potentially depending on how much money is actually ends up being available.
We might have to reduce some of the actual funding levels, but the process in the past has been to fund continuation programs. Below that are the new applicants that we received.
And you can see we received six new, and again, you're not being asked to vote on any of these today, so this is just informational, in terms of what, what the status is, what we received from the formula.
Process the one thing I will point out is that the total request you can see the formula allocation that we have is 3 million.
$963146. The total request for the continuation programs and all of these new programs exceeds what we have available by.
A million $623459. So there will not be enough money to fund all of these programs and just as a reminder, this chart does not include any competitive programs that that might not get funded at the competitive process. If we have any other.
Those four that don't get funded at the competitive process, they'll also have to go into this chart, which will make the, the amount that exceeds the request even more. Now we also that they're changing the way they award the formula funds, and we're not clear yet on whether or not we'll be able to use unextended funds.
And that's why this chart doesn't include any unextended funds for the current grants because we don't know if we'll be able to use it. But we do expect, we we do expect to have some unextended funds. We just don't know.
If or how we will be able to use them and I'm happy to go into more detail about that if if folks would like. Do we have any questions or comments? I have a question about the competitive, the national competitive. So the other.
Threes, are these is this the 1st time that they have been submitted for a national competitive grant? That's a great question. City Yormephius and tennessee's Community Assistance Corporation are currently funded competitively and they're at the end of their three year and so they're having to reapply. Right. Teach for America National Chad Anduga has had competitive funding in the past, but it's been some time. So they are currently in the formula for.
Portfolio for the current program year.
Yvonne wrote in the comments says that she would prefer to wait. I think that's about ok thank you Yvonne. If we have NO other questions or comments, we're gonna move on to the America funding timeline revision for 2026. Eileen, could you please.
Share with us any discussion on that. So staff received numerical formula application instructions on 10 March and the due date is 13 March. Numerical formula.
Application submitted on 13 March is a placeholder that does not include specific sub recipients, so that's essentially what we've been talking about. At the 9 March commission meeting commission authorized the executive committee to make the formula funding decision after the America agency releases the results of the competitive funding process. Revised 2026 America funding timeline reflects these changes.
Does anyone have any comments or questions about the revisions? In the the revisions are the the red line changes have those showing up return around.
Okay So typically typically we would get the formula, the instructions for our formula submission cause volunteer Tennessee.
Not only do we get applications to volunteer Tennessee to get that formula money. Volunteer Tennessee then has to submit an application to the federal agency to draw down those federal, those formula funds. So typically we would get the formula instructions.
Around the time that we got them, which was, what did we say? Eileen was March the 10th? That's around the time we typically get them, but typically the formula submission from volunteer Tennessee to the America Agency isn't due until.
Like early early summer, like July ish, which which allows time for the commission is after it's typically after the competitive announcement. So it allows time for commissions to incorporate the competitive announcement into the formula if they want to. But, the difference this year, as Eileen mentioned.
Is when, so we've already had to submit that formula application from Volunteer Tennessee to the Americas agency. But unlike previous years, they didn't ask us to specify which programs were getting funded. It's just it's just to create a placeholder.
To go ahead and obligate that, that formula amount that I mentioned earlier the 3.9 million or whatever it was. It's just to go ahead and obligate that so they can start working on awarding volunteer tendency the money. And then at some point.
We'll have to go in and tell them which actual sub grants, which partner agencies are gonna get sub grants from that formula process. So you usually we have a lot more time.
Any other questions or comments? Anything online? Okay, do I hear a motion to approve the 2026 America funding timeline revision as presented?
Some moved George Bobby.
George, thank you. Second.
Second James. James?
Betty, would you please do a roll call vote? Join Betty.
George Bobby.
I.
Destiny brown. Destiny brown. I think she said she stepped away. Stephanie daves. Nathan Farner. Katie go Ford.
Yes.
Rebecca Henderson.
Hi.
Andrea Hill.
Hi.
James Harder. Hi.
Greg Wiles hi. Maddie ragliff? Gary Silver, I Tracy Vandervate R Eddie White plus Christoph Whitney. Hi, Eileen William. Yvonne Wood.
Yes.
Patty would be. Adam Jarvis?
It's staying.
Nester rays? Trinity weathers being?
I.
Nancy Shieling Patty Smith. Jessica youngboy.
Bye.
Thank you. 14 out of 15. Okay, so the revision is approved. At this time we're gonna take a break. According to my cell phone, it's 1058. Let's please be back here at ten at 1110 and we'll continue. So for those of them online hopefully you heard that short break, just a couple minutes and we'll be back 1110.
Central, 1210 eastern. That's alright.
They were laying there on the. Sorry, I was restarted the recording. Okay, do we have any other nominations from the floor at this time?
Hearing NO other nominations, nominations are closed. Do I hear a motion to approve the nomination for vice chair is presented by the Board Development committee?
Into approved by acclimation.
Motion to approve by acclimation. I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do with this and I'm just being honest me a second.
He doesn't have any competition.
Okay, who was the 1st ok who was the person who said second?
Katie, go forth kate.
Thank you Katie. All right, Betty, would you please do a roll call vote and thank you George Bobby. Hi, Destiny Brown.
Stephanie Davis, Nathan Farner. What's his name? Katie goes forth.
Yes Heidi.
Rebecca Henderson.
Yes, Andrea here.
Okay.
Thanks Harvard? Yes.
Can you hear me?
Yes, we can. Thank you.
James Hoggers does I.
Greg Lyle. Yes. Maddie Rattler. Hi. Terry Silver, I Tracy Vanderbate, I Daddy White, I Christen Whitney. I Ali William. Yvonne Wood.
Yes.
Adam Jarvis. I'm saying.
Nesterays. Nancy Shaleen. Patty Smith. Jessica young blue. Hi. Trinity weather beep weather's bleed.
I.
So the motion of carried with 13 out of this. Okay, welcome hard.
I don't know if anyone told you this yet, but you have to spend a week with the chair going over everything that this encompasses. It's longer than a week.
We're so happy to have you for everything you're doing for us. We, we really appreciate it so much. We are going to move next to a discussion and and this is where I want to go back to our outcomes for today, and that is to actively participate.
And please feel free and feel comfortable asking questions and making comments about expectations on commissioner participation in commission meetings and committee meetings. And we Jim and I have talked about this a little bit. Betty and I've talked about it some as well.
The last time that we met to go over the budgets, how can I say this in in the politically correct and delicate way? We felt a little, uncomfortable making some clear decisions although we worked through them and talked through the.
Budget and things but we really are hoping to discuss the possibility of having a co chair of each committee in case a chair is unable to attend an executive meeting or a commissioner meeting or something in the case of a chair is unable to be.
There to have the voice of the committee. If maybe a co chair would be in order and that would be something we'd need to discuss and vote on and add to our bylaws. Sometimes we've met in, in the past and it's been maybe two or three of us and I feel the weight of making a decision and voting on a budget.
As important as the budgets that you've had for this commission. And I'd love to hear some of your comments and concerns in regard to that. 1st of all, my concern is that we are our committee is pretty much structured with more than, but three or more, I guess would be that's a good question. And committee chairs, are your committees robust enough to do the work of that committee?
And I would add to that.
That what Jessica.
Yeah, I would add that do people attend those committee meetings on a regular basis? Cause they maybe full, but oftentimes not attended.
Okay, Jessica, would you repeat what you just said? I'm sorry. I got my lunch.
Yeah, just to go along with what Greg said, are the committees full, but not only are they full, but do people participate in the committee meetings on a regular basis?
Yeah, I would reiterate everything that has been said. I think that we, one, it is, and I say this personally myself, it is a privilege to be in this room and and it's such a wonderful opportunity to be able to support so many amazing organizations across the state, and while we may not get to meet all of those people.
Want to get to serve with all those organizations directly outside of site visits and voting on budgets and things. Many of those organizations are so heavily reliant on the work that we do. What may seem like an hour and a half on a on a not a Zoom call or Webex as challenging as it maybe. Well, I meant to seem like an hour and a half on a Webex call is a year.
Work of work and services in in the community, and I think just reminding ourselves about about that, right? That obviously emergencies happen, things come up, but 45 min to an hour of our time sitting on a call to do the work that we're asked to do on this team is meaningful work, it is important work. It's not just always rubber stamping. Sometimes I know it can.
Feel like that, that is the government realm that can feel like that, but it is meaningful important work so reiterating that. I think on the process side, I, I would agree, what Jessica just said, I think when you've got a committee that only has three to five people on it anyway, if one person's not there, that's already.
