Financial Policy for The Canton of Stormwall

Approved by Financial Committee – 4/7/22

Approved by Kingdom Exchequer – 4/8/2022

Financial Policy for The Canton of Stormwall

a part of the Barony of Hawkwood-Kingdom of Atlantia

1. Canton of Stormwall Financial Committee:

   1. The Council shall consist of the Canton Seneschal, Canton Exchequer, and all adult (18 years of age or older) paid members of the group in attendance at a committee meeting.

2. Terms of Financial Committee Members:

   1. Exchequer: Until expiration of warrant.

   2. Seneschal: Until expiration of warrant.

   3. Populace: All adults (18 years of age or older) within the Canton of Stormwall, who have current memberships. Current membership will be determined by presenting membership numbers and expiration dates on the Roster for each vote presented to the membership.

3. Timeframes and methods for meetings:

   1. Normal business of the Financial Committee will be conducted at:

      1. The published group monthly meeting.

      2. Published special event meetings.

   2. Meetings may be conducted in-person, by phone, by email, or video/phone conferencing platforms.

   3. Meetings and votes may not be conducted over social media sites.

   4. For a meeting to be published it must appear on the Canton website and event calendar.

4. Timeframes and methods for action approval under normal circumstances:

   1. Actions may be approved by a simple majority of committee members in attendance.

   2. Members of the Financial Committee shall have one vote each and excuse themselves from voting on any financial decisions in which there is a conflict of interest or appearance of impropriety.

   3. In the event of a tie, the matter is considered not approved.

   4. The Financial Committee shall review all proposed expenditures for approval.

   5. The Financial Committee shall review all proposed event budgets for approval.

   6. Proposals which are not time sensitive should be made at least one week in advance of the published meeting.

5. Timeframes and methods for meeting and approval in emergencies:

   1. In the event that time sensitive business must be conducted, an Emergency Financial Committee meeting may be called.

   2. The Emergency Financial Committee will consist of the Exchequer, the Seneschal, and any warranted group officer in good standing, except those who are related to, cohabitate, or share mundane financial responsibilities with the Exchequer and Seneschal.

   3. The Emergency Financial Committee may authorize any time sensitive necessary expenditure up to $150.00. Any expenditure over $150.00 must be referred to a regular business meeting.

   4. Emergency Financial Committee meetings may be conducted in-person, by phone, email, or video/phone conferencing platforms.

   5. Emergency Financial Committee meetings may not be conducted over social media sites.

   6. The Exchequer is responsible for recording the purpose and results of any actions taken by the Emergency Financial Committee and reporting them to the populace at the next published monthly business meeting.

6. Reporting Schedule for the Canton:

   1. Quarterly Reports – The Quarterly Report is done cumulative through the year.

      1. First Quarter (January 1 – March 31) Due April 30

      2. Second Quarter (January 1 – June 30) Due July 31

      3. Third Quarter (January 1 – September 30) Due October 31

      4. Fourth Quarter/Doomsday (January 1 – December 31) Due January 31

   2. Non-Member Registration must be submitted within 10 working days of the close of the event.

   3. Event Reports must be submitted within 14 days of the close of the event.

7. Reporting Requirements for Reports:

   1. The Exchequer shall comply with all reporting guidelines as established by Society and Kingdom Financial Laws and Policies. This shall include but is not limited to Event Financial Reports and Quarterly Financial Reports.

      1. Event Report must include but is not limited to:

         1. Event Financial Report Form

         2. Receipts for all expenses

         3. Records of all deposits

         4. Records for reconciled advances

         5. Gate check in roster

         6. Non-Member Registration Submission (Required if site fee is charged)

      2. Quarterly Report must include but is not limited to:

         1. Current Excel version of Financial Report completed

         2. PDF of the entire report with appropriate pages signed by the Exchequer and Seneschal.

         3. Quarterly bank statements for the months covered in the report reviewed, reconciled, and signed by the Exchequer and Seneschal.

