[Oceania-Board] 2024-2025 budget

John Bryant johnwbryant at gmail.com
Wed Jun 5 19:44:03 PDT 2024 

Yes, I think we should talk through column H as a group, perhaps make some
adjustments as we go, then hopefully we'll have something we can approve.

Cheers
John

On Thu, 6 Jun 2024 at 09:46, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi John
>
> Thanks for putting this together. I think it's comprehensive and
> reasonably accurate.
>
> If the Hobart event goes well, I hope we can replicate Melbourne and
> Wellington and achieve a $60 k surplus, but let's not bank on that.
>
> The forecast budget for next year with a $30 k surplus from Hobart is a
> $20 k loss, but that includes provision of a $23 k advance to the Auckland
> conference, which isn't necessarily going to be required. It's hard to
> budget for something that is so far out... but also, keep in mind, we'll
> likely start getting sponsors for the Auckland conference next FY too, so
> there'll hopefully be income as well as expenses for that event.
>
> Also, for context, as of Today, we have $57,000 in the bank. This is down
> from a peak of around $80 k, so it's about time we started having some good
> years that add to this!
>
> Are we ready to table a budget at the Board meeting for approval tomorrow?
>
> Cheers,
>
> On Tue, 4 Jun 2024 at 11:27, John Bryant via Oceania-Board <
> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>
>> Thanks, I've updated the sheet to reflect this.
>>
>> All - I've added a column H to the sheet
>> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gRWZXt1bZqTqNMf5sr7Ff5dH4Sp_Nabe4QoZHPPPpmw/edit#gid=1487652216>,
>> we can use this to work out our final budget numbers for approval. I've
>> left 3 scenarios in there for discussion, but I think we need to settle on
>> one set of numbers (and review later if needed).
>>
>> If there's any more discussion in the next few days, that's great,
>> otherwise we can discuss (and finalise) at Friday's meeting.
>>
>> Cheers
>> John
>>
>> On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 11:06, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi John
>>>
>>> Yes, $30 k should be guaranteed as a minimum.
>>>
>>> That's a good point about the global event... it's going to be hard to
>>> budget. Maybe we should be budgeting the $25 k seed funding as an expense
>>> and no income from the event, actually. Or we do the budget without
>>> Auckland, and update if it's successful (though we should hear any day now!)
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 12:55, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thanks Alex, that sounds good, should we use $30k as the projected
>>>> surplus in our budget?
>>>>
>>>> Yes that makes sense re: FOSS4G 2025 (though I thought maybe the PCO
>>>> was handling all the funds until acquittal). If we get the green light, I
>>>> suppose we should estimate how much $ we will handle in FY 2024-25.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers
>>>> John
>>>>
>>>> On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 10:41, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi John
>>>>>
>>>>> Regarding Hobart, we have a handful of registrations and one
>>>>> sponsorship already, and we have over a dozen submissions to talk, with
>>>>> over a month to go. I've reviewed the budget and started capturing actuals,
>>>>> and everything is still aligned to the approved budget in terms of
>>>>> expenses. In short, I'm optimistic we'll achieve a surplus of at least $30
>>>>> k.
>>>>>
>>>>> Also, keep in mind that if we do hold the 2025 global event in
>>>>> Auckland, we'll likely start receiving revenue next FY.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>
>>>>> On Mon, 3 Jun 2024 at 12:27, John Bryant via Oceania-Board <
>>>>> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi all, we need to sort out our budget ASAP so that we can have
>>>>>> clarity on spending for the next financial year (which begins on 1 July).
>>>>>> We've said a few times we need to give clarity on TGP in particular. I
>>>>>> think we should try to wrap it up at our board meeting this Friday, if
>>>>>> possible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've updated this draft budget sheet
>>>>>> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gRWZXt1bZqTqNMf5sr7Ff5dH4Sp_Nabe4QoZHPPPpmw/edit#gid=1487652216> with
>>>>>> as much current info & projections as I can. *I've currently got 3
>>>>>> scenarios but I think our budget should settle on one*, and perhaps
>>>>>> do a budget review once we get a better idea of Hobart revenue.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A few notes/questions:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    - Current FOSS4G SotM Oceania 2024 amounts are based on the
>>>>>>    approved conf budget, minus GST and amounts paid/received in FY 2023-24. @Alex
>>>>>>    Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com> are there any updates to these
>>>>>>    projected amounts? Do we have a sense yet of which scenario is most likely,
>>>>>>    or is it too early to say? I think this is our biggest variable.
