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Meeting talk:2012 AGM/Candidates/Ross Mallett

Revision as of 10:15, 17 November 2012 by Hawkeye7 (talk | contribs) (→‎Additional questions from Steven Zhang)
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Questions

Hi Ross I notice that its now after 18:00 AEDT and that voting opens tomorrow so I have a few questions for you;

Given that you are not a previous member of the committee;

  1. do you understand the requirements and obligations of being a treasurer for a Not for profit association?
    The requirements are considerable. A treasurer has to keep track of the records and accounts, ensure that the organisation meets its legal, organisational and financial obligations, pays its bills and taxes and prepares its budget, and proposals for grants and sponsorships. I would say that treasurer has to have at least a working knowledge of accounting and corporate procedures. I have an MBA from Monash, and so am acquainted with this. It is also fortunate that being from Victoria, the form of these that I am most familiar with is the same as our organisation.
  2. Is it acceptable practice not to have yearly audits of the associations finances, under what circumstances could an audit be delayed?
    An organisation with a gross revenue in excess of $200,000 or assets in excess of $500,000 is legally required to have a formal audit by a qualified accountant. You can apply for an extension under Section 30(5) for $25.10. I strongly believe that yearly audits are essential.
  3. in a recent email you chose some very poor words during a heated discussion, will you in the future be able to recognise that your in a similar situation and how would you handle such a realisation?
    Yes, and my practice will be to disengage from the discussion and allow things to cool down.
  4. do you believe that members of the association should be able to discuss matter s on the members list without fear of it being republished publicly?
    Absolutely. This is a fundamental requirement.

Thanks Gideon Gnangarra 19:16, 15 November 2012 (EST)

WMF/FDC

Ross, sorry to put you on the spot with this one. An active Wikimedian wrote this comment at WMAu's staff assessment talk page yesterday. Your thoughts? Tony1 15:10, 17 November 2012 (EST)

Additional questions from Steven Zhang

Hi Ross. I just have a few more questions. As you may know, the Funds Dissemination Committee today announced their recommendations for funds allocations, and out of the requested budget of $291,115, it was recommended we receive $0. This may significantly impact our activities over the next six months.

I am wondering:

  1. If you had been treasurer, what would you have done differently to ensure that we received the allocation that the chapter needed to achieve all of the goals of the 2013 Annual Plan?
    The first thing is that I would have started early. When you do things at the last minute, you have no room to manoeuvre. I would have made sure that it was lodged on time. I would have looked at the Foundation's strategic objectives and written it in a way that showed how it aligned with it.
  2. In light of the result from the FDC, do you still think we can expect the full amount of funding we were hoping to receive from our partners?
    I think that this would be too much to expect. The next round of funding opens in June 2013, and I hope that a new budget will achieve a better outcome. In the meantime, the only thing we can do is what we have been doing an continuing to draw down on a resources.
  3. How do you see our annual plan change (on the top level) as a result of the FDC decision, to ensure that we can still achieve all our objectives?
    Our annual plan will need to be aligned with the Foundation's strategic objectives. We can continue to support our work and achieve our objectives and support our members within this framework.
  4. If elected, what would be your plan going forward to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again?
    We need to be able to make our case to the Foundation. We need to cast our activities in terms of the Foundation's strategic objectives. We need to define measurable objectives so that we can demonstrate our ability to execute and provide a provable return on investment.

Thanks. Steven Zhang 10:10, 16 November 2012 (EST)

Just a clarification: the next FDC round is due in little over three months' time, on 1 March. Tony1 18:55, 17 November 2012 (EST)
Thanks. That does not give us much time. Hawkeye7 21:15, 17 November 2012 (EST)