Membership Meeting 2026

Agenda

• Basics: Route, time, save the dates
• Sustainable financial future
• Help Wanted
• Photo directory
• Enhancing our storytelling
• Elect new board members
• Introduce new krewe members
• Fealty ceremony
• Time to chat with your battalion

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Sticking with tradition

Same route and time as last year

Our usual major event line-up:

• Sept. 5 Joan of Art opening at Ariodante Gallery
• Submissions due July 31
• Oct. 3 Salon de Jeanne d’Arc free full day conference
• Maid of Honor (young Joan) contest deadline Nov. 15
• mid-December TBA coronation party

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• Jan. 1 New Year’s Work Party
• Jan. 3 Cathedral mass, second line (ticket) and brunch
• Jan. 5 Medieval banquet (ticket)
• Jan. 6 parade!!!!

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Next book club Aug. 1

Baz Luhrman is producing a new Joan film based on this

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Thomas Keneally wrote the book on which Schindler’s List was based

Finances: Increased costs are here to stay

From 2025 parade year to 2026:

• Police and permit fees increased by 783%
• from ~ $1,500 to $12,500
• Required parade clean-up costs are unpredictable
• $2,500 in 2025, other krewes quoted $15,000 for 2026. In a fluke, our 2026 was $0.
• Insurance increased by 97%
• Storage increased by 43%

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Finances: Strong donor support

• We increased from 11% of members opting for donor-level membership to 35%
• About $12,000 was raised in response to our plea
• From dues and donations combined, we averaged $216 per person

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• We have to sustain that level of giving in the future without having an emergency plea
• So far early bird renewals have had 26% donors
• Members so far have contributed an average $173 per person

Donor memberships are essential

• Need to generate at least $40,000 in funds through membership to cover expenses

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• Spreading that cost among our 200 full members, that would be about $200 needed per member
• A basic membership at $150 plus a companion at $50 averages only $100 per person

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Board voted NOT to raise fees

• The creative, artistic, time and talent contributions of all our people are essential to produce the high quality spectacle we are known for.

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• A price increase could result in a membership decrease, leading to less total funds

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• Many of our costs would not decrease much with fewer members, so a smaller, more elite krewe is definitely NOT more cost-efficient

Finances: Goal: expanding membership

• Need to generate about $40,000 in funds through membership to cover expenses

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• If we increased to 300 full members, that would be about $133 needed per member

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• Intend to keep the whole parade under 1,000 marchers

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Outreach Plans

• Medieval dance cross promotion with GiddyUp2Step
• June 20 Table at Urban South’s mini ren fest
• July 17 Medieval Game Day at Jefferson library
• July 19 Founder Amy’s play at the Jazz Museum in a collab with Art Span NOLA
• August 24 The Messenger movie and film discussion at Canal Place theaters
• Initiatives welcome! Join the outreach team
• Invite friends, use your companion option

Goals for a sustainable future

• Increase donors
• Increase membership
• Improve retention
• Become a 501c3 (currently a 501c7)

Finances: 501c3 Project

• Worked with one paid attorney and also with the Ella Project to get advice
• Filed our first long-form taxes as a 501c7

Help Wanted:

• Treasurer board position
• Small task force of knowledgeable people to focus on the 501c3

Help Wanted:

Foot Soldier volunteer director

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Details about specific projects for carpentry, sewing, throws crafting etc. are on the Meeting Resources page with one sign up form for all the projects

Exciting new plans:

• Launching the member directory
• Enhancing battalions

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Build connections and foster collaboration!

Boosting our storytelling:

Knights Battalion tighter focus as Joan’s first battle to lift the siege of Orléans, France

• New: Adding enemy characters to defend the wall
• Characters wanted: more enemies or specific French knights

Boosting our storytelling:

Orléans Battalion as the victory feast

• New prop: Feast tables (Chris Caravella)
• Signature throw: real, large French baguettes
• Focus on medieval feasting, and iconic French foods since medieval times (wine, bread, cheese)

New Battalion:

Road to Reims

Battalion Lieutenant: Gretchen Zalkind

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Joan’s successful military campaign to take cities back from the English so that Charles could be crowned with the holy anointing oil from the relic at Reims Cathedral

Segue from the Orléans Victory Feast

• Honor guard of Rotarian “knights” escorting the:
• French delegation with the “Joan” from Orléans, France
• Wearing a replica of what Joan wore to the real victory feast in 1429
• Butterflies will follow the French banner

Road to Reims new prop-banner

• With moving LEDs showing the army’s path

Road to Reims performance group

Flag corps with flags for each city Joan liberated, portrayed by the NOLA Angels

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Road to Reims new prop

• Reims Cathedral
• Re-made from the retired Rouen prop
• Emphasis on the relic “Holy Ampulla of France”

New throw Holy Ampulla of France

• Round postcard printed “reliquary” with real one-inch glass bottle with real anointing oil

Road to Reims: Characters Wanted

• Bishop of Reims
• Characters associated with medieval cathedrals, pilgrimage, relics, indulgences
• And/Or, military characters

Boosting our storytelling

• Behind the Reims Cathedral will be our Maid of Honor Joan, king and queen at the coronation
• Saving costs: switching to our own smaller Royal pedicabs with volunteer drivers

Boosting our story telling

• 4 foot soldiers
• 1 new angry-mob style banner: CAPTURED
• Followed by the existing JUDGED and BURNED
• Recycling the old bell tower prop as a prison tower

Boosting our story telling

• Elevate our flaming Joan onto a rolling pyre

Boosting our story telling

• Segue from Flaming Heretics to Restoration
• Angel of Death character with banner (Judy Sheon)
• “We are lost. We have burned a saint.”

Boosting our story telling: Legacy

• Replace Dollies with Louisiana French band and Courir de Mardi Gras in celebration of New Orleans’ French heritage

Stepping off the board

Treasurer Marybeth McBain

New Board Members

Alyssa Fortier, 2019 Maid of Honor

Terri Wilkinson, Restoration Battalion lieutenant

Returning Board members

• Executive committee (A-Team)
• Amy Kirk Duvoisin, founder
• Amanda Helm, co-captain
• Antoinette de Alteriis, co-captain

Returning Board members

• Chris Caravella, Orléans battalion
• Carol Lynch, Legacy battalion
• Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Diocese liaison
• Nathalie Dajko, French and school liaison, Domrémy battalion

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Vote to affirm the 2026-2028 slate of board members

• Amy Kirk Duvoisin
• Amanda Helm
• Antoinette de Alteriis
• Chris Caravella
• Carol Lynch

• Jaymie Stuart Wolfe
• Nathalie Dajko
• Terri Wilkinson
• Alyssa Fortier

Introduce new members

Fealty Ceremony

New members

Returning members

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