>>>>>>    - Community investments: we need to decide on our approach. Do we
>>>>>>    take a conservative approach and increase this amount as we gain confidence
>>>>>>    in a Hobart surplus, or do we "go big" and hope for the best?
>>>>>>    - Our operational expenses are relatively fixed, but we could
>>>>>>    find ways to save here, if we put some effort in.
>>>>>>    -
>>>>>>    - We could get a bit more interest income by using a term
>>>>>>    deposit, if we know how much we can lock away and for how long.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Also, a fairly big one... there's still the question of FOSS4G
>>>>>> 2025 Auckland, and what impact that would have on our budget. Right now
>>>>>> it's in there as an expense, with no revenue, I'm not sure if this is
>>>>>> right. We should be finding out any day now whether this is happening, so
>>>>>> maybe we stand by until we know?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The bottom line is distinctly in the red but the FOSS4G 2025 amount
>>>>>> is effectively a loan that will be repaid in future, without this amount
>>>>>> we're at a surplus (assuming Hobart projections are reasonable).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thoughts?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>> John
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Sat, 4 May 2024 at 17:53, Dorothy D.Pion <ddpion at mra.gov.pg>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Alex,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sorry for the delay in getting back to you all.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It's unfortunate that we won't be receiving funding from TGP this
>>>>>>> year. We'll need to cover expenses ourselves for now. Considering this, we
>>>>>>> may need to reassess our budget and possibly reduce the number of TGP
>>>>>>> grants we can offer this year?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Eli, Let me know your thoughts on this.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>>> Dorothy
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> *Dorothy D.Pion*Senior Cartographer
>>>>>>> Mineral Resources Authority | PO Box 1906, Port Moresby 121, Papua
>>>>>>> New Guinea | *P: *(675) 2072250 |* F: * | *E: *ddpion at mra.gov.pg  | *W:
>>>>>>> *www.mra.gov.pg
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> [image: e banner_v3.JPG] [image: GEE24 Banner 4.jpg]
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> DISCLAIMER: This message contains privileged and confidential
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ------------------------------
>>>>>>> *From:* Oceania-Board <oceania-board-bounces at lists.osgeo.org> on
>>>>>>> behalf of Alex Leith via Oceania-Board <
>>>>>>> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org>
>>>>>>> *Sent:* Saturday, May 4, 2024 9:01 AM
>>>>>>> *To:* John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> *Cc:* OSGeo Oceania Board <oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org>
>>>>>>> *Subject:* Re: [Oceania-Board] 2024-2025 budget
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> HEre's what Angelos said:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Unfortunately the TGP budget is out for this year :(
>>>>>>> The financial year starts Jan 1st.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Amending the budget is a possibility if we get funding during the
>>>>>>> year.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So, I guess we won't get cash from them this time, unfortunately.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Thu, 2 May 2024 at 13:04, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yeah, ok. I guess we'll need to cover it ourselves then... will need
>>>>>>> to re-assess.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'll let you all know if I hear anything different from Angelos.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Thu, 2 May 2024 at 08:01, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm not 100% sure but I think it's Apr-Mar.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This was approved in February
>>>>>>> <https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2024-02-06#OSGeo_Budget_2024> (amounts
>>>>>>> in USD):
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - Travel Grant Program: 10k $ to be approved. The direction is
>>>>>>>    to use 7k for global FOSS4G and 3k for local events.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So our request was for their entire local event TGP budget, probably
>>>>>>> we're asking for far too much.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Thu, 2 May 2024 at 05:54, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> What is their financial year?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'll ask Angelos if we can request again for the next FY.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Thu, 2 May 2024 at 07:18, eli via Oceania-Board <
>>>>>>> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> oh that's not nice. I suppose the lesson is learned, we need to
>>>>>>> apply for the TGP as soon as OSGeo plan their budget next time.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Il giorno gio 2 mag 2024 alle ore 09:15 John Bryant via
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board <oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> ha scritto:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi all, FYI:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Unfortunately our request for TGP funding from OSGeo was not
>>>>>>> approved, see meeting minutes
>>>>>>> <https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Board_Meeting_2024-04-30#FOSS4G_SotM_Oceania_TGP_Request>.
