2016 LD SIG AGM Minutes

2016 Learner Development SIG AGM Minutes
Saturday, November 26; 3:35-4:20
Nagoya WINC Rm 1202
Attendance: Daniel Hougham, Huw Davies (Treasury), Farrah Hasnain, Tim Ashwell, Gretchen
Clark, Fumiko Murase, Ann Mayeda, Andy Barfield (Tokyo), Hugh Nicoll (Web), Ann Flanagan(Members), Kristen Sullivan (Grants), Agnes Patko (Kansai), Jenny Morgan (Tokyo), FumikoKurosawa, Paul Beaufait, Daniel Hooper (Incoming Programme), Blair Barr (Programme), JoelLaurier (Outgoing Programme), Lee Arnold (Outgoing Programme), Sumire Shiba, Sami
Yoshimuta (Treasury/Grant) , Mathew Porter (Co-coordinator), Mayumi Abe (Co-coordinator)

Agenda and Minutes
1. Budget priorities
How the SIG is financed by JALT has changed and we were quite generous with our funds in thepast. We are encouraged by JALT to keep a “rainy day fund” equivalent to one year of our budget.
We must rethink our grants, while also trying to accommodate requests for funding from the GTgroups and to use in PR.
Our annual income is roughly 250,000 yen (200,000 yen + 50,000 buffer). This year it is 221,000yen. We had a 140,000 yen loss in 2015. We project a 100,000 yen loss in 2016.
Proposed 2016-2017 Budget
Item

Description

Proposed

Allocated

Info pamphlet

500 postcards

10,000

2000

Tokyo GT room fees

25,00025,000Kansai GT room fees

35,000 (15,000)

15,000Web

hosting/domain reg

20,00020,000

Grant

PanSIG

40,00040,000

Grant

JALTCALL

40,00040,0001

2016 LD SIG AGM Minutes

Grant

Research

25,00025,000

Grant

Project (2)40,00040,000

Grant

JALT

40,000 (50,000)

50,000

Total

275,000

257,000

The budget was presented by Mathew and Huw explained about income, losses, and our buffer.
We then discussed individual items that could be adjusted. Blair was able to deliver PR pamphlets(trifold A4) at a lower cost than expected, leading to the first adjustment. Agnes explained that theKansai group was able to hold their student conference in 2016 for less than they expected,
resulting in the second adjustment. The final adjustment was an increase to the JALT conference
grant by 10,000 JPY on the basis that the conference fees are higher than the fees for PanSIG andJALTCALL.
2. Activities
The Nagoya chapter and the Framework-Language Portfolio SIG are eager to collaborate with LDon an event, but we have been unable to find an LD speaker and talks have stalled.
Ann suggested she would raise the issue at the next Kansai GT.
The SIG will host ILA2018 and the conference committee will need the support of committee
teams.
3. Volunteers
We are in need of volunteers for both key roles and shadow positions, particularly for coordinators,
web team, and publicity team.
Mathew and Mayumi spoke to many people after the AGM and were unable to find anyone toshadow the coordinators.
4. Understanding Member Needs
Some team members have suggested a need to better understand what our members want from theSIG. Should a member survey be prioritized and who would design/implement it and analyze theresults?
Ann volunteered to develop a survey for lapsed and current members.
5. Attracting New Members
JALT members now get a SIG included in their membership, but we didn’t experience a surge inmembership. How do we attract new members?
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2016 LD SIG AGM Minutes

Mathew explained that despite a slow, steady increase in members, the SIG has seen about half its
200 members change in the last two years.
Ann prepared the following chart comparing lapsed (L), new (N), renewing (R), and total (T)members month-by-month over 2015 and 2016. The SIG has seen slow, steady growth over thelast two years. The ratio of lapsed to new members is favorable, but the SIG saw over 100 people
leave over the two-year period.
2015

LN

R

T2016

LN

R

T

Jan

8

3

5195

Jan

11

1736

201

Feb

86

9193

Feb

8

4

13206

Mar

538193Mar

31319207

Apr?

?

?

?

Apr

576206

May?

?

?

?

May7413203

Jun?

?

?

?

Jun

81412217

Jul?

?

?

?

Jul

666216

Aug?

?

?

?

Aug

573218Sep*

13443NA

Sep

x715217

Oct

8610194

Oct5718216Nov

0618206Nov

3714220

totals4228

93+1161

103

155

+19

*The monthly numbers for April-August 2015 were tallied in September.
There wasn’t enough time to discuss.

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