SoCal Treasurer's Report

[GrimmJeeper]

I think the issue Geoff is addressing is that posting the unit cost of items intended for resale to make a profit for the chapter should not be posted. I am 100% in agreement with that, there is no reason for posting the per unit costs. a total for the expense on resale items should be ok as long as people don't start complaining about the profit per item the club is trying to make, we're here to raise money for a good cause right?

 

[cracker]

I think the issue Geoff is addressing is that posting the unit cost of items intended for resale to make a profit for the chapter should not be posted. I am 100% in agreement with that, there is no reason for posting the per unit costs. a total for the expense on resale items should be ok as long as people don't start complaining about the profit per item the club is trying to make, we're here to raise money for a good cause right?

well, i dont believe anyone asked the business and investment plan of this inventory....just to know how much of the chapters money is tied up in inventory.

 

[ocean_jet]

SoCal Chapter
Profit and Loss
January through December 2012

Income

Raffle Ticket Sales 389.00
Food Sales & Contributions 224.00
Clothing & Store Sales 1,636.70 .
Total Income 2,249.70

Is any portion of the $35 annual membership fee part of SoCal Chapter - Income.


BTW, Citibank has free checking if we maintain $1,500 average daily balance each month.
https://online.citibank.com/US/JRS/pands/detail.do?ID=ChkBasicChecking

 

[cracker]

Is any portion of the $35 annual membership fee part of SoCal Chapter - Income.

The $35 goes to national....chapters get income indirectly through programs, raffle tickets, etc.

 

[tharlanjr]

I think the issue Geoff is addressing is that posting the unit cost of items intended for resale to make a profit for the chapter should not be posted. I am 100% in agreement with that, there is no reason for posting the per unit costs. a total for the expense on resale items should be ok as long as people don't start complaining about the profit per item the club is trying to make, we're here to raise money for a good cause right?

I agree, I was more concerned with saving money. Mainly on the bank account. I don't feel the need to know the profit margins as long as its not negative.

The Chapter LOST $500 last year, had there been better accounts being used we would have only lost ~400.

Just trying to figure out ways to get the our chapter back making money.

little things add up in the end.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

The chapter also took a hit I think with the problems with Serranno campground in 2012 and having to move Socal Fest to another location, which effected attendance.

 

[GSequoia]

2012 was an abnormality. We lost money in 2012 because we made so little in raffle proceeds. Typically that number is in the high three or low four digits.

 

[Kejtar]

Did we over buy food ? Raffle supplies? I think we should have a better breakout of what went wrong there resulting in the loss....

 

[souske]

Beginning Balance (Cash, PayPal, & Checking Account):
$3,852.96

SoCal Chapter
Profit and Loss
January through December 2012

Income

Raffle Ticket Sales 389.00
Food Sales & Contributions 224.00
Clothing & Store Sales 1,636.70 .
Total Income 2,249.70

Expense

AAT Donations & Supplies 1,363.10
Bank Account Fees 95.00
Clothing & Store products 870.24
Food, Party, Raffle Supplies 420.60
PayPal Fees 27.72 .
Total Expenses 2,776.66

Net Income -526.96

Ending Balance (Cash, PayPal, & Checking Account):
$3326.00

Its pretty obvious where the money went.
Or is this an excersize in playing armchair treasurer over a year after
the fact?





Its pretty obvious

 

[jeeperjohn]

Part of the problem of posting up all of the details of the chapter financials is that it generates a lot of time consuming discussion. I think just the basic information should be posted up on a regular basis and if people have specific questions it can be addressed to Carol back channel. It is a time consuming job as it is and adding more work to the workload may place an undue burden on the treasurer. Whatever the bylaws require is what I think should be posted.

 

[Kejtar]

Part of the problem of posting up all of the details of the chapter financials is that it generates a lot of time consuming discussion. I think just the basic information should be posted up on a regular basis and if people have specific questions it can be addressed to Carol back channel. It is a time consuming job as it is and adding more work to the workload may place an undue burden on the treasurer. Whatever the bylaws require is what I think should be posted.

This really isn't all aimed at Carol. I'm curious why did the chapter go negative there ? Was the food over purchased ? Too much supplies ? Did the chapter end up with enough plates for next event ? In the time I was involved the goal was always to break even on food. Raffle was there to generate funds but food was there to feed the people,...

So I would like to see what happened? What were the conclusions BOD and the chapter took away from this ?

 

[karstic]

Take out the "loss" of ~$1300 given to the AAT program, we would have had an income of ~$800.

 

[souske]

But as a club, we pride ourselves, on our involvement with keeping trails open.
Yes, aat put us into the red last yeat, but as long as thats not a theme, I dont see the problem.

Why have a chapter account, if not to balance the good years against the lean ones?

 

[Kejtar]

Take out the "loss" of ~$1300 given to the AAT program, we would have had an income of ~$800.

Food and contributions $224 vs cost of food, party supplies and supplies for raffle $420. Some will say I'm not picking over 200 but I'm struggling to understand how you lost $ on food. And what supplies did you purchase ? I'm assuming charcoal and such, plates, cups, utensils and raffle tickets ? Was the food overpurchased?

Also raffle costs should be separate so that it could be balanced against raffle proceeds....

 

[ocean_jet]

First of all, we are not a business with shareholders to answer to. IMO, we do not have to be "profitable" every year... or ever for that matter. Our mission is donating to land use and land maintenance (from what I can tell), not delivering quarterly profits.