>>>>>>> The OSGeo TGP budget has already been spent for this year.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Wed, 24 Apr 2024 at 10:16, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I think it's a good idea to model a pessimistic scenario, but the
>>>>>>> $4k surplus isn't that pessimistic - it's based on a conference surplus
>>>>>>> that's more than double Auckland's surplus.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> A moderately pessimistic scenario would have to contain the
>>>>>>> possibility the 2024 conference surplus is similar to 2023, ie ~13k. I'm
>>>>>>> optimistic too, but given that Auckland is a much bigger market than
>>>>>>> Hobart, and cost of living pressures are making people very cautious about
>>>>>>> discretionary spending, I think we have to consider it within the realm of
>>>>>>> possibility.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I've done a moderately pessimistic "scenario 2" in the simplified
>>>>>>> sheet that includes this contingency. It puts the TGP at $15k, reduces
>>>>>>> other community investment (grants, sponsorship, WGs) by $5k, and it puts
>>>>>>> us at a loss of ~$12k. Hopefully very unlikely, but at this stage we just
>>>>>>> don't know - our most recent experience indicates that it's possible.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't think we're in a financial position right now to allocate
>>>>>>> more than we've ever spent on TGP, at a point when we're at maximum
>>>>>>> uncertainty about conference income. Our past experience has shown us we
>>>>>>> can approach it progressively - allocate a modest amount now, and increase
>>>>>>> it when we become more confident we have the surplus to support it.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I guess what I'm saying is that I think we should start small, and
>>>>>>> grow it when we hit sponsorship and registration targets, otherwise we run
>>>>>>> the risk we 1) make a large loss again next year and/or 2) have to cut
>>>>>>> other community investments.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Wed, 24 Apr 2024 at 07:24, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I think targeting a $4 k surplus is ok in the pessimistic scenario.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I really hope that we can deliver something like a $60 k surplus
>>>>>>> from the conference, like we did in Melbourne and Wellington. I'm always
>>>>>>> fairly optimistic, but I have had a lot of people say that they're excited
>>>>>>> to come to Hobart, and we can handle a pretty big crowd... so maybe we'll
>>>>>>> exceed expectations.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm ok with starting the budget with a modest TGP allocation of $15
>>>>>>> k including the OSGeo cash and increasing if we can.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Tue, 23 Apr 2024 at 19:32, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks Elisa, that's really helpful input. I had a rough idea of
>>>>>>> what had happened, but I didn't know we hadn't actually planned to do PGRSC
>>>>>>> as part of the program. So this year, should we proactively include other
>>>>>>> events in our TGP budget?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Let me ask everyone... what if we zoom out for a moment, simplify,
>>>>>>> and think of the budget as having 3 major components:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - *Conference surplus*: Virtually all of our income is derived
>>>>>>>    from this one source, and needs to pay for everything else, so this is
>>>>>>>    crucial; but it's handled in detail by another budget - we can provide
>>>>>>>    oversight using that budget.
>>>>>>>    - *Operational expenses*: These are relatively predictable and
>>>>>>>    fixed; we can fiddle with them a bit, but it looks like they'll be
>>>>>>>    somewhere in the range of $6000-10000.
>>>>>>>    - *Community Investment expenses*: This is where we have the
>>>>>>>    most discretion. For the current financial year we're on target to spend
>>>>>>>    around $20k.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> *So.... what if we figure out the total amount we can afford to
>>>>>>> spend in the Community Investment category, and then allocate that into
>>>>>>> TGP, Grants, Sponsorship, and Committees/WGs?* The benefit of this
>>>>>>> approach is 1) we spend what we can afford and 2) we consider the relative
>>>>>>> impact where we invest. We have a finite amount of money - if we spend $10k
>>>>>>> on X, we can't spend it on Y or Z, even if Y or Z might actually have a
>>>>>>> bigger impact.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It forces us to contend with the question: If our total community
>>>>>>> investment spend is $25k, and we spend $15k on the TGP, do we cut back on
>>>>>>> other grants and sponsorship?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I've added a "simple" version to this tab of the budget sheet
>>>>>>> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gRWZXt1bZqTqNMf5sr7Ff5dH4Sp_Nabe4QoZHPPPpmw/edit#gid=1487652216>
>>>>>>> to make it a little easier to reason with, and I've adjusted a couple of
>>>>>>> numbers based on Alex's suggestions. Even with ops costs cut right back,
>>>>>>> and "only" 10k allocated to TGP, it leaves us with a relatively modest
>>>>>>> surplus of $4300. Increase the TGP to 15k and we're in the red - would need
>>>>>>> to cut it from somewhere else (or ensure we have a bigger conference
>>>>>>> surplus).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Tue, 23 Apr 2024 at 15:47, eli <elipuccioni at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Actually I have an input re:TGP:
>>>>>>> The higher budget we had for Auckland and (hopefully) we will have
>>>>>>> for Hobart is aiming to enable more participation from the pacific. We have
>>>>>>> noticed that smaller grants cut the majority of the pacific applicants off,
>>>>>>> due to the cost of traveling. So I’m in full support of this higher
>>>>>>> spending on TGP (no surprises here!).
