18 January 2006
Present:
Jonathan Fox (chair)
Marianne Ginsburg
David Hunter
Atila Roque
Frances Seymour
Manish Bapna (ex-officio)
Bruce Jenkins (reporting)
Absent:
Robin Broad
1. Call to order: Jonathan Fox convened the meeting at 11:00am at BIC’s office at 1100 H Street, NW, Washington, DC.
2. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the March 22, 2005 Board meeting were approved with modifications. The approved minutes will be posted on BIC’s website.
3. Executive Director’s Update
A. Finances: Manish provided an update on recent fundraising developments. The organization was close to meeting its projections, however one foundation had indicated that it would be considering proposals later than anticipated and a second foundation had approved a lesser amount than originally requested. BIC has increased funding from other sources. Nevertheless, the organization may run a small deficit for the year. Lower expenditures during the remainder of the year may offset a potential deficit. The Board discussed a number of possible new funding sources for fiscal year 2006.
The Directors requested that a draft 2006 budget be prepared in November and that a final 2006 Budget be approved prior to the start of the new fiscal year (January 1).
B. Personnel: Manish updated the Directors on several recent personnel decisions. BIC currently has two staff members based in New Delhi, India, who are focused on strengthening working relationships with civil society organizations in South Asia. BIC has hired two new program associates for the Latin America Program (one based in Washington, the other in Lima, Peru). BIC has also hired a Mekong regional coordinator. Further, BIC is seeking a new finance and operations manager as our previous manager has taken a position with another organization. An interim plan is in place for managing BIC’s finances during the transition.
BIC’s revised Employee Handbook was discussed. The Directors agreed to take one final look at the proposed changes and decide on approval via email in the coming two weeks.
C. New Initiatives: Manish provided an update on several new initiatives, including a project to examine how international financial institutions could be held more accountable to various international rights and standards. He also indicated that colleagues in other civil society organizations have expressed strong interest in working with BIC on issues related to the IMF.
4. Strategic Plan: The Board unanimously approved the organization’s Strategic Plan 2005-2008 as well as the accompanying workplan. The Board once again acknowledged the superb efforts of BIC’s staff in putting together a thorough and ambitious roadmap for the next three years.
5. Board development: The Directors continued their discussions on expanding BIC’s Board of Directors. Various criteria were discussed as was the need to form a nominating committee. The Directors requested Manish to work with staff on gathering names of potential candidates and each Director agreed to generate suggestions as well.
6. Next Board Meeting: The next meeting was scheduled as a Board conference call for December 7, 2005, 1pm-3pm.
7. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1pm.