Last updated 4/5/06
Approximately Monthly. Less frequent in Summer. Increasing to weekly with the performer scheduling meeting 5 weeks before the Festival
Four a year. Approximately January, May, September, October, more if deemed useful. Each newsletter costs money to print and mail, but they are a way to keep in touch with the AFF supporters. Each newsletter also puts the membership form in front of people, bringing in numerous memberships, both new and renewal.
Once a year, the newsletter should have the USPS label endorsement in a USPS approved location "RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED" [the current (2004) USPS wording]. This will mean newsletters sent to bad addresses will be returned to us (with a postage due charge, a necessary cost to make the database person's life easier) so that the database can be updated and dead addresses culled. The MAY NEWSLETTER is probably a good time for this because being a small newsletter, the returns will only cost us one ounce of postage.
The newsletters will ALWAYS contain Membership Form (backing it against the mailing label area in the layout is best).
Other newsletter items usually include a list of Board Members, AFF contact information, membership solicitation.
Art work is solicited with a fall due date for submissions. Merchandise is worked on from December (maybe) or January (definitely).
Work on Guest Artist is on-going. We need to start nailing down the next Guest Artists following the finish of the AFF, in April.
Centennial Hall we can schedule up to 7 years ahead (the rules as of 2003). The Armory may go away at some point as a dance venue, or may morph into something else run by someone else that may or may not be available as a dance venue. The ANB Hall is NEVER available to anyone on Saturday night. Bingo trumps ALL other activities, even the Biennial Celebration
Possibilities for such concerts come up from time to time. Some we go for, some we don't, depending on who enthusiasm there is on the board for a particular artist. We want to avoid losing money on concerts, though breaking even is OK. They ARE a way to make some money, usually not a lot, AND have a nice concert. Scheduling a date without conflicting events is getting harder and harder to do.
Meetings: Two
One meeting early in month to schedule Board meetings through the Festival and get organized for the up coming newsletter (with the performer application) and the push to the AFF start.
One meeting to get the Newsletter mailing ready to take to the Post Office. This newsletter meeting will take place 11 to 12 weeks before the start of the AFF.
Newsletter:
Will contain the Performer Application, Volunteer application, articles about Guest Artists, Membership Form, articles about volunteering, becoming a member.
Mailed approximately mid-January, depending on when the AFF starts.
[Note: The Performer Applications are DUE IN OUR HAND at least 5 weeks before the Festival. We send out the Tentative Schedule by the Friday following the due date, a MONTH before the start of the AFF. This policy (dating from 1992) was in answer to complaints from performers wanting time to make travel arrangements after the Tentative Schedule was made available. Therefore, the January Newsletter MUST be mailed out at least 10 weeks before the festival starts (to give the newsletter time to be delivered) via USPS Bulk Mail (out of country newsletters HAVE to go First Class mail). Since the change to Bulk mailing of newsletters, mailing the January newsletter 11-12 weeks before the AFF is advised.]
Guest Artists:
Plans for the Guest Artists need to be finalized before the January Newsletter goes to press, if contracts have not been signed by now. Travel and housing arrangements should be getting worked on.
Chief Sound Engineer:
We should have the Chief Sound Engineer signed up, by now, along with any assistant plus a Sound Engineer for the dance venue.
Merchandise:
Lots of work to on this front for the next several weeks.
Renew permit:
$175/yr USPS non-profit mailing permit #194
Tax filing
AFF federal tax form 990 is due Feb. 15 for previous fiscal year Oct 1 to Sep 30.
A second copy should be filed with the state Dept. of Revenue.
efile.form990.org/
Meetings: Several
Planning Meetings -- two.
The Scheduling Meeting -- will take place either the evening of the Performer Application due date or very shortly there after.
Tentative Schedule Mailing -- Not later than the Friday after the Performer Application due date.
WEEKLY MEETINGS begin with the performer scheduling meeting
[Note: The Scheduling meeting and the Tentative Schedule mailing party take place either in LATE February or EARLY March, depending on the DUE DATE for the Performer Applications which in turn depends on the start date of the AFF. See below for details.
Number Buttons:
Need to be ordered not later than _EARLY_ February to assure they arrive before the Tentative Schedule gets mailed.
Newsletter: None
Proxy Cards:
We could mail the Proxy Cards, anytime in February. The Bylaws say 90-20 days before the Annual Meeting during the AFF.
Merchandise: The work continues
AFF Program:
Need to arrange for a program designer by early February
Need to start on soliciting program ADVERTISING the beginning of February.
Child Care:
This often seems hard to arrange, so work should start in February.
Scheduling Meeting:
PERFORMER APPLICATIONS due in our hands NOT LATER THAN 5 weeks before AFF (such as the Friday, 5 weeks and three days before the AFF). This "more than five weeks before" date may end up in late February or early March depending on the AFF start date.
The Scheduling meeting will be on, or very shortly after the Performer Application due date.
Tentative Schedule Mailing:
We will get the Tentative Schedule in the mail on or before the FRIDAY following the scheduling meeting, a little more than 4 weeks before the AFF starts, at the minimum. The Tentative Schedule with Cover Letter (containing essential performer information) will be mailed First Class to all the performer applicants (whether in the schedule or not) in sealed (USPS requirement) envelopes with number buttons.
Meetings:(Weekly until the start of the AFF)
Scheduling Meeting in Late February or Early March depending on the Performer Application Due Date. [See details above.]
Mail Tentative Schedule to performers ASAP after application due date, usually a lunch time meeting, since it should barely take an hour.
WEEKLY Planning meetings begin with the performer scheduling meeting
Meeting w/Centennial Hall, approx. two weeks before AFF.
