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Board Minutes
Young Life Board meeting minutes November 21-22, 2019
The 2019 fall meeting of the Young Life Board of Trustees was held at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 21-22, 2019.
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The following trustees were present: Nanette Ballbach, Sue Beré, John Brandon, Newt Crenshaw, Doug Eaton, Brooks Entwistle, Berto Guerra, Bill Haslam, John Hummel, Susan Hutchison, Regg Jones, Moyo Kamgaing, Kevin McVaney, Curtis McWilliams, Harold Melton, Susan Peterson, Mark Rodriguez, Michael Stain, Tom Thomas and Phyllis Washington.
The following trustees were absent: Mac Briggs, Chris Roberts and Mark Zoradi.
The following staff members were present: Tricia Blake, Scott Brill, Karil Conner, Chad Edwards, Sha Farley, Josh Griffin, Jon Houghton, Dan Jessup, Steve Larmey, Kaleah Ojewola, Eric Scofield, Wiley Scott, Ann Shackelton, Paul Sherrill, Ken Tankersley, Steve Thompson, Matt Walker and Ayesha Wilcox.
The following guests were present: spouses of board members and staff, former board members, friends of Young Life and kids who came with Young Life staff.
Business Session — Thursday, November 21, 2019 Called to Order
Chair Haslam called the meeting to order at 9:28 a.m., welcomed the board and asked Sue Beré to share a devotion with the group. Newt shared a preview of the meeting and explained some of the recent leadership changes that have been made.
Report on Forward
Newt provided the following Forward measures:
Campaigners – 5.4% growth over last year, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.8% over the last four years (much of the growth is international)
Club – 6.7% growth over last year, with a CAGR of 8.4% over the last four years
Campers – 3.6% growth over last year, with a
CAGR of 5.2% over the last four years
Volunteer Leaders – 4.5% growth over last year, with a CAGR of 6.6% over the last four years Newt also shared about several recent innovations:
Core Ministry Impact: This is a new ministry measurement tool Young Life has developed provides insight into the number of kids at Campaigners and club each week. Previously, measurements were taken twice a year, in May and October, and now staff are tracking weekly numbers and using it as a diagnostic tool to provide healthy supervision to ministry. Global Performance Management: This is a new tool which promotes goal setting and regular reviews with one’s supervisor. It is being piloted by the top 300 leaders in the mission. It is a simple way for regional directors and above to have regular, standardized reviews. Executive Development: This program will help develop staff who have been given considerable amounts of responsibility at the executive level (regional director and above) through cohortbased learning.
Ken Tankersley, Senior Vice President of Global Innovation and Growth
Ken explained that Young Life staff are entrepreneurs and self-starters, and that within the Young Life mission, innovation means giving staff the ability to try new things. He noted that his job is not to be the idea guy but to identify movements already happening that might become the next model
for the mission to follow. Staff provide their ideas and Ken thinks about how to grow and scale it. Ken mentioned that the three main challenges to innovation within Young Life are alignment, integration and leverage. Alignment presents when all staff are on the same page with the same task and the same purpose. Integration reduces redundancy. Leverage utilizes the idea once staff are aligned and integrated.
Group Senior Vice President Update
Newt invited the four newly appointed group senior vice presidents (GSVPs) to participate in a questionand-answer session about their new role (alignment with other field leadership colleagues) and share what the Lord has been teaching them and what the board can be praying for.
Wiley Scott III, GSVP U.S. East Chad Edwards, GSVP U.S. West Dan Jessup, GSVP Latin America/Caribbean, Europe, Former Soviet Union Steve Larmey, GSVP Africa/Middle East, India, Asia/Pacific
Healthy Sexuality Update
Ann Shackelton, Vice President of HR Mission Care and Enrichment Matt Walker, Regional Director of the Golden Gate Region
Ann and Matt shared the conversation Young Life has been having around healthy sexuality. They walked the board through three topics Young Life addresses about “healthy sexuality.”
Pornography – No amount of pornography use is healthy or acceptable. As a mission, these conversations happen on a case-by-case basis to move toward a healthy outcome. Sex Outside of Marriage – Young Life has a clear sexual conduct policy that states sexual intimacy is designed for the confines of a heterosexual marriage. Staff and volunteers who are clearly outside the alignment of this policy need to be counseled and, in many cases, need to step down from leadership.
LGBTQ+ – Those who cannot be aligned to
Young Life’s sexual conduct policy cannot serve as a staff or volunteer. Staff are being trained to have this conversation in a sensitive way because this is a complex conversation, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Religious Liberty Matters Update
Paul Sherrill, Vice President of Administrative Services
Paul presented on the following religious liberty matters:
Employment Discrimination – Several cases are before the Supreme Court in which an employee claimed to be terminated on the basis of sex. These cases may impact whether the Equality Act, which has been passed by the House of Representatives, will be brought forward in the Senate.
Equality Act – This act would eliminate the ability for an employer to raise a cause for defense based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which essentially states that religious employers have the right to discriminate in their hiring practices based on their religious beliefs. The act would change the definition of “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Registered Student Organization Nondiscrimination – Registered Student Organizations cannot discriminate in the hiring of officers within the registered organization. This means that Young Life has created a college constitution in which our officers are not asked to agree to or comply with Young Life’s religious beliefs or conduct policy. However, if those officers were asked to lead Young Life, it would be under the work of Young Life itself, not the student organization, and when stepping into that role, they would be asked to agree to Young Life’s religious beliefs and comply with the conduct policy.
Committee Reports
Finance Committee
Michael Stain asked Scott Brill to present the financial update for fiscal year 2019, as follows:
Operating contributions – $296 million, down 1% percent from last year. Number of donors – 220,000 individual donors. Capital contributions – $41 million. Net operating result – $14.9 million.
