Hi Kirill,
Replies below:
*(1) In line item 1, what is the rationale for selecting Xero as an
accounting tool? *
Please see this email:
https://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikimedia-cascadia/2015-January/00035….
Additionally, I will note that I signed up for trial subscriptions of Xero
and Quickbooks Online for testing purposes, and I felt that Xero was
considerably easier to use. One important consideration in the choice of
accounting software is that we want it to allow for full online read-only
access for our officers and board members who are widely geographically
dispersed.
*(2) In line item 1, what is the rationale for selecting the Standard
package on Xero?*
The page
https://www.xero.com/us/pricing/ shows only one lower-priced
option below the Standard package. It restricts bill payments to 5 per
month and monthly reconciled transactions to 20 per month, has no option
for Federal e-file, and has no option for payroll direct deposit. It seems
to me that we should try to focus our time and attention on programmatic
work rather than trying to work around limitations in accounting software
by scheduling transactions in particular ways or by using more
time-consuming paper records and checks when electronic billing and
payments are available.
*(3) In line item 4, why is a trade name fee required?*
New businesses, including new nonprofits, are required to register their
trade names with the State of Washington. See
http://bls.dor.wa.gov/tradename.aspx and
http://bls.dor.wa.gov/forms/700028.pdf. Note that a trade name is different
than a Federal trademark registration.
*(4) In line items 6 and 7, why is local registration occurring in multiple
jurisdictions?*
Short answer: tax registrations in multiple jurisdictions are necessary if
we intend to operate legitimately throughout the Seattle area and
throughout the Cascadia region.
Long answer: Cascadia includes a wide geographic area: British Columbia,
Washington State, and Oregon State. We intend to have events in multiple
jurisdictions to try to maximize participation and ease of attendance for
our members. In the Seattle metro area, our participants reside in many
cities other than Seattle; the geographic size of the Seattle metro area
and its notorious traffic problems (which rank the 8th worst in the nation
according to one analysis of 2013 data; see
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45mihf/8-seattle-wa/ and
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2014/03/04/the-most-traffic-jammed…)
make it a very practical idea to have events in multiple locations. Perhaps
not known to outsiders is that the Seattle metro area (see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_metropolitan_area) includes numerous
smaller jurisdictions, perhaps the best known of them being the cities of
Redmond (where Microsoft is headquartered), Renton (where Boeing
manufactures 737 aircraft) and Everett (where Boeing manufactures 777 and
787 aircraft, and the location of Naval Station Everett). In 2014 we had
events in Seattle and Kirkland, which are on opposite sides of Lake
Washington. Bellevue is immediately south of Kirkland, and it is often far
easier to transit between Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond than any of those
eastside cities to or from Seattle. Conveniently for us, Impact HUB has
offices in Seattle and Bellevue, and we will take advantage of the ability
to apply our single rent payment to use Impact HUB's services on either
side of the lake. Later this year, and not directly relevant to this this
startup grant request that we are making to WMDC, we also intend to
register and spin up operations in the City of Portland in Oregon where our
board member Another Believer is active. We may also have events in
Kirkland again which would require a Kirkland registration (although we may
discuss whether it's necessary to register in both Bellevue and Kirkland if
we can consolidate our activity in Bellevue, or if the City of Kirkland
will grant us a de minimis exception). Our longer-term goals include
operating in Vancouver BC, which will require cooperating with the Canadian
authorities. Cascadia's geographic reach necessitates that we operate and
register in multiple jurisdictions if we intend to have broad programmatic
reach, facilitate ease of access for participants, and operate in a legal
manner.
*(5) In line item 9, what is the nature of the high-security checkbook, and
why is it required?*
BECU offers only one kind of high-security check through its check vendor,
Deluxe. Given that we intend to request a substantial PEG from WMF soon, it
seems prudent that we would want to protect CWUG's funds from check fraud
to the maximum extent reasonably possible.
I'm cc'ing this email to Alex in case she and GAC are interested in any of
this information as well.
I hope that this email answers all of your questions and concerns. Please
let me know if you have any additional inquiries.
Thanks!
Pine
*This is an Encyclopedia* <https://www.wikipedia.org/>
*One gateway to the wide garden of knowledge, where lies The deep rock of
our past, in which we must delve The well of our future,The clear water we
must leave untainted for those who come after us,The fertile earth, in
which truth may grow in bright places, tended by many hands,And the broad
fall of sunshine, warming our first steps toward knowing how much we do not
know.*
*—Catherine Munro*
On Sat, Jan 24, 2015 at 4:57 PM, Kirill Lokshin <
kirill.lokshin(a)wikimediadc.org> wrote:
Hi Pine,
Thank you for submitting a grant application on behalf of the Cascadia
Wikimedians User Group [1]. Wikimedia DC is committed to supporting
Wikimedian groups around the country, and we look forward to seeing how we
can assist you and your group.
We have begun our review of your application, and we have a few questions
regarding the budget items you listed:
(1) In line item 1, what is the rationale for selecting Xero as an
accounting tool?
(2) In line item 1, what is the rationale for selecting the Standard
package on Xero?
(3) In line item 4, why is a trade name fee required?
(4) In line items 6 and 7, why is local registration occurring in multiple
jurisdictions?
(5) In line item 9, what is the nature of the high-security checkbook, and
why is it required?
To expedite further review of your application, please provide your
responses to these questions at your earliest convenience.
Regards,
Kirill
[1]
http://wikimediadc.org/wiki/Grant:Cascadia_Wikimedians_User_Group_Quick_Sta…
--
Kirill Lokshin
Secretary, Wikimedia District of Columbia
http://wikimediadc.org