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Grex > Coop11 > #202: Splitting the Treasurer's Job | |
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mary
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Splitting the Treasurer's Job
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Sep 26 12:55 UTC 2000 |
There was a short discussion at last night's board meeting of
maybe creating a new appointed position, someone who might take
on some of the more routine duties of the treasurer. The job, as
is, requires a lot of attention - maybe more than is reasonable to
expect from a single volunteer.
I have some ideas on how this workload could be split-up to
facilitate less work instead of more, but I'd really like to hear
from the experts, meaning aruba and flem, before getting too far
ahead.
Would having a membership secretary, or bookkeeper, or assistant to the
treasurer be a help? Would it maybe encourage some folks to run for the
board who otherwise might be intimidated from doing so because of the
chance of landing the treasurer's job as is?
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| 29 responses total. |
willard
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response 1 of 29:
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Sep 26 13:14 UTC 2000 |
I volunteer to help with Grex's finances.
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sno
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response 2 of 29:
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Sep 26 13:53 UTC 2000 |
My experience from M-Net is that having two people handle the range of
treasurer duties can be both painful and useful. Details are that
having to report activity regularly may cause some frustrating delays
in function. As much as we'd like to think that this is a communicative
society, we are actually more isolated and independent.
I had a lot of duties for M-Net, including PO Box trips, bank trips,
updating and expiring accounts, bill paying, and reporting all that
activity. Yes, it is a burden, but when done diligently it can only
be diminished by distribution.
Just my two cents.
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aruba
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response 3 of 29:
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Sep 26 14:08 UTC 2000 |
As I see it, the difficulty that must be overcome to split the treasurer's
job up is the sharing of data. Right now there is a database on Greg's
machine (used to be on mine) at home which contains the information about
what money we've received, who the members are and when their memberships
expire, what items are available in the Grex Store, etc. Almost all
treasurer tasks require some access to that database.
So it seems to me that in order to split the job, we'd need to make the data
available from two locations. We don't want to put it on Grex, though,
because it contains the ID information that people give us in confidence, as
well as the routine transaction record which, while not particularly
sensitive, is still not something that should be publically accessible, I
think.
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aruba
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response 4 of 29:
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Sep 26 14:12 UTC 2000 |
People at the meeting were interested in a detailed breakdown of what the
treasurer does. Here is the description I wrote for Greg when I turned the
job over to him in January. It probably contains more than you wanted to
know about the standard messages sent out, but I left them in to give an
idea of the level of customization they require.
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aruba
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response 5 of 29:
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Sep 26 14:13 UTC 2000 |
How I do the treasurer's job:
Every few days:
---------------
Check the mailbox and bring home any mail.
Record any money received in the database and send thank-yous.
About every week:
-----------------
Send mail to members whose accounts are past due or due within the month,
reminding them of their status.
At the end of the month:
------------------------
Pay the phone bill and the rent+electricity bill.
Post the treasurer's report in coop. Send mail to katie and ask her to link
it to agora.
Present the treasurer's report at the board meeting.
Once every 3 months:
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Enter the "Becoming a Member" item in each new Agora.
Once every 6 months:
--------------------
Give a detailed report to the board, with charts.
Once a year:
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Pay for renewal of cyberspace.org.
Pay for renewal of grex.org.
Send in Grex's sales tax license return.
Pay for renewal of P.O. Box.
Pay our insurance premium.
Send receipts to everyone who wants one.
Standard messages:
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When a user's dues are up sometime between now and one month from now:
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Subject: Grex Membership
This is a low-pressure reminder that your membership will expire on ##/##/##.
I hope you will consider renewing soon. Any way you can get money to me is
fine, but the best ways are:
1) Mail it to:
Cyberspace Communications, Inc.
P. O. Box 4432
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4432
2) Catch me in person. I can be found at Grex board meetings, Grex walks,
and various other places.
If it's easier for you to give money to someone who can relay it to me, then
by all means do so. But the faster the money gets to me the better.
