National War Tax Resistance
Coordinating Committee Meeting
May 2, 2021 * Online
Present: Lincoln Rice, NWTRCC Coordinator (Milwaukee, WI); Erica Leigh (Seattle, WA); Chrissy Kirchoefer, NWTRCC Outreach Consultant (St. Louis, MO); Peter Smith, Michiana WTR (South Bend, IN); Rick Bickhart, Co-Treasurer (Staunton, VA); Lida Shao, AdComm (New York, NY); Susan Miller & Mel Lehman (Hesston, KS); Jerry Maynard, AdComm (Houston, TX); Ruth Benn (Brooklyn, NY); Sarah Weber (Topeka, KS); DeCourcy Squire, AdComm (Minneapolis, MN); Cathy Deppe (Los Angeles, CA); Ginny Schneider (Portland ME); Sue Barnhart, AdComm (Eugene, OR); Robert Randall (Brunswick, GA); Bill Glassmire (Corvallis, OR); Sam Leuschner, AdComm (Lewiston, ME); Susan Lannen (Easthampton, MA); Susan Quinlan (San Francisco, CA); Ed Hedemann (Brooklyn, NY); Jack Payden-Travers (Winston-Salem, NC); Carlos Steward (Asheville, NC).
1 – Peter went over the NWTRCC consensus process. (Sam L. volunteers to be timekeeper.)
2 – Consultant Reports
Coordinator (PDF report) – Lincoln’s Coordinator Report (separate document). Answers to questions: Erica: work is hard in pandemic. Susan Q: kudos; Ruth: media articles lead to more interest; Sam L: how does update of lit work; response: do updates before another large print run.
Outreach Consultant (PDF report) – Chrissy’s Outreach Consultant Report (separate document). Answers to questions: Ginny: do you send out links for wtr events of local groups; response: yes, we share them on social media. Do you post on list-serv? Have not. Erica: impressed with all the work & outreach, is there anything on social media that seems to get more attention; response: stories. Ruth noted that maybe raise money to do short videos based on Paula’s interviews. Rick very happy with excellent staff that NWTRCC has.
3 – Finances (Financial Statements & Finance Report/Notes)
Comments:
- Peter, why so much money in reserves now compared to 2020? response, this is mostly income that we received at the end of 2020, but it was made out to our fiscal sponsors. So we count those donations as income in 2020, but the funds did not enter our bank account until late January 2021 when our fiscal sponsors reimbursed us.
- Does Mennonite Central Comm donate? response: No, but we did recently create a webpage for our members to use as a resource in asking their churches to donate: www.nwtrcc.org/church.
4 – Review Objectives (PDF Approved 2021 Objectives)
The following comments to the objectives were made: love local pie charts idea, don’t know if it’s feasible; newsletters are great in print. Ginny – in Western Mass, someone wants to relaunch a group, Ruth replied: let us know. Lida – on lit page, we should add ability to ask for newsletter or email updates. Peter – penalty fund update: we have monthly donors, but no one has asked for anything in 2 years; maybe reach out to receiving SS garnishments.
5- Ad Comm Nominations (Lindsey Britt & Erica Leigh)
Consensus reached: Unanimously Approved
6 – Proposals & Endorsements
Proposal 1 – NWTRCC Statement of Purpose Update Proposal
Consensus reached. Passed as is. Lots of possible tweaks offered. All tweaks will be added as separate proposals for the November meeting:
- add “militarized border” and law enforcement
- add something about what NWTRCC does to help educate people about the role we all play in paying for war through our tax contributions
- add something that we are part of nature, not just in harmony with nature.
Proposal 2 – NWTRCC New Logo Proposal
No Consensus reached.
- Robert – no invitation to do something in logo (old logo has an invitation to think.
- Ginny – like 2/3, likes having message
- Erica – all logos look out of date, but prefers 2
- Peter – have caption when it makes sentence
- Jerry – noted difference between logo and slogan
- Ruth – frustrating that we can’t find a symbol that works
- Cathy – likes invitation
- Sue – please keep looking
- Susan Q – wait and work
- Susan L – Youth might like fist now, but value can change much later
- Asked if folks were against all of them. Ginny blocked all three
- Sue asking if people would trust committee to make decision: not popular idea
- Perhaps have a special business meeting this year. with statement of purpose also.
No Endorsements
7 – Future Gathering Locations
Approved proposal that November 2021 meeting will be online. If the pandemic outlook changes drastically in the near future, AdComm will reconsider meeting in person for the November meeting.
8 – International Meeting – NWTRCC just received word of an international meeting September in Geneva that is being organized by CPTI. Is it worth sending a rep with the pandemic still looming? At the previous meeting that CPTI held in Scotland, only 15 folks attended.
AdComm recommendation: Ask CPTI to have online-only conference to allow greater international participation. Susan Lannen thinking of going because of family in Switzerland. (Lincoln will send Susan the info). Ginny suggested sponsoring someone from global south to attend; general response: no vaccine in global south & too many barriers. For now, there was agreement to follow the recommendation of AdComm.
Someone noted that International Bureau of Peace conference in October will be a hybrid; folks can join virtually.
9 – Evaluation of the Weekend
Rick: great panels, inspired by young persons panel, smooth business meeting; Bill G: great meeting and great panels, WTR 101 had internet problems… thoughts about redoing it; Sue B: great conference, both panels excellent, her local group may reach out to those speakers, climate folks can’t forget nuclear issue; Cathy: one of our better conferences, great panels, green new deal neutral on nuclear energy?! great young folks panel, wish she could give hugs; Robert: AdComm did a great job of facilitating the AdComm, food?!; Ruth: nice to see everyone, missed more relaxed in-person discussion, Friday 30 minutes was too long; Ed: no thoughts; Susan Q: loved it! doesn’t travel even w/o pandemic; impressed by all the work done; Sam L: revitalized and ready to recommit. Nuke panel was exciting and hearing outside folks; Susan L: glad to be here, only able to attend b/c virtual, Nuke panel was fantastic, wants to come back; Susan M: inspired by younger WTR panel, in long line of very high quality NWTRCC people; DeCourcy: Friday AdComm meeting was good, recommends 3 – 20 minute sessions; great panels; Ginny: sorry she could only attend Saturday, great to connect during business meeting, not bored; Chrissy: Amazing community, great panels, missed in-person gathering; Erica: great to participate, wanted to say hi to more folks. love panel with younger resisters, noticing a younger AdComm, well-planned; Peter: enjoyed seeing everyone, Friday was great, perhaps add some in-between visit-options on Saturday; Sarah Weber: panels were better than expected, especially nuclear panel, made sure to go to farmers’ market before Sat sessions; Jack: could only attend the business meeting with family obligations, NWTRCC does one of the best jobs running meeting; Carlos: could only do Sunday, well done. liked logo discussion, giving us free ad space in this artist publications; Lincoln: Getting better at online meetings; A special thanks to the AdComm!!!!