         4. Account Ledgers for the quarter.

         5. Property and Item inventory (if applicable).

         6. Any event reports that have occurred in the reporting quarter

         7. Any expense receipts for the quarter that have not already been reported.

         8. Any deposit records for the quarter that have not already been reported.

         9. Any documentation regarding the bank account of the canton or office of the Exchequer (for example: addition or removal of signatories or change of address).

8. Time frames and methods for review and revision of the financial policy:

   1. An editable template of the Financial Policy will be held by the Canton Exchequer in two digital locations; a PDF copy will be made available to the populace via the Canton and Kingdom websites. Physical copies of the most recent financial policy should be maintained by the Canton Exchequer and Seneschal. A copy of the policy should be present at each monthly business meeting for those who wish to view it.

   2. This document shall be reviewed and approved by the Exchequer, Seneschal, and Kingdom Exchequer for compliance before being brought before the populace for adoption.

   3. This policy must be reviewed annually during the 4^th Quarter of the year.

   4. This policy may be reviewed or revised at any other time of the year if requested at the monthly business meeting.

   5. All proposed revisions must be reviewed and approved by the Kingdom Exchequer.

   6. Approved revisions will be communicated to the populace via the next monthly meeting after which it is approved, the Canton website, and the Baronial Newsletter.

   7. This document is superseded in this order by: Kingdom Exchequer Policy, Kingdom Financial Policy, The Kingdom of Atlantia Law, By-Laws of the SCA, Inc., the Corporate Policies of the SCA, Inc. (including Society Financial Policy), Corpora, State and Federal Law.

9. Methods for controlling cash receipts:

   1. Cash receipts are any form of income (cash currency, check, or money order) and shall include but are not limited to: event income of all types, monies collected from advertised fund raising endeavors, donations, money from the sale of goods purchased with group funds, and newsletter sales and subscription income.

   2. Cash receipts of any type must be deposited into the group bank account no later than 10 calendar days after the receipt by an officer of the SCA. No exception. Undeposited income of any type is prohibited from being used for refunds, reimbursements, or expenses.

   3. Use of online credit card or electronic payment services is restricted to those approved by the Society Chancellor of the Exchequer. No personal credit card or electronic acceptance account belonging to an individual or other business will be used under any circumstances.

   4. Event Gatekeeper / Troll / Reservationist:

      1. The Head Gatekeeper / Troll / Reservationist must be an adult warranted group officer who has received training as an Exchequer and will be ultimately responsible for accounting for all funds that pass through the gate.

         1. Adult paid members of the SCA may assist or function as a Gatekeeper / Troll at an event. And an adult paid member of the SCA must always be present and in charge of Gate / Troll where SCA money is collected.

         2. Minors may not assist at the Gate / Troll where monies are involved.

         3. Site owners may observe Gate / Troll operations but may not handle SCA funds. Funds collected for the event must remain with an authorized paid SCA member who does not have financial or material interest in the ownership of the site itself.

10. Policies on Event Admission Charges and Refunds:

    1. Normal admission charges shall apply to all event attendees with the following exceptions:

       1. Canton Event Fees will be waived for the following attendees:

          1. Their Majesties of Atlantia

          2. Their Royal Highnesses of Atlantia

          3. Territorial Coronets of the Barony of the Hawkwood

       2. Canton Event Fees may also be waived for visiting Royals, Territorial Coronets, and first-event attendees at the discretion of the Canton Exchequer, Canton Seneschal, Event Autocrat, and a simple majority of approval by the Financial Committee. This is dependent on event budget and site requirements and will be communicated to the populace on the event announcement.

    2. Event Refunds

       1. Refund requests must be received in writing (physical mail or by email, not via text or social media) within three business days after the event closes.

       2. Feast fee refunds will be granted if the feast space was resold to another attendee.

       3. Other fees may be refunded based on approval by group financial committee.

       4. All refunds must be paid by check from the group checking account.

       5. No refunds shall be issued until the event books have been closed and all reservation checks have been cleared.

       6. Confirmation of refund request submission will be communicated in writing to the person who submitted the request within seven days.

