By Jill Carlson, Class of 2013
This is a summary of the December 2023 Docent Council hybrid meeting. The full minutes will be on The Bridge next week.
STAFF UPDATES – Caroline reminded everyone to check The Bridge for staff updates. She will be setting up staff-only tours beginning later this month. Tours will include Art Deco Landmarks, Icons, Pedway, Must See, and Mid Century Modern. Taking these tours is a priority for new hires.
There was an incident on a recent “L” tour. The docent had a small group of Asian tourees, and a passenger began making negative racial comments. The docent stayed calm, pressed the Emergency button, talked to the motorman, left the train, and continued the tour. The incident precipitated a discussion of possible training to deal with similar difficult situations.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Monica is working with Simone Edwards, the new financial officer, to provide a current view of the docent account.
OLD BUSINESS
TASK FORCES – IMPROVE STAFF/DOCENT COLLABORATION – John Schneider announced that the next volunteer, docent, staff event will be in February, one of four events planned for 2024. The task force welcomes ideas from docents that could improve collaboration.
DOCENT EXPERIENCE – Kathy Baker reported that 60 interviews produced extensive data. The information is being analyzed for trends. The task force expects to make recommendations by the end of the year.
DIGITAL GROWTH – The docents’ photos taken at All Docent Day are now in the directory on Volunteer Matters. There will be funds in the 2024 budget to purchase a new version of Volunteer Matters and a redesign of The Bridge Home Page. Adding a Digital Committee to the Docent Council’s standing committees is being discussed.
CLASS OF 2024 – All interviews have been completed. The new class will be announced next week. Two CAC staff members and two wait-listed candidates from 2023 will be in the class. There will be approximately 30 in the class.
ELECTIONS – The newly elected docent council members will join the council at the January 9 meeting. Docent Council officers will also be elected at that meeting.
DOCENT HANDBOOK UPDATE – John Schneider will chair the task force that includes Donna Gabanski, Mark Purdome, and Jill Carlson. They expect to present the updated handbook at the April docent council meeting. Docents are encouraged to contact the task force with suggestions or needed clarifications in the handbook. The new handbook will be web-based which will make it easier to make changes to it in the future.
NEW BUSINESS
TOUR DIRECTOR APPOINTMENT – Michael Cohen was unanimously approved as co-director of the Reliance Building tour.
COMMITTEE UPDATES – The Communications/Marketing Committee will split into two separate committees – Marketing and Communications. Ellen Shubart will lead the Marketing Committee. Lisa Ciota will co-chair the Communications Committee with Emily Clott beginning in January, 2024. A dedicated Marketing Committee is necessary to manage increased engagement with the Marketing staff.
Meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM.
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