[Businessmtg] Giving Trends Question

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Biz-Pals,

In response to the request for information on membership
donation trends I refer all to the ASP web site "Financial Report."
There can be found the exact amounts donated each month which
can be contrasted with our monthly expenses ($107.00/mo. avg.)

http://www.asp-afg.org/ASP/MembersOnly/index.htm
- click on "7th Tradition", then
- scroll down to (and click on) "Financial Report"
- (to see prior years click where prompted)

Assuming that more knowledge in a KBDM discussion is better than less,
I have tossed together the following summary. (I rounded the figures a tad for
simplicity so the numbers don't match the official Financial Report exactly.)

The membership has provided amply to support our current spending while
building and maintaining our prudent reserve. The vast majority of months for the
year and a half since our reorganization have had a surplus - sometimes a significant
surplus. Looking at the history, it appears that the members donated more-or-less
similarly for those months prior to our reorganization.

Since I have been treasurer there have been 4 months where donations have fallen
short of  $107.00. One as I recall being a month where I was suffering from some
bank account switching, and three others ($75, $76 & $85 respectively.) During this
time the average donations have been $167 per month. The high month was $341.

If a trend can be identified for the two+ years ASP has accepted donations
it is that the membership clearly supports our current expense load plus the
creation of more than a $1,400 reserve over that period (roughly an extra
$60 each month on average.)

Projecting this same performance over the next two years isn't something
I'd care to do. The guiding principle in Al-Anon is that a group, district,
area, or WSO obliges itself to spend no more than the membership provides,
and we are doing so. Two years into this self-supporting effort we have paid
all our bills, donated a bit to WSO, and built up a reserve that would in all
probability keep our doors open for over a year even if $0.00 were received
in donations during that time.

Hope this info answers the question posed.

Jerry H.,
ASP Treasurer