December 2015 Report
Post date: Dec 12, 2015 8:4:23 PM
The AVP/USA Finance Committee met on December 10, 2015, and have the following to report:
Treasurer Update -- Joe Ossmann. Joe reviewed the Budget report for the first 4 months, and reports nothing remarkable. We have net income of $2,718 for the period.
Insurance: Questions about liability insurance and Directors and Officers insurance. Margaret Browne has identified an insurance resource for nonprofits, InsuranceforNonprofits.com, and asked whether she should follow through with them. The committee approved.
Fundraising Letter Update -- The mailing is in process. Joe has sent the funds to the printer, and their are now preparing the mailing. Joe will handle the thank you letters, and Chad will send him the form that was used last year.
National Gathering 2016 Budget: Margaret Browne. See the attached budget files. The Committee approved the proposed conference budget and rates.
Contract for the Conference: We will need a contract, and will be required to send payment for the 25% deposit when we sign the contract, which could occur by the end of Dec. 2015. Estimated balance will be due on or before the event date. AVP will have to provide a count 90 days prior, and 14 days prior.
Incorporation: AVP/USA is incorporated in the state of Maryland (in 1992). Is the annual filing fee paid, and is a Report of Officers filed? Action: Joe will look into this.
Solidaire: See Joe’s email below (Attachment 1). Solidaire might be in a position to a proposal for providing microloans to returning citizens, a system that has met with some success in other countries. Action: Joe will follow up on this to see if they will accept unsolicited proposals.
Respectfully Submitted,
Chad Dell, co-clerk
Attachment 1: Dawn, Chad
This is interesting. Bronwen’s source is correct – the Solidaire website has internal contradictions. In one place it says they don’t accept unsolicited requests, and yet other page solicits nominations. They seem very much into empowerment. It might be a fit with an idea I just had a week or so ago.
I was thinking about the perpetual difficulty of returning citizens trying to find employment, and how one answer to that could be entrepreneurship – returning citizens starting their own businesses. Of course, two problems with that are seed money and lack of business experience. My little personal brainstorm was to set up a program that would combine microloans with business mentorship.
A few days after I had this idea I read an article in Scientific American (October 2015, “More Evidence, Less Poverty,” by Dean Karlan) about research into the effectiveness of programs trying to lift people out of poverty. The use of microloans in developing countries gets a lot of press, but the jury is still out regarding their effectiveness. However, the author reports on a study which says that microloans can be effective in a context which includes:
1. A “productive asset,” that is, a way to make a living (livestock, beehives, supplies to start a simple store).
2. Technical training in how to use the asset.
3. A small, short-term regular stipend, to meet daily living needs so the person doesn’t have to sell the asset while learning to use it.
4. Access to health support, to stay healthy enough to work.
5. A way to save money for the future.
6. Regular (usually weekly) visits from a coach, to reinforce skills, build confidence, and help participants handle challenges.
The research which established the effectiveness of this intervention was initiated by the Ford Foundation and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor in Washington D.C. I was struck by reading this article immediately after having my idea. It seems to me that a program for returning citizens, containing these elements, might appeal to the Solidaire group. Of course the research was done in developing countries, but it seems reasonable to test it with our group in the US.
This brings up lots of questions in my mind. Would this be a good fit for AVP, given our growing concern for returning citizens, or is it too far afield from our core mission? Would it be best to locate it in a single site or multiple locations? Would we try to do it ourselves or partner with an existing service provider? If we partnered with another group, what would our role be? (Perhaps our role could be to provide AVP-trained returning citizens.) What sort of businesses in US cities would be suitable? How large does a microloan in the US need to be?
Of course, it could be that someone else is already doing this, but if so, I haven’t heard of it. It would seem to be a natural for organizations that already have an entrepreneurial bent, such as Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles (with whom AVP-CA has a relationship).
Now that I’ve laid out this idea, I need to say that I’m not willing to take it and run with it, but I’d be interested to know if it appeals to folks. If it does, I’d be happy to be part of a group that could meet to flesh it out and do a bit of initial exploration, but I’m not able to do much legwork at this time.