August 2025
August 12, 2025, San Francisco
Agenda
Review Agenda & Vote
Vote to approve July minutes
Resolve Previous Action Items
Discussion Topics
Discussion Topics
Executive Update
Conversations with Peer Organizations
Data from DJ Renewal forms
Board Committee Updates
Board Development
Nominate Irving Pham - Treasurer - for a second term
Consultant: AddieRose
Prospect Outreach
Finance Committee Updates
Fundraising/Development
Other business
Update from Mark on BFF.fm trademark
Closing Items
Public Comment?
Anything from board committees not covered?
Any other business?
Minutes
Present:
Amanda
Irving
Mark
Clair
Kerri
Absent:
Erika Delgado, Board Member at Large
6:00 pm — Convene, Vote on Agenda & Previous Minutes
Voted YES to adopt the proposed agenda.
Voted YES to approve last month’s minutes.
Review Previous Action Items
[Board] Further discuss and form the Board Evolution Working Group (now we’ve all joined the Board Development Committee, what’s next?)
[Board] Review Station Governance section of handbook
[Irving] Finish purchase order form (done, draft shared)
[Irving] pick up debit card, check BFF PO Box
[Kerri] Post minutes to Board Gitbook/website
[Irving] Provide budget for midyear SF Grants for the Arts grant/update (done)
[Board] Review grant proposal for CAC - includes an overview of where the organization
[Amanda] Reach out to Addie Rose for board development proposal (done)
[Amanda] Post contest terms online, add to the giveaways Google Form
Policies in Development (here for safe-keeping but not addressing in the main agenda right now):
Brand Guidelines for visual assets
Endorsements/conflict of interest - goal: implement for January term
Payola/plugola (draft in handbook)
Offsite live streaming policy - goal: implement for January term
Discussion Topics
Executive Updates
Conversations w/Peer Orgs:
Gray Area - one interesting tidbit re: where we are with tech/how we view tech at BFF: we’re unusually largely decentralized (don’t use mixcloud, soundcloud, have our own archive; website is on our own server, etc.). We have control of our own assets, and there's a big movement in this direction involving folks such as the internet archive. Opportunity to connect with like-minded orgs/people around this (grant funding available for people doing stuff on their own on the internet, possibly also an interesting community to tap into for volunteering). Gray Area has done some workshops around this.
KXSF - other community LPFM in San Francisco - in the past had required every DJ to pursue an underwriter and then waived that during the pandemic. Culture has changed and underwriters have dropped off; different strategy for dealing with that than us. Amanda shared our wisdom around the bite-sized chunks. Going through similar things financially, was nice to connect.
WFMU - call next week with Exec Director
DJ Renewal Forms
Great data coming in
Calling in volunteers is working!
Operations, Marketing doing some initial outreach to people who have said they want to volunteer.
Fundraising follow-up happening soon - Clair will reach out to the folks who said they would self-sponsor or increase their dues and to the folks who wanted to participate in the committee
Board Committee Updates
Iriving’s first term is up; Amanda nominating for a second term as a Board member and Treasurer. Irving share that it has been a really rewarding experience, still happy to be here for board meetings, show up at events, file taxes, and help out where he can. Irving shared he is able to continue as-is, not able to take on more at this time. Amanda shared that Irving has been awesome and built our financial understanding. Next, we need to form a Board Finance Committee to support the board and Irving, but would love to do that with Irving on the board!
Amanda nominated, Kerri seconded.
ALL in favor to vote for voting for Irving
ALL voted YES to renew Irving for a second term on the Board as Treasurer.
Board Development
Amanda contacted AddieRose, who shared that she doesn’t feel she has a lot of board development experience, specifically. She is going to explore her network to see if there’s someone that we might want to engage, or she can help facilitate/thought partner with us. AddieRose will put together a pitch for a retreat at the beginning of next year for onboarding a new cohort, but identifying prospects is not in her wheelhouse.
Prospect Outreach
Time to get cracking! Amanda reached out to:
Brandon to see if he's interested in returning in a more advisory capacity now that the board is transforming.
Kenya Lewis - admin for LPFM group, connected to WFMU, community radio/LPFM advocate/enthusiast, KUSF DJ. Kenya has helped out BFF in the past before, for example helping us reconnect with our engineer. Amanda and Kenya had a great chat and would be a great candidate. Kenya also offered to mine her own network for other possible candidates, has sent some ideas to Amanda.
Process:
Process for recommendations: can drop someone in the channel to take a look as a first step
Pipeline to be: the person has a meeting with Amanda and one or two other board members, get documents they need, participate in an onboarding
Who we’re looking for: finding folks that want to help make connections in the community - donors, partnerships, resources. Ideal backgrounds: terrestrial radio experience/interest (blend of commercial/non-commercial); very deep non-profit experience ideally in the arts; deep ties to the local music scene/music-related business; foundation or government connections (grants, donor-advised funds door openers, local or state gov’t programs). Amanda will add all of this info to the board dev channel.
Finance Committee
Updated balance sheet with mid-year numbers
Purchase form - Irving’s been working on this for awhile - Operations co-chairs are asking about purchase workflow; Programming wants budget for automation as well
If it’s not in the budget, it’s not a line item, and we don’t have the money - no $ for mp3s for programming, for example.
BUT if things are not on the budget that the committee needs, the committees should propose that for next year’s budget for the board to review/approve.
Operations purchases - current workflow to go through Irving or Amanda to purchase something - does the form work if it’s not an online purchase? used/in person etc.
Purchases have been mostly Amanda/Forest and reimbursements for Listening Parties
Cash handling form - someone has to be the responsible party to handle the cash at the end - figure out where we’re bringing this out for birthday parties and notify Irving ahead of time
Irving will refine and publish the form share with the Ops Committee
Look for the cash handling form and link to handbook
EOY Fundraising Goals
$5-10k goal for the end of the year - how can the board support? Let’s start brainstorming now!
Birthday Update
Kerri shared outline of planned events and campaign from birthdy planning meeting. We’re very excited about the Vesuvio’s Wacky Wednesday pop-up especially!
Other Business: Trademark Update
Mark reported on status of our trademark: original action was filed in Class 41, and we were denied due to Buzzfeed trademark. Trademark office left the door open to the idea that if we were in a different class it might be quite different; tried to move it into Class 35 - Internet Radio Services (more accurate class for us). Trademark office came back and said no, you can’t change that drastically, rejected application again. We could file a new application for Class 35 that would probably have a far better chance. $350 filing fee - do we want to do this or put it on the back burner?
Amanda: worth trying again in a new class
Gaining registration may be even more important when we go through the LPFM process BUT is it best to wait until we become a LPFM to combine for one trademark? We would definitely get the trademark as terrestrial radio station. Probably better off to get the trademark now.
Check back in a month for a vote on this - table for now.
Action Items
EVERYONE COME TO OUR BIRTHDAY PARTIES (jk but not jk) + share our fundraisers!
Irving - share form with the Ops Committee
Kerri - link Cash Log to Handbook, share with Promotions committee/fundraising, street team
Mark - write up the info on the trademark so we can vote on it @ our next board meeting
Everyone - think on fun ways the board can support our EOY fundraising
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