Transcript for the NAFA^® Leadership Chat March 14^th, 2010

moderator: Ok, I guess we'll go ahead and get started and let others join as they can. We'll start the transcript with this post. Welcome to our leadership chat this afternoon. Just a reminder, this chat transcript will be posted unedited (other than rules violations) the Nafa website within 48 hours after the conclusion of the chat.

moderator: I currently have no questions in the queue, Lee or Leerie if you'd likemto make any opening comments as Exectuive Director or Chairman...

leerie.jenkins: Welcome all! Thanks for joining us. We look forward to sharing ideas with you all.

moderator: For the record, your moderator today is Dale Smith

Lee.Heighton: Hello everyone, we intend to have quarterly chats from now on to help gather input and ideas for the benefit of our organization

moderator: Our first question: Zac_chernik: Lee mention that there was 2 videos being upload per a phone conference call the other week....1 for marketing and the other for..... Can the public see any of the videos?

Lee.Heighton: Hello Zac, you must not have received my answering email privately yesterday. I was incorrect during the teleconference regarding the Sponsorship video. This has been completed and turned over to the marketing committee to help locate and develop sponsors. I misunderstood that it would be uploaded to the website, but it was actually being uploaded to the Marketing committee. To release it to everyone could cause confusion if several people, in an attempt to help Nafa, were to contact the same sponsor with this information. We have faith that the Marketing committee will use this video to it's greatest advantage.

Lee.Heighton: I'm not sure what the second video is that you are talking about

leerie.jenkins: And we are encouraging people to work through Nancy Garcia, with any ideas for potential sponsors.

Zac_Chernik: Kris P. also mentioned the second video during our phone call chat.

leerie.jenkins: The judges committee is working on a video regarding line and box judging basics. We are hoping to have it finished this fall.

leerie.jenkins: Could that be the 2nd video?

leerie.jenkins: That will be available for public viewing, as are all the other training videos

Lee.Heighton: The marketing video actuallyhas two segments, one just shows a flyball race at Canam and the other has voice over for marketing. Maybe this is what you are referring to.

Zac_Chernik: Hey Leerie....no...i think it was most likely video that was taken from the Canam event.

Dana.Nichols: Kris just emailed me and said that she'll be joining us in about 10 minutes.

Zac_Chernik: Lee...that very well could be

moderator: Our next question: Jeff_woodward: Afternoon all. My question centers around budgeting for Can Am this year. Lee indicated sponsorships were being more actively sought this year -- how's that coming along, or are there any concrete leads, etc.?

nancy.garcia: There are two parts to the Sponsorship Dvd. One section is about the sponsorship opportunity. There is a second which is strictly a highlight of the last heat of the championship race should the sponsor want to see a race in action.

nancy.garcia: That might have caused the confusion about there being two videos.

Zac_Chernik: Thanks Nancy

nancy.garcia: We have obtained some committed dollars and have some great leads working.

Zac_Chernik: Did Nafa do a survey with the Vendors that attended the Canam 2009 to get some feedback (pro's and con's)?

Jeff_Woodward: Thanks Nancy. Looking for something more concrete in terms of the sponsorship plan -- budget? Target leads? Who are we going after and how much do we have committed (at least so far)?

Lee.Heighton: Yes, the vendors were surveyed by Greg personally for their input. Most of them were very happy with the event and intend to return.

leerie.jenkins: I don't know that it would be appropriate for us to get into those details at this time Jeff. I'm very excited and encouraged by the progress thus far.

moderator: Our next question: Linda_bullard: General question for the Board. I recently read that the Board is specifically told not to post or communicate with the public such as the flyball list. Is this true and why? If true, what will Nafa do to improve on-going regular 2-way communiction between Nafa community and leadership?

Lee.Heighton: Linda, the information you have is incorrect. New Board members are reminded to be careful when they post to non-official lists and blogs as they do not have the authority to speak for the entire Board. I am unaware of any direct questions, addressed to the Board or it's members, that haven't been answered.

