OIAA FINANCE COMMITTEE

Meeting Minutes

August 14, 2023
Time zone: Pacific/Honolulu (GMT-10)

 

1. Jennifer opened the meeting with the Serenity Prayer
   12:01 PM

2. List of Those in Attendance:
   
   Gwen M, OIAA finance committee member
   Jennifer B, OIAA finance committee chair
   Susan R, OIAA board chair
   Felix E, OIAA finance committee alt treasurer

Ellen F, new to AA / attending various committees to find a good service fit.

Amelia, OIAA board alt secretary

1. Approval of Agenda

 

No clear approval on transcript

1. Approval of Prior Month’s Minutes

 

Approved 12:09 PM

1. Review of Financial Reports
   1. Budget Variance
   2. Balance Sheet
   3. Contributions

 

Approved 12:10 PM

 

1. New Business

1. 2024 Committee budgets 

Jennifer presented 4 requests for the 2024 budget, as follow  

• IGR Forum Planning Committee budget request: $4,160 for translation services for 4 IGR Forums.

Forums are 2 hours and calculated for 4 languages.  Spanish, French, Portuguese and ASL.  These funds may not be all be incurred depending on the growth of our organization in the International realm. 

 

There was discussion clarifying  IGR forms and which individual or committee handles them. The board vice chair handles those. Susan,, Jeff, and Fran? comprised  the committee primarily, and  sometimes Jane R.  The new vice chair is making plans to perhaps reduce the number of activities in  October, and to possibly provide some presentations. Esther on the IGR’s, wanted more information about It was also to be held four times a  year because we get a constant turnover of IG reps and they come in here not knowing what to do. There’s a little half-an-hour tutorial at the beginning of these  things.  It is planned to  meet with the new IGR’s and just  tell them they’re responsibilities,  talk about given reports and things like that. It is a board run event.All unbudgeted requests under discussion are for 2024. There are no unbudgeted requests for the September assembly. 

Gwen gave some background on the IGR Forum in regards to this  budgeted request.  The first intergroup forum was just a little over 1.5 yrs ago. That was mainly as a test and that was initiated  by Gwen and Jeff and they put the call out for volunteers. That’s how they recruited. That was not only our first  intergroup rep forum, but that was the  first time we ever met in real time as an intergroup membership. We have learned so much from this process in a short amount of time and because it was something we were trying for the first  time, whoever had the time to pick up a piece of it worked on it.  It was never really was a  committee project but just the  project that people felt was really necessary to reach our membership.

Idaho suggested that, since there are so many activities going in on in this organization, evaluation processes need to be built. Especially in terms of how much we are asking of  the membership. Because we’ve had two assemblies in two months.

• Convention 89th Birthday Committee budget request: $800 for interpreters.

 

Jennifer suggests that since convention is asking for $800 for interpreters, putting that item in interpreters line and build the budget and the financials. She suggested to include that line item across the board, and that way each event will have a translation line item; convention, IGR forum, Unity, etc.

Discussion about how to gauge need vs translation service. Felix

suggested figuring out a way to gauge need before event translation service is put into place. Amelia advocates for a post-event evaluation on the topic. Committees need to communicate well before hand on this topic. Susan reiterated the need for the requesting committees to be sure that if they’re  having an event, that they’re asking for money in the budget, in advance. Committee chairs can express these things and start to  build cooperation and better coordination with each other, so that everyone knows what is happening.

• Finance Committee budget request: $3,194 total

 

$2,400.00 Possible special service work for accounting.  $200/monthly

$250.00 January expense Traveling Mail Annual. The fee may be reduced

later.

$544.00 $37/month Xero software, $100 for tax software Aprill

Discussion about what possible special service work would cover. CPA to cover 990/ez filing each year. Possibly include this in the 2024 OIAA overall budget and to increase the special service work item by $1,000. 

• Budget Committee Board/Chair budget request: $26,700 total 

 

$1,700.00 Send Chair to ICOAA Conference

$5,500.00 $5000 for legal retainer; $500 for board development

$19,500.00 Board X 12 meetings x 1 lang=3120(x3 lang-9360); Steering x 8

meeting x 1 lang=2080(x 3=6240); Assembly x 5 meeting x ⅓

language=1300/3900; All events 1 language=6500; 3 languages=19,500

Discussion about how and where to account for professional development fees for volunteers, in this case the chair, who may/not have formal business leadership backgrounds. Concerning BoardSource. Jennifer suggested to bump up the line item to $6,000 for BoardSource, source membership = Total for legal possible, legal expenses, and board development. All agreed.

 

Discussion about translation and/or interpretation services for assemblies, board meetings, and steering committee meetings in 2024, and whether the board knows about the precise needs at this point.  Budgeting does not mean the money must be spent, just that it’s reserved for the purpose. 

 

Discussion about clerical help for the board and other committees (not appropox of this budget request). Susan will do some research.

 

Budget items approved 1:00PM 

 

1. Finance Committee Chair Role

Discussion of membership concerns about  transparency and fiduciary duty. The perception is that bylaws it  says that a board member cannot be a chair. Need for clarification of OIAA bylaws, glossary, and guidelines.  The topic is going to be discussed further at assembly. 

 

1. Change Charter?

The membership is uneasy about this section of the finance committee’s newly approved charter. The membership’s concerns were about checks and balances. The membership wanted to hold off and address the topic of whether the finance committee chair can also be treasurer.  Felix suggested that a presentation be made to the membership to  better educate the proposed changes to the finance committee charter. Regardless, there needs to be a job description for a finance chair. 

1. Finance Committee Chair Election?

Tabled pending we’ve  a deadline of the end of September  for the Guidelines Committee and what  is the status of the Finance report.

 

1. Any other business?

None

1. Closed with the Responsibility Statement

1:37 PM 

 

Meeting minutes transcribed from transcript 

Respectfully submitted, Erica K