Dear WMKE colleagues,
Following the recent conversations around finances, I wanted to make a
few comments, hoping the uncertainty can be resolved:
1. We acknowledge it is an unfortunate situation where chapter funds
are in anyone's personal bank account. In hindsight, WMF should have
insisted a separate bank account be created to wire the money, even if not yet
the official WMKE bank account.
1b. Now that that's done, we should seek to transfer the remaining
grant funds to a dedicated account as soon as possible: either the WMKE account
(if incorporation and the subsequent creation of the bank account seem around
the corner -- any updates?), or an interim, joint-ownership dedicated account,
with access to _at least_ two board members (one of whom would be the
treasurer, of course). It would be good if the WMKE board can decide to
pursue that course of action.
2. The current treasurer has sent me his tracking sheet of the grant
funds, and it generally looks in good order. I hope the board has a copy
too and can review as well.
3. The treasurer did confirm he has made some decisions to spend money
(for chapter business) on his own, without board approval, citing previous
experience with sending messages to the list and receiving no response for days.
This is _not okay_. The way to fix this, now, is for the board to
review all those spending decisions and _retroactively_ approve them (unless
there's genuine concern about the expense). If there are expenses the
board does not approve _per se_ (i.e. on material rather than procedural
grounds), the treasurer will have to return those funds to the chapter.
3b. The board would do well to discuss and establish a clear procedure
for authorizing expenses. "When it's everybody's job it's nobody's
job." Once a procedure is adopted, the board members should _commit
to following_ that procedure, as it would be unfair to the treasurer (already
doing much unenviable work for the rest of us) to leave his requests hanging.
4. I have no reason to think the current treasurer has otherwise
mishandled funds. Unless anyone has material proof to the contrary, we
shall assume good faith, and once funds are transferred to a separate account,
a full audit by the board can confirm this to everyone's satisfaction.
5. I understood there have been some payments to chapter members for
expenses incurred, that have been issued on the understanding receipts will be
furnished, but the treasurer is still awaiting receipts from several members.
That, too, is _not okay_. Please submit your receipts to the
treasurer as soon as possible. If you ever received a reimbursement from
the treasurer and you're not sure whether or not you owe any receipts, please
contact the treasurer privately to make sure.
6. I also understand there is some confusion about per diem allowances
and receipts: the usual way per diems work is that the rate is
determined by the board (You can use the WMF travel policy[1] if it helps), and
then money is disbursed according to the number of days (deducting appropriate
amounts when meals are provided, as in the case of lunches in Berlin and at
Wikimania), but _no receipts_ are required. This as distinct from other
expenses, which do require receipts. The rationale for this flexibility
is that on the one hand there are all kinds of small unforeseen expenses,
including (in some places) expenses that don't issue receipts (like the matatu
:)), that are not specifically budgeted for in the per diem, and on the other
hand the allowance is enough to cover them, without requiring minute
record-keeping. This is easier for both sides, and is based on trust and
good judgment. But that's just the usual way, and it's fine if WMKE
chooses to commit to providing receipts for per diems as well.
I hope this helps WMKE move forward toward incorporation and program
activity with clarity and confidence.
As always, please let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
--
Asaf Bartov
Wikimedia
Foundation
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