A request of aruba, for Grex. Thoughts, all?

Nov 23 00:33 UTC 2003

In order to facilitate smooth transitions between treasurers, I'd like to
make a rather specific request of aruba, our current treasurer.

This item is for discussion of the request, and sharing of thoughts relating
to it and its purpose.

To wit:  Not assuming that such a thing is not already extant, I'd like to
see the formulation of a document, in electronic format but presented as
straightforwardly as possible, which is essentially a calendar of essential
deadlines and suggested start times to enable timely compliance with all
financial and documentary regulations to which Grex is subject.

For example, this calendar would show both due dates and suggested starting
times for the preparation of annual tax-related forms, insurance premiums,
lease renewals, telecom and internet service contracts (to the extent
applicable), monthly bills including rent and electrical service -- referenced
by the date these bills arrive at the mailbox and the date they're due, etc.

it would be tremendously beneficial to both the treasurer, and the board in
evaluation of the performance of any particular treasurer, to have all this
information in a single, accessible document.

My own preference would be to have this in a list format, with sections headed
by month names, and individual entries with the date, the item description,
and text pointers to other references to the item by date. 
For example:

        January
01      Personal Property Tax due,      prepare beginning 01 December.
12-15   Electric bill expected,         due around 28 January


If the document is in html format, the references could even be hyperlinked,
both internally and to accompanying documents such as service contracts,
leases, submission instructions, etc.

I think it is in the best long-term interests of the organization to make
essential jobs as independent of the individuals who perform them as possible. 
Since the treasurer is primary administrative role within our organization, I
think it makes especially good sense to develop full and easy to use
documentation of the functions of the position.  Let me emphasize the "easy to
use" part.  Given the challenges of the position, the easier it can be made to
assume the position, the easier it will be to get and retain competent persons
in the position.

Mark, I'm sure you have most of this information already gathered in a way that
works for you, and I hope that this request does not present a significant
burden to you, but I imagine you'll have no difficulty understanding my
reasoning.

response 2 of 35:

Nov 23 15:23 UTC 2003

This is a good idea, Eric.  Here's a file I made up a while ago, updated
with a few more dates.  It's not exactly what you asked for, but anyone
could put it into that form.

------
Parts of the treasurer's job:

- Check mail in P.O. box on S. University a few times a week.
- Process any money received in the mail.
- Record any money received via Paypal, and transfer it to bank account.
  - Record all payments and ID information in the database.
  - Send email acknowledgement of all money received.  Include expiration
    date if the money is for membership.
  - Add new members to the /etc/groups file (add to voters if >= 3 months).
  - Thank new members and renewals in Agora.
  - Send handbooks to people who buy them and members who request them.
- Send renewal reminders to members (about once a week).  Maintain 
  cheerful attitude in the face of much stringing along.
- Remove overdue members from the rolls if they admit they're not going to
  renew, or if they are more than 2-3 weeks overdue and there has been no 
  response (the usual case).  Give more leeway to people who have been 
  members for longer, less to those who have only sent $6.
- Answer mail from people who want info about membership.  Usually, can
  just point them to member.html and memfaq.html.
- Follow coop and answer any questions people ask about finances.
- Print handbooks as necessary.

Monthly:

- Pay phone and ISP bills when they come in.  (Both arrive around the
  middle of the month, are due near the end of the month.)
- Pay the rent and electricity bill at end of month.
- Record phone bill in phone bill database. (Optional.)
- Balance the checkbook when the TCF bank statement comes.
- Come to board meetings and present most recent report.
- At end of month, transfer money from the Paypal account to our checking
  account.
- On last buiness day of month, deposit all checks received.
- Create and post treasurer's report in coop.  Ask Katie to link to Agora.
  Requires calling BoAA to find out how much interest we've earned.

Every 3 months:

- Enter the "Becoming a member" item in new Agora.

