Donations/Finance Working Group
Occupy Tucson is following the OWS model on how money goes to working groups for amounts under $100.00 and the GA approval on amounts over $100.00.
Finance Table Procedures
OWS Finance Table Procedures: Working Document
Funding for working groups for projects under $100 only
Projects over $100 must be approved by GA or Spokes Council
All projects must be approved internally by the requesting working group
Funds must be spend w/in working group stated project guidelines and germane mission
All expenditures must be accompanied by a receipt
Project spending must be completed w/in 24 hours
If no receipts: potential actions for consideration
- Working Group account frozen (3-5 days? indefinitely?)
- New point person appointed
- Dissolve Working Group for repeated offences
Working Group develop internally a self-regulating mechanism
Working Group Budget Process
Financial Procedures
Working groups must submit a list of preferably 3 individuals (point people) who will handle actions with finance. This is to aid in preventing fraud. Providing this list on the initial WG application form from central Info is preferable.
Working Group money under $100 (daily petty cash)
-WG gets consensus on purchase
-One of the financial point people of the WG approaches finance with the request
-Finance checks record to make sure the WG has not already used their daily petty cash
-Finance disperses funds
-WG point person returns receipts to finance
Working Group money over $100
-WG point person gets proposal form from finance
-WG fills out form after budget consensus has been reached
-Finance checks that this is not an existing resource in inventory
-Finance signs proposal
-WG rep attends the 4pm facilitation meeting, adds their budget item to that night’s GA agenda
-WG presents the budget at GA for consensus
-GA passes the proposal and the minutes are put onto the website
-Finance checks the minutes and disperses the funds
-WG point person brings back receipts
-Working groups accepting OWS General Fund money must contribute 100% of received donations back into the General Fund
Two finance point-persons for each working group
-Point-persons can rotate through, but working group must give written notification of change in advance
-Point-persons must have working phone as a point of contact
100% accountability for cash and receipts
-No receipts = no further funds.
-Receipts must be presented w/in 24 hours
Approved expenditures
-Purchases must be in accordance with working group’s stated scope of operations
- To join Finance and handle money, a background check is required. We’re not looking for civil disobedience related arrests. Just serious red flags of fraud, we also do not want people directly involved in political parties. Someone from the Democratic party tried to work with finance and we had to say no. We don’t want anyone who could potentially co-opt the movement. Minor shoplifting? Maybe, it depends, everything based on trust.
- If there is something illegal in your proposal we can’t give funds for that.
Many years ago I helped start a credit union associated with Gentle Strength Food Co-op in Tempe, Arizona. I would be willing to help start an “Occupied Credit Union” in Tucson to build a financial engine based in the Tucson progressive community. To establish a functioning, reliable credit union requires a handful of responsible people to commit to the operation of the organizaton. Skills working with money – accounting, loan officers, etc. – are needed, of course, as well as a willingness to apply those skills to meeting the needs of the community that the credit union serves. There are well established organizations to help with the details and provide support. The operation can start small and grow as participation in the credit union grows. Are there people associated with Occupy Tucson who would be interested in establishing a credit union dedicated to serving the financial needs of the Tucson community based on progressive, socially responsible principles?