[Businessmtg] Prudent Reserve / Donation

[Emee Arthur]

HELLO,
THIS IS EMEE AND I AGREE WITH MOST OF WHAT JERRY SHARED HERE ON THESE THREE ISSUES. I AM STILL UNCLEAR ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE VERSES A SET AMOUNT BUT I DO AGREE WITH JERRY WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. 
EMEE



> Please focus our discussion further on: 
> ~percentage versus set amount 
> ~frequency 
> ~is there a need to give an amount immediately 

> ~percentage versus set amount: 
> 

> If we have a set Prudent Reserve [we do: one year's 
> 
> expenses; currently stated as $1,300 +/-, but variable 
> 
> as expenses vary] I see no reason to hold more than 
> 
> that amount in our treasury by only donating a portion 
> 
> of our Excess Funds by using a percentage. In effect this 
> 
> would be increasing ASP's Prudent Reserve beyond our 
> 
> current agreement. If our current P.R. is insufficient 
> 
> for our group's financial safety (and there is no evidence 
> 
> that it is) we should be addressing that problem directly 
> 
> not through limiting the donation of our excesses. 
> 
>   
> 
> ~frequency: 
> 
>  I AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING
> 
> Often groups let funds languish in their treasury until there 
> 
> is enough money to make one big donation. Meanwhile Districts, 
> 
> Areas, or world-wide service can be in need of funding. I see 
> 
> no reason to let money sit for long periods in our treasury. 
> 
> I believe quarterly donations are reasonable for ASP. 
> 
>   
> I AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING

> In addition believe that the Treasurer should be authorized to 
> 
> follow a clear ASP policy regarding donations without having to seek 
> 
> quarterly approval from the Business Meeting. A quarterly report 
> 
> to the full ASP membership list should be sufficient, provided 
> 
> that the donation can be verified by the List Administrator or 
> 
> Secretary through independent means. 
> 
>   
> 
> ~is there a need to give an amount immediately: 
> 
>   
> I AGREE WITH THIS.         
> Yes. 
> 
>   
> 
THE FOLLOWING IS TRUE AS I SEE IT.
> As ASP's past treasurer with 5 years in office I know that we have 
> 
> held funds over our set Prudent Reserve year after year after year 
> 
> because of a lack of agreement on where these funds should and should 
> 
> not go. There never has been a significant disagreement on whether 
> 
> or not donations should be made. 
> 
>   
> I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS
> Just because ASP's Business Meeting has been unable [for the better part 
> 
> of a decade!] to arrive at a policy regarding where our donations are to 
> 
> go does not, in my mind, relieve us of our past consensus to donate. 
> 
>   
* I AGREE.
> It is my position that ASP needs to make full amends for its past inactions 
> 
> by donating all of our funds in excess of our agreed-to Prudent Reserve. 
> 
>   
*AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING
> At the end of 2012 we had $2,037 in our treasury. Holding back our stated 
> 
> Prudent Reserve of $1,301 leaves an Excess Funds amount of $736. In order 
> 
> to make full amends I suggest that we send that amount out as a donation in 
> 
> short order. If our average actual annual expenses have differed from our 
> 
> agreed-to P.R. amount I would have no problem using that figure rather than 
> 
> the $1,301 figure to arrive at a donation amount which would make our amends. 
> 
> _ _ _ _ _ 
> 
>   
*I LIKE THE FOLLOWING IDEA
> Once ASP has made these amends, I believe that ASP's financial policies 
> 
> should be altered to include, 1) one-year's basic expenses as a Prudent Reserve 
> 
> (only that amount necessary to keep our doors open) PLUS 2) a small Operating Fund 
> 
> for regular expenses and projected or unexpected expenses for the near future. 
> 
> I could see this Operating Fund being in the neighborhood of $300 - $500 annually. 
> 
> That way the money would be there to pay for our monthly bills, our post office box, 
> 
> and buy Beginner's Packets or new software without ever having to dip into our 
> 
> Prudent Reserve. Future donations would be made considering both our Prudent Reserve 
> 
> amount and our Operating Fund balances. 
> 
>   
*I ABSOLUTELY AGREE
> Too, any new ASP activities should only be approved after having considered 
> 
> the willingness and ability of the ASP membership to support them financially. 
> 
> Otherwise we could put ourselves in the position of not fulfilling our primary 
> 
> obligations of being fully self-supporting AND  financially supportive of appropriate 
> 
> Al-Anon service structures. 

*EMEE'S REPLY TO JERRY'S PROPOSAL