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Minutes 10-05-06 MEETING OF THE CONGRESS AVENUE BOUNDLESS PARK FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE, HELD IN THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL, ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2006 AT 1:30 P.M. Present Kurt Bressner, City Manager Bob Ensler, Commissioner Wally Majors, Recreation & Parks Director Jody Rivers, Parks Superintendent Patti Hammer, Recreation & Parks Board Janelle Sloan, Recreation & Parks Board Also Present: Charlotte Pelton, President, The Waters Pelton Organization, Inc., 477 S. Rosemary Avenue, Suite 316, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 The committee meeting began at 1:45 p.m. Self-introductions were made all around. Ms. Rivers introduced Ms. Charlotte Pelton, fundraiser in charge of the campaign for the Congress Avenue Boundless Park (CABP), who proceeded to outline the methodology to be used in raising funds for the project. Ms. Rivers explained Commissioner Ensler had invited Ms. Janelle Sloan and Ms. Patti Hammer to be part of the fundraising committee, since they had been on the steering committee for the Boundless Park and were members of the Recreation & Parks Board. It was felt they should also be on the board of the non-profit Boynton Beach Community Trust (BBCT) organization that was now being organized. Ms. Pelton's firm, The Waters Pelton Organization (WPO) was under contract with the City to conduct a formal fundraising campaign for the benefit of the CABP. WPO had recently completed a very successful $20M campaign for the Palm Beach Zoo. The Master Plan for the CABP project had been completed and the estimated cost was approximately $8,600,000, but the campaign goal was $lOM. Ms. Pelton declared WPO was also under contract to perform a feasibility study to evaluate the funding opportunities and methods. The feasibility study would verify that favorable conditions existed for a successful campaign, that the project was perceived as having a positive value and worth, and that the project could command the interest, participation and financial support necessary to ensure a successful campaign. If all of those factors were positive, WPO would begin the formal fundraising effort. Ms. Pelton's firm specialized in fundraising campaigns and Ms. Pelton was impressed with the concept for this project and personally excited about its prospects. She applauded the City's establishment of the non-profit BBCT organization and believed the CABP was a stellar project for the Trust's first effort. Meeting Minutes Congress Avenue Boundless Park Fundraising Campaign Boynton Beach, Florida October 5, 2006 The basic steps in the fundraising process were to: 1) Develop a Case for Support; 2) Test the Case; 3) Provide a comprehensive report to the Boynton Beach Recreation & Parks Department (BBRPD) within 30 days of completing the surveys and interviews containing WPO's findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Ms. Pelton declared she was moving ahead quickly with this project. WPO already had some feedback on the preliminary Case for Support and looked forward to working with the BBRPD on the project. The BBRPD and this committee would have the right of final approval on the Case for Support before it went public. Ms. Rivers explained the BBCT was in the process of being set up as a non-profit fundraising arm of the City, separate and apart from the City, similar to a United Way type of organization. Mr. Bressner commented the BBCT had not been set up exclusively for this project. The BBCT was the "umbrella" under which the fundraising would take place. Draft bylaws had been circulated and the Articles of Incorporation had to go to the City Commission for approval. Ms. Pelton believed having this organization in place and filed with the IRS was a good first step, but counseled not to sacrifice the creation of a firm foundation in favor of rushing to a timeline. The bylaws called for setting up a board of up to 25 people, including four to five key "persons of influence." Nominations to this board would come from the community, which could include the City of Boynton Beach. Commissioner Ensler expressed concern that the BBCT might have the authority to independently decide what would go into the Park. Mr. Bressner responded that any decisions of that type would have to be in concert with the Master Plan, which should minimize that concern. Commissioner Ensler still had some concern that if this were a separate organization, it could do what it wanted. Ms. Pelton believed that could be handled legally. Mr. Bressner responded the board had to be given some autonomy, because it was not and should not appear to be a political entity. Commissioner Ensler still favored some involvement by the City Commission. Ms. Pelton commented that in this case, the plan for the Park had already been defined and ultimately, the plan had to be one the board could support. However, the largest contributor to the project was the City, so it was unlikely the BBCT would take the City's wishes lightly. Commissioner Ensler still wanted to limit the authority of the BBCT in regards to the Boundless Park. Mr. Bressner responded the next mission was to build it as directed by the City Commission. Mr. Majors inquired whether there would be endowment pOSSibilities and Ms. Pelton responded that could be a component. Mr. Bressner related a story about how the works of the author of Peter Pan would soon go into the public