Second, without knowing how much our inventories shrunk or grew over the year, there is no way to tell if we were "profitable" or not last year. If inventories grew $600 last year... we actually grew the chapter's "value".

Finally, based on the information I have, I guess I would look at the financials like this:

So Cal Chapter
Fundraising Activities
Raffle & Food Sales, Contributions - 613.00
Food, Party, Raffle Supplies - costs - (420.60)
Net Income Raffle, Food Party - 192.40

Clothing & Store Sales - 1,636.70
Clothing & Store products - costs - (870.24)
Net Income Clothing & Store products - 766.46

Total Net income from each fundraising activity - 958.86
Bank/Paypal Fees - costs - (122.72)
Net Income From Fundraising Activities - 836.14

Donations
Beginning Balance (Cash, PayPal, & Checking Account):* - 3,852.96
Net Income from Fundraising - 836.14
Cash Available for Donations - 4,689.10
AAT Donations & Supplies - (1,363.10)
Ending Balance (Cash, PayPal, & Checking Account): - 3,326.00


We made positive net income of 192.40 on parties, raffles, etc. We made a positive net income of 766.46 on clothing and store items (again, without knowing change in inventory levels, this isn't precise).

Less banking fees, we made a net positive 836.14 on fundraising activities.

Add that to our opening cash balance of 3,852.96, and we had 4,689.10 available over the year for donations. Of that, we donated 1,363.10... which is our mission.


I don't see it as a loss at all.

 

[GSequoia]

Food and contributions $224 vs cost of food, party supplies and supplies for raffle $420. Some will say I'm not picking over 200 but I'm struggling to understand how you lost $ on food. And what supplies did you purchase ? I'm assuming charcoal and such, plates, cups, utensils and raffle tickets ? Was the food overpurchased?

Also raffle costs should be separate so that it could be balanced against raffle proceeds....

You should know as much as any of us how difficult it is to pinpoint how much food to purchase. Many times you'll get 60 people to say they're going then the weekend comes around and 40 show up.

As I said before, the number one reason we lost money in 2012 is because we brought in under $400 in raffle ticket sales. 2012 was an abnormal year due to the the inability to have SoCal Fest in Big Bear and taking so long to finally get a commitment to have it at Calico. Once we got that sorted it turned into a good event but attendance suffered and clearly ticket sales did as well.

As has been stated not every year has to be profitable. We will have our lean years and our fat years. As long as we don't make a habit of the lean years I'm okay with that.

BTW - As for rolling raffle supplies with dinner supplies. You should also know that raffle supplies are an almost inconsequential amount of money. All we really have to buy for a raffle are tickets, I'd say in 2012 we had to buy a couple new rolls.

 

[jeeperjohn]

I believe lessons were learned in 2012. The difficulties we had financially were due to circumstances that were out of our control for the most part. In the grand scheme of things we recovered and are now doing OK. If someone wants to do some kind of fancy financial analysis knock yourself out. I believe we have beaten the subject far too much. Hasta

 

[Kejtar]

You should know as much as any of us how difficult it is to pinpoint how much food to purchase. Many times you'll get 60 people to say they're going then the weekend comes around and 40 show up.

As I said before, the number one reason we lost money in 2012 is because we brought in under $400 in raffle ticket sales. 2012 was an abnormal year due to the the inability to have SoCal Fest in Big Bear and taking so long to finally get a commitment to have it at Calico. Once we got that sorted it turned into a good event but attendance suffered and clearly ticket sales did as well.

As has been stated not every year has to be profitable. We will have our lean years and our fat years. As long as we don't make a habit of the lean years I'm okay with that.

BTW - As for rolling raffle supplies with dinner supplies. You should also know that raffle supplies are an almost inconsequential amount of money. All we really have to buy for a raffle are tickets, I'd say in 2012 we had to buy a couple new rolls.

What you're saying is true BUT that's a big "hole" for the event. Again, even with fluctuating number of people I find it worrysome that the chapter had such a loss on food. I know it was mentioned that taking raffle into account we came out ahead BUT the goal in the past was that the chapter does not "suplement" food for the event with raffle or other funds. The goal used to be to make it a wash or at most a small loss... those numbers represent to me a huge loss. Was the food too expensive? too fancy? Inquiring minds want to know. Again I am not trying to crucify anyone over this but rather I'm trying to get a better picture which I hope will help folks for the future.

Btw, what are

The difficulties we had financially were due to circumstances that were out of our control for the most part.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

were you even there Remi? how about present on the forum at the time? Go back a year or so in posts and see the problems they had even making this event happen. Stop playing monday morning quarterback, this nit picking is doing no good whatsoever. we had a loss, get over it. lesson learned let's move on.

 

[rockclimber]

were you even there Remi? how about present on the forum at the time? Go back a year or so in posts and see the problems they had even making this event happen. Stop playing monday morning quarterback, this nit picking is doing no good whatsoever. we had a loss, get over it. lesson learned let's move on.

^ this.

It's a good idea to know where our money is going and where it went. It's never going to be a perfect system.

If 60 people say they are going to show, and the chapter buys food for say 70 just to cover their ass, then only 40 show, you are going to have too much food. Most of it won't keep, so it's just a cost you have to eat once in a while.

Id rather we bought too much food than too little.

As far as the issues beyond our control, I believe John is referring to the campground socalfest is normally at being closed last year, which affected the turnout