Dues are still just $6/month or $60/year. Plus, if you renew for 3 months or
more, you can request a copy of the 32-page Grex handbook, "Wizard in
Training" (last revised April 1998), up to one per member.
----------------------
When a user's dues expired within the last two weeks:
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Subject: Grex Membership
You may not have realized it, but your membership
expired ##/##/##! If I don't hear from you soon, I'll have to remove you from
the members, voters, and internet user groups.
Membership dues are still only $6/month or $60/year. Send cash, checks,
or money orders to:
Cyberspace Communications, Inc.
P.O. Box 4432
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4432
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When a user's dues expired more than two weeks ago:
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Subject: Grex Membership
Hi <name of user> - Your Grex membership expired ##/##/##. Are you planning
on renewing? If you could reply to this message and let me know, one way or
the other, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
----------------------
When I remove a user who hasn't paid:
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Subject: Grex Membership
Hi <name of user>. Well, I haven't heard from you in a while, and your Grex
membership expired on ##/##/##, so I'm going to go ahead and remove you from
the rolls. Grex very much appreciates all your support in the past, and I
hope you decide to become a member again in the future.
{
Then edit /etc/group and remove the login from the members, voters,
internet, and usenet groups.
}
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When I get any payment:
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{
Add a row to the credits table for each part of the payment. For
instance, if a check is partly for membership dues and partly for an
auction item, enter two lines in the table.
}
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When I get payment for a new membership:
----------------------
{
Add a row to the members table with the user's login and expiration
date.
Add or update a row in the meminfo table with the user's contact and
ID information.
Edit /etc/group and add the login to the members, usenet, and internet
groups. If the user paid for 3 months or more, add him/her to the
voters group.
In the following message, include the text in brackets only if he/she
paid $18 or more.
}
Subject: Money Received
Hi <name of user> - I got your {check/money order} today - thanks! I've added
you to the members [, voters,] and internet groups. Your membership is paid
through ##/##/##.
[You are entitled to a copy of the 32-page Grex handbook if you'd like one.
Just let me know and I'll send one out.]
If you have any questions about membership, please feel free to ask.
Otherwise, enjoy!
{
Go to the "Becoming a Member" item in Agora and enter a thank you,
using the user's real name and login. As in,
"Please welcome Jan Wolter (janc) as our newest member."
Unless, of course, the member asked not to be thanked or not to be
thanked by real name.
}
----------------------
When I get payment for renewal of a membership:
----------------------
{
Update the member's row in the members table with the new expiration
date.
Update (if necessary) the member's row in the meminfo table with any
new contact and ID information.
If the user has just passed the point of becoming a voter, change that
in the members table and edit /etc/group and add him/her to the voters
group. (This is rare - usually people are either voters all the way
or they pay $6 or $12 once and then disappear.)
}
Subject: Money Received
Hi <user's name> - I got your {check/money order} today - thanks! Your
membership is paid through ##/##/##.
----------------------
When I get payment for an auction item:
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{
On Grex, run the command
query buyer userid
for the user who sent the payment, to find out what item(s) he/she is
paying for and who the donors of the items are.
}
Subject: Money Received
CC: auction, <list of donors>
Hi <buyer's name> - I got your check today - thanks! <names of donors>:
<name of payer> has now paid for <list of items>, so you are hereby authorized
to deliver them. <name of buyer>, if you could send mail to "auction" when
you receive the items, to let the auctioneers know you got them, it will help
them make sure everything gets delivered. Thanks to all of you for supporting
Grex!
Tips:
- Keep copies of mail from people promising to pay. If they don't pay, you'll
want to reply to them and include a copy of the promise.
Other stuff:
- I kept a database which breaks down our phone bills into their component
parts. This helped with the 6-monthly reports.
- http://www.cyberspace.org/member.html and memfaq.html are about
membership, and need to be updated with any changes in the way we do business,
or with any frequently asked questions that the treasurer is tired of
answering.
Policy on delinquent board members:
If a board member is late paying his or her dues, the treasurer will
inform the entire board by e-mail. If he or she still has not paid by the
time the "New Business" item is reached at the end of the next board
meeting, the board will consider the matter and take appropriate action.