domain. A Children's Hospital in London had run out of funding and engaged an author to do a sequel to Peter Pan. It was hoped it would be successful and that the royalties from it would support the hospital. Commissioner Ensler inquired what had to happen for this effort to be completed. Ms. Pelton responded they were creating an organization, the BBCT, which was important to the ultimate success of the project. WPO was putting together a preliminary Case for Support, the document they would use to "test the waters." WPO needed to know the names of the people most likely 2 Meeting Minutes Congress Avenue Boundless Park Fundraising Campaign Boynton Beach, Florida October 5, 2006 to have the capacity to assist with this project, so they could present the Case for Support to the most likely candidates. This had to happen during the feasibility study. WPO would be doing interviews with the top 50 potential donors or persons of influence in the area. At the same time, they would be mailing a survey about the Park to several hundred people in the area _ people with leadership, contacts, and/or money. WPO was in the process of defining the list and needed input, from the people at this meeting and others. Once the list had been finalized, they would determine the ideal contacts on the list. For each person on the list, they would identify a volunteer to approach that person to see if they would be interested in learning about the Park, or completing a short survey about the Park. The contact would be "scripted" as an aid to the volunteer. They would not be asking for money at that pOint. They would be asking if the potential donor would read a document and be receptive to a one-on-one interview. As soon as WPO could get the Case for Support written and approved and the list made, they would be ready to conduct the interviews, and come back to the committee with the result. Commissioner Ensler asked Ms. Pelton if WPO would be trying to find the right people, and she responded affirmatively. Ms. Pelton commented they would not be soliciting money from individuals during the interviews. The committee would see the questions and approve of them before WPO continued. If the committee wanted an endowment component, they would add that also. WPO would be saying: . "What do you think about the concept of this project?" . "Can you get behind this project?" . "Do you know anyone else who might want to support this project?" . "Would you give a gift to something like this?" . "If so, how much?" Ms. Pelton estimated the timeline for the entire process would take about 90 days, although they would press hard to get it finished sooner. Getting the BBCT established as soon as possible would also help to expedite the project. Commissioner Ensler confirmed with Ms. Pelton that WPO still planned to contact 300 persons about this project. Ms. Pelton responded that was correct. They would speak with 50 people in person and contact the rest by mail. Ms. Pelton suggested allowing a pledge period was a good idea. A person might not want to contribute $5K in one donation, but might pledge to contribute $1K a year for five years, for example. Ms. Pelton also suggested naming opportunities such as, "We will name X after you if you donate to this." Ms. Sloan commented in her experience, most people gave money in the month of December. A lot of corporations did not put their financial plans together until June or July. Ms. Pelton responded a lot of philanthropic entities had already planned their giving for the rest of this year, so longer planning horizons were helpful. Ms. Sloan believed a year and a half notice was the norm. Commissioner Ensler inquired whether they could begin building the first phase of the Boundless Playground. Concurrently, Mr. Bressner inquired which aspect of the project was likely to be the most appealing or have the most "pizzazz." Ms. Pelton commented if they could say it was a phased project and plan the ground breaking, it would be helpful for the fundraising effort. They could use that fact in their discussions with potential donors. When Ms. 3 Meeting Minutes Congress Avenue Boundless Park Fundraising Campaign Boynton Beach, Florida October 5, 2006 Pelton's organization was fundraising for the Palm Beach Zoo and got the first phase finished, people jumped on board to donate. Commissioner Ensler inquired if they went ahead with the first phase, which part of the Master Plan should be done first? They wanted to put their cash in the right place. Ms. Pelton responded they had to pay for the infrastructure, which was something that did not have "pizzazz" and would not attract donors, but was very necessary for the success of the project. Donors did not want to have their names on sewer systems, for instance. She did not have an answer to which component should be done first. The beauty of the project was that it had a great many components that would appeal to donors. Mr. Bressner thought the Boundless Playground would be the "centerpiece" of the project. Ms. Pelton responded if they put enough of the basic infrastructure there, they would be creating pathways for donors. Commissioner Ensler believed they could complete the entire infrastructure. Ms. Pelton believed they should wait and let the donors prioritize the implementation details. They would be assessing the attractiveness of the various components during their interviews when they asked the question, "What do you think are the strengths of the project?" They might say they loved the