A pretty significant noticeables, right? So I think one of the things we had discussed and I I don't recall exactly where it landed in terms of bylaws explicitly. One of the items I think we had discussed when we went through the bylaw revisions was maybe not being so stringent on, you know, Greg is on this committee.
That's the only work Greg can do. Greg cannot step outside I think we gave people a lot of flexibility to be able to serve in multiple roles, right? You may have a listed committee, right? But knowing that there's opportunities to engage in other spaces, I think you've got a committee that has ten people and there are ten that are willing to be committed and engaged. Awesome, right? That's just ten more people they can offer in the guidance that's definitely not where we're at unfortunately.
How does the commission feel about having a co chair, a vice chair or however you might refer to that on your committee just in case?
I think it's a great opportunity to have either a co or vice. I think we just need to define which one we want because the code more so is going to step into the equal shared leadership space where the vice two steps up in place of that share not being available in doing that, so I think we need to find which one but I think either one of them would be with some.
There is another opportunity to have someone there to support and or back to individual if they're unable to attend. Absolutely. And we we talked about as an executive committee.
And one of the things I really wanted to see happen personally was that we did have someone who was kind of in training so that when the chair decided that they were finished in that role, that person could step up because it's pretty difficult. It was difficult to find chairs this past year. You know, people are busy and I told.
Totally understand you're you're committed to your work, you've got your own life, your family, your social life, and I totally understand that, but it would be helpful to have someone who's ready to step in. So maybe in a case it's a cherry leg then maybe we haven't maybe have a past there that can also serve on the team. I think for me when I 1st came on.
Was just having that institutional knowledge about the the committee itself. And I believe we had one person who had previously been on there, but everyone else is really new to it so we can at least have one person who's been on that can serve on that on the committee and they'll make sure people a little bit but just to be able to provide some content.
In context around what has traditionally happened in that Past chair, chair elected, and then the chair. I like that idea. How do you, how does everyone else feel about that? I think at least for that one year.
That the chair is changing that having the past chair continue on that committee and then having the chair and a chair alike I like the word chair a lot and that person could serve if the chair happened to be absent or wasn't able to come during time, but kind of a time and training as well that they would love.
Okay. I think there's some beauty in also having a cup of more than one person in the elevated role because and we've had we've had this play out with the executive committee, right? Where we don't have time to wait until a regularly scheduled committee meeting commission meeting, so if you've got a couple of people in an elevated role in a committee and those couple, you know, there's a quick decision or brainstorm that needs to happen.
Happen. I think it allows for a smaller group subset within that committee and maybe that staff person to just meet one off and do what they need to do and not have to try to.
Conventing people, right? Sometimes it's nice to be able to just say, hey, we gotta make a decision you three or four come together, do it and then report back it allows for some of that flexibility, which we have utilized as a large commissionate quite a bit. Yes, we have thought.
Greg, do you as as board development shared, do you think this is something that the board development could get behind? Certainly, ok. Okay. So, in when we do our retreat.
In the fall, we will have a new slate of officers and whomever becomes chair at that point will be determining and asking for chairs or if you want to continue to be a chair of a committee, so this will be a good time for that to occur, I would I would think.
Would you agree? So kind of when we start talking about 2027, of course we can start talking about it now, but in 2027 each committee then would have a chair, a chair elect and a past chair if there is.
Just like that budget that's coming through, we're saying out to the universe.
Okay. I will, the one thing I'll just say this just so it's kind of on the record is one thing we'll have to think about is in order for that to work for all of the committees, there's probably going to be more overwhelmed, right? Like in order to have that many people on each committee to have those roles, you're gonna have some, you know, you maybe a chair of this committee and a member of the.
Right or a co chair or a bachelor layer chair like the listen and have something else on another one and just know that that's probably what it'll have to look like. There's only so many of us. So that's about commissioner participation. And again, do we have anything written down that we give to.
New members would come into the commission about their, their participation and their, in the meetings and on the committees. So it's just clearly stated yes. We we have sorry as part of the.
The commissioner handbook and the commissioner training that I do with new commissioners, sorry Maddie, you haven't had yours. There's a, a commission member position description and it talks about the expectations of the commissioners in terms of overall what.
We're supposed to do and time commitment and that kind of things?
So we might want to add that piece, what we've talked about here. Is there anything else that anyone would like to discuss or comment on in terms of commissioner participation and committee meetings and commission meetings in our board meetings also? I think in our last board development.
Well, not the last meeting but one at the last time we were all together for a commission meeting and then we had a time to talk about it. I think one thing that we talked about is that we really felt it was important for every commissioner to do a site visit and to go out and to see.
What's happening with our grantees and how this is working. And I think we we understand everyone, you know, has families and jobs and whatever most of us do that are still at home. I'm kind of an exception. You are busy. Well, but retired life is busier than, you know, you have grandchildren and graduation, but that is awesome.
Anyway, but.
I think we determined that we thought it would be reasonable and I don't know if this is, we could put this in the handbook too to ask each commissioner to make a site visit during that person's term, one that would be one at least once every three years. Well. Is that not what we were talking about and because we thought ok.
We know sometimes things come up and you can't do it one year or you can't do it the next, but it seemed to us that some of the commissioners were doing two a year and some people were doing none and that we really need to all go out and be aware of our programs especially when we're looking at allocating funds.
To these programs and being aware of what we as a commission do, and it takes some time to really understand. So that was one thing that we suggested. So I would like to know if there's any feedback or what people think about that.
But just to that point the and I can I can, I can share my screen again. I stopped sharing my screen during this discussion so that people can see, see better. But this is the.
This is the state plan that you all approved at the October retrieve and it specifically includes this part that you were just talking about, Betty.
A couple things, a hundred percent of commissioners participate in at least two site visits, grant reviews or public volunteer tensee initiative every three years. Could you read that again? Sure. A hundred percent of commissioners participating in.
At least two site visits, grant reviews or public volunteer Tennessee initiative every three years. And then right below that, each commissioner will participate in 75 % of meetings. And then four four.
Participate in kind. Yeah, a hundred percent of governor appointed not including exhibition. Commissioners participate in in kind or financial giving each year to volunteer tennessee or friends of volunteer tennessee, and the one right above that, sorry, two, two or three above that, a hundred percent of commission members in.
Engage in at least one volunteer activity each year. Well that's that's more.
You're not connected directly to your work on the commission but that you all should be volunteering to reflect the fact that you're on the commission about. So I think it's important to remind ourselves what we've committed ourselves to do and to to make every attempt to be at the meetings.
As possible and if if you can't and you've got some input or you've got some comments, please send them with your committee or with someone on your committee so that we can have those to talk about.
Any other comments, concerns, thoughts? That's in the current state plan. That's in the current. Sorry, do you want to put it back up on the screen? Yeah, this is this is what the commission approved at the October retreat, and this plan.
Goes from January 2026 through December of 2028. So this is your current three year plan. It's like we have James. Okay. James?
We we talked about that minimum requirement of two every three years, and I think we all agreed that it was not a stretch for anybody to be able to accomplish that, that it's quite reasonable, so good.
Agree. How are we tracking that? Do we need to be turning those numbers into someone to make sure that we are all being held accountable to what we said that we're gonna do? Thank you for myself event. That was my thought too, and I.
Do believe our committee said that we were willing to track that. We didn't want to put that on staff because that's a commission and that's what we're doing. But I think we have fallen down on that and we have not created. We were talking about trying to create a form or a way that commissioners could let us know and I don't know exactly what who did.
Well, we talked about also having attendance taken at our meetings like your committee meetings and I think most of you do, most of you do, but just make making sure that we know who's attending so that if there's an issue and we all have issues in our lives, we can follow up and say, hey, is everything ok? I mean we don't know.
So keep keeping attendance, and I and I think we need a spreadsheet and and I I'm sorry to say that might come from the board development committee so that we can track it ourselves maybe. But just, you know, check off, this is when I did my site visit. I gave I I was at 75 % of the meetings that, you know, just easily check off.
If that's possible. And I'd be happy to help you create that Greg. I think Jim keeps attendance of commission meetings for developments so we, you know, we can look at that because we don't want to put this out to embarrass anybody that may have because you don't know. Yeah.
And then of course the the staff set have some set up site visits and so we know who has participated in site visits from talking to the staff. So I think a lot of this is that the board development committee would just need to confirm with the staff about what has happened and then.
And track it kind of that way and then if there's an issue, then the more development can reach out or or bring it to the chair if there's some kind of you know usually life have life happens for, you know, those of us that have been on this committee for a very long time and have.