Proxy Cards:
Mail Proxies in EARLY March, at the latest, if they did not go out in February, 90-20 days before the meeting (according to the Bylaws)
Meetings: Several
Pre-Festival Meeting with Centennial Hall Staff a couple weeks before AFF start (in March, most years)
Board Meetings, weekly, up to the week before the AFF
AFF set up day -- The Sunday before the Festival Starts, probably 11 am to 8 pm.
AFF Annual Meeting: Held during the AFF (according to the Bylaws), traditionally held on the Friday of AFF
Postmortem meeting with Centennial Hall (not always held, in the past). We can compare notes on charges and discuss issues, if needed. In recent years, the "meeting" has just been one of us going in.
Post-AFF Board meeting to include election of officers for the coming year and a postmortem, as soon as possible after the AFF (May at latest).
Meetings: One or two
One or perhaps two if the postmortem meeting, is delayed. There will be a newsletter mailing party, at the very least. A second may be needed if work on Guest Artists needs discussion.
Newsletter:
Mail this by mid-May (waiting too late risks running into the slackening Post-AFF enthusiasm of Board members). The newsletter should contain a membership form, any post-AFF summaries, plus a listing of the new board and all the other normal newsletter bits, and any solicitations we want to make (like artwork submissions for the next poster) and. The newsletter should have the USPS label endorsement in the USPS approved location ÒRETURN SERVICE REQUESTEDÓ [the current (2004) USPS wording] to allow culling out dead addresses from the database and keeping up with folks who have moved and didnÕt tell us. Newsletters that canÕt be delivered are returned to us (we have to pay First Class postage due). This costs us money, but we can delete dead addresses, which saves money.
Guest Artists
We need to be working on Guest Artists, if we have not signed anyone.
AFF Venues: SCHEDULING AFF DATES:
At this point with the AFF just finished, we should have four AFFs in the Centennial Hall calendar. Schedule the 5th future AFF at this time. There is a $500 non-refundable deposit (2004). We are allowed currently (as of 2004) to schedule ahead as much as seven years at Centennial Hall. We have opted for five year advance planning on dates. See the end of this document for details on AFF date scheduling.
The historic criteria for scheduling AFF dates: First full week in April if it does NOT end on Easter, or the Second full week if the First full week does not work. (This criteria hasn't always been followed.) With the advent of the rotary Pillars series, we ALSO try to avoid the Third Wednesday in April.
We schedule the Sunday before the Festival as our Set-up day, just renting the ballroom, and the week from Monday 8 am through Sunday renting the entire facility.
Past examples:
AFF28 April 8-14, 2002 [Easter: 3/31/2002] Set-up: April 7th
AFF29 April 7-13, 2003 [Easter: 4/20/2003] Set-up: April 6th
AFF30 April 12-18, 2004 [Easter: 4/11/04] Set-up: April 11th
Meetings: Usually none
BIENNIAL NON-PROFIT REPORT
Due in even number years -- 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 etc. [Six-month grace period before a corporation will be INVOLUNTARILY dissolved.]
Next due July 1, 2014, LATE FEE PENALTY
State of Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development.
Office: 150 3rd Street, Juneau
Web site: www.commerce.state.ak.us/CBP/Corporation/startpage.aspx?file=BIRPT
AFF file number = 31905D, Fee: $25
Meetings: Usually none
Apply for CBJ Grant ASAP after July 1
Money may run out so apply early for "Local Non-Profit Application for Subsidized Use of Centennial Hall"
Meetings: None or one, if we have something needing to be worked on, like a September concert or Guest Artist decisions
Newsletter:
If there is an early September Concert, we might want to do a newsletter for the advertising value
Guest Artists
If there are no board meetings, work is going on behind the scenes.
Concert:
Work on any concert for September, if we have one scheduled
Meetings: Usually one, maybe two if we have need
Newsletter:
Newsletter, should precede any concert. This might be a month for the first newsletter of the Fall, especially if we feel we need to solicit for poster art, or contact the membership about other items
Financial Action:
End of Fiscal Year: Sept 30
IRS Tax Form 990EZ must be filed NOT LATER THAN February 15th
FILING PENALTY: Yes
Use website: efile.form990.org
A copy of the 990 form must also go State of Alaska, Dept. of Revenue, Tax Division
Guest Artist: Should be working toward a guest artist
Fund Raising Concerts: This might be a good month for a concert
NovemberFest:
If we are going to do a NovemberFest, this would be a good time (by mid-month) to start venue scheduling and other preparations.
Meetings: Usually one, a second if we are doing a concert, perhaps.
Dance Venue:
1st of month -- If the Armory is still available, contact Armory about using facility for the up coming AFF. They may tell us to get back with them after the first of the year.
Guest Artists: Continue working on Guest Artists.
Chief Sound Engineer: Should be working on a Chief Sound Engineer
Meetings: Usually one, a second if we are doing a NovemberFest, perhaps.
Guest Artists: Continue working on Guest Artists.
Deadline for AFF inclusion in Sing Out! Jan-Apr festival list [Dec 2 or so is the deadline]
Concert: NovemberFest? Other?
Meetings:
Often we don't have one, except maybe early in the month when we may feel we need to deal with Guest Artist, Artwork, Merchandise or other issues.
Domain Name and Web Hosting Renewal
Due the 7th of January, so don't wait
too long. Our Domain Names (2006):
akfolkfest.org
alaskafolkfestival.org
Future AFF dates - early April, but avoid Easter (schedule the immediately preceding Sunday as Set-up Day):
Future Easters:
9 April 2023
31 March 2024
20 April 2025
5 April 2026
28 March 2027
16 April 2028
1 April 2029
21 April 2030