This may include declaring the board member's seat vacant.
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willard
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response 6 of 29:
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Sep 26 14:30 UTC 2000 |
I volunteer.
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flem
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response 7 of 29:
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Sep 26 16:08 UTC 2000 |
I have much to say on the subject, but unfortunately, I also have an early
afternoon meeting to prepare for, and several more lengthy things to post.
Soon...
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krj
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response 8 of 29:
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Sep 26 19:08 UTC 2000 |
One thing that suggests itself is that flem probably needs not to be
the person responsible for ordering phone line disconnects.
I suspect this got handed to the treasurer originally because the
treasurer dealt with the Ameritech bill?
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willard
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response 9 of 29:
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Sep 26 20:18 UTC 2000 |
I volunteer to fill the position of treasurer, or at the very least to
assist Grex in managing its finances.
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birdy
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response 10 of 29:
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Sep 26 21:09 UTC 2000 |
Are the finances kept track of in Excel? I kept noticing things like "add
a row", etc. If they are, then it would be easy to transfer it to a second
computer.
s/Excel/Excel or Access
It definitely strikes me as a difficult job, and I agree Greg may need help
with things that aren't so much the treasurer's job as things that are
*handed* to the treasurer (like the phone lines).
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mary
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response 11 of 29:
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Sep 26 22:39 UTC 2000 |
Mark, what if there was a membership administrator (czar, person,
whatever) who had responsibility for all keeping up with dues due and paid,
including the banking of membership dues. This person would send out all
notices of memberships soon to lapse and, for voting purposes, know who is
a valid member at all times. This person would deposit any funds received
then notify the treasurer of the deposit. He would also keep track of
dues received by credit card online. Any funds drawn on the account would
be done by the treasurer. Any inquiries about membership status and dues
goes to this person. In the event Grex needed to rebate money the
treasurer steps in and sends the check.
Would off-loading all membership related business give the treasurer
enough relief so that issues related to credit card use, the store,
telephone line bills, insurance, leases, taxes, investment accounts and
most everything else that comes up might be easier to handle?
If not, I'd suggest the "assistant" be available for specific
duties the treasurer needed to dump, er, delegate from time to time.
I'd suggest Mark Conger as the perfect person for this position.
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gull
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response 12 of 29:
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Sep 26 22:55 UTC 2000 |
Hmm...I like the idea of an 'assistant treasurer' position that's
responsible for whatever the treasurer delegates. It'd help a lot in
situations like, 'I know we should drop those two lines, but I don't have
time right now to talk to Ameriwreck.' Instead of putting it off, the
treasurer could ask the assistant treasurer to do it.
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birdy
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response 13 of 29:
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Sep 26 23:47 UTC 2000 |
It's a neat idea. =) Kind of like an administrative assistant. "Please do
this for me" and "Let me know how this is going" sort of stuff.
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carson
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response 14 of 29:
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Sep 27 00:01 UTC 2000 |
why is response #0 a "double response" what mary typed appears twice in
the response (at least to me)
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mary
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response 15 of 29:
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Sep 27 00:05 UTC 2000 |
It's weird, actually. As I was entering this item, while on
duty in the operating room, the OR server crashed. I was
surprised to see it even got entered.
On my screen it's simply a lot of dead space with one group of
words that whip by so quickly I can't make them out and then
they don't show up in the buffer.
Something about "rats....".
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birdy
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response 16 of 29:
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Sep 27 04:01 UTC 2000 |
I see Mary's text and then a large space before the responses start. I didn't
know she was at work and thought maybe the cat stepped on the space bar. =)
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flem
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response 17 of 29:
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Sep 27 16:20 UTC 2000 |
(I just hope it wasn't one of my programs that crashed the OR server. :)
The membership assistant thing sounds interesting. Obviously, it would
certainly help divide the workload. It could well be workable, too, in terms
of data logistics.