Yearly:

- (Jan) Change signers on our bank accounts, to reflect the new board.
- (Jan) Fill out and send in our sales tax license return (due at end
   of February).  This is easy since we don't collect sales tax.
- (Jan) Renew our P.O. Box (expiration February 2nd).
- (Jan) Figure out who has donated more than $75 in the past year, and 
  send mail asking if they want a receipt.  If so, print and send a paper 
  receipt.  If no response for a week, repeat mailing.
- (Jan) Pay personal property tax.  This is mostly automated, as long as 
  the inventory database is kept up to date.  The bulk of the work is 
  nagging STeve to assign prices to all our items, and then printing out 
  the attachments on the server, using the numbers from there to fill out 
  the forms, and writing a cover letter explaining that a lot of our stuff 
  doesn't fit into their boxes but is detailed in the attachments. (Due
  January 31st.)
- (Jan) Fill out IRS form 990, tax return for nonprofits.  Since Grex's
  annual income is under $25,000/year, we are not required to file this
  return.  But twice we have been asked for one anyway, when we applied
  for 501(c)3 status and when we applied for a charitable solicitation
  license.  The form is a big hassle, but it's a lot easier to do if it
  was just done the year before.  So this is optional, but I've been
  doing it anyway, just in case we get asked again.  Plus, it's a good
  way to put a cap on the previous year's finances.
- (Jan) Post a summary of the past year's finances in coop.
- (Feb) Renew grex.org (right now, paid through 2/27/2005).
- (Aug) Pay our insurance premium (due August 14th).
- (Sep) Send in Corporation Info Update form (due October 1st).
- (Dec) Renew cyberspace.org (due January 12th).
- (Dec) Try to get rid of as much stuff from the Pumpkin as possible, so
  we don't have to pay taxes on it in January.

During the auction:

- When a payment comes in, send mail to the donor, the buyer, and the 
  auctioneers, telling them the item may now be delivered.  Mark the item 
  as paid in the query database.
- Send reminders to people who haven't paid or haven't delivered their 
  items.

response 4 of 35:

Nov 23 16:47 UTC 2003

Wonderful!  Thanks!  

IIRC, our income from Michigan sources is below the threshold beyond 
which a Michigan tax return is required.

response 8 of 35:

Nov 24 01:54 UTC 2003

Because he made a typographical error.  The file is /etc/group .

response 10 of 35:

Nov 24 06:00 UTC 2003

And your call will get a whole lot more attention than it deserves, 
and a whole lot less than than anything that matters in the 
slightest.

response 12 of 35:

Nov 24 06:18 UTC 2003

Mark, your composure in the face of raging idiocy is highly 
commendable.  You are truly a gentle soul.

response 14 of 35:

Nov 24 20:05 UTC 2003

I had a math professor who used to say, when someone corrected something he
wrote on the board, that the great thing about mathematics is that there is
no point arguing when you're wrong.  I think that's true in lots of other
contexts too.

response 16 of 35:

Nov 24 20:43 UTC 2003

I can't think of anything on my list which will change when the new machine
comes up, except that I can be much cheerier when encouraging people to
become members.

One thing I didn't include but should have is the date our DSL contract
renews each year; I should look that up when I get home.  Mary has always
handled the lease renewals, so she'll have to enter the relevant dates for
that.  Out lease runs Jun 1st - May 31st.

Also, while I think of it, we need to renew our Certificate of Assumed
Name once every 6 years or so.  I just did it last year, so we're handled
for a while. 

response 18 of 35:

Nov 24 23:42 UTC 2003

We need to let our landlord know, in writing, of our
intent to renew our lease, within 120 days of the
lease expiring.  So you could put down January 1-14
as the period in which the board should authorize
such an action, with the letter being due January 31st.

If I remember correctly we have one more year in
which to renew, then we'll have to negotiate a 
new contract.

response 20 of 35:

Nov 25 02:19 UTC 2003

Looks like our DSL contract runs from July 15th to July 14th.  It
automatically renews each year unless we tell them otherwise by June 15th.
(And they have to tell us by May 15th if they're going to raise the rate.)

response 22 of 35:

Jan 27 00:23 UTC 2004

i think assumed names in wastenaw coutry are *5* year renewals, not 6.
  
but i may be wroing.

response 24 of 35:

Jan 27 16:02 UTC 2004

Wasn't GreX supposed to drop the domain grex.org a while back?