Linda_Bullard: Good to know, Lee. General question for the Board, what will Nafa do to improve on-going regular 2-way communication between Nafa community and Leadership; proactive as opposed to answering questions?

moderator: Our next question: Linda_bullard: In relation to the Nafa's purpose and goals; what are the specific Fy 2010 goals and have they been communicated to the Nafa community? Does Nafa know what level of support there is in the community for these goals?

leerie.jenkins: Many of our goals and projects for this year are reflected in the January and Agm meeting minutes. We are taking steps to improve the flow of information to the flyball community, via more leadership chats, and the Nafanews yahoogroup.

nancy.garcia: As treasurer I can speak of one goal for 2010 that was discussed at the Agm and that is setting up Nafa to receive electronic payments. I can report that I am in the testing phases of that right now.

leerie.jenkins: Projects for the year include the Canam, electronic sanctioning, enhanced online Ejs tracking, and new education videos.

Lee.Heighton: We are also currently working on decreasing the workload on Dale with the goal of getting tournament results posted faster and scoring issues corrected more quickly. This will free Dale up to work on some of the projects Leerie mentioned

Linda_Bullard: How often does Nafa intend to hold Leadership Chats?

leerie.jenkins: Lee mentioned we'd like to have quarterly chats.

moderator: Our next question: Linda_bullard: What is the primary "purpose" of the Canam, what is the difference between the Canam and any other tournament hosted around the country and which specific Nafa goal does the Canam directly support for all Nafa participants across the country?

Lee.Heighton: The purpose of Canam is twofold. We hope to be able to acquire some type of national exposure for our sport in order to increase awareness and participation. It is also a way to give back to a large number of our competitors as a way to say thank you for their support through out the year.

Lee.Heighton: We were succesful last year in having our sport broadcast internationally on the livestream and on several National newscast throughout the United States and Canada

Zac_Chernik: Lee...do you see Canam moving to other locations over the years or additional Canam events be created in other parts of the country in the long run?

moderator: Lets stick to one question at a time and queue new ones please

Lee.Heighton: Zac, these are all possible.

Linda_Bullard: Does Nafa know for certain the level of support from the Nafa community for the amount of money being spent on Nafa hosting the Canam? Given the cost for teams to get to the Canam, some teams cannot afford to participate.

kris_pickering: Embedded in those questions is the supposition that Canam is a loss leader. That is not the game plan.

Lee.Heighton: Linda, we have received quite a bit of feedback both directly and through surveys. The support has been overwhelming.

Linda_Bullard: Kris, that is not my thought at all.

Linda_Bullard: Lee, has there been another survey to the Nafa community? (I never received nor was aware of one.)

lisa.dospassos: I did not recieve a survey following the Canam, thought maybe it was just a fluke. (I am the owner of our club.)

Lee.Heighton: We surveyed the competitors that attended. Most of our feedback has been from direct emails.

Jeff_Woodward: Lee, trying not to laugh here. Not succeeding.

Linda_Bullard: Lee, what about a proactive Nafa generated survey of all the Nafa community?

Lee.Heighton: Linda, that would be a good idea for next year. Thank you

Linda_Bullard: I'd like to see Zac's question about moving the Canam to other locations around the country; good item for the survey, do you agree?

moderator: Our next question: Zac_chernik: Question: I know the goal of this chat was to have good open discussion of ideas for Marketing but with 19 total people in the chat session and 6 of those are Bod members how can we get more people involved as we have less than .003% of the members here?

leerie.jenkins: I think a lot of people communicate with the board on a regular basis. I know I talk to participants all the time. Perhaps they don't feel the need to participate here. Or, hopefully they're actually playing flyball!

moderator: Our next question: Zac_chernik: Does Nafa have to get bids to create the videos?

moderator: No questions pending at this time

Lee.Heighton: We aren't required to, but initially we did ask for bids.

moderator: Our next question: Jeff_woodward: Back to the Can Am budget for a moment please. Leerie, if you don't want to divulge a specific list of contacts at least a quick recap of what is happening on the sponsorship front would set many of our minds at ease. As a reminder, we had a 20K deficit from last year's event that needs to be closed with sponsorship dollars. I personally am reassured that you're pleased and excited, Lj, but do you have anything more specific to report? (# of contacts made, # of firm commitments, any "naming" sponsor lining up at all?)

