The meeting started at 1:10 pm. Present were:
* Doug Friend
* Lana Ehlebracht
* Nancy Allan
* Nicole Belinne
* Jane Custer
Absent were
* Cyndi Bosch
* Susan Johnson
* Dr. Tony Pinto
A quorum was declared. Doug passed the copy of NCA’s AGM minutes for signature. Jane had written to Doug questions she had about NCA’s operations, and these were discussed by the board.
How do we identify prospective students?
* Students typically learn of NCA from their friends/classmates that are in our program. Once a student has applied, NCA’s volunteer university students will as a group perform an interview/home inspection to verify the information provided to NCA is correct.
How many students do we sponsor currently?
* Currently slightly over 200
How many students have applied for help and are still looking for sponsors?
* Approximately 30
How do we disburse the funds to the families?
* Money is given out in the office by a board member and employee of NCA (usually Nancy and Kenia). Cash is counted out twice by each NCA member, and the student/mother signs for the cash received. Students are asked what they are going to use the money for, and this is noted on the beca sheet. Receipts / facturas are provided for purchases within a few days of the money being distributed. The receipts are then attached to our copy of the beca sheet for our files.
How do we ensure the funds are spent on school/medical related costs?
* See above.
What percentage of the funds come from individual donors and what percentage from fundraising and donations?
* 95% of funds from sponsors go directly to the student. Nancy noted that our fundraising activity has been much more lucrative in the past years.
Next Fundraiser
* The next fundraiser will be held in August. Dr. Tony Pinto will be preparing the food for this event. Date and menu have not been determined at this time.
Doug reported that he and Nancy have opened a new bank account with InterCAM. Multiva have stopped being able to process US and Canadian dollar cheques, which of course is a must for NCA. Nancy reported that the exchange rates provided by InterCAM are more favourable than Multiva’s, so this will translate into the students getting more money from their sponsors.
Doug informed the board that the 2017 Financials and 2018 budget will be posted to NCA’s website today. They have been.
The status of NCA’s three outreach programs was discussed.
NCA’s next board meeting will be held on June 11th, 2018.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 pm.