11. Property Management and Inventory:

    1. Trailers

       1. Not Applicable to the Canton of Stormwall

2. Other Property

   1. Property belonging to the Canton will be stored and maintained by an officer in the group. Items which are a part of Gold Key (Loaner Garb) should reside with the Chatelain.

   2. All items (with the exception of Gold Key) will be inventoried by the Exchequer or a warranted deputy of the Exchequer (Chamberlain or Quartermaster) annually. Additional inventories may take place as needed.

12. Prohibited Activities:

    1. Raffles and Online Auctions are prohibited.

    2. Fireworks - The purchase, ownership or sale of fireworks is prohibited. The purchase of professional fireworks services is permitted, with approval by the Board of Directors. To request permission from the Board, the branch must request approval through the Kingdom Seneschal and the Kingdom Exchequer who will contact their Society Superiors for instructions.

13. Sales Tax Policy:

    1. Not applicable in the Kingdom of Atlantia

14. Funds (General and Special Funds):

    1. General Funds: Monies collected to support administrative and event related functions of the Canton. Unless otherwise specified, all monies collected will go towards the General Fund.

       1. Inactivity Expiration – In the event the Canton dissolves, all monies will return to the Barony of Hawkwood General Fund. If the majority of officers in the Canton agree, monies may be transferred to the Kingdom account pending approval by the Kingdom Exchequer.

2. Special Funds: Special Funds (or Temporary Funds) may be established for use as short-term obligations occur. These funds will not exceed one calendar year or the designated period of use, whichever is longer. Temporary funds will be stored in the same bank account as General Funds.

   1. Requests for Special Funds – Requests must be sent to the Canton Exchequer and Seneschal in writing at least one week prior to the published monthly meeting and include the purpose for which the fund is being established. The request must be reviewed and approved by a majority of the Financial Committee and the Kingdom Exchequer before it is established.

   2. Dissolution of Special Funds – Special Funds may be dissolved after completion of the original purpose or in the event that the purpose of the special fund ceases to exist. The Exchequer will provide a closing report within seven days of dissolution. All monies remaining from the Special Fund will be moved to the General Fund.

   3. All Special Funds must be compliant with Society and Kingdom Policies and Laws.

15. Additional Canton Policies:

    1. Budget

1. The Canton Exchequer will submit an annual budget to the Financial Committee at the monthly business meeting following the 4^th Quarter/Doomsday report submission.

2. Based on recent history of expenditures and activity the following may have Budget Line Items:

   1. Canton Seneschal Office Expenses

   2. Canton Chatelain Office Expenses

   3. Canton Exchequer Office Expenses

   4. Canton Minister of the Arts and Sciences Office Expenses

   5. Canton Web Minister Office Expenses

   6. Yearly Event (commonly referred to as “Stormwall”)

3. Continuation of line items is determined by current financial health of the Canton and requires approval by simple majority of the Financial Committee at the monthly business meeting.

2. Controls and Disbursements:

1. All disbursements will be made by bank draft (check) in accordance with Society Branch Financial Policy.

2. Advance payments can only be made with the prior approval of the Canton’s Financial Committee in accordance to the event bid or fundraising initiative. Demos which require the use of Canton funds will be treated as an event bid.

3. Disbursements which are reimbursements for approved expenditures will require the request for reimbursement, which includes legal and society name of the individual requesting reimbursement, explanation of expenditures and documentation of their approval, and all receipts.

4. Under no circumstances will reimbursement be made without the receipt of expenditure. All receipts must be presented to the Canton Exchequer within fourteen days of expenditure for proper processing and payment.

5. All expenditures will be documented in the report as outlined in Section 7.1.2.

6. Telephone expenses will not be reimbursed under any circumstances.

7. Disbursements for approved budget items may be given by the Exchequer and require the original receipt signed by the officer or autocrat requesting the reimbursement.

8. Requests which exceed the budgeted amount will be brought before the Financial Committee at the next business meeting for approval.