Anaheim Conference, Focus Groups, & CSMFO News launch

By Ernie Reyna

This year’s second “in-person” CSMFO Board meeting reviewed feedback during our 2019 Palm Springs Conference to better inform our upcoming 2020 Anaheim Conference, as well as previewed the CSMFO News launch.

Steve Heide, CSMFO President-Elect, was gracious enough to host this meeting at a Chino Valley Fire District location and fueled attendees with plenty of carbs and coffee to stimulate our board members, committee & chapter chairs, and some general members. For those involved with the CSMFO leadership, these in person meetings are an opportunity to catch up with fellow CSMFO Members who feel more like family. Often, attendees challenge President Joan Michaels Aguilar to start on time as they are deeply engaged with checking in with each other on their job, the challenges and opportunities at their agency, and how their families are doing.

This Board meeting did begin on time at 11:00 AM with regular review of consent items like monthly financials and past meeting minutes. The first big item was a presentation and discussion on the results of the 2019 conference focus groups by consultant Adam Probolsky. While the sample sizes were small, the Board was encouraged by the candid feedback on topics ranging from members engagement, to conference structure and content, to generally how CSMFO communicates with its membership.

The Board and attendees appreciated the Panera Bakery lunch that allowed us to power through the meeting while not slowing down the agenda’s momentum.
Membership Committee Chair Grace Castaneda continued this engagement theme with a detailed discussion on their committee’s student outreach program and expanding our student memberships. All felt the excitement of this topic as the feedback from college students has been very promising.

The meeting then shifted towards committee reports and those in attendance were treated to a spectacular presentation by Communications Committee Chair Marcus Pimentel, complete with props, which included cash being handed out. With the help of SMA staff in Sacramento, Chair Pimentel gave the audience a preview of the new online magazine that will be replacing the bi-monthly version. The big idea has been to reducing production of our “hard copies” of the magazine and move towards a dynamic platform similar to the New Yorker online, which is very interactive and appealing to the eye. In addition, content will be pushed out on a more frequent basis which will include a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday release for the first three weeks of every month. Their plans are to start a soft launch in May and full launch in June.

The Monday editions pushed out to the Membership will generally be an introduction by the Communication Committee, President, and President-Elect. The Wednesday editions will feature content and sponsored articles, and the Friday editions will be CSMFO articles, which could be used for promoting upcoming trainings, highlights from professional development, member interviews, and / or articles celebrating promotions and retirements.

During the Officer Reports, President-Elect Steve Heide gave an update on the Host Committees’ progress for next year’s CSMFO Annual Conference at Disneyland. Without saying too much, members are not going to want to miss this event because who doesn’t want to be at the happiest place on earth!
As the meeting concluded, those in attendance said their goodbyes knowing that it would be awhile before the next in-person Board meeting. Those from the North were ready to hop on to a plane and in the process, those from the South were more than happy to be their Uber drivers to give them a lift back to Ontario Airport. Another successful Board meeting in the books.

NOTE:  The CSMFO Board meets monthly and the CSMFO bylaws provide for at least two “in person” Board meetings annually.  Recently, we have held four in-person Board meetings.  Those in-person Board meetings are usually in conjunction with the CSMFO Annual Conference in January or February; a legislative symposium around May or June; in the fall for the annual Planning Session at a site chosen by the President-Elect; and at the League of California Cities Financial Management Conference in December.
The first in-person Board meeting of the year occurred in Palm Springs at the 2019 CSMFO Annual Conference, which was well attended by both Board Members and CSMFO Committee and Chapter Chairs.  This article reviewed the second in-person Board meeting on April 25, 2019 at the Chino Valley Fire District Training Center.

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