Meeting Minutes: June 4, 2022

Hans Schmidt Family Association
Board of Directors Annual Meeting Minutes
June 4, 2022

The Hans Schmidt Family Association met for its annual meeting on Saturday, June 4, 2022, at 8:00 pm Central Time. The meeting was held via conference call.

Members present:

• Katelynn Chou
• Josiah Schmidt
• Sandra Schmidt

Josiah Schmidt called the meeting to order at 8:02 pm. Three members of the Board listed above as present responded to roll call. As there was no one else present, there were no public comments from the floor.

FORMAL AGENDA:

OLD BUSINESS

• None

NEW BUSINESS

Officer Appointments: In order to function as an association, the association requires officers. Josiah Schmidt nominated Katelynn Chou as the initial Secretary, Sandra Schmidt as the initial Vice President, and himself as the initial Treasurer and President, for four-year terms.

MOTION: As there was no further discussion on this matter, Sandra Schmidt moved that the Board accept these nominations and that the following voice vote be considered as confirmation of said individuals to said offices. Katelynn Chou seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

Approval of the Constitution and Bylaws: In order to establish structures and procedures by which the association will henceforth operate, the Board needed to approve the Constitution and Bylaws that Sandra, Josiah, and Katelynn had written and edited over the course of the previous week.

MOTION: As there was no further discussion on this matter, Josiah Schmidt moved that the Board approve the May 30th final draft of the Constitution and Bylaws. Sandra seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

Honorary Lifetime Membership Awards: As one of the powers of the Board of Directors under the new Constitution and Bylaws, the Board has the right to nominate and vote for individuals to be offered honorary lifetime memberships in the Hans Schmidt Family Association, “in recognition of achievement or for services rendered to the Association.”

Josiah Schmidt made the following nominations:

• Linda Susan (Lindstrand) Swalin – for decades of work devoted to the tracing of the descendants of Conrad Jacob Schmidt and Martha Elisabeth (Lindemann) Schmidt, and especially the descendants of Henry John Schmidt and Mary (Moser) Schmidt.
• Denise Ann Lindemann – for decades of work devoted to researching the history of Elizabeth (Schmidt) Lindemann and Michael Lindemann and their families and descendants, and for tireless help with the planning of the 2016 Schmidt Mega-Reunion.
• Sarah Beth (Mackensen) Schmidt – for designing the family crest that has become a logo for the Hans Schmidt Family Association.
• Kiki Katelynn Lula Ann (Schmidt) Chou – for indispensable assistance with making the 2016 Schmidt Mega-Reunion happen, and for her service in setting up the subsequent Hans Schmidt Family Association.
• Sandra Kay Schmidt – for exemplary work in researching the descendants of Conrad Jacob Schmidt and Martha Elisabeth (Lindemann) Schmidt, and Conrad’s siblings who settled on the East Coast (Louis, Herman, and Martha).
• Susan (Eisler) McGlynn – for many years of work devoted to tracing the Eisler branch of the Hans Schmidt descendants.
• Doris Ann (Kirschke) Brown – for decades of work devoted to tracing the branch of Hans Schmidt descendants who came from the village of Blankenbach, Germany.
• Horst Lindemann – for years of researching and preserving the history of the Schmidts and related families from the village of Machtlos and surrounding communities
• Matthias Roppel – ditto
• Werner Kurth – ditto

Sandra Schmidt made the following nomination:

• Josiah William Schmidt – for the planning of the 2016 Schmidt Mega-Reunion and for years of researching the history and descendants of the Hans Schmidt family

MOTION: As there was no further discussion on this matter, Sandra Schmidt moved that the Board accept these nominations and that the following voice vote be considered as confirmation of the Board’s offer of honorary lifetime memberships in the Hans Schmidt Family Association to said nominated individuals. Katelynn Chou seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

Setting Membership Dues: In order to fund upkeep costs for the Hans Schmidt Family Association website, as well as further research into the history of the Schmidt family and other activities and expenses that may arise in the future, the Association needed to establish tiers of monetary dues whereby individuals may become voting members of the organization and help to fund it. After some discussion, the Board settled on the following tiers: $15 for individual (one year) membership, $100 for individual (lifetime) membership, $50 for business/organization (one year) membership, and $125 for business/organization (three years) membership.

MOTION: Josiah Schmidt moved that the Board institute the aforementioned price tiers for membership dues for the Hans Schmidt Family Association. Sandra Schmidt seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

Applying for 501(c)(3) Status: As of now, the Hans Schmidt Family Association is classified as an unincorporated nonprofit association. The Board agrees that it would be preferable for the Association to acquire nonprofit recognition from the IRS under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Becoming a 501(c)(3) organization would allow contributions to the Association to be tax deductible, as well as conferring other tax benefits.

MOTION: As there was no further discussion on the matter, Josiah Schmidt moved that the Board authorize him as President to proceed with applying to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status for the Hans Schmidt Family Association. Katelynn Chou seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

Setting Up a Bank Account: Up until now, Josiah Schmidt had paid all of the website upkeep costs and other costs for the Hans Schmidt Family Association out-of-pocket from his own personal bank account. In order to transition the Association into a more sustainable and self-perpetuating entity, Josiah Schmidt proposed setting up a separate bank account for the Association, into which membership dues and other contributions and revenues would be deposited, and from which website upkeep expenses and other Association-related expenses would be deducted. Josiah asked that the Board grant him permission to set up such a bank account. The Board felt that it would be a good idea to set up the bank account at a banking institution with reasonably widespread geographic reach, so that when other individuals from around the United States eventually take over the Association treasurer role, they will have reliable access to banking branches. Banks like Bank of America or Wells Fargo were floated as good candidates. Josiah Schmidt voiced his preference for posting the Association financials on the Association website, once the bank account is set up, in the interest of being as transparent as possible.

MOTION: There being no further discussion on the matter, Sandra Schmidt moved that the Board authorize Josiah Schmidt to set up a bank account for the Hans Schmidt Family Association. Katelynn Chou seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

Financial Decision-Making: Sandra Schmidt mentioned that she has seen other organizations institute financial decision-making guidelines such as giving organization officers leeway to make small purchases at their discretion, while requiring purchases over a certain dollar amount (like $500, for example) to be authorized by the Board. Josiah Schmidt tasked Sandra Schmidt with researching the bylaws and guidelines of other organizations similar to the Hans Schmidt Family Association, to see what kinds of such rules are the norm or what are the “best practices” for nonprofit historical organizations, and to report back to the Board at a later meeting, so that something about this can be added to the bylaws in the future. Sandra Schmidt agreed to do some research on this and to come back with a report on this matter in the future.

MOTION: At 8:40 pm, Josiah Schmidt opened the floor for any further questions or comments. There being none, Josiah Schmidt moved to adjourn the meeting. Katelynn Chou seconded. Motion approved three affirmative, zero negative, zero abstentions, and zero absent.

The meeting ended at 8:42 pm Central Time.

Respectfully submitted,

Katelynn Chou
Secretary