Had surge reason babies babies you know so sometimes we you know you might have six or eight months where you just can't participate or sometimes a little bit longer and doesn't.
Yeah so sometimes that 75 % is of meetings is hard to to get because if you if you have to miss two because of the surgery then you're down to 50 %, but I think I think we all look back, oh, look, we know why they're not here and we understand that. Absolutely. Thank you.
That was a very nice way to appreciate that. So please feel free to eat your lunches and we're going to now do some committee reports on the annual plan and if it's ok, are you ok with starting or would you like for me to call someone else?
Trying to have my notes. Okay I'll give you the submitted. We'll we'll we'll start with the board development and then we'll go to communications, then we'll do the foundations of service, then grants, and then strategic partnerships. That's the order we'll go if you're ok. The biggest thing I think we.
Was the 1st killing the vice chair positioner. And I think we also did some work on the next thing. Yes. We have some volunteers already.
Persistently retreat the Shanta Andrew Andrea Andrea yeah so we're excited about the possibility for that being in memphirous. So real soon I guess we need to get together.
Thank you, about what that's on the drive. Awesome. Let us know what you need from us. Do we know when we're planning on doing the retreat this year? Are we planning for same time? We have the day. We do have the decks.
Yeah hold on, let me pull up my calendar. It's an October's 22nd and 23rd. Greg, I like to add the changing to the list as well. No, I can't work.
Candace's birthday is 18 October 22nd and 23rd. Thank.
Okay, thank you so much. Sounds good. Looking forward to the retreat. Rebecca, do you have anything for communications?
Good afternoon, or I guess it's still good morning in Nashville. Illness and due to scheduling conflicts, but I certainly hope to have a good report at the next meeting.
Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. Destiny Foundations of service? Do we have anyone from Foundations of service that could.
Maybe talk to us about the conference talk that we've been having or Well, conversations are ongoing. Okay. Well what why you what the foundations of service community.
Discussed at its last meeting feel free to step in anytime. The question came up, should volunteer tensee continue to have its own conference, which we've done now for I think around eleven years or so?
Oh NO sorry longer than that, 16 years. Should volunteer tency continue to have its own conference or should volunteer Tency look at partnering with some other entity that has kind of a statewide scope and combine forces for combined.
Conference. So that was kind of the question and what we're we're not committing them to it, but one potential partner that was brought up is the Tennessee nonprofit network again because they have a statewide scope, they're they're focused on nonprofits.
Which, you know, most of our participants in our conference are related to nonprofits, so that could be a potential partner. So what what the foundations of service committee recommended is at this meeting, we don't get into the weeds of, you know, how that would work or who the partner would be or all of those kind of details, but just kind of a general.
Check on consensus should volunteer to see continue to have a standalone conference or should we look into partnering with someone else to have a combined conference? Thank you. Yeah.
So I'm gonna start up into any recommendations, suggestions, feedback? I'll I'll start yes. I think that's a great idea. Bro broadly speaking, I think looking at the landscape across the state, whether it be for the corporate social space or be for nonprofit space, whether it be for.
Community emergency response space or the Americas space. There's so much overlap in the work that we're doing and we're all just tackling really kind of the same sector of work from different angles and owning our piece, but we're trying to own our pieces separately and that's not really how you build a puzzle. I I think there's.
Value in supporting nonprofits in maximizing their resources, supporting programs that, you know, we're nonprofits maybe hosting America members or volunteers in use to the language terminology, volunteers in in maximizing their resources and if you can simply say as a say, we're gonna.
Make combine efforts, bring people together that are working in this space from all angles. I think that's a win win win win win for lots of entities us included. So I'm very supportive of that idea. I think it, I think it's a win resource wise, I think it's a win in terms of our profit partners, and I think it's a win in terms of our visibility, not.
To be, you know, a little selfish in it, right? But it's like nonprofit network and other partners across the state are are doing a really good job in the outreach space, right? I'm hosting TNM in Johnson City next week for for a listening for similar to kind of how we're doing the roadshow and they're doing a great job in that space.
But a lot of their audience is our audience. I don't I don't I think we're stronger together, so I think that's a wonderful Candice, do you have any thoughts or do you have any, do you feel even at the standalone or are you ok with it moving maybe into a partnership? How do you feel about that? Because you've been so involved.
With the conference and I won't I don't want to speak for any Delina. She was the original commissioner who brought the idea to the table. I agree with both sides. I could be both areas but I to Nathan's point, I'm.
Huge proponent for getting volunteer Tennessee's name out there. Yeah. You know, like I would love to see when people think of volunteer Tennessee that, you know, we're not a second thought to University of tennessee. You know the volunteer like I would really love to see us in that branded space to promote our.
Corporate social purpose to promote champions of service, to promote award of excellence to emergency preparedness with donns. So I I think that with the commission, if that's the route that we're going to take, I think it's worth considering, and if it doesn't work out, we still have a foundation of where we've been as a standalone.
So I am my computer's just hard. I am, I am, I'm open to work with either way but I would really love just to hear the the opinion of the commission and and what you guys think about it because of course we're here to serve for the commission so I would I would much rather hear your thoughts. Thank you.
For anybody online maybe I can piggyback on Candace's comments real briefly is that there are a number of organizations that are out there that are receiving the benefits of volunteer tennessee, whether it be grant funding, whether it be systems programs or what have you, that yes, we've invited them in the past, but hasn't been an expectation.
Tennessee Goad for instance, voluntary organizations actored in disasters as we referenced a moment ago, is another organization with over a hundred members across the state, but they don't have a formalized setting to get together in an in person way. Certainly the search programs have been growing dramatically over the course.
Of the the last couple of years and maybe we could, you know, tie the conference so that as Candice pointed out as each of you certainly have in your hearts, this is a volunteer organization and I hate to throw this out here to the commission, but some of the earlier comments were about where are we going to be with funding down the road with the feds, with, you know, America or with what have you. Are we working our way out of a.
Job when that happens. Do we want to be proactive and I say we just review the commission, do you want to be proactive? Are you allowed to be proactive in expanding potentially the reach the touch of volunteerism in the state that would include more organizations like we've talked about, especially if that funding goes away.
Is there an opportunity for possibly skate funding to supplement?
Thank you, Don. At least Destiny back online just in case she wants to make some comments here. Okay, just want to make sure. If she was gonna have to be away until noon. Okay. And I can also speak just from my stance of other other nonprofits that I.
Sit on or having conversations with as well as some of our associations across the state, they are feeling the same pain when it comes to trying to put money events because of the increase in cost in hotels as well as quantifying lodging and accommodations.
So you used to be able to get, we're now paying 2530 $40 sometimes when we're hosting these events, and so from a planning aspect, I think it would be good for sustainability for us to partner. I think a lot of people are starting to go to that model and want to partner, but you may not know how to go about doing that. But the great thing is because of Candice and others, we already have a solid foundation, and so I think we stand to hope to.
And hold to that foundation that we built knowing this is what we wanted to try to try to continue to do, but it's also be flexible enough to say that, hey, if we could have a half a day or the day for us to be able to come in to be able to offer this, this is what we can bring to this table and vice versa with whomever it is. So if the conversation you know continues after this is.
Hey, we want to move forward with partnering with potentially another agency organization to be able to do this. We can do that with the understanding that we're gonna keep the foundation of what's already been built to ensure that we have the sustainability forward. Thank you. Can I ask a clarifying question? This is to Canvas not to put you on the spot. So let's say you get the blessings the wrong word, but the the commissions, you know, supportive of of this idea perhaps partnering with another entity of it or somebody else. What does that, what do next steps, timeline? What's the plan for.
So that's an excellent question. I don't have the answer. I'm just gonna be 100 % just honest. The timelines would I think initially would be who we would want to partner with, what makes the most sense. What do the conversations look like to make sure that volunteer Tennessee isn't buried in the, in the, in the limelight.
Of the organization that we're joining, right? Like, and and what does that look like from from you you just what does that look like? But for for now, I I would just say that, because I don't know a timeline of when.
Said tennessee nonprofit networks or United Way just take them, e.g.. I don't know when they're when what's coming up within the next fiscal year. So I think that right now is the 1st step figuring out who is the best partnership and what that looks like, having the conversation with them because we want to be positive.
That the that is going to work out for us, right? We're gonna go ahead and claim that into existence, but what those conversations looks like to me would be the initial 1st three steps of the dates and what those conversations look like with whatever that partner should Andrea? Andrea. Can you all hear me? Yeah.