>>>>>>> Moreover, because of the problems with NZ immigration last year, we
>>>>>>> “moved” people from Auckland to Suva, so PGRSC grantees were actually
>>>>>>> FOSS4G winners, we didn’t have a separate budget and program for that
>>>>>>> conference. That said, one of my personal goals would be extending the TGP
>>>>>>> to relevant conferences in the Pacific, especially the PGRSC, but I
>>>>>>> understand that might not be possible to implement every year and will
>>>>>>> depend on our finances.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>> Elisa
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Potrebbe andar peggio...potrebbe piovere!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Il giorno mar 23 apr 2024 alle 19:36 eli <elipuccioni at gmail.com> ha
>>>>>>> scritto:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks both Alex and John for this and support of I’m not adding
>>>>>>> much input in this. As Jonah said, I am too learning from your expertise
>>>>>>> and feel I still have a bit of learning to do before contributing more
>>>>>>> actively!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>> Elisa
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Potrebbe andar peggio...potrebbe piovere!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Il giorno mar 23 apr 2024 alle 18:40 John Bryant via Oceania-Board <
>>>>>>> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> ha scritto:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks Alex, I've made a few modifications to the sheet based on
>>>>>>> your suggestions:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - split event income & expenses (I used the Hobart budget middle
>>>>>>>    scenario for these amounts, ex GST)
>>>>>>>    - split the single conference line into separate lines for each
>>>>>>>    event
>>>>>>>    - put OSGeo TGP grant into 2024 projected rather than 2025
>>>>>>>    budgeted
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Having the conference items separated out like that is a bit more
>>>>>>> complex, but I like the extra detail. The big thing that jumps out at me,
>>>>>>> though, is the need to refine the conference estimates as early as we can.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Re: TGP, I'm certainly open to the suggestion of increasing it (if
>>>>>>> we have good reason), I think it's an important part of what we do.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It would be great to have more insight into how much money we
>>>>>>> actually need, and what we're aiming for. By my calculations, this is what
>>>>>>> we've spent over the years:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - Melbourne 2018: $4650 for 7 people
>>>>>>>    - Wellington 2019: $9000 for 14 people
>>>>>>>    - Auckland 2023: $6400 for 5 people
>>>>>>>    - PGRSC 2023: $5100 for 3 people
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Would the Hobart TGP be significantly different from Auckland?
