[Eg-oversight-board] Action Item - Letter to Conservancy re: Accounting

Tue Jun 23 11:23:40 EDT 2015

Hello,

Two things I would consider adding to the message...

1) a copy of at least one of the financial statements we are referring
to, as a convenience so that they can quickly see what you are
referring to.

2) at least a snippet of the Ledger-cli[1] command(s) used to create
the financial report that we have been looking at. Reproducibility is
always helpful. For all we know the SFC might be using a different set
of Ledger-cli commands to create their internal reports that are more
clear/accurate than the way we have been creating our reports.

Perhaps, we can add this information in a second email too.

Thanks,
Yamil

[1] This is the command-line program that is used for tracking our finances.
http://www.ledger-cli.org/

On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 11:09 AM, Ruth Frasur
<director at hagerstownlibrary.org> wrote:
> Gotcha.
>
> On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 10:40 AM, Kathy Lussier <klussier at masslnc.org>
> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Ruth,
>>
>> As of now, there are no outreach donations reflected in the ledger because
>> the first donation arrived in June, which is after the problem with the
>> import script occurred.
>>
>> Kathy
>>
>>
>> On 06/23/2015 07:33 AM, Ruth Frasur wrote:
>>
>> I much prefer "administrative fee," but thought, based on some
>> conversations, that "donations" was how the Conservancy described this fee.
>>
>> As far as donations go on the income side of it, based on what I saw, they
>> were not defined as "outreach donations" but simply as "donations."  Are
>> there two different categories: donations to the project and donations for
>> outreach?  If so, how is that reflected in the accounting?
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 10:20 AM, Kathy Lussier <klussier at masslnc.org>
>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi Ruth,
>>>
>>> My first question relates to how donations to the Conservancy are
>>> accounted.
>>>
>>> Are you asking here about the 10% administrative fee that the Conservancy
>>> receives? If so, I wouldn't use the term 'donations' but refer to it as an
>>> administrative fee. Or are you talking about donations to the Evergreen
>>> project?
>>>
>>> Also, related to donations, I just want to report back to the EOB that I
>>> heard back from the Conservancy regarding Outreach donations. There was an
>>> issue with the import script they use with PayPal, which is why we aren't
>>> seeing any donations from June reflected in the ledger. Bradley Kuhn from
>>> the Conservancy said he plans to address the issue with the import script so
>>> that the donations can be added to the ledger.
>>>
>>> Kathy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 06/23/2015 09:51 AM, Ruth Frasur wrote:
>>>
>>> Chris et al,
>>>
>>> Here's the text of what I'd like to know.  I've had a hard time framing
>>> in it in a way that couldn't possibly be perceived as confrontational or
>>> offensive, so please tear it apart and put it back together.
>>>
>>> "To whom it may concern:
>>>
>>> As a new member of the Evergreen Oversight Board, I am seeking
>>> clarification on the accounting for the project.  After a reviewing the
>>> financials before and during the most recent EOB meeting, some questions
>>> arose in my mind.  My first question relates to how donations to the
>>> Conservancy are accounted.  There is no visible line item that indicates
>>> this amount.  My other question relates to what seem to be miscellaneous
>>> expenses/incomes not having their own line item(s) in the ledger.  While the
>>> numbers do seem to work out by assuming miscellaneous expense/income, the
>>> actual financials, without that assumption, do not add up.  So, I guess my
>>> questions both add up to transparency of the accounting for the Evergreen
>>> project.  Right now, at least from my perspective, there is somewhat of a
>>> “black box” right in the middle of it and an assumption that “it just
>>> works.”  I’m hopeful that you can demystify what’s happening in the black
>>> box."
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Ruth Frasur
>>> Director of the Historic(ally Awesome) Hagerstown - Jefferson Township
>>> Library
>>> 10 W. College Street in Hagerstown, Indiana (47346)
>>> p (765) 489-5632; f (765) 489-5808
>>>
>>> Our Kickin' Website  Our Rockin' Facebook Page  and Stuff I've Read
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> eg-oversight-board mailing list
>>> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
>>> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Kathy Lussier
>>> Project Coordinator
>>> Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative
>>> (508) 343-0128
>>> klussier at masslnc.org
>>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> eg-oversight-board mailing list
>>> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
>>> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Ruth Frasur
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Kathy Lussier
>> Project Coordinator
>> Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative
>> (508) 343-0128
>> klussier at masslnc.org
>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier
>
>
>
>
> --
> Ruth Frasur
> Director of the Historic(ally Awesome) Hagerstown - Jefferson Township
> Library
> 10 W. College Street in Hagerstown, Indiana (47346)
> p (765) 489-5632; f (765) 489-5808
>
> Our Kickin' Website  Our Rockin' Facebook Page  and Stuff I've Read
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> eg-oversight-board mailing list
> eg-oversight-board at list.evergreen-ils.org
> http://list.evergreen-ils.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eg-oversight-board
>

-- 

--------------------------------

Yamil Suarez, MCS
Library System Administrator/Developer

Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02215

ysuarez at berklee.edu
617-747-2617