Yes yes yes. I wanted to chime in. I was on mute, so I apologize, but just in in the instance instance of this conversation, we we will be happy to have the conversation with Tennessee nonprofit network, that's totally open. But I would also I'm 5050 on it because I also agree with, I think Don in the Roman and some of the other folks around what are there are there any volunteer agencies or or organizations that would potentially also be available.
Now I know we we've done work with and I think Eileen has worked with them through friends with the CCPA or the CPA scholarships that have been given out for voluntary administration, so there is an opportunity there to see if they want that group will want to pull together something and have a conference here in Tennessee as well. So again, TNN or Tennessee and now probably network is open to having that conversation and look at what it will look like potentially.
To partner with us for the conference, but I'm also as a commissioner, I'm more than open to, to seeing if there's some conversation that we can have with the whole AD or a CCBA as well.
Thank you, Andrea. And did you want to say something? Well I was just gonna ask Candace, when we have to make the commitment to the hotel if we were to have our standalone conference, when is that commitment view? When do we?
Again I'm not sure of that either. I could ask, but I would think probably sooner rather than later. I think ideally for the hotel, they would like it about a year out because typically we have the conversation right around or at the end of the conference which happened in March of this year. So for for the hotel.
Since we're in May, I would think that we probably should let them know something here. If not within the next 30 days, definitely within the next 60 to see the availability of the dates that they have before it gets booked up if we are planning to continue to go with the because we also have GVSA to think about as well. It's not.
Just other entities that, right? And so two two potential complicating factors is one is the GBSA. It's possible that if we combine with someone else we could still continue to have it co located at the same place as the conference, but that might not work out. The other thing is that we we will have to make this decision soon because if we wait too long.
To make the commitment with the hotel that we've been using in the past. We won't have any We won't be able to get a a date and if we can't partner with someone else, not only will not have our conference, we won't be able to partner with anybody else and we won't have anything. So we can't wait too long.
To, to commit to do do we partner with someone else? So it could be that we we might have to end up doing our own conference another year as a standalone conference while we have those conversations about partnering with someone else, because.
We I think we don't want to end up in a situation where we don't have anything for potentially two years depending on the times time frame for partnering with someone else. And Jim I propose that same thing just for any support is that we do continue business as normal on what we've been doing for this year and then in that time we could also potentially go attend some of these conferences where we can see if we really want to be attached to any individuals in the conferences.
But then also so we can see how how truly along we maybe with what they have going on and then it gives us a little bit more time on the planning aspect of it because you know hotels are gonna book up and you know we have literally three conferences I know of this going out there because they can so just wanted to make sure that we do have something that we can continue to support.
But in the meantime, maybe this is something that we're working on on the back end is looking at partner agencies and organizations that was possibly good for 2020. Yeah.
So is it possible to get a list of and start those 1st conversations with those organizations who think that we might want to look at as partnering and getting out when their next conferences are so anybody on the commission that would like to attend?
And do that, you know, to look at it as a, as a potential furniture that You know I don't know. I mean to to point you know oh you know just as the sorry I didn't even use that, but you know do we test the work.
This year, you know, like because some organizations already have their 2026 2027. It's already scheduled and even though the data is scheduled, their agenda may not be scheduled or you know what what does that look like because you know also to you know Sarah pointed it may or may not, you know, even work out. So not to.
You know, add more confusion to the conversation, but to your point Tracy, we don't have that list ready yet. So it could be like a lot of conversations that we have with potential partners in this endeavor and you know, those, you know, while they may go fast.
They also may go, they know or the the terms of what we would like out of that partnership may look different for us than it would for the you know for the organization. They may want us to just come on and be a volunteer track, whereas we have the idealism of a partnership. So, you know, so what that means.
Looks like is because some of them maybe even in contract with hotels and things. I I know I'm working on one and we would like to change our hotel, but we've been in a contract with them for three years, so the conference has to be there for three years unless we break the contract that we couldn't afford that, right? So we can't start doing anything else until we finish out that contract. So that's they may have.
Have the same thing because they're like oh we can't do this for another couple of years, you know.
But I also agree with what kind of said, we don't want to get, I think you said a different way, but lost in the shuffle because we did join conferences with national leadership that time and it became their conference. I mean, we were kind of like and also ran although it was really our conference, but they.
Telling you what to do and how to do it and they want to do this. It was an awkward. Well, so, yeah, what what we what we agreed with them was that we would not have our conference that year, but instead we would serve serve as the local host for the national conference. So we didn't really have our conference that year. We had the national conference at our typical.
Location just that for that one time, which is why it seemed more like their conference as opposed to our focus. You have someone from James? James?
Yeah, I I think it's a big commitment to in my view, it's a big leap to just jump into the our major conference and share that with somebody else. Whereas if you're.
If you're testing it on a smaller scale, like on a road show and partnering with different organizations throughout the state as we arrive in a different city, you know, we get a better feel as to who's committed and who and what they have to offer. I did recently sit in on a webinar by Tennessee nonprofit networking and thank you.
It could help me, I mean they had a lot of good information to share, but it didn't really apply to me, because it had everything in terms of friends of volunteer Tensee because it had everything to do with how to utilize your current contacts and to expand your, your asks for funds and and and support and.
And that's not the way, the way we really work. I mean volunteer Tennessee might, but friends of volunteer Tennessee don't. But I think it's it's less risky to take probably more practical to take the road show across the state and work with different organizations in different city and see.
How they, which one is is more agreeable to what we're trying to achieve.
But help me if that's reasonable or not. Nathan is going to present some sort of a he's gonna highlight the road show in his his his the standard, not standard. The.
But I mean, to, to your point James I think that we have a lot to offer anybody, you know, honestly I mean we're the we're the water for all the wells out here. Everybody needs something about volunteerism. So I have NO doubt that I or this commission could sell volunteered tendencies, not only potential but the things that we do to any conference because everybody it has the space where volunteers would be needed so.
Well that's totally what I hear hear when you you were saying that, that you have to be have has a concern and have, but that's what I totally get because we do have so much to offer. The question is, whoever we partner with, are they going to be able to help support us in in our vision and and be able to contribute at the same level without diminishing the work that we do, so.
So I have a question. Do we need to form a committee that takes this conversation and starts deciding, ok, let's make these contacts, let's, you know, let's talk about the roadshow, how this will fit in or do we need to.
Let the foundations of service and strategic partnerships handle this. I have mixed fill I have mixed feelings on it. I think it can go either direction. I think we're at a point in the process where I think there's just some information is needed, right? Like I mean, even the idea of like formulating a list, it would just be kind of an arbitrary.
List at this point, right? Yeah. Outside of Andrea, TN is interested in having a conversation. That's about what we got to put on the list, right? So part of me is wondering is it even like to that level yet? There's part of me that thinks that like just simple to say, you know, Candace and Candace I don't want to do this, but it may may even just be as simple as Candice said, is it ok just Candice has can.
This goes out and just floats in at least gets some baseline information on who the potential partners might even be in there's a conversation because we don't even have enough information like we can come up with a list but then there's nothing to talk about, right? We've not engaged with any of them yet, we don't know all of the things. So part of me says there's maybe a little bit of research that needs to take place 1st that probably doesn't require 15 people.
But at the same time if we feel like we wanna move relief expeditiously on it, it's better to pull people together, that's great, but sometimes it's like adding it to the meeting I think can be a little bureaucratic if you could just slow it down. So I can do With foundations to serve, you still be able to be my.
If I trust them, I'm sure you guys do as well. Destiny is an awesome committee leaders, so, I think what would help is what's needed to make the decision from you guys that would be helpful if anybody would love to help me on the side, I'm always available, but I'll probably just reach out to you guys too as as we're getting there and then maybe in the retreat we can have, we can circle back around with what's being researched and to your point michelle.
And you know, I would invite you guys and also Jim to help you have those conversations with the, you know, the high level executives and leadership on what that looks like because, you know. So Adam says that I, as Adam would ask if we can.
Board not to seek partnerships both in terms of the actual cost of doing the conference, but the cost that we continue to define our presence attendance if we don't.
Alright, so quote unquote, I would ask if we can afford not to seek partnerships both in terms of the actual cost of doing the conference, but the cost that we continue to decline our presence and attendance if we don't. But I think I think what he's saying is he feels like partnering with another conference.
Almost not optional. Like in order for it to continue to grow and to continue and sustain, we're gonna have to partner. I think that's how I interpreted that, right? So I think we can maybe let the strategic partnerships kind of foundations. Yeah, so Candace and foundations kind of run with it and they'll come back with them. But they need to fill us know. But you know Adam brings up a good point, you know, like the we our attendance is not where we.
