The board listened to a presentation on budget from Treasurer, Dennis Frederick, then we had a great discussion on fundraising. A lot of the ideas add real value to what we are already doing for members.

We are also excited to see the progress the Annual Meeting Committee has been making in putting together a great annual meeting for October 14-15. (Registration will begin soon, and non-members are welcome to join us.)

Lori Taylor
Fuzbaby and Firefly Diapers
Secretary, Real Diaper Industry Association

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Real Diaper Industry Association
Board Meeting, May 19, 2010
Conference call

Present: Leah Carter, Dave Milligan, Lori Taylor, Shirley Murdock, Mandi Meidlinger, Peter Allen, Judy Aagard, Shayla Boyd-Gill. Facilitating: Leah Carter. Notes: Lori Taylor.

Meeting called to order 1:02PM Eastern Time with presence of a quorum.

Annual Meeting. Keynote will be Guy Schanschieff of Bambino Mio. Annual board meeting will be Thursday afternoon. Annual Meeting Committee will create meeting package, with the Executive Committee contributing the annual report section. Sponsorship package will be ready soon.

Budget. Dennis (Treasurer) asked for income generation ideas. Among them: new trade members, new associate members, handling fee for Consider Cloth kit to cover admin costs, charge for levels of How to Start a Diaper Service kit, donations, sell cloth diaper advocacy gear, and investments from industries that are helped by what we do. Board approved Consider Cloth kit price increase from $15 to $25 and an annual listing fee of $100 for Diaper Service Resource Directory.

Member phone calls. Volunteers will each receive a list of about 20 names.

Monthly member discussion. Little support for a bylaw change to allow membership of manufacturers who make disposable diapers, so Bylaw Committee report recommended against further action. Board approved Bylaw Committee final report and distribution of report to members.

Projects. The cloth-diaper-friendly daycare directory is ready for approval before removing dummy records and going public.

PR Campaign. The association would like to engage in positive PR for cloth diapers. Campaign to include tools for members to engage press, legal cautions from attorney, and supporting materials. Board members approved funds toward a campaign and agreed to be active in upcoming email discussions about details. Next week’s member discussion could outline the conclusions.

Nominations. If any board member is planning to run again, please submit nomination forms by June 14th to the Kirkland address.

May 26th during our monthly member call, we discussed the possibility of adding a new member category.  Please read the short report below for more information.  Members will be asked to vote on this bylaw change during the July balloting.

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Report on potential addition of new category to RDIA bylaws

Leading discussion was Dennis Frederick (All Together Diaper), a board member and member of both the Membership Review Committee and the Junior Member Bylaw Committee.

Membership is limited to those “engaged in business,” but RDIA receives a lot of requests from start-up businesses who would like to join the association while they are in the planning or start-up phase. Since trade members are voting members, who can run for the board and serve as officers guiding the association, it doesn’t seem fitting that those who are not yet operating a business in our industry should be allowed to take on such a role. Still, providing a path to full membership for start-up businesses seems to be in alignment with the purpose of RDIA , which is to grow the cloth diaper industry.

To accommodate and even welcome start-up businesses, a new non-voting Junior member category has been discussed. We have a non-voting Associate member category already. Associate members are those who share RDIA goals but are not in the trade of cloth diapers.

The proposal for the Junior member category includes:

• · Dues equal to the lowest, currently $100 annually.
• · Allow board to request a business plan before granting Junior membership.
• · Must be conducting business, out of the start-up phase, and a full trade member within two years.
• · With proof of operation, the member can become a full trade member without payment of additional dues.
• · Other than voting and board representation, all benefits would be available. They could volunteer for a committee or even serve as Chair.

How many people would this category serve?

As far as we know, fewer than half a dozen members have been turned away so far because they were in the start-up phase. We do get at least that many questions a week from potential new business owners, though.

Could the name be changed to Interim member or Start-up member?

The name Junior was drawn from other organizations, like Junior Chamber of Commerce. The name itself isn’t important. A poll of those on the call resulted in 45% for “Interim Member,” 36% for “Start-up Member,” and 18% for “Junior Member.” Since the support for a name change is quite clear, the Committee will consider a name change.

How can the association assess clear intent to start a cloth diaper business?