whole thing or they loved the splash pond, for example, and that would point to a particular direction. Ms. Pelton noted the key piece would be getting people around this table and others to call and say, "Would you be willing to spend 10-15 minutes in a meeting with someone about this project?" Ms. Pelton was extremely pleased the City had kicked off this effort with a generous donation of the land and up to $2.5M, as that would make the fundraising job much easier. Potential donors would be inspired to contribute in light of the City's strong commitment to the project. Having a $lOM goal and being two-thirds of the way there was a strong motivator in fundraising. Ms. Sloan inquired of Ms. Pelton whether they could ask one donor for a huge donation instead of hundreds of people for small ones. Ms. Pelton responded in her experience, major contributors did not want to be the only one at the table. In this case, the City was already the largest contributor. The participants discussed various donor possibilities during the course of the meeting. Commissioner Ensler asked what the committee could do to help Ms. Pelton during the next 90 days. Ms. Pelton responded they could help Ms. Rivers put together the master list of potential donors and community leaders. WPO would be working with Ms. Rivers on the Case for Support. Mr. Bressner did not believe making up the list was a staff function and that staff could affirm but not prepare the list. The City was going to try to figure out what staff could do to provide some outreach to key players in the community who could be placed on the list. Ms. Rivers indicated BBRPD staff would be sitting down with each Commissioner and the Mayor to help put the list together. Mr. Bressner believed people from the outside world such as local businesses and others should be brought together in a steering committee or resource aggregation committee. He asked that the contacts with the Commissioners be coordinated with his secretary, Joyce Costello. Ms. Rivers thought the meetings with the Commissioners would take place after the committee had reviewed the preliminary Case for Support and Ms. Pelton confirmed that was the case. 4 Meeting Minutes Congress Avenue Boundless Park Fundraising Campaign Boynton Beach, Florida October 5, 2006 Ms. Rivers commented she would be meeting with the design team to develop the Scope of Services and that would lead them into the next phase. Ms. Pelton asked that visuals be sent to her electronically so they could "dress the project up." She felt the more visuals, the better. Commissioner Ensler inquired when they could expect significant input from WPO. The group decided to have a meeting in ten days' time to review the list of potential contributors and preliminary Case for Support. Commissioner Ensler asked if the preliminary Case for Support and list of potential contributors could be provided to them ahead of that meeting, and Ms. Pelton responded in the affirmative. Ms. Pelton commented when the Case for Support was completed to the point that everyone was satisfied with it, it should be done in color, since that was more visually appealing to donors. The meeting concluded at 2:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~t Ct:Ii:.; Susan Collins Recording Secretary (100506) 5 The City of Boynton Beach r:.- ,'..< I((r\ . ,,\ ( ): "t: ,," .ie' 7':);'~' i;:.l City Clerk's Office 100 E BOYNTON BEACH BLVD BOYNTON BEACH FL 33435 (561) 742-6060 FAX: (561) 742-6090 e-mail: prainitoj@cLboynton-beach.f1.u5 www.boynton-beach.org MEETING NOTICE Thursday, October 5, 2006 @ 1:30 p.m. Recreation Department Conference Room City Hall Congress Avenue Boundless Park Fundraising Campaign You are hereby notified that a meeting for the Congress Avenue Boundless Park Fundraising Campaign will be held at 1:30 pm on Thursday, October 5, 2006 at the above location, and at which at least one member of the Recreation and Parks Board and at least one member of the City Commission will be present for a: MEETING TO DISCUSS THE CONGRESS AVENUE BOUNDLESS PARK FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN NOTICE IF A PERSON DEODES TO APPEAL ANY DEOSION MADE BY THE 0lY COMMISSION WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTER CONSIDERED AT THIS MEETING, HE/SHE WIll NEED A RECORD OF THE PROCEEDlNGS AND, FOR SUCH PURPOSE, HE/SHE MAY NEED TO ENSURE THAT A VERBATIM RECORD OF THE PROCEEDING IS MADE, WHICH RECORD INCLUDES THE TESTIMONY AND EVIDENCE UPON WHICH THE APPEAL IS TO BE BASED. (F.s.286.0105) THE an SHAll FURNISH APPROPRIATE AUXlUARY AIDS AND SERVICES WHERE NECESSARY TO AFFORD AN INDMDUAl WITH A DISABIUTY AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY TO PARTIOPATE IN AND ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF A SERVICE, PROGRAM, OR ACTlVITY CONDUCTED BY THE OTY. PLEASE CONTACT JOVCE COSTELLO, (561) 742~6013 AT LEAST lWENlY-FOUR HOURS PRiOR TO THE PROGRAM OR ACTlVITY IN ORDER FOR THE an TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE YOUR REQUEST. Copy to: City Commission, City Manager, City Attorney, Jody Rivers, Wally Majors, Central File S:\CC\WP\Meeting NoticesWear 2006\Boundless Park. & Playground Fundraising Campaign.doc America's Gateway to the Gulfttream THE WATERS PELTON ORf;ANIZATlON, INc. RiND RAISING. PI.ANNING . PUBLIC RELATIONS 477 S. Rosemary Ave_. Suite 316 West Palm Beach, FL 33401 Tel 561.626.0026 Fax 561.626.9119 Email: cpehon@waterspelton.com CHATTANO(){iA DALLAS / FORl WORTH TAMPA WE.~T PALM BE.~CH Charlotte Pelton Presidenl