Would love it to be the you know the money that we bring in from the conference is not where we would like it to be. So partnering with on the fiscal end for fiscal stability, and in terms of just what he's saying is, is beneficial to think about. Good, thank you all for this session. Yeah thank you so much. Can I just just to make sure for staff direction.
I think what I heard is we continue forward with a standalone conference for 2027 because we need to move forward so that we don't have anything. And while we go forward with 2027 for the conference, we also do all these discussions.
We talked about with other potential partners and try and figure out something potentially for 2028 if it works out to do whatever that soon. Yes, I believe that's where we are. We're going to go to Eileen. Do you have anything from grants? Grants. Grant's committee is really behind on their action plan. And so we we hope to schedule a committee meeting in early.
Okay to get going on that submissions. Oh yeah, and and of course to you know kind of keep track of the submissions ok I appreciate.
Secretary was asking a question about what do you do. Yeah, which we don't really have time to do because some people have already done their site visits, but we don't really have to Well, we probably wouldn't have time but it's.
Not on the agenda to do report out, but there will be time at the August meeting for commissioners who did site visits to talk a little bit about what they did or what they saw. Okay perfect. Thank you. And strategic partnerships. Yes, so couple of updates and then a couple of two discussions.
1st, biggest update is I think what we talked about already in terms of just expectations and things. I'm gonna repeat all of that, but we definitely had some challenges with email communications, attendance and meetings, all of that, but I think we discussed that we've got some strategies. So the, the 1st big update is around corporate social purpose. So.
Couple of upcoming leadership changes. So Wade Monday, who you all know, he's currently the vice chair of the corporate social Purpose network. He's with the Bridgestone will be stepping into the chair role for this next cycle, and Jahari Matthews with Tennessee Tightons will be stepping into the vice chair.
So, for our vice chair we comes to chair and then we have a new vice chair with Chipari, so just little update there. But then the an event that they've been working on for quite a while that very excited we finally have a day for. So on Friday, 26 June, they're gonna be doing an event at the Acquarium called Purpose over.
Lunch, is that right? And it's essentially a networking connection opportunity, but really, really targeted towards potential members for the network. So we're really talking about businesses, corporations or entities that may have an interest in the network, and this is an easy opportunity for them to engage and meet some of those folks and learn more about the next.
Network. So again, that's Friday, 26 June at the quarium. That is from 11:00 A.M. to 02:00 p.m.. Eastern time. I know we're in central eastern time, so eleven to two Eastern time Friday 26 June. The biggest ask of you all one if you are in East Tennessee and want to engage, awesome please please let us know that would be great. But on top of that from any of you all, if you know businesses or corporations in the East Tennessee area or that side of the middle of Tennessee that may have any.
Interest in the network and this would be a really good introductory, you know, dip your toe in the water opportunity. So there is an RSVP form and there's some marketing around that. We'll make sure that that gets shared out. So please, please feel free to share that with any businesses or corporations in the Easternessay area. So again, great for people that are interested in learning more about the network.
1st discussion item, which Candice has already teed up is around the roadshow, it's come up like four times in this conversation, which is great. I'm glad people are on board with it. So, as you all just as a recap cause I know we've got a couple of new faces, this time last year we had a conversation about this idea of a roadshow, being able to tell.
Make essentially volunteer for Tennessee and plop it down in a couple of areas across the state with these special one off events where whether it be elected officials, whether it be potential nonprofit partners, whether it be any other potential partners in the area or just community members could come in, could learn about the commission, could learn about the programs and efforts, initiatives, so on and so forth.
Put a lot of work in and about we put a lot of work. I mean Candace put a lot of work in last year to to get some of those dates and things scheduled. We had locations had dates booked and just did not have great buy in in terms of attendees. We just did not have a lot of ours. So, Candice and Jason have been brainstorming offline and we met.
Last week early this, I don't know, we met recent past and had a conversation about still doing the roadshow but taking a little bit of a more decentralized approach I think is how I would describe it. And essentially instead of viewing it as literally a road show in terms of pre scheduled stops that are kind of high touch and inviting people to come in, decentralizing in the sense of what does it.
Looked like to simply have resources, materials, marketing promotion, and we go into existing events and existing spaces, so that could be a festival. That could be a conference, right? That's taking place. It could be some sort of a special event, some events that are taking place across the state that we could simply have a presence apps and could kind of.
Along and utilize the fact that people are already there, right? Our intended audience is already there. We don't need to re, you know, re reinvent the wheel, but just plug in, promote volunteer tennessee if programs engaged in that way. So again, same concept, but a little bit different. So that was the broad idea.
Again what that involves are some resources, some shared resources that people could easily take within the things, information, probably some materials or probably talking about some marketing materials banners tablecloss. I don't know what that looks like. But ideally this kind of toolkit that people could pull from and just take into an event.
In the community. With that, something that you might have seen when you came in is also on the table and now I'll open it up for thoughts and feedback. But what we have done already and taken some steps forward on is this QR code which Jason got the lovely put together, will go to a very, very quick, it's like a handful of questions form.
For you to just tell us about the things that are happening in your community or region. That is it. That that is essentially all we're doing is trying to know what is happening across the state, right? We can do a quick google, that sort of thing, but you are in your region, you're in your community. You know what the events are in your community or region, that would really be our target audience or that you think there would be value in us having a problem.
Doesn't at and we really just want to create somewhat of a master list of those things. So that is available for you. I heavily, heavily, heavily encourage you to do it. We'll also send it out after the fact as well. This is not you committing to going to all those things, right? If you say here are four festivals in our area, that is not you saying you're going to all of them.
You could be. Could be, but at this point we just really want to know, and then there's a question on there if you would like to help be a part of the team that's helping to organize and and lead some of this work. So that's really the ask to view all one is let us know about the things that are happening across the side we might wanna plug into so we can map out a game plan and if you would have any interest in helping to serve on a little bit.
What did I miss and then we'll see what feedback summarize it. I think that's a great explanation. I I think just emphasizing like going to places where people already are meeting them where they are and also creating opportunities for you as commissioners within your communities to go to the things that you already go to.
And have options to do this like it doesn't even necessarily have to be like a non profit fair or a thing like that. It could be, what was it? Markets. Yeah, farmers markets, corn bread festival, just like things that people are excited when they show up for. I think the thought is, you know, we can have like an offsite location and we.
We can try to attract however many people to it or we can go to a location that attracts a thousand people every year and a thousand of those people aren't all gonna be like oh let me talk about volunteer tendency, but if you talk to a hundred people, it's probably more people than you can leverage by kind of ask asking people to commit their.
Unique time and effort to go to the so really for this survey, events that you're excited about, they don't have to be specifically nonprofit or service or even volunteer driven, if you know that like, you know, in Knoxville they have Asian tests and lots of people go to that or just those types of themed events, where would it be meaningful to have a presence? In a presence, not necessarily being like you give a presentation, but you just interact with people who you know respond to your materials. Awesome. James has his hand up. Would you? James?
Just for clarity, when you say you, you're talking to s strictly to the commission board or you're talking about sending it across the state to all kinds of locations to see who has feedback about their local communities?
So the survey that you have, well, you don't have in front of you James. So the survey that that is in the room here with us. We'll get it sent out to you. This is really intended for you all in terms of the survey. This is just for us to get an some sort of a broad assessment.
What are the things, the events, the opportunities, the spaces that you all are already aware of that there could be potential? Doesn't mean we're a hundred percent signing up to go to those things. We just want to know about them. We just want to have them on our radar. So that is the ask right now. The goal then is we'll be able to take all of that information and offline actually be able to build out a little bit more of.
So right now we just want to know what's happening in your space, in your region. Again, this is not you signing up to you you're not signing up to say you're going to the Meet the mountain's vessel and you're working for four days, that's not what we're committing to. At this point it's just we want to know that the Meet the mountain's vessel exists, right? So that's all we're really asking at this moment, and on the form, if you have an interest.
To be more engaged and helping to plan and coordinate some of this, there's an opportunity for you to just say that. But even if you don't have an interest in helping lead, we still want to know about the events in your area. Does that answer your question? Yes, ok. Other just broad feedback, what are thoughts on that direction? Cause it's a little different than what we had proposed last year. No, I like it a lot. And I think that in our communities.
There are gathering places, whether it's like a healthcare, e.g., for a community where there are different people there who have booths on what their services are or what they can provide, that there could be a volunteer Tennessee booth.