>>>>>>> Should we include other events this year (eg PGRSC) in our budget?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> One other thought - in 2018 and 2019, we started off with a modest
>>>>>>> budget for the TGP and increased it as we became more confident we had the
>>>>>>> funds. Could this approach work for us this year as well?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> By the way, everyone, Alex and I are engaging in this, but he's
>>>>>>> right, all board members should be thinking about our finances and
>>>>>>> providing their input (please).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 18:32, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ok, so here's the notes from the march minutes
>>>>>>> <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LMz-7ENIqbuE-QGhqB6ryO9bDRYFS0E4bxZMgjJQb2w/edit>:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - Intent to allocate 10k to TGP (pending FY24/25 budget
>>>>>>>    discussion and approval)
>>>>>>>    - Planning to request USD5k from OSGeo (Dorothy will write it up)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It's a little ambiguous, but I'd like to request that we allocate
>>>>>>> $10 k from the OO budget plus the $5 k (AUD) from OSGeo.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We've kicked off the TGP early, and I'm hoping we can spend our
>>>>>>> allocation and bring as many people as we can along to the event in Hobart,
>>>>>>> so if we're as successful as we have been in past years, I'd love to
>>>>>>> increase the amount that's available too.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If we have a starting point of $15 k, that will set Dorothy up
>>>>>>> nicely to start planning.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 19:44, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thinking a bit more about TGP...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I suggest this:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - we allocate $10k to TGP (including OSGeo $5000)
>>>>>>>    - if the OSGeo request is declined, we reconsider our allocation
>>>>>>>    - if/when conference sponsors provide extra TGP funds, we
>>>>>>>    increase the amount accordingly
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In total, this would be roughly in line with how much we spent last
>>>>>>> year, and should be enough for the 10 TGP registrations allocated in the
>>>>>>> conference budget, potentially with money left over for other events.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 15:28, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I wasn't at the March meeting, but it sounded like the outcome was
>>>>>>> that the discussion would happen later when we talked about the budget. I
>>>>>>> don't think we've had any other discussions about it?
>>>>>>> So I reckon this is the budget discussion where we should make that
>>>>>>> decision.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> These seem like relevant points:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - the Hobart conf budget accounts for 10 TGP regos
>>>>>>>    - this year we spent ~12k including the OSGeo $5k
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I haven't seen an accounting of last year's TGP (number and amount
>>>>>>> of grants) but it would be useful, if anyone knows about it?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 15:12, Alex Leith <alexgleith at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Oh, I thought we agreed on $20 k like last year?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Apologies if I remembered wrong.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Was the $10 k you thought we agreed including the OSGeo money?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 5:11 PM, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks everyone, great comments so far.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Alex, one question, you said "We have earmarked $20 k for the TGP
>>>>>>> for the Hobart conference"... all I'm aware of is a discussion at the March
>>>>>>> board meeting where the outcome was: "Intent to allocate 10k to TGP
>>>>>>> (pending FY24/25 budget discussion and approval)"
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Where does the $20k figure come from?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 09:04, Jonah Sullivan <
>>>>>>> jonahsullivan79 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm really glad to see Alex and John engaging on the very important
>>>>>>> topic of financial probity. I probably shouldn't have raised my hand as
>>>>>>> treasurer, considering my lack of experience and annoying work commitments,
>>>>>>> but I'm glad to be more involved in the process - I'm learning a lot
>>>>>>> already.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 22 Apr 2024, 08:53 Alex Leith via Oceania-Board, <
>>>>>>> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For this FY, here's some comments:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - I requested travel grant funding from OSGeo a week ago for
>>>>>>>    $3,500 USD. That should be received this FY, I expect.
>>>>>>>    - The other hard to forecast difference is sponsorship and
>>>>>>>    ticket sales for the conference, which should start happening this FY. I'm
>>>>>>>    hoping to start reaching out to potential sponsors, and some organisations
>>>>>>>    like spending money in the current FY. I expect to have some money flowing
>>>>>>>    in soon.
>>>>>>>    - I want to note that since our term deposits matured in
>>>>>>>    December, and we received ~$1,800, we haven't now got any cash earning
>>>>>>>    interest. I think it would be a good idea to put money away in a 12 month
>>>>>>>    term deposit, as we can now achieve 4.75% interest, so on $50 k, that's
>>>>>>>    over $2,000 of free money!
>>>>>>>    - We perhaps need a budget line for conference 2024, since we
>>>>>>>    have paid the deposit for the venue at $14 k.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For the 2025 budget:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - The $25 k surplus is quite conservative. I think we'll do
>>>>>>>    better than that for the conference, but it's nice to be conservative in
>>>>>>>    budgeting!
>>>>>>>    - We have earmarked $20 k for the TGP for the Hobart conference.
>>>>>>>    With $5 k coming from OSGeo, that leaves a worst case of $15 k from OO.
