Greetings unto the people of Northshield!
In this issue of the Northwatch, you’ll find a copy of the Kingdom budget for 2020. Although the Stallari Council worked hard to include only the items that needed to be funded, we ended up with a negative budget. If income and expenses match our expectations, we will need to dip into reserves to pay our bills. “But,” you ask, “didn’t we just reach our goal for the Endowment Fund? Won’t that meet all our needs?” First, you need to know that, because of the way the endowment fund was created, we can’t touch those earnings until 2022. And even then, with bank CDs earning less than 2%, it won’t generate enough income to cover all our expenses. We need your help to provide a solid financial base for the Kingdom.
“But, wait? What about the online silent auctions? Haven’t they been very successful?” They have, but they typically donate to designated funds – royal travel, regalia, etc. Their donations were a big part of how we met our goal for the endowment fund and have increased the amount we can reimburse our royalty for travel expenses. But the way some of those designated funds are structured, the Kingdom still needs to contribute to them. No matter how much the silent auction contributes to the royal travel fund, we still need to add $3,000 per year from Kingdom funds. So, although I encourage you to participate and support the silent auction, it does not solve our ongoing financial troubles.
How can you help? First, if you hold a successful event, consider donating a part of your profits to the Kingdom. Some groups have returned to the idea of donating a dollar for each paid entrance fee. Others simply wait until the event is over, look at their event income, and decide to make a donation. Whatever you choose to do will help.
Second, plan to attend more Kingdom events. Your presence will make each event more special, but from an income standpoint, since the host group shares half their profit with the Kingdom, your site fees add to what will come back to help us meet our goals. Other Kingdoms make most of their needed income from Kingdom events. If our events were better attended, we would get closer to that goal. When you look at the calendar this year, and decide where to attend, please put a priority on Kingdom events.
Thank you for your words of support as I step into this office. I want to say a special thank you to Dyonisia Buleheaed, our outgoing Kingdom Exchequer, both for the work she did in running the office and for agreeing to continue to serve as my Deputy to complete the 2019 reporting to Society. I will be relying on her to get me up to speed so that when it comes my turn to do all that reporting, I’ll do it right! Also, with my transition to Kingdom Exchequer, we still need a new Western Regional Deputy Exchequer. Look under “Help Wanted” elsewhere in the Northwatch for more details.
Bayard