It could just be an informational thing, that we have. And so I think that yes, festivals or big events are there, but I think there might be some smaller ones that are a little bit more intimate that the same kind of toolkit could go and it would take.
One or two people just to go and sit there and be able to explain and hand out things and also get some feedback from some of the communities. I mean, I think of a excuse me, a community that I'm still involved in that I've done, there's a lot of opportunity.
I think of two different ones in Nashville, that some of the services we provide or some of the things we provide would be very informative to them, but at the same time might be really good partners with us in terms of the gardens in terms of food security and literacy.
That kind of thing. James. Okay.
I'm all about that, that sitting at these events cause we, you know, but friends of volunteered tennessee. We just had these beautiful table cloths made just for that purpos.
We're looking for these opportunities and I don't care if.
It's a friends of volunteered table cloth or a volunteer tennessee, tell it table cloth, but what I would want is just clarity as to what we're sharing it, what's the format of how we're sharing this information, what's the best way to sit at that table and really draw a crowd and get people interested in what we're all about?
No, that's helpful. The last thing I would share just for context in terms of kind of process is I think right now we're envisioning, we need to know what the scope is of what we're actually talking about, which is what the survey will help from, and some people that maybe will engage in those conversations. We know there's gonna be some financial ramifications we'll have to talk through, right? What costs are affiliated and how do we pay for them. We also know that there's gonna be the very practical staffing, right? We can say we're going to a festival in mountain.
Okay who is weak, right? We understand those guys, we understand. So right, we're not quite there yet. We really just wanna know what is the scope of potential work and then this small team of people will get together and hash out some of those other details but sounds like what I'm hearing is people are broadly supportive. Yes, Nathan I'll just bring up to you because that's part of what I.
Have been doing in public health for the past 17 years is community engagement and community events. So it is really I can fill this out. It's gonna be probably seven or eight pages worth of information too. However, as well are thinking about like as far as capacity goes to that point because there are so many events that goes on daily across the state.
And my staff were actively out involved in it. We do have a top ten newsletter that we put the top ten things that are going on the next week and so we get that information. We are trying to update our calendar, we're going through ADA with website stuff right now, so it may take another six months. But also someone brought up, so I know a lot of the counties and cities have the mainstream board.
Great opportunity to connect with people on a Saturday for a couple of hours to be mindful that not every event is created equally in that space, trying to be politically correct in that space. And so it may not be worth time and or value to, to go to some of these events and we found that out the hard way where we're pending 8 h on a Saturday when we need to be there for just 2 h just because of people coming in, but then also we can probably.
Get our own organization to see where we can plug and play. I know we have our canadian practice but we just got finished join, which is kind of like our road shows in east middle, and West Tennessee and we had about a hundred each of those, which aren't county health councils, which are people who are working in their counties from schools, universities, faith based leaders, nonprofits that are not in the United ways. All of them are collectively together there, that's fine. So we can definitely combine those efforts and having the table for.
Or two to your point if you want to have a table and or to speak for 15 min or record an hour. We can look at that and then TDH also has road shows, but we're in 14 different areas and it starts in January goes through March. So you can be very busy if you want to, but just like James did you hear that?
I do, and I can definitely and then two we have two meetings that would love to have, you know, either friends and or volunteer to come on just to share a little bit about who we are and what we do in those meetings or once a week, they're all virtual meetings, so once a week we meet every Thursday at 01:00 P.M. sister Standard Time.
And then our care meeting is the last Wednesday of every month at 01:00 p.m.. And that's formerly known as our immigrating refugee alliance. So for those refugees are coming in. So we have both of those that are going on two. And then office the 15th, go ahead and put it on your calendar. Our community baby shower is in Restburg county. We'd love for you to come out to that event. You can set up free of charge.
What's the doorful of you? That's so doorful. Thank you. I love it. That's, that is helpful. I didn't even think about the events that were set up with the states. We were just so that that's so helpful and on time. Thank you so much for your time. I'll probably follow up with an email with all of those spaces every time we get so we get and every time we'll get them in, I'll Just sounds perfect. Thank you. Thank you.
I got one more item, so I'm gonna I'm gonna Don I'm gonna let you have the last comment good my last discussion cause I gotta get it on there. Event right. You may want to just use that online service to do a quick search on there and for what type of event that you're looking for a non profit in the state of Tennesssee and you'll get really. And what was that again, Don?
Right. I meant the the end part of that. The last discussion item is that we're we're tight on time. So thanks Thank you all for that feedback. We'll move move forward on some of that. So please, please fill that out, we'll get it sent out to you. The last discussion item.
Jim mentioned this earlier when we were going over the budget, is the Tennessee kids serve summer challenge. It's a mouthful. Tennessee kids summer serve challenge. So this is an existing initiative through the 1st lady's office, but essentially at a very high level, it is an opportunity for elementary aged students.
To volunteer a set number of hours during their summer break, that's the summer challenge, they volunteer of their summer break, they report those hours, they meet the the criteria. They get a certificate that's signed from the 1st lady and they get an invitation to attend a physical celebration. I think it's a carnival like those that have a certain number of.
Just like the maximum number, so so certain people within the within the the challenge get invited to this special event, which is like an in person celebration that usually takes place at the at the governor's mentioned, as you all are aware, and if you aren't, I don't know actually happening. So of course our current governor and Firstleti will be transitioning out here soon. And with that this initiative potentially may need a new home, and.
An early conversation has happened, very exploratory conversation has happened about that initiative potentially moving to volunteer at Tennessee. What I will say when I say move to volunteer tennessee, that does not necessarily mean it looks exactly the way that it looks now. We know that there are financial ramifications, there's.
Just the very practical staffing and supports and infrastructure and all the things, but the broad concept of this youth summer service challenge moving to volunteer Tennessee as its new home at the end of the the current term. And when I say.
Moving it would not be for this year, obviously we're in the summer now. This current cycle's already underway. The 1st lady's office is doing that like normal, so we're really talking about next year and forward. Jim, anything I missed? I I don't think so. I mean, the 1st lady's office is interested in having this.
Continue past the administration and I mean I think it's a good fit for volunteer to see we don't right now have anything that's specifically geared towards getting young kids involved in volunteers and service.
For those of you who have been around a long time, you know, we used to have the learn and serve grants that did, but that that went away a long time ago. So, you know, we've got quite a bit of stuff for people who are, you know, young adults and and old and older. But we don't have anything for this aidset, and I think it would just be it would be a good thing to volunteer to see to pick up and continue. I think.
Think we could, the challenge itself of encouraging children to serve during the summer and then submit their hours, that part I think we could do with a little bit of staff time and not too much additional expense to do that. The carnival is another question of whether or not we could pull that off, and if so.
Know how and where and how much it would cost and all that kind of stuff. But I do think that the challenge itself is worthwhile to continue and for volunteers who can take on. So, so for this conversation, I think it's really just that. Obviously James had some very exploratory conversations but wanted to bring it to the commission to, for feedback, right?
Do we like this idea broadly? Do we not? Again, we know there's money questions or stack questions. There's lots of other things, but broadly speaking concerns, ideas, support. James, I'm available to be a part of this so he's gotten. Thank you're supportive.
Yeah, sorry I'm on vacation and and I'm being pulled out of the room but I love you guys.
That's beautiful.
Yeah, that's Switzerland. But in terms of the kids serve summer challenge, I'm all about that. I, you know, I was educated for 17 years and now and now i've volunteered at the the most recent governor's mansion event. So put me on whatever committee for that and I'll be glad to be a part of it.
Thank you, James. All right.
Alright, thank you. Y'all take care now.
Have fun James. Thanks for joining us. Other thoughts or concerns with that idea? Any any reasons we would want to be hesitant. Again, lots of conversations to be had, but any questions? I guess the fun thing is the only question. Again, I think for from.
From the staff perspective, I think we could roll it into existing staff capacity with the staff that we have. So I don't think it would cost us anything more to do the work of putting out the challenge collecting the hours, and then sending out some sort of certificate. It's the.
The carnival that is the biggest expense and the biggest amount of staff time for the 1st lady's office. And that, again, you know, even if we had the money to to do it, where would we do it? How would we do it? What, you know? Would, would people come if the 1st lady's not there? Yeah. You know, there's just a lot of questions around that. One thing I'll throw out there that's related.
To this conversation but also related to roadshow and other things is also this concept of doing things more regionally and localized. I think there's a lot of value in. I know this this just recently a couple of weeks ago, all eight of the northeast Tennessee counties come came together unprompted and they did their own GBSA celebration with all of their people. We didn't pay for any of it. We didn't do any of the coordination, they just did.
