Indeed, if we get any money before we figure out all those things you describe, we will have a problem bigger than any of the previous ones mentioned...Something to think about.  Fortunately I doubt Sam can find any rabbits up his sleeve so we have time to figure out structures and goals.

SP

Oh, I hope you don't just dump that all on Sam and expect him to magically
pull a rabbit out of a hat single-handedly!

Who's going to give, and for what purpose precisely?  Especially if it
isn't tax deductible.

In normal NGOs that are successful raising funds, there is a separate
governing board (of a formally incorporated body) that is deeply involved
in the "ask" process, according to the "give, get, or go" maxim.

Transparent accountability is of course the first prerequisite for any of
that, but you have to have a compelling organizational structure and
mission in place in order to make a case for funding.  But generally
speaking with nonprofit orgs, it is a Board that leads with their wallets
and networks from the top down -- the Board has the fiduciary duty to
support the org, and donors want to see that they are putting their money
where their mouths are, as a first step.

I thought Avri was joking, or commenting ironically on deficiencies in the
SG and constituency charters...

?

Dan



At 8:42 PM -0400 7/4/16, Stephanie Perrin wrote:

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Sounds elegant in its simplicity, but is it acceptable in terms of
accounting practice? Do all jurisdictions allow un-incorporated
organizations to open accounts? If the answer to those questions is yes,
then this might solve one of our problems. The next problem is a bigger
one: we don't have any money in NCSG.....:-) Here is hoping Sam can solve
that one for us.

Stephanie Perrin

On 2016-07-04 20:10, Ron Wickersham wrote:

On Mon, 4 Jul 2016, Sam Lanfranco wrote:

As Chair of the NCSG finance committee I see our remit as doing the
research to identify best practices here, identify
the pluses and minuses of different strategies, and placing that
information on the table for all to see, and some to use.

It is possible to set up an unincorporated entity account in a Canadian
bank,
with full services across currencies, and with two signatures for
disbursal of funds.
The handicap there is the need for individual physical bank visits to
change signing authority.

Hi Sam,

Could you consider the strategy of each new Treasurer to set up an account
that is convenient in his or her circumstances (travel, citizenship, local
banking laws, etc.) and that as soon as that new account is ready to
accept funds, all the money in the old account is transferred to the new
one?

This means that there is no longer the requirement of an "eternal" account
in the name of NCSG where control of that account is transferred, which
as you point out has some big issues if someone distant takes over the
responsibilities of Treasurer.

In the absence of any bylaws or formation documents that preclude this
approach, it seems to me that the NCSG process that selects the Treasurer
could also approve this method of conducting the Treasurer's business.

-ron