2018-05 Proposals

A proposal to amend the Bylaws of OutWorlders, Inc.

Date: May 20, 2018
Author: Wm S. Boozer
Status: Approved (2018-07-15)

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RESOLVED THAT Section 8 ("Fiscal Responsibilities") of the Bylaws of OutWorlders, Inc. be amended to delete and replace the following section:

Section 8. Fiscal Responsibilities¹'

Part A. Operating Budget. The newly elected officers shall propose a budget to the membership in January. This budget will include the name of the expense item, maximum amount to be spent on that item, and title of the officer who will receive reimbursement for the item or who will arrange for payment of the item. This budget must be submitted 14 full days prior to the January business meeting. Approval of the budget as a whole shall constitute approval of each item in the budget. Until a budget is approved, individual expenses must be processed through the regular approval process.²

Part B. Event Budget. A detailed budget must be included with any proposal for an official event or a committee or special interest group activity that will incur expenditures to be covered by the Organization. Dated receipts are required for all reimbursements to be paid out by the Organization. Differences from the original budget items must be accompanied by documentation explaining the differences. Reimbursement is not guaranteed for deviations from the approved budget.

with the following section:

Section 8. Fiscal Procedures³

A. Operating Budget. At the December business meeting, the Treasurer shall present a recommended budget for the subsequent year. Following the meeting, the newly elected officers shall review the recommended budget and prepare an annual budget to present to the membership in January. This budget will include the name of the expense item, maximum amount to be spent on that item, and title of the officer who will receive reimbursement for the item or who will arrange for payment of the item. This budget must be submitted 14 full days prior to the January business meeting. Approval of the budget as a whole shall constitute approval of each item in the budget. Until a budget is approved, individual expenses must be processed through the regular approval process.⁴

B. Reimbursement of Expenses. A sponsoring member may receive a reimbursement for expenses related to an official event through one of the following procedures:

1. If the expense is an approved expense in the operational budget, the individual identified in the sponsoring budget must present an original, dated receipt for the expense to the Treasurer to receive reimbursement. The Organization guarantees reimbursement for no more than the total amount identified in the operating budget.
2. A sponsoring member may submit a proposal to request reimbursement for the expense. If the proposal is approved, the individual receiving the reimbursement must present an original, dated receipt for the expense to the Treasurer to receive reimbursement. The Organization guarantees reimbursement for no more than the total amount identified in the approved proposal.

Wm S Boozer
[Redacted]
Submitted May 20, 2018

Summary of Changes

• The title of this section changes from "Fiscal Responsibilities" to "Fiscal Procedures."
• In Paragraph A, a sentence about the previous year's officers' preparing a budget recommendation for the following year's officers has been copied from the description of the Treasurer in order to put the steps of this process all in one place. Additional language has been added to clarify timing and procedures without changing the meaning of the original text.
• In Paragraph B, the heading changes from "Event Budget" to "Reimbursement of Expenses," and the procedures have been rewritten to provide clear guidance on how sponsoring members can receive reimbursement for expenses for official events. I have removed the part requiring a "detailed budget" for the event because, in practice, the reimbursement is for a single item (e.g., an ad in a convention program) or a general category (e.g., picnic supplies/food) all paid on a single receipt. If the sponsoring members do want more detailed information on expenses, they can ask for it while the proposal is being considered.

1. Section name modified and requirement of four fund-raising events deleted March 18, 2018.
2. Paragraph added March 18, 2018.
3. Section name modified and requirement of four fund-raising events deleted March 18, 2018.
4. Paragraph added March 18, 2018.