And then some of their like local electric officials were able to come and that sort of thing. Again, they own that they were like, we're proud of these people we want to celebrate, then we'll do it ourselves, and I found out like the day before like every month but that's awesome, right? So I'm always curious like some of these things that we think we have to do. It's like there maybe people that have an interest in some of those things, we just need to build some infrastructures important to mention too cause I'm all about partnering.
And engaging especially if you have the right people in place and it maybe for us to look into for the future, maybe not right now, but maybe looking at if you want to do something about like a carnival, looking at the state, there and doing something I know every day they try to do something different and maybe having 1st lady, 1st man, whomever's gonna be coming and supporting that just on that day and then maybe bring everyone in on that day and celebrate them. So I know throughout the week they try to get a lot of the couragers and and the schools to come out.
Think about that we can officially partner with as well. That's true with fairs. They're kind of dying off but you know they're still Tennessee still has a quite a number of of local local affairs, you know, and I I bet they would all want to.
The partner in some way, you know, and I think if you put up a bouncy house kids will come. So with that it sounds like people are broadly supportive. So.
We'll more more conversations to to be had. We'll tackle that. So again, two big reminders for me Fill out this lovely QR code, we'll send it out virtually as well. Please give us your list of things, even if they're really long, that is ok. If you have other ideas, let us know, but we'll, we'll move forward on both of those things and and start looking at what they.
Well, they might come into fruition with. Awesome. Any other comments, concerns from the committees, any work? I I have a question. I don't know if it's for Nathan maybe it kind of goes along with what group committee's doing, but also I think every committee that might. And I think I've mentioned this before, but.
I don't know where it went. I really think it would be helpful for each commissioner to have business cards. They don't have to have our names and our personal contact if you don't want that audit, but just that is volunteered Tennessee that says something about who we are, that we can hand.
When we go to site visits, when we go to these fairs, when we go into schools, wherever we are, I since I've been on the commission, I've been concerned about the lack of people who know about volunteers in a scene, and we do so many wonderful things. But I also, and part of it's probably now because I don't have, I'm retired, so I don't.
At a business card because the organizations I'm working with, I'm not handing out the business card. I just introduce myself, but I also think within Tennessee that's another way to get our name out and to get the logo in people's hands and to get the website out and to let people know.
Because all of us have contacts, all of us are going out doing this with different groups of people and I just would like to suggest that again. So miss Betty and I'm sorry I'm talking about we appreciate the things that we that we have done and we found to be very successful is we have we have the business parts on one side where we have our logo and then another.
Outside we have a QR code which directs them directly to the website. And then we utilize various platforms on our phone. So apps, so therefore they have them and it automatically goes to their phone as a contact and versus so that we're not having to print out so many business parts because phone numbers changed, emails change, we get married, all the things, and so that has helped us save a little bit of money versus everyone having a business.
Literally have people scanning let's say if it comes directly to your phone as a contact. That could be an option that's a little, I mean in the apps that we use are free, but to have those QR code on it that goes to the website and not everyone's individual information. That's an idea.
I mean I like the idea of that I mean when I'm saying business part I'm just saying a generic we change our information, but we also change commissioners some and whatever or you know how to get in touch with us. But I don't know what number it would be or what the office or even, you know, I don't know what that would be, but I do.
You like the idea of something physical too. Probably I'm just old school but I deal with a lot of old school people who they like that too, and they want and they hand me a business card and I'm going, Yeah, let me give you my contact information. And so I think both of those would work great.
Thank you. Any other comments? Not, not related, but just an idea that that came more of a question. So of course I had a site visit yesterday and I had one last week as well with Betty yesterday and not filled with.
The conversation yesterday is not spill. Of course, we're doing the site visit. It was wonderful weather was great, NO complaints about the site visit. One of the items that came out of that conversation as we were leaving is they were talking about really wish this would have aligned during our blah blah blah event. Right, because it was just one of our signature things we would love for you as a commissioner to see it.
But the timing this doesn't work out. And so I basically told them, I said, email it to me I'll come on I don't like that's fine. So my question was obviously we do formalize site visits. Do we give any kind of guidance to partners or programs that we're funding of letting them know that that's ok, right? Like if they want to reach out to commissioners say we have this really awesome event if you want to come come. It seems like pretty low hanging fruit. I don't know if there's any.
Risk involved in that, but I mean, I said yesterday they were like, we really want you to see this biking vessel that we do I was like mom, 2 h away outcome, just send me the information, right? And I was like I'm sure there's a lot of those things where it's like we're in those communities and we've got America, you know, America volunteers serving right there down the road from us. And if they ever just wanted to randomly say, hey, betty, you know, we're doing this awesome thing, you know, commissioner what you see.
Right. We probably would if we're free, like i'll pop over, right? And so just trying to think through how we encourage that or facilitate that a little bit money or anything, but just like I feel like people were, we talked about engagement problem yeah or maybe if there's more informal opportunities for engagement, that might be nice too. Could we make it a part of the newsletter? Newsletter with the dates and all those activities. In other words, ask them to send us those dates.
Dates when when they fill out or however the communication goes between who's gonna do site visit when the site visit occurs, can they, can we have a place where that any events that you would like for us to attend or would you like us to just know about anything you want us to know about that we might be interested in seeing or like I said, it can happen organically, but it's like if they don't know that it's ok for them to do that. Right, like there maybe some cold feeder like I just emailed the.
They always reach out to us. We have not, in my time here been formal about sharing this and I don't know Jason, you maybe speak from the program, but we haven't formally shared that and so we can absolutely. Yeah, I said that would be nice. Absolutely. Well I'm trying to remember what's been the program director handbook related to commissioner stuff.
Yeah, so I did not put you on the spot. I'm just that that would be a place to put put something like that. Yeah, the commissioner site visits are a little bit different, but we could definitely put in a calendar or something of events from our programs. We'd have to get that information and Asiva said, sometimes we get it.
Like informally like they send us, oh, here's an event, but we could put out requests and get that kind of information and we could put it in the America newsletter that we send out. I think you guys the commissioners get that one as well, so. Well, and I'm thinking beyond a calendar because.
A calendar, keeping a calendar up to date, I mean we can barely keep our own internal calendar up to date. But keeping a external calendar up to date would be a lot of work, but the communication of.
Here are the commissioners in your area. It's ok to contact your events. Yeah. I mean it's simple as that, right? Yeah. Lauren at CAC not she has my email and I told her I said Yep and if you got, just let me know, right? Like you don't, it doesn't have to be more work just giving them permission to say it's ok you can do that. Yeah, I'll make sure that the addresses that.
Really the newsletter because the handbook is good for us. But unfortunately, I don't think that will be in the newsletter, that would be like reach out to these events you want to highlight, feel free to invite one of the commissioners here, here's a link to whatever else now you have other events that you can also as well. Yeah, that was my other little.
And I've suggested when you get information about these events and Jason posted online in social media, whether it's Facebook LinkedIn or whatever happened to be, not only like it as of course we like.
I have a general question for Don. How many start programs are we up to now? Well, technically on our webpage, we are up to 48, but two or three of them are kind of in the gray area, but I can say for here we have 45 active start programs.
Up from four in the last four years, down up to 45. Impressive. It's speaking of northeast Tennessee on the 29th, Debbie and I are going out up to northeast Tennessee, those emergency managers are also adopting cert and they're gonna have a press conference, so it's gonna be a huge event as well.
Awesome. I have an issue that came up at the site visit that I read previously. It was with artist dear and we were at Mili's been school and.
Got to watch a lesson which was fantastic and can get three of the America members afterwards the, the program director sent me an email regarding, you know, things that volunteer tendency can help with. And so the issue that she that she encountered was that she was hoping that.
For her America members could be able to file for and receive snap benefits. So the food assistant. And apparently some of the other are hardest year sites across the country.
Had facilitated this by providing a letter to their America members that they could provide to the state or I don't know how it works but to to apply for benefits and that they were able to get snaff benefits. And so she had provided.
A similar letter to her America core members and they were denied. The benefits were denied. And so she she contacted someone at the Department of Human Services for the state. I don't know who she contacted, but.
The, the response that she got from that person was that I'm not a hundred percent quoting so if I mess this up, that human services department does not.
Is not aware of America or being an entity. Now, I don't know what exactly what that means. It may just be that that person was, you know, a temp who was working there and who, you know, just wasn't aware. I don't know.
