Present: Christi, Kamila, Anna, Bas, Steven, Randy

Agenda items:

    * 1. DG Environment core grant for 2007
    * 2. Project coordinator updates
    * 3. Carbusters distribution
    * 4. Idea for World Carfree Day coordinator

Announcements

    * Radka's not working tomorrow and Friday, because of previous overtime. So it's not holiday time.
    * Kamila: We should keep independent contractor salaries at 18,000 CZK, which will be the same after-tax income as employees.
    * Christi: Polden-Puckham Charitable Trust will be sending the 5,000 GBP soon to Transport 2000, which will then go to us for a Autoholics Anonymous grant. We will have it transfered to our CZK account.
    * Christi: We got some press in the Ottawa Citizen and Randy will put the article online. Another reporter interested.
    * Randy: Steve von Pohl is donating a monitor to us. I'll follow up.
    * Kamila: I sent the EVS internship applications on February 1 for Marialena (Greece) and Eduardo (Brazil). We'll hear back if they're approved in two months at the latest.
    * Anna: I'd like to have holidays two days next week, Thursday and Friday. Not sure of the dates yet. My last day in the office is February 23.
    * Bas: We'll propose to Rob to change the magazine meeting on Skype to Friday, February 16. Time to be announced.
    * Randy: I had a productive trip to Istanbul, where I met with all the people organising the conference, saw the facilities, signed the hosting agreement, chose a confrence theme, worked on the programme, had a meeting for the April-May 'My Bicycle, My City' youth exchange (which paid for my trip), etc. The dates of the latter are now April 28-May 5 plus an arrival and departure day. We are the coordinator of the Czech participants to that. Regarding the conference facilities, they are perfect and will be free of charge. A detailed announcement about the theme, call for papers and opening of registration will be in the bulletin that goes out tomorrow. It will also be on the website.
    * We now have our @worldcarfree.net e-mail through Google (Gmail) instead of Godaddy, to solve a number of problems. Some remaining questions Bas is asking Joao, who set it up. Connected with the e-mail is a new calendar system, including a 'public' calendar for WCN events, etc. We still need to set this up to appear on the website.

AGENDA

1. DG Environment core grant for 2007

Christi: Radka finished the financial forms. A couple of you are doing things for me for the application. The deadline is end of February, so I'd like everything a week before that.

Steven: Should we all look at the final application? I think it's important to do that. Let's set a time for that.

Christi/Kamila: We can all read it and make comments from February 21-23. It will be probably 30 pages plus annexes.

2. Project coordinator updates

Steven (Visegrad Project): I have to write a six-month update for the International Visegrad Fund for the publications project, so I'll do that this week. The next part of the project is The Carbusters Reader and some smaller projects (stickers, posters, etc.). The status of the Reader is that the table of contents has been finalised and a really good and enthusiastic designer has been found. I'm proposing a meeting to take place in Krakow probably in April. The same problems with inactive partners continues. Other than that I'm excited about the Reader and I think it's going to be great.

Christi (Fundraising): In addition to the grants mentioned, I've written a donation appeal to Mark B. (regular donator), which will go out this week after comments. I've also written a general appeal, that also needs comments. It's along the lines of 'Ten Ways You Can Help WCN'. It also mentions non-monetary contributions. A summary will go in the bulletin. I also forwarded to all of you an announcement of a local Amnesty International fundraiser, and I think we could do something similar in the future.

Randy (Conference & Membership): Conference update is above and will be in more detail on the website shortly. Regarding membership, I need to follow up with the member orgs who haven't paid. The new rates for individual members are online. I'll ask Radka right away regarding us getting PayPal.

3. Carbusters distribution

Steven: Since Anna's leaving and regardless, we need someone who's actively working on magazine distribution for a few hours a week. We should make it a clear job description with detailed tasks. Bas is fine with that, and agrees that it's necessary to give some attention to it. He doesn't know anything about it now, so he'll see based on upcoming meetings. We're having a distribution meeting on March 6 at 4 pm.

4. Idea for World Carfree Day coordinator

Christi: In the Public Administration programme that I studied at Portland State University requires organisational experience, which is paid by the university at a US rate. It's normally for three months. Nonprofit management and international relations are two of the specialties in the programme. I'd be surprised if we couldn't find a suitable candidate. This is just an idea since we're having difficulty filling this position.

Steven: We'd still need someone to work with that person. (Christi offers to be that person.)

Randy: It sounds like a good opportunity to me. My only concern, aside from the suitability of the particular candidate, is that we should keep in mind how Americentric our office is. Of course it's better to have an American fill the role and do it well than to have no one do it, but we should also look into internship possibilities other than this one.

Conclusion: Tomorrow at the WCFD meeting (1:30 pm) we'll write up the job description and then we can give this to Christi for follow up.