Greetings unto the populace!
By now, the efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 should be well underway. A number of your groups will have had to cancel events. If cancelling your event cost the group money by losing a security deposit, for example, and your group does not feel it can afford to absorb the loss, you can apply to the Kingdom to be reimbursed. You’ll want to fill out a Request for Cash Reimbursement form which you can find on the Kingdom website by clicking Officers – Chancellor of the Exchequer – Forms. You’ll also need to include copies of your bills or invoices showing the lost funds.
As we learn more about social distancing and other measures to hopefully keep us all safe, it’s easy to get caught up in the “new reality.” But some things still need to go on. Reporting of bank statements, reconciliations, and the Quarter 1 reports still need to happen. If you have issues with collecting documentation or getting the required signatures, call me. We will try to be creative in making the necessary documentation happen even though most of us are doing our best to stay apart.
Finally, as you watch how the reality of COVID-19 is affecting people, some groups may be tempted to share their wealth by giving funds to members or friends in need. Note that, because we’re a 501-C-3 nonprofit under IRS rules, we can’t do that. Our funds cannot be used to support individuals, no matter how needy. Members of your group can choose to collect funds and share them as they see fit, so long as they never appear as a donation to the group. You can, however, make a donation to another 501-C-3 nonprofit. Just be sure that you have minutes from a Financial Committee meeting, or documentation that such a decision was voted on (even online) in accordance with your group’s Financial Policy.
Take care, stay safe, and hopefully we’ll all be able to gather again in the near future.
Bayard