>>>>>>>    (This will be topped up by the conference with a portion of sponsorship
>>>>>>>    going to TGP.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> And just a note that we should be doing budgeting with the balance
>>>>>>> sheet in mind too. We currently have $60 k in the bank, which is unusually
>>>>>>> low, mostly because we have started paying expenses for the 2024
>>>>>>> conference, but haven't got any income yet.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Now it's a fairly minor thing, but I would prefer to have a separate
>>>>>>> line for conference income and conference expenses. We sometimes have
>>>>>>> smaller regional events, and it's good to see the difference in
>>>>>>> expense/income per event.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> And one of those boring reminders too that as Board Directors, we
>>>>>>> need to remember that we are all individually accountable for the financial
>>>>>>> health of the organisation, we can't delegate that responsibility to
>>>>>>> others, so please engage with this important work and make sure you
>>>>>>> understand it!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Alex
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> [image: image.png]
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Sun, 21 Apr 2024 at 12:58, John Bryant via Oceania-Board <
>>>>>>> oceania-board at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi board,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The 2024-2025 financial year (FY25) begins on 1 July.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> It would be good to move the FY25 budget forward, ideally we can
>>>>>>> approve it in May but I'm sure there will be some discussion required.
>>>>>>> Perhaps we can discuss in this thread over the next couple of weeks and put
>>>>>>> it on the agenda for further discussion at the May board meeting?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My ambition with this is to:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - come up with a realistic set of numbers we can use to guide
>>>>>>>    spending decisions in the upcoming financial year
>>>>>>>    - set targets for income, community investment, and ultimately,
>>>>>>>    a surplus to help keep us solvent
>>>>>>>    - provide clear and visible financial targets and priorities to
>>>>>>>    the community
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Can you please review the attached PDF and/or the Google Sheet
>>>>>>> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gRWZXt1bZqTqNMf5sr7Ff5dH4Sp_Nabe4QoZHPPPpmw/edit#gid=61568483>?
>>>>>>> I've listed several questions that I hope will help us move it forward.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Your comments and questions please!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Fri, 29 Mar 2024 at 16:15, John Bryant <johnwbryant at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi all,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We discussed at the February board meeting that we should get moving
>>>>>>> on a budget for next year. I want to kick off a discussion towards
>>>>>>> hopefully having a first draft within the next few weeks, and a final draft
>>>>>>> for approval in May.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I have a sheet here
>>>>>>> <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gRWZXt1bZqTqNMf5sr7Ff5dH4Sp_Nabe4QoZHPPPpmw/edit#gid=0> with
>>>>>>> the current year projected and actual amounts for context.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> For now, do you have any specific items on your wish list for next
>>>>>>> year?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I have a few suggestions and questions:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>    - *Distinct "Operational" & "Community Investment" expense
>>>>>>>    categories*. By doing this, we make sure we allocate enough to
>>>>>>>    keep the lights on, and then we have better sight of what we can afford to
>>>>>>>    invest in community programs.
>>>>>>>    - *Separate grants and sponsorship*. They're accounted for
>>>>>>>    separately in Xero and I think it caused some confusion this year when we
>>>>>>>    overspent on the combined item. We ultimately increased the budget amount
>>>>>>>    but for a time the Grants committee was unsure if they should hit pause. By
>>>>>>>    separating these, I think we add clarity.
>>>>>>>    - *Remove "Special Interest Groups"?* We don't really have any
>>>>>>>    SIGs (OSM SIG has never been active, QGIS SIG wound up in June 2022). I
>>>>>>>    still think we should make these kinds of investments in OSM and QGIS
>>>>>>>    community groups of course, but maybe we do it under sponsorship and grants
>>>>>>>    line items?
>>>>>>>    - *TGP:* At the last board meeting there was talk of ~10k for
>>>>>>>    the Travel Grant Program, is this the right amount? It sounds like the
>>>>>>>    Hobart conference may have about $5000 to add to this, depending on
>>>>>>>    sponsorship (Alex correct me if I've got this wrong!).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Also I think we'll need to make a projection on the conference
>>>>>>> surplus, perhaps this is an item for discussion at the next board meeting
>>>>>>> on the 3rd.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Your thoughts?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>>> John
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Potrebbe andar peggio...potrebbe piovere!
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>>>>>>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>>>>>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>>>>>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> *Alex Leith*
>>>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *Alex Leith*
>>> m: +61 419 189 050
>>> https://auspatious.com
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Oceania-Board mailing list
>> Oceania-Board at lists.osgeo.org
>> https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/oceania-board
>>
>
>
> --
> *Alex Leith*
> m: +61 419 189 050
> https://auspatious.com
>
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