[Ravensfort] budget

Sun Feb 13 09:10:49 PST 2011

You are correct. It is my choice. If the wave of the future in the SCA is 
electronic kingdom newsletters and local newsletters, then I will feel that we 
are losing things that make us a unique group. That is my right and my feelings. 
Take it at that.

Devin

________________________________
From: Sher M <runa.herd at earthlink.net>
To: Barony of Raven's Fort <ravensfort at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sun, February 13, 2011 10:45:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Ravensfort] budget

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is to hold a 
warranted office you have to be a paying member.

Lady Runa of The Thundering Herd
Barony of Raven's Fort
Knight Marshal
Deputy Minister of Arts
Apprentice to Mistress Shanahan
----- Original Message ----- 
>From: David Brown 
>To: Cathal SilAlmhain ; ravensfort at lists.ansteorra.org 
>Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2011 10:03 AM
>Subject: Re: [Ravensfort] budget
>
>
>And that is what I plan to do. I will not be renewing my membership when it 
>comes time. I think the SCA is becoming too modern. Sure we need the things of 
>our modern world but we are supposed to be re-creating pre 17th century Europe. 
>To my knowledge they did not have electronic newsletters or any other form of 
>electronic communication.
>Whats next?
>I guess we can have virtual events.
>
>Devin
>
>
>
>
________________________________
From: Cathal SilAlmhain <silalmhain at yahoo.com>
>To: ravensfort at lists.ansteorra.org
>Sent: Sun, February 13, 2011 9:53:40 AM
>Subject: [Ravensfort] budget
>
>That was a nice email.  Just a few observations:
>
>The two-second background: I am an attorney, and I have sat as both officer and 
>director of a dozen non-for profit groups, including one that has ten times the 
>annual budget of the SCA.
>
>BOD meetings and expenses (lines 54-56) total $89,650, or 7% of the total 
>expenditures.  If they are having quarterly meetings, that is $20,000+ per 
>meeting.  That does seem a bit like overkill.  If they are having more than 
>quarterly meetings, they need to stop.
>
>Really, I am much more concerned about line 65, bank and credit card fees.  Now 
>that is a total waste of money.
>
>Notice also that we can cut $45,000 by eliminating membership cards (have the 
>member print the info from the web and do all renewal online).
>
>I am also really concerned about line 22.  $23,000 in interest/dividend income 
>means that (by reverse extrapolation) at--let's be generous and say 5% interest, 
>which is unrealistically generous, but, for the sake of arguement--that means 
>the SCA inc. has $460,000 squirreled away somewhere, just gaining interest.  If 
>it is at 2% interest, which is more likely, then it has over a million in 
>savings.  For what?  
>
>Everybody: having a rainy day fund for your own personal finances is a very 
>smart thing to do, and I recommend it.  Having a rainy day fund for your 
>business is also smart, in order to take care of the unexpected.  Having a rainy 
>day fund for a non-profit that delivers non-essential services (essential 
>services are health care, homeless shelter, etc.,--stuff that if not provided, 
>someone might die) is simply mismanagement.  It is prudent people who think they 
>are doing a smart thing, when in fact they are just shoving a square peg into a 
>round hole.
>
>Lastly, look at the three biggest single-line item expenses.  1.  salaries.  I 
>don't think anyone is going to argue that they don't deserve to be paid for the 
>work that they do, and it is unlikely (although possible) that they are overpaid 
>for their work.  2. newsletter stipends paid for kingdom newsletters.  We are 
>long overdue for switching to electronic media.  Purists and aesthetes can argue 
>for the enjoyment of a hardcopy all they want, in the end it is just wasted 
>paper, time, and money.  However, if we cut that, you can guarantee that they 
>won't be cutting memebrship fees (just give up on that idea, it ain't gonna 
>happen) and so we are rightly concerned about what line item they are going to 
>increase. 3. Insurance.  Well, we gotta have that.
>
>I suggest that we establish our own rainy-day sinking fund for the production of 
>a limited number of local newsletters, and switch to our own online version 
>immediately, if we have not already done so.  Alternatively, switch everyone to 
>electronic, distribute it via this list (or other email address as necessary), 
>and allow for harcopies to be produced and purchased for additional expense.
>
>Incidentally, the best way to protest this change, if protest you want, is to 
>not renew your membership, and tell them that you will not be renewing for so 
>long as they continue with their policy.  Hit them in their #1 income line: 
>membership fees.  I applaud dom and charles for renewing for 3 years, but I 
>always pay yearly, so that I can bank on saying no, and not paying, whenever the 
>empire does something I don't like.
>
>Just my thoughts, dear friends.
>Cathal
>the anti-federalist
>
>
>
>
>--- On Sat, 2/12/11, Joe McGrew <oscagne at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> From: Joe McGrew <oscagne at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [Ravensfort] Fw: [Ansteorra-announce] [Announcements] Newsletter 
>>Production Stipends
>> To: ravensfort at lists.ansteorra.org
>> Date: Saturday, February 12, 2011, 12:13 PM
>> On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 1:59 PM, SF
>> Tester <sftester2 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > I'd like to see how much is spent on the board
>> meetings, salaries,
>> > transportation, meals, and so on, personally.
>> 
>> Ok...
>> 
>> http://www.sca.org/officers/treasurer/2010budget.xls
>> 
>> Gregor
>> _______________________________________________
>> Ravensfort mailing list
>> Ravensfort at lists.ansteorra.org
>> http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/ravensfort-ansteorra.org
>> 
>
>
>      
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