Financial Committee Minutes 2016-08

Barony of Madrone
Curia Minutes for
August 8, 2016
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Call to Order: 8:33 pm

Budget sheets handed out.

Storage Unit is overspent.
Fundraising is below where it should be; $600 in the hole
Equestrian Guild is $55 in the hole

Budget is okay so far; donations for Kapka are not bad (drop off in the summer but should pick up in the Fall).

Mistress Etienette reminds us that Overspending must be approved.
Storage unit paid for the whole year up front, so that’s the issue here.
$1120 budgeted, actual $1294.
HL Gera makes this motion
Committee approves.

Equestrian Guild: came in to the year with a balance
Matching funds donation from Microsoft has been problematic this year; Tayla is still working through that.
Have been approving as we go; but need to keep making those adjustments.

HL Gera: up through the end of June, fight practice space plus $35 had been covered; only got $179 this time (which is less than the $300 we like to see in general this month). Will really need to push donations in the fall.
May be auto-pay funds in the mailbox pending (not picked up yet this month)

Baroness Bergdiss mentions that if folks could get a receipt for donation (at the door), more might donate?
HL Emma produces a receipt book for this purpose!!
Also discuss creating a receipt specifically for this purpose to minimize necessary oversight.

Q2 Report: any questions?
• Stefan: Would like to suggest that the Baron and Baroness be comped for events.
o We are adding events, holding more events.
o B&B are required to come to events, etc.
o Right now, about 60% of baronies don’t charge visiting barons and baronesses to come to their events. This brings more people to events.
o Not proposing a policy change at this time, just wants to start a conversation at this time.
• Discussion had regarding whether comping the B&B is a good idea, many baronies do it, many different points of view are expressed here.
• Bergdiss? Allow for particular comps for particular events? Suggestion made and discussed. Need to review financial policy with regard to that item.

Should we put the bank balances in the notes from Curia? Is that supposed to happen?
Discussion:
• Etienette is uncomfortable putting this information on Facebook because of liability issues. We have to publish an income statement (final income statement) once a year via pdf on the website. The form of the income statement is up to the Barony.
• Isolt: there is a limited number of people who attend the business meeting/financial meeting; concern raised that folks were unaware about the financial situation the barony was/is in. need to make this information “gettable” if people are going to be engaged and understand the current situation.
• Stefan: it’s out there anyway.
• Etienette: putting in minutes on Facebook would be bad.
• Stefan: right now there is a link to the minutes; they are not published on Facebook specifically. Working very hard to have transparency.

Financial Policy and Budgeting will begin in October.

Close: 9:05pm