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aruba
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response 18 of 29:
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Sep 27 22:25 UTC 2000 |
Hmmm. Well, It would still be a good idea for the treasurer and assistant
to share a database. Separating out the member stuff isn't quite as
straightforward as one might think. When, say, the assistant treasurer goes
to the p.o. box, he might find half a dozen checks. Some of these might be
for membership dues, some might be for auction payments, and some might be
for a mixture of the two.
A different way to separate the duties might be to have one person
responsible for credit card transactions and another for checks and money
orders. That would certainly require sharing of data.
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other
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response 19 of 29:
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Sep 28 01:27 UTC 2000 |
Willard: Thank you for your interest in this position. Though the position
is not as yet created, we are willing to consider specific persons interested
in filling it.
In order that we may take seriously your offer, please provide details
regarding your qualifications for the position, and a statement of why the
Board of Directors should appoint you rather than another candidate.
Be aware that a requirement for this position will be residency in sufficient
proximity to Ann Arbor as to make possible weekly visits to collect mail at
our PO box, and attendance at Board meetings as required by the treasurer.
Thanks again, and I look forward to receiving the above mentioned items either
via email to board@cyberspace.org or via posting in this conference item.
- Eric R. Bassey, Chairman
Cyberspace Communications, Incorporated
P.S. All other interested parties will be asked for the same information,
unless it is already known to the board. Only the Board of Directors and
staff of Grex will have access to this information unless publication or
posting is authorized by the candidate.
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flem
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response 20 of 29:
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Sep 28 14:49 UTC 2000 |
re resp:19 -- I imagine that I'd not be too comfortable sharing these
duties with anyone who wasn't at least a member, as well.
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other
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response 21 of 29:
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Sep 29 00:12 UTC 2000 |
Thank you. Good point.
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janc
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response 22 of 29:
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Oct 1 03:32 UTC 2000 |
On sharing the financial database:
It seems to me that the information that most needs to be shared is also
the least sensitive. Suppose we separate out the parts of the database
that say "login-ID such-and-such sent so-and-so much money on this date"
and put that up on a system on the net. This would encompass only
membership, aucton and pledge drive donations. Records of other
donations and grex shop purchases would not be in the shared database.
There would be no identifying information about people beyond the login
(and UID?) (or a randomly assigned designator for the rare donation from
a person without an account).
Records of user identity, pure donations, and grex shop purchases would
be kept on the treasurers personal computer. Assistants who collect any
of this information would email it to the treasure who would enter it in
his database (there is great need for caution here). Data for the
shared database would be entered directly by whomever collected it.
The membership, auction and pledge drive records are the only ones that
anyone other than the treasurer regularly need 'read' access to. To
remind members when they should renew, to compile lists of eligable
voters, to remind people to deliver/pay for their auction items, to
remind people to pay their pledge drives. None of this information is
all that sensitive. Anyone can figure out which logins are members, and
make a reasonable guess at how much they paid. Auctions and pledge
drives are pretty public. There are occassions when it is slightly
sensitive, but not many. We'd make reasonable efforts to keep it
secure, but I think it'd be fine on another machine on Grex's net or
even on Grex.
Once you have something like that in place, I think splitting things is
pretty easy. One person does the credit card site. One does the
mailbox. They enter part of the information into the shared site, and
part into a spreadsheet on their own computer. The spreadsheet gets
emailed regularly to the treasurer for incorporation into the master
database.
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dpc
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response 23 of 29:
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Oct 11 13:52 UTC 2000 |
As M-Net's treasurer emeritus, I'm not sure that splitting the
treasurer's duties makes much sense. I was able to handle
the kinds of things that Greg outlines, and was never able
to figure out how to split stuff without making things a *lot*
more difficult for everyone.
What I would suggest is that Greg should *never* be
responsible for dealing with Ameritech, the landlord, or other
tasks that somehow got handed to him.
Plus, if we stop pursuing the credit card chimera,
I expect Greg's life will become more tolerable.
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jp2
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response 24 of 29:
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Oct 11 15:46 UTC 2000 |
This response has been erased.
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