Lee.Heighton: Jeff, to say that the deficit must be closed only with sponsorship money is incorrect. There are several approaches to assist in this. One would be a slight increase in tournament fees, we are also working on several measures to cut costs.

kris_pickering: Here is a question I have to those here: Do any of you have ideas to suggest in terms of viable candidates for sponsorship? Who and what approach would you recommend?

nancy.garcia: Jeff, we have contacted and wll be contacingt many companies from all sort of product lines dog toys, supplements, sports drinks, sports shoes, vaccumm cleaner companies, Grocery chains etc. The list is endless as we are all consumers. No one title sponsor yet but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Dede_Crough: Yesterday I sent Nancy a list of targets that I am willing to approach.

kris_pickering: Excellent - thanks!

nancy.garcia: Dede I sent you response this morning. Did you receive it?

Dede_Crough: Yes Nancy, thanks! I sent you a response in return this afternoon.

Zac_Chernik: Kris....when we talked the other night I mentioned the Nfl....peta and othes went after the Nfl right away after the Michael Vicks event...i believe we missed a golden chance to show that there is another sport besides dog fighting that has A Lot Of Enegry and fun for both humans and dogs and nobody has to die.

kris_pickering: I think that's a great idea, too, Zac.

nancy.garcia: Ruth, you are right on target as that is exactly what we are offering to the potential sponsors at various levels they would get thier names on backstops and ads on the livestream

lisa.dospassos: when Vick ws first arrested our local tournament got some local sports coverage, highlighting just what Zack mentioned. It's still a hot topic in the animal community. And of course we have lots of rescued Apts that run flyball.

moderator: Our next question: Zac_chernik: Were the video bids posted on the website...how was it put out for others to bid on?

Zac_Chernik: So....we contact the Nfl....have Michael Vick run a dog at the Canam and get all the free press for our sport....lol

Lee.Heighton: Zac, I believe that they were solicited on the website.

moderator: Our next question: Jeff_woodward: Is there a pro-forma P&l for this year's event, or are we just flying by the seat of our pants again? If there is a P&l, can it be made available upon request?

Zac_Chernik: I don't remember seeing it and I'm always reviewing the website. Would Kim Davis have the page info and when it was posted?

Lee.Heighton: Zac, I don't believe she would as it was the previous website. If you would like to make a bid, or know someone who does, please feel free to submit it.

Dana.Nichols: I've worked with Dan Phillips on the measuring video and on the upcoming line & box judging video. He's charging us very reduced rates. Plus we've been able to use some of his stock footage which has resulted in substantial cost savings.

Lee.Heighton: Jeff, we are using last years expenses and income as a base for this years event.

Zac_Chernik: Has Nafa received other bids so that we know we are getting the best possible Bang for Our Buck...so to speak?

Lee.Heighton: No one has submitted any bids. During the initial solicitation he was the only one to respond.

leerie.jenkins: And Jeff, we are reducing costs where we deem appropriate and increasing revenues where we can

Zac_Chernik: Without being able to see the Marketing Video by the members of Nafa....how do we know what type of product is being produced and if we can maybe improve on it?