Four Operating Segments:
U.S. Ministries – Year ended with a net operating surplus after coming off the year of the service charge true-up.
International Ministries – This is down, but is not a cause for concern due to the service charge true-up among other things.
Camping – There is a big expansion in the camping net surplus due to acquiring
Lonehollow in Texas. This is currently being run as a for-profit camp — Lonehollow charges more for camp than Young Life, which has created a fair amount of revenue. Camp surplus will be used for major maintenance.
Mission Leadership Support Services – There was a big expansion last year from the service charge true-up, and now there is a deficit, which was planned and expected. A deficit is expected in this area for the next three years. Surplus and Deficit Totals (U.S. and International combined)
Surplus: 2,287 areas are in surplus. Deficit: 28 areas, or 1.2%.
The Finance Committee presented one resolution, as follows:
Accepting the Audit Report for fiscal year ending September 30, 2019.
Human Resources
Harold Melton reported on the following discussion topics from the Human Resources Committee meeting:
Executive Development Report – The subjects of the program will be regional directors and above, and this program will have a 70/20/10 platform, meaning 70% of the program will be on-the-job training, 20% will be counseling and mentoring, and 10% will be training.
Core Ministry Impact – This tool is beginning to create measurable change and it will help in the future to measure where the mission is and where it is going relating to diversity.
Benefits Summary – Total Revenue = $35.2 million, Total Claim Cost = $34.8 million, Cash
Balance of $7.4 million. Administrative costs are 7.8% (the standard is 10%). Enhancements to the benefits package include coverage starting on the first of the month for new hires, routine dermatology visits and otoplasty.
Retirement – The pension plan will merge with the 401(k) plan. There will be an escalating and enhancing of the vesting schedule, and there will be no pre-vesting forfeiture. The Human Resources Committee had no resolutions to present.
Corporate Governance Committee
Brooks provided a summary on the key takeaways from the Corporate Governance Committee meeting:
Data Security – Young Life has instituted a WyldLife permission form, and the adoption rate has been extraordinary, which is a testament to staff and to parents who are welcoming this requirement. The form has given staff an initial touchpoint with parents and a reason for reaching out. Camp Security – There were several security events that happened this summer at Woodleaf, Crooked Creek and Malibu. Several changes have been instituted based on what was learned during these events.
Better Business Bureau – Young Life recently became approved by the Better Business Bureau which has been a yearlong endeavor. Insurance – Young Life has saved more than $25 million in the last 10 years by being a part of an insurance captive with several other ministries. DRC and Bangladesh Updates – There have been hardships and missteps in these countries, but lessons are being learned about international ministry and future training opportunities. International Operations – There was a crossfunctional prioritization summit for International Ops which helped created a multi-year plan for setting legal entities in new countries among other work.
The Corporate Governance Committee had no resolutions to present.
Trustee Governance Committee
John Brandon reminded the board that the purpose of the committee was to evaluate the current board of trustees and consider potential new trustees. During their time together, they reviewed a number of trustee self-evaluations from those who recently completed a four-year term and they reviewed several potential new trustee candidates.
The Trustee Governance Committee presented two resolutions, as follows:
Honorary Tribute to Jerry Colangelo
Honorary Tribute to Bruce Hosford
Committee reports were concluded and the chair called attention to the minutes of the April meeting found on pages 67-73 in the board report. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes. There being no corrections, the minutes were unanimously approved as written. He also called attention to the minutes of the July meeting found on pages 74-76 in the board report. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes. The chair made note of the Executive Committee actions located on pages 77-79 of the board report, for which no action was required.
Newt asked Mark to pray and the board dismissed for lunch.
The chair called the second day of the meeting to order, and continued the business session by bringing the formal resolutions from the Finance and Trustee Governance committees for a vote as follows:
Resolution: Accepting the Audit Report for FY2019. There was no further discussion and the resolution unanimously passed.
Resolution: Honorary Tribute to Bruce Hosford. There was no further discussion and the resolution unanimously passed.
Resolution: Honorary Tribute to Jerry Colangelo. There was no further discussion and the resolution unanimously passed.
Mission Leadership Update
The following people provided ministry reports concerning their areas of responsibility:
Karil Connor, Vice President of YoungLives Ministries and Ayesha Wilcox, YoungLives Divisional Coordinator – Karil and Ayesha shared about YoungLives ministry in the U.S. Jon Houghton, Regional Director and Kaleah Ojewola, Associate Regional Director of the Chicagoland Region – Jon and Kaleah shared an update on their region’s creation of the Together fund.
Eric Scofield, Chief Development Officer
Eric shared an update from Development. International currently uses a top-down model, where $25 million comes from the U.S. and $6 million is raised locally. The mission is innovating toward more indigenous giving, stewardship summits and hiring new development staff, all with the hopes that in the long term, international local dollars will
surpass U.S. funding of international ministry. In the U.S., there is currently a bottom-up model, where a majority of the funding comes from the local level. We are innovating toward Regional Funding Plans (big gifts coming in at the regional level), and engaging the mission’s under-engaged donor base with the larger vision of Young Life. Eric updated the board on the progress of the Forward Accelerator (December 2019 goal of $260 million was reached) and Legacy giving ($85 million raised in the last two years).
Closing
The chair concluded the business of the board and reminded them of the spring meeting that will be held in London, England, on April 14-17, 2020. The chair noted that the Young Life Foundation board meeting will begin after this meeting adjourns. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Paul W. Sherrill
Paul W. Sherrill, Secretary
(Original minutes signed and placed in corporate minute book. Copies of all approved resolutions from the 2019 fall board meeting can be found in the minute book maintained in the office of the corporate secretary.)