There is some concern that a low barrier creates more competition within the industry. Access to research seems like a big draw both for those who should be in the association and those who shouldn’t. We do want to serve those who are genuinely in the start-up process without just opening up to those who are curious without real intent. The proposal that the Membership Review Committee be allowed to ask for a business plan was added to try to avoid a situation that is too open.

A poll of those on the call results in 80% wanting to create a new category and 20% not sure. The interest seems strong enough that the Junior Member Bylaw Committee of Dennis Frederick (All Together Diaper) and Ann-Marie Speirs (Cozy Baby Boutique) will move forward. After the details are given to the attorney to draft a change to the bylaws, that change will be brought to all members on a paper ballot in July.

Cari Wolverton has represented retailers on the Real Diaper Industry Association board of directors since she was elected in 2009. Cari recently closed her business and resigned her position. We thank Cari for her service to the industry.

Dear RDIA members,

It was with a sad heart that I had to resign my position as a board member in March as a result of having to close my business. Papaya Patch began as a tiny neighborhood shop hoping to give locals easier access to natural products – we had two or three brands of diapers and a few carriers. What the store evolved into: the largest provider of cloth diapers and carriers in the state, a community hub, and a resource for thousands of families in Connecticut and the surrounding states, was beyond my wildest dreams. As fellow business owners, I’m sure you understand that much of my heart was in the store and making the decision to close it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. However, it was a necessary step for being able to move forward and commit to my new life after moving to Washington state. I am disappointed that I will not be able to continue working with the amazing, dedicated, talented individuals in RDIA on the same level. I have appreciated being a part of such a wonderful group and hope that you all know how hard the board works to make sure that your best interest and the RDIA mission is served in every aspect of every process. I will be allowed to finish out some of my committee commitments through the end of the year and look forward to making whatever contributions I can. It was my pleasure serving as your representative and I look forward to finding new ways to serve the RDIA and its mission in the future.

Warm Regards,
Cari Wolverton
(former owner) Papaya Patch

The Annual Meeting Committee has been hard at work planning since early this year.

October 14-15, Thursday and Friday following the ABC Show
Las Vegas, Nevada

10/14 early AM – Retailer and Diaper Service Meetings
10/14 late AM – Manufacturer Meeting
10/14 AM – breakout session
10/14 lunch – Social
10/14 afternoon – Keynote
10/14 afternoon – breakout session
10/14 evening – Annual Meeting of Members
10/15 AM – breakout sessions

Pre-registration and more details about the meeting should be available by early April.

Annual Meeting Committee

Shayla Boyd-Gill (Aylahs Alternatives), Chair and Board Liaison
Ann-Marie Speirs (Cozy Baby Boutique)
Judy Aagard (Tiny Tots Diaper Service and Baby Boutique)
Summer Johnston (No Sugar Added)
Matt Guckin (Diaper Junction)
Rachel Aube (Real Diaper Industry Association)

The Committee needs your help in planning and carrying out the annual meeting. Would you like to join in the planning? Can you donate a few hours of your time during the meeting to help with registration, set up, or documentation? Contact Shayla at shayla@realdiaperindustry.org.

I am delighted to introduce RDIA’s newest team member, Rachel Aube. Rachel joins us as an independent contractor providing amazing administrative assistance to the board and the membership at large. It was a long and remarkably competitive hiring process. But Rachel’s passion, dedication and diversity stood strong, making her a great fit to RDIA during this time of young growth.

Rachel is from the Niagara region in Ontario, where she attended Brock University for Business and then moved west to the University of Victoria, where she earned her BA in Humanities and Social Anthropology. With her business and research background, she was recruited by a top US manufacturing company to work in logistics and import/export compliance, as a project manager. After a few years in the Midwest, Rachel met her husband and moved to Los Angeles, where she became the Operations Director of government funded supplemental educational company called Educational Partnerships. Directing programs in the urban Los Angeles area taught her the importance of diversity, agency and relevant community development and how these factors should be applied to business models. Planning, research and development, operations, process improvement and strategy are her strongest professional skills.

Rachel is also the mother of two boys, ages 2 and 3, who were both cloth diaper babies. She has always been an advocate of the cloth diapering, and promotes their awareness and environmental value at every opportunity. She is very excited and motivated to do this important work in a professional capacity, and looks forward to offering her assistance and expertise to the Board and the RDIA as a whole.

Leah Carter
Better for Babies
Chair, Real Diaper Industry Association