Jeff_Woodward: Lee and Leerie, we may have applied more rigorous budgeting, forecasting and cost-controls for a local 60-team tournament than is being applied to this national event. This gives us common folk anxiety. Losing money is not an option for any of us. You have stated that last year's deficit was planned.

leerie.jenkins: Maybe we are talking semantics here, but it isn't a general marketing video, but a potential sponsor video.

leerie.jenkins: Again Jeff, we do have a budget this year, based on last year's.

leerie.jenkins: And we are forecasting costs and expenses.

moderator: Our next question: Jeff_woodward: Question: Can sponsors' logos be displayed on the Nafa website? When we host a local tournament that is a service we offer sponsors.

leerie.jenkins: yes, that is in some of our packages as well.

leerie.jenkins: And on printed matter as well.

Lee.Heighton: Jeff, we have also included advertising during the livestream of the event and ads in the program as part of the sponsorship levels.

moderator: Our next question: Curtis_smith: One suggestion posted recently to a flyball list was for Nafa to provide a list of "things to do" that non-board members could volunteer for. Is this something that would be useful to the Board? In other words, are there tasks that exist for which the benefits (someone else completing the task) would outweigh the costs (extra time to coordinate and check for quality assurance and control)?

Jeff_Woodward: I think you guys have one more shot at getting this event to break even, and then there is going to be a ground swell of protest. This is questionably a Nafa event to us. It's more of a separate thing, but you use Nafa funds and resources. You need to be clear and accountable.

Lee.Heighton: Jeff, thank you for your opinion. We believe that this is a very successful event that will continue for many years.

kris_pickering: Curtis's question is a great one. this is an almost 100% volunteer organization. I think there are a lot of different things we could use support for. alisa couldn't be on chat today but she is putting together an effort to have Nafa logo items to market and to try to get more people interested in and learning flyball by coordinating demos etc. You know from having colonized flyball in Alaska what that takes. I think we should do a real outreach on that level - local.

kris_pickering: People need to see flyball to get what it is and how fun it can be.

moderator: No further questions in the queue

moderator: One more question: Zac_chernik: Quesiton...break down of the workers expense for Canam 2009? where did all the money go...

leerie.jenkins: Entry fees for ring sponsors, a little travel for dedicated workers, lodging, food

leerie.jenkins: And a big thanks to all the ring sponsors, dedicated workers, 1 team workers, setup and breakdown crews, and all those that just helped.

leerie.jenkins: We couldn't have done it without them.

Zac_Chernik: The reason that I asked that was we worked a ring for 200 for the day....times 11 total rings for the tournament the total cost would of been 2,200 dollars....but with over 14k being spent...i was curious on what else was charged. I just thought it would be nice to see a better breakdown of costs.

Zac_Chernik: so is 399.01 Travel/meals...just for the Bod or the workers too?

leerie.jenkins: Zac, there were only 3 or 4 ring sponsors though...the dedicated workers and one-team workers were more expensive than that. We are working on some creative ideas for getting the job done, for less cost. We hope to have some announcements regarding opportunities soon.

leerie.jenkins: And of those ring sponsors, none wanted to work on Sunday.

leerie.jenkins: So we had to have workers on Sunday obviously. The 3 ring sponsors were one ring sponsor on Friday only, and 2 on Saturday only.

Zac_Chernik: Woule Block Racing help in staffing the ring...at least on Saturday and maybe Sunday?

Zac_Chernik: 2 clubs can split the ring Am and Pm

leerie.jenkins: I think we've got some really good ideas for this year.

leerie.jenkins: But thanks for the suggestion. We will certainly consider that. I believe in the survey(s) and feedback, people generally wanted to avoid block racing though.

moderator: I'd like to thank everyone for coming - and participating - this afternoon. With the exception of any closing remarks, this will end our chat.

Lee.Heighton: I would like to thank all of the members of the Bod for their continued hard work towards the Canam event, in addition to their regular volunteer duties as Directors of the Board. You have all been working very hard to make 2010 another successful season of Nafa flyball. In addition, I would like to thank everyone for attending the chat, we received some good suggestions. I look forward to our next quarterly chat. In the meantime, should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me directly.

leerie.jenkins: Thank you all for coming! I'd like to echo what Lee said...please contact a board member if you have anything you would like to discuss.

moderator: Transcript ends here