[Ravensfort] FW: [SCA-Exchequers] Exchequers are COOL!

Isobail inghean Gilla Chriosd isobail at ev1.net
Wed Jul 20 11:53:53 PDT 2005


Forwarded with permission--

Piroska--the next time I see you I owe you a hug (read on and find out
why)..

In Service I Remain....
Lady Isobail inghean Gilla Chriosd
Acting Kingdom Exchequer
exchequer at ansteorra.org 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: SCA-Exchequers at yahoogroups.com [mailto:SCA-Exchequers at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of maestraghita
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 1:44 PM
To: SCA-Exchequers at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [SCA-Exchequers] Exchequers are COOL!

Greetings.

It has come to my attention that there are some areas of the SCA where there
is a difficulty finding and retaining competent exchequers. I want to try to
stop that by explaining just how easy and cool and nifty it really IS to be
an exchequer!

1) I believe it is an HONOR to be an exchequer. You are being trusted with
commonly held assets, trusted to manage those assets correctly, trusted to
keep the records of those assets so that anyone else could understand the
branch's finances, and trusted to report back to the group accurately the
use of assets by the group. 
Good exchequers should be respected!

2) I believe the office of exchequer is the second-most important office in
the group, second only to the position of Seneschal. 
Branches that don't have money don't thrive. Branches that don't use their
money effectively stagnate. Branches that let their assets decay from misuse
or neglect don't last long. Good exchequers help keep branches healthy!

3) I believe the office of exchequer is instrumental in branch decision
making - because almost every decision a branch makes involves an asset of
some kind, usually cash. The Exchequer provides information for proposals -
can we afford to do X with what we have? 
How do we estimate a budget so we can not lose money on this activity? What
were the budgets for the last three events of that kind that we held so we
can start there for the budget for this year's event? etc. Good exchequers
help direct branch activity!

4) I believe the office of exchequer is essential to keeping the branch out
of financial trouble - by making sure that any transaction follows the
rules. They don't have to approve every transaction, they just have to make
sure they're allowable. The finance committee (which includes the exchequer)
decides approvals of transactions once the exchequer says they are
allowable. BUT, the exchequer is the first gate for any transaction to
screen out the transactions that would get a branch in trouble. Good
exchequers keep the branch out of financial trouble!

5) I believe the office of exchequer is interesting - you get to know about
all the activities of the branch, see all the cool things people do, and
help them find ways to do more cool and interesting things with the
community funds, as well as try to increase the community funds for the
benefit of all. Anyone who helps a branch find ways to earn more money to do
more stuff should be considered a hero! 

6) A successful tenure as exchequer can be used on a résumé to show
trustworthiness for being a local treasurer for a branch of an international
non-profit organization. 

7) I believe the office of exchequer is the EASIEST office in this
organization to hold. Really! Here's why:
a) The reports are all templates - and now even easier to use. I don't know
of any other office in this organization where your entire report is
basically fill in the blanks, and you can see right away if the report is
acceptable because it balances.
b) The rules are based on current reality - not on something someone would
have to research or learn that they wouldn't use in their modern life. The
duties of this office (balancing a checkbook, etc.) all are the same as
duties you need to perform for yourself anyway. 
No specialized skills or knowledge required.
c) The rules are 99.9% black and white, pretty clearly laid out, and easily
accessible. The rules are based on common sense. If the rules say NO, then
the answer is NO. Every time. The exchequer determines whether a transaction
is allowable. 
d) The decisions regarding allowable transactions (once they are ruled
allowable) are *shared* with others in the branch - so no one person has to
own the responsibility of saying yes to spending decisions using community
property on their own. That's why we've been working toward the financial
committee model all the way down to the local branch level. The exchequer
can veto unilaterally based on the expense being against the rules, but once
the transaction is said to be allowable, then a *team* determines desirable.

Therefore, it is easy, cool and nifty to be an exchequer! Go hug yours
today! :)

NOTE: There is a difference between allowable and desirable which is where
some people might get an incorrect impression of either their duty as
exchequer or the decisions an exchequer makes. 

There are certain things we *cannot* do with our funds. The exchequer
determines *allowable*. 

There are a lot of *other* things that we maybe shouldn't do but are still
allowed: buy something unnecessary or buy something necessary at that price
or at that time. Desirable depends on your viewpoint. 
The branch's financial committee (at least three people) determine
*desirable* as a team. They have to, by a majority, agree that the purchase
should be made before it can happen.

If a shire decides to spend $500 on a gold-plated gem-encrusted wubbie in a
velvet-lined oaken box with leather bindings that they only take out once a
year to wave around for five minutes to show everyone that they have it,
they can. It's a pretty useless item to most of us, but if it has some
significance to the branch and the financial committee approves the
purchase, they can have it. Their justification could be that making the
gold-plated gem-encrusted wubbie with the velvet-lined oaken box with
leather bindings was a medieval project so that branch members could learn
medieval techniques for gold-plating, gem-mounting, velvet-lining, box-
making, and leather-binding. They don't need one as long as the financial
committee approves it (even if the exchequer votes against it).

If a shire decides to spend $500 on a set of knives for the chef's guild but
they only have one event a year, that's fine. It would be good if they
shopped around to see if they could get the same or similar set of knives
for less somewhere else, but if they have to have it now, and the financial
committee approves the purchase (even if the exchequer votes against it),
they can have it.

If a shire decides to accept a $10,000 donation from someone with the
stipulations that a demo is performed every year for the next five years at
a faire that the donor holds with at least 10 fighters attending, an
ironwork and cooking demo with brick ovens, and at least 7 period tents
showing different medieval crafts, otherwise the shire will have to pay for
professional demonstrators of the missing items to appear, and they think
they can commit to those requirements, then they can accept the donation. It
may not be seen as a good idea by others, but if that branch's financial
committee thinks they can fulfill those requirements and accept the
consequences if they don't, then they can accept the donation with the
stipulations. If the donation depended on providing mead for madrigal
dinners for the next 7 years, then we couldn't accept the donation because
alcohol was involved. If the donation specified that the donation (all or in
part) must be returned if the stipulations are not met, we cannot accept the
donation because once money is donated to us, it can't be returned. The
exchequer would have to deny the donation for the last two versions, but
turn over consideration of the donation to the financial committee for the
first version.

I hope this clears things up, and shows that being an exchequer is no worse
than any other office, is easy to hold, and can be an interesting job in our
volunteer organization.

Susan Earley
Maestra Margherita Alessia, known as Ghita Society Exchequer

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