Post by Valerie on Jan 4, 2012 23:32:31 GMT -8
We've had some great financial successes to open up the rental season but also a pretty big setback as 2011 ended. Here's what we've done, where we stand and how things look going forward so that the changes don't come as a surprise to anyone.
The last post at the beginning of rental season had us with about $700 in the bank - right at that "rent x 1" amount we like to have in the bank after paying rent so we always have a month ready and don't put ourselves in an over-extended situation where we're not 100% sure we can afford rent the next month. The haunted house drawing went well, raising about $300 above and beyond site and snack bar donations, and haunted house spending was in line with that number so hosting it didn't put NOTR "in the hole". We continued to do pretty well until December started, so now that it's ended - while we had enough to pay January rent, we're not doing too hot.
However, a season has come and gone and we have, after paying January's rent, $467 in the bank - the lowest number we have had in quite a while, looking back at the posts from last year.
How did we get ourselves into this situation? Here are some of the factors:
• Absent snack bar. Kaine, the only person with a car that can hold the snack bar, was gone for much of the month due to other commitments. No snack bar at the table means that while we've spent money on snacks, nobody can donate money and get snacks, because there's no snacks to get.
• Fewer games, fewer players. People are away for the holidays. Only 2 spheres played Christmas Eve and very few players for those spheres showed up. We made a total of about $30 that night, including donations for what few snack bar goods we had. On New Year's Eve, only Vampire was present and no donations were taken. That's 2 out of 5 weeks where we made almost nothing.
• Holiday spending. People are spending extra cash on presents, not feeding the pig.
• Yearly fees. $10 went out for the state business license, and we'll need another $45 to go out in January for the Seattle business license.
Why wasn't this brought up earlier? Simply put, because it didn't happen earlier. The donation table tends to bring about as much as we need to make rent every month, meaning our savings remain stable. However, a bad week or two, especially combined with a generally poor month for fundraising, can lead us to this situation relatively quickly.
What happens now? In essence, spending cutbacks. Money will stop being spent on the snack bar; we will have snacks available until we run out and won't purchase more until we get back to that $700-in-the-bank-after-rent-is-considered level as was voted on at the 2011 member meeting. Likewise, we will stop reimbursing Chris for the website until this baseline is met as well. The Seattle city business license is not negotiable, it is a legal requirement, so we have to pay for that. Rent also has to be paid. We've paid for January already.
Other than that, we're in the "let's see what we can do to make a bit over rent each month" mode again until our savings are bolstered. Please remember to feed the pig, and please remember Kaine and I can take card payments through Square on our phones if you don't have cash. Pig volunteers may be more vocal, please also remember we are not doing so to be rude, but ignoring people who asking you to feed the pig may result in repeated requests because we don't know if you heard us or not and right now, it really does matter.
If you don't have the means for a couple bucks a night, that's OK. We know things are tough for a lot of people right now, and a simple "No thanks.", "Not right now." or mere acknowledgement of the individual's existence (no explanation for lack of donation necessary) should get them to stop bugging you for the evening.
If you can donate, though - please, please please, remember to do so!
Thanks,
Sarah Bennett
NOTR Treasurer
Edited to finish a sentence.
The last post at the beginning of rental season had us with about $700 in the bank - right at that "rent x 1" amount we like to have in the bank after paying rent so we always have a month ready and don't put ourselves in an over-extended situation where we're not 100% sure we can afford rent the next month. The haunted house drawing went well, raising about $300 above and beyond site and snack bar donations, and haunted house spending was in line with that number so hosting it didn't put NOTR "in the hole". We continued to do pretty well until December started, so now that it's ended - while we had enough to pay January rent, we're not doing too hot.
However, a season has come and gone and we have, after paying January's rent, $467 in the bank - the lowest number we have had in quite a while, looking back at the posts from last year.
How did we get ourselves into this situation? Here are some of the factors:
• Absent snack bar. Kaine, the only person with a car that can hold the snack bar, was gone for much of the month due to other commitments. No snack bar at the table means that while we've spent money on snacks, nobody can donate money and get snacks, because there's no snacks to get.
• Fewer games, fewer players. People are away for the holidays. Only 2 spheres played Christmas Eve and very few players for those spheres showed up. We made a total of about $30 that night, including donations for what few snack bar goods we had. On New Year's Eve, only Vampire was present and no donations were taken. That's 2 out of 5 weeks where we made almost nothing.
• Holiday spending. People are spending extra cash on presents, not feeding the pig.
• Yearly fees. $10 went out for the state business license, and we'll need another $45 to go out in January for the Seattle business license.
Why wasn't this brought up earlier? Simply put, because it didn't happen earlier. The donation table tends to bring about as much as we need to make rent every month, meaning our savings remain stable. However, a bad week or two, especially combined with a generally poor month for fundraising, can lead us to this situation relatively quickly.
What happens now? In essence, spending cutbacks. Money will stop being spent on the snack bar; we will have snacks available until we run out and won't purchase more until we get back to that $700-in-the-bank-after-rent-is-considered level as was voted on at the 2011 member meeting. Likewise, we will stop reimbursing Chris for the website until this baseline is met as well. The Seattle city business license is not negotiable, it is a legal requirement, so we have to pay for that. Rent also has to be paid. We've paid for January already.
Other than that, we're in the "let's see what we can do to make a bit over rent each month" mode again until our savings are bolstered. Please remember to feed the pig, and please remember Kaine and I can take card payments through Square on our phones if you don't have cash. Pig volunteers may be more vocal, please also remember we are not doing so to be rude, but ignoring people who asking you to feed the pig may result in repeated requests because we don't know if you heard us or not and right now, it really does matter.
If you don't have the means for a couple bucks a night, that's OK. We know things are tough for a lot of people right now, and a simple "No thanks.", "Not right now." or mere acknowledgement of the individual's existence (no explanation for lack of donation necessary) should get them to stop bugging you for the evening.
If you can donate, though - please, please please, remember to do so!
Thanks,
Sarah Bennett
NOTR Treasurer
Edited to finish a sentence.
