-------- Original message -------- From: Bryce Harrington <bryce@...2...> Date: 1/1/2016 18:17 (GMT-08:00) To: inkscape-board@lists.sourceforge.net Subject: [Inkscape-board] [REFERENDUM] Budget for 2016
A majority vote of the current board members is required for approving this budget.
Proposal:
1. Adoption of the Rev1 budget in the attached spreadsheet for use as guidance in 2016 finances.
2. Align the 2016 budget to the Software Freedom Conservancy's fiscal year, which runs 3/1/2016 to 2/28/2017. We will stretch the 2015 budget to cover expenses through 2/29/2016.
3. Formalize the division of Inkscape's funds into distinct "pools", each carrying balances year to year, and registered in Paypal to allow donors to directly target the pool they wish to fund, as we did in 2015 for hackfest:2015 donations. We will still have a General Fund for general expenses and untargeted donations.
4. Generalize last year's Hackfest:2015 pool to cover future Hackfests. The money in this pool will be used exclusively for Hackfest sponsorship and related organizational costs. Assume an increase of 150% in the budgeted amounts over last year, to make provision for increased attendance. Since the hackfest-targeted fundraising has proven successful, no additional money is being allocated from the General Fund; we'll rely on the balance from last year and ongoing fundraising to cover these expenses.
5. Establish a new SVG Working Group funding pool. Seed this pool with $2250 from the General Fund, usable retroactively (i.e. the pool can be used to cover the Feb 3-6 meeting in Sydney, Australia.)
6. Allocate $250 each to the three existing funded project proposals, and to three new funded projects (to be determined in a subsequent board vote). Each funded project will have its own pool, in order to track per-project donations.
7. Other budgeted expenses follow the 2015 budget. An OSUOSL grant, Developer Education (details tbd), and sponsorship for LGM and SCALE are budgeted with the same amounts as 2015. The Contingency line item from 2015 is eliminated since we didn't have a use for it, and its $500 is lumped into Other Events.
8. Board chairman will document the budget on the Inkscape website, and follow up with subsequent votes on individual expenses as appropriate or as they come up.
[ ] a. Yes, adopt budget as described in "Rev #1" (below) [ ] b. Revise budget with the following changes recommended: _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ [ ] c. Do not establish a budget for 2016
Background:
At the end of 2015 we have a balance of $38,000, with $11,613.10 of that allocated to the Hackfest "pool", and $750 allocated to three funded project efforts.
As detailed above, the 2016 budget is an evolution from 2015. The most notable change is the formalization of funding pools. This structural change to the budget is partly to facilitate the funded project system currently under development, but also helps establish the philosophy of empowering our donors in helping guide Inkscape's future through their contribution choices.
The attached spreadsheet shows two tables. First is a listing of expenses including allocations of money from the General Fund to other pools (with expense amounts indicated in blue), and estimates for the expenses. The second table summarizes the expenses, expected donation income, and allocations between pools (with income amounts indicated in blue). Numbers in italic indicate the amounts are just guesses, and will be revised when actual amounts become known.
The budget is more complex this year, I hope the spreadsheet helps make it comprehensible and apologize if it doesn't. (Advice for helping make it clearer would be appreciated.)