But, you know, we, we do have a representative from the department of Human Services on this commission. And so I'm just wondering is, is, is there anything we can do to help? I will say that so on base camp, the platform that we utilize and we can connect with different commissions, there was a commission who referenced having difficulty in the same arena, and so we added it to our monthly check ins to check in with our programs.
I know on my end, all the programs said they were not having any. So at least we did confirm it's not issue. Well, we, what we might need to do is make sure that I mean we probably have provided it before, but we have I I just pulled it up.
There's a, impact of America benefits on federal program eligibility. It's essentially it's an income disregard letter from the Americap agency specifying that based on federal statute that the America member or sorry, the Americap volunteer.
Living allowance should not be used for calculating income for federal benefits and it's it's on America Letterhead from the acting director of America. It's, it's about a year old, but it still should.
It should still be able to be presented to DHS to say look. So thanks for bringing that up, I will definitely connect with the specific program. I think you have addresses, we're aware of it on a national level. I think it really does come down to the in.
Individual just not understanding and we do have letters for for that and we have put out on base camp and then the newsletters and things about snap side effects and ask for help with us, they haven't heard from that program. They don't attend some like all of our things so that but that's a good a good gap and I'm glad that those site visits.
Forward Kellen's email to please. Oh me and i mean but this is exactly the kind of thing that we hope comes up. I mean, well, we hope that programs when they're having trouble come to us and say, hey, we're having trouble with.
This and not wait until the site visit to take care of it, but this is the kind of thing that is good for you all to hear from programs of here's unfortunately we can take care of this problem. Oh I mean it should be easy to take care of. But if there are other types of problems that they're experiencing, it's helpful for you all to hear about them and bring them to us for the staff and then we can work on solutions. So.
Hi everyone hi everyone. This Isbby with DHS. And I heard the concern. I'm really sorry to to hear about that. If you would like, you could email that concern to me and I can pass it along so we can make sure that our partnerships stays strong.
Awesome. Just to make sure there's NO.
So make sure that we constantly, you know, align the message because we are very aware of what volunteer Tennessee has to offer and we know you all are entity. So I want to apologize for that. I'm not sure where that came from, but I want to apologize on behalf of the department.
Well, thank you training and yeah nobody's throwing stones at DHS. My guess is it's probably just the situation with the individual caseworker probably didn't understand or maybe the member, the Americap volunteer wasn't clear, so there's a lot of ways where this kind of thing can go wrong. But the good thing again is that I I think it's it's it's very fixable.
Yes yes, it is. I just wanted to make sure you all were aware because I was listening and I said oh NO.
But.
It's my 1st day here, and so I just went.
We are so happy to like the email. I will drop my email in the chat and I'll make sure.
Here it gets to the right person so we can fix that for you all.
Yeah stepping in. Well, so for for Trinity you'll probably be getting a follow up from either Latifa or Lizzy in our office.
Okay, thank you so much. I appreciate that.
Yeah. I was just wondering. Sorry, I said that again. Oh, sorry. I will forward the.
Email that I received from the accountant. Great. Great. And, and as Trinity mentioned, she's here representing the Department of Human Services, on behalf of Shannon Rosdale, who is the new designee for human resources. But I think Shannon wasn't able to make it today, is that right?
Yes, that's correct. She had another meeting she had to attend.
Yeah, so Trinity graciously stepped in to represent Shannon. Shannon is is the new DHS representative, like I mentioned this morning, who has been to previous meetings representing the DHS, but is now the official designator. All right? Any other comments? Thank you. Thank you so much.
Any other comments? I'm full of I'm sorry. With Jim I know we've done this a couple of times. I was like I don't think we've ever actually set this out loud, will you explain the member versus volunteer thing? Yeah, I know like we keep doing it I was like I don't know if we've ever actually just addressed it. Yeah. So the the America.
Agency decided that it was NO longer going to call the people who participate in the americal program members, which is what they've been calling them for 30 years. But instead they're now going to call them volunteers.
For the capital V So they'll, they're not across all of their programs, all, so there's America, just America, then there's America seniors, which is for senior citizens, at the America and triple C and Americap Vista.
Those are all the various America partners. They're all now gonna be called America volunteers. Because the, the America seniors were already called volunteers. The vista were already called volunteers, the INTERPREC and the America technically America state national.
We're called members. The statutory language is participant but but so the official branding from, from now on is that across the board they're all gonna be that's why I keep catching myself saying member.
We've been changing it to volunteer because again I've been doing it for 30 years, but now they're, they're volunteers. Yeah, I was just like we keep doing that probably just need to go At our side visit they were still calling them members. Yeah, he came up on our side visit yesterday as some concerns with the language because volunteer has a connotation and it's it's gonna probably muddy the water a little bit on yeah there's.
The volunteer that shows up for 2 h on a random Saturday and there's an airport volunteer, they're not the same thing. So that came up at the 1st time visit well and and that's the reason why they decided to call them members, you know, roughly 30 years ago is because you get into the conversation, well, why are you paying volunteers? Well, they're, they are, they are participating in a national service program and getting a living allowance to support them to support them while they do that.
So they didn't want to call on volunteers to not muddy the water on that side of things, but now I'm not sure but that's the reason their stipend should not be counted as income. Well, they are again statutorially.
They are not employees of the America program or of the program in which they serve. They're not employees, they are, again, statutorially participants. Thank you. Yeah.
Any other comments or questions? Any online? Are we good online? Okay, I'm gonna read this statement for public comments. Any member of the public wishing to address the commission during the public comment period must.
My request in writing to Jim Smile NO later than one business day in advance of the meeting date. Comments must be relevant to the published agenda items. Jim, did we receive any requests for public comment? No, and I do not believe that anybody from the public has joined the meeting, ok? I would just like to go back to where we started and I am just thrilled that we were able to stay on time.
I felt like people were comfortable with asking questions and making comments. We hopefully understood and voted on what we needed to for today, our new vice chair, our funding issues and our minutes. And I really feel like that this was an active participation in our meeting today. So I wanna thank all of you, every one of you stay.
Math commission members for your participation. We appreciate your work. All right, I'm going to turn it over to Jim. I want to say our next meeting date is October is excuse me, August the 14th 2020 6th location to be determined.
Okay Gm? Yeah, so the, the QR code for the meeting survey is on the screen. I'll also send the link after as follow up to the meeting, so please take a moment. The survey is really short, there's like four or five questions.
It's very short, so please do that. For the people in the room, let me share this, which is the travel form, which you should have a hard copy in front of you, but the so the key thing for for filling this out, because.
That there's a lot of lines in a lot of places. If you look on the screen, the key thing is, you'll put one line for when you came here and then another line for leaving here. If you stayed overnight, you'll actually have three lines. I don't think anybody came in overnight.
Okay so you'll have three lines. Everybody else should just have the two came in this morning and then you're leaving this afternoon. So where you came from and you're arriving, you can just put Nashville or TBR offices that you don't have to put the address and then the reverse on 2nd line, you'll be leaving TBR and going back.
Back to you. If you're going back to your office, you can put your, you know, the location the city is fine. And then below that, you'll put in your, your name, the last four of your social only, we don't need the whole thing, your, your mailing address, and then over on the bottom right, you'll sign it and then be sure to date it as well.
The date is actually on a separate lot is on the line below, I'm not sure why it's set up that way, but it's it is. So sign and date it. The staff will look up the mileage based on the state standard chart and fill that in and calculate the mileage reimbursement amount.
Nathan will need any for for that. I don't think anybody else will need to do anything other than put in mileage. If you want to donate your mileage rather than getting reimbursed, if you want us to count it as an in kind donation, just in the middle part below where it says volunteer tensity.
Mission meeting right in kind donation you can just write that and then we'll go ahead and we'll calculate the value of your travel, but we won't reimburse you for it and that's how it becomes then an in kind donation to volunteer tennessee, through, through your travel.
Hello, I'd like to make a call for a motion to adjourn, please. Nathan, second, second. Meeting's adjourned. Before everyone leaves, could I grab a photo of all of your commissioners before you come out? There's a real nice.
Spot in front of the building justin't getting. That would be fabulous. Commissioners that will take the picture.
Every time I do it. There's.
But yeah, so I can do that.
Hey guys get our picture maybe oh yeah yeah yeah I did a separate one 1st site visits.
I got it. Well, that's that's what I guess. So today's day.
Jim, those of us online, we can go ahead and log off.
Oh yes, I'm sorry, those online. So 02:00.
Okay, thank you all good things going on.
Sure thanks everybody online. Okay.