Board Meeting Minutes – August, 2024

Reports

Financial Review

Deepika, Esperanto-USA’s accountant, gives her report. She is a financial statement accountant who was hired to help convert our financial records to Quickbooks Online, clean-up our financial records for fiscal year 2023 and 2024, and perform bookkeeping activities for the organization going forward.  She reviews donated funds, and clarifies that revenue listed is not necessarily cash revenue, but the amount of gain or loss over the initial investment for our brokerage account. Deepika provided a viewing of our financial statements on a quarterly basis for the calendar year 2023, as they appear after E-USA’s finances have been cleaned up, such that the report showed is the most accurate. 

Mateo and Deepika also clarified that liquid assets are (for the most part) cash that is available on hand to pay for whatever is needed. Typically this refers to the balance in our bank account vs the amount in our investments. Amanda states that the financial report Deepika is showing to the board is far more accurate than what we had previously, thanks to the hard work of Deepika, Ruth, and others. Mateo points out that the organization brought in $27,489 last year, mostly from investment revenue, and that we now have policies and procedures in place, and being built, which allow the organization to ensure the revenue from investments (including the Reed Trust) are transferred from the brokerage account to the bank account.  This will generate much of the cash required for the organization to drive programs (e.g. NASK scholarships, Landa Kongreso, grants, etc). Esperanto-USA’s financial status is currently organized, comprehensible, and stable. 

“Permanently Restricted Funds” are endowments, while “Temporarily Restricted Funds” are funds which may be fed by endowments or by donations and which should only be used for the specific purposes or projects/programs to which they are assigned. Temporarily Restricted Funds that contain revenue from endowments cannot be unrestricted, because the endowments and donations are given with specific restrictions. Many of the organization’s Temporary Restricted Funds were created to reflect the endowments found in the “Permanently Restricted Funds” section of the Statement of Position. Only board-created funds can be repurposed by the board. This includes how funds from a board-created endowment are used since there is no donor restriction (i.e. if the board and not a donor created the fund then the board can change its purpose). Endowment revenue cannot be used for operating expenses except for revenue from the endowments that specifically say they are to support the operations of Esperanto-USA (today there are only two: the Swenson (by virtue of no specific restriction being put on the donation) and Massey funds).

Matt and Deepika report on the comparison between the budget and the actual revenue and expenses. Matt reports that the improved accounting practices now in use will allow for more accurate budgeting in the future, and that the board will need to work with fund managers to create actual expectations of expenses in each program area in order to track progress of expected vs unplanned expenditures in the future.

Agenda

The Agenda is reviewed. A quorum is declared, and the agenda is approved. Minutes for the three meetings in July have not yet been fully reviewed for approval by all board members, and this is tabled for a later time.

Dulanda Kongreso/NASK

The NASK team and the Dulanda LKK are collaborating to determine whether NASK can be held in Toronto along with the Dulanda Kongreso for 2025. Quintyn asks about a timeline in which E-USA should enter into a formal agreement regarding payments. KEA will have to make the payments and be reimbursed by E-USA for our portion. The treasurer of KEA suggested that costs be divided proportionally according to the attendance from Canada and USA at the Kongreso. Amanda is working with the LKK on these matters. 

Universala Kongreso

Brandon reports that the Kongreso went very well, and there were many participants from nearby countries. Areas E-USA could improve by having a nice table for the Movada Foiro, for example with a presentation about the film festival. Brandon sat in on the committee meeting of UEA. Next year, each organization will be responsible for electing or re-electing committee members, and UEA will elect a new Estraro.

Old Business

777 Fund/UN Office

Brandon and Humphrey have been discussing the payments for the UN office. Options are that E-USA can collect donations throughout the year and ask UEA for any amount not met by donations, or else ask UEA for a 50/50 split wherein E-USA and UEA each agree to cover 50% of the costs upfront. An agreement on a 50/50 split is currently favored and would be on a limited time basis, such as for a specific number of years. Matt speaks in favor of this agreement and asks whether anyone has volunteered to draft such a proposal. Brandon offers to work with Quintyn and Matt on drafting a proposal. The board speaks in favor of the 50/50 split agreement, and in favor of using the UN office. Discussion will follow in Slack regarding how to use this office. Brandon, Quintyn, and Matt will draft a proposal and present it for board approval before presenting it officially to UEA.

Follow-Up on Items from the LK

The Beach House charged more than expected for the Beach Party, and Amanda is in discussions with the restaurant to contest the charges, as the fees and charges were not made clear sufficiently in advance of the event. The owner seems amenable to negotiating on these costs. Rachel joins the meeting.

New Business

Manual of Policies and Procedures

Brandon suggests the idea that the Board should have a single location where the policies and procedures of Esperanto-USA and its board of directors can be found. This would include both recording organizational policies and procedures for board review, and also publishing these for member review.

Finance Policies

Matt asks that, by September 8, board members review the documents in the folder “Finances” > “Policies and Procedures”, add comments and questions to each, and be ready to vote in September. Quintyn asks Matt whether Deepika could also review these documents to verify that the processes and procedures listed are legal and reflect a good process.

Finance Committee

This can be tabled for a later meeting, or to be voted on in Slack.

Grant Request Reviews

Amanda wanted feedback for three grant requests. ESF requested $2000 from the NASKE Fund for NASK Scholarships. The Promotions Committee requested $1000 for a bookmark project. UEA has requested $464 to purchase a laptop for the Asocio Nova Familio, an orphanage in DR Congo. Action Item: Amanda will send an email out with more details on these requests, for the board to vote on in Slack. 

Brandon recommends that, in the future, grants not be given for money which has already been spent. Matt raises questions about how the grant request for the laptop is reflective of our organization’s purchase. Ruth requests clarification on how others found this grant request form and recommends that any policies and procedures include a procedure for how people can request grants. Brandon also recommends that committees be asked for a budget on what they expect to spend during the year.

TAKE 2026

Brandon reports that TAKE, the Tut-Amerika Kongreso de Esperanto happens roughly every 3 years and has never happened in the USA, but the Amerika Komisiono de UEA has asked if E-USA would like to host this event in 2026. Brandon cautions against prematurely committing to this, but recommends that the board explore whether any local groups would wish to organize this. Amanda recommends that it be held in a city with a major airport hub, preferably in the southern USA. Ruth recommends that E-USA investigate whether visas to the USA would be easily accessible to people in South and Central America before volunteering to hold it. Brandon confirms that citizens from many of these countries would have to have a visa, which would pose an additional cost to participants. Matt asks when we would need to answer whether E-USA could host this event, and Brandon says hopefully by December. Quintyn and Amanda discuss options for what the organization might do if others request help with visas and scholarships. 

Dankrezolucio for Alekso

Quintyn recommends a dankrezolucio to thank Alekso for his work in the Usona Bona Film-Festivalo. Action Item: Quintyn will send a draft out to the board.

Contact Coordinator

Quintyn recommends that E-USA create a community tab on its website, to help interested people find regional coordinators, local groups, and other information. A Contact Coordinator could monitor a central email account and forward requests to the appropriate persons, as well as following up to ensure that there has been a response. Previously, this has been the Director of the Central Office, but it may be beneficial to have this as a separate role. Amanda clarifies that she has not gotten a large number of contacts, but that this may change as the organization sets up the appropriate infrastructure for allowing members and interested non-members to learn about resources which E-USA might provide. Chuck MAYS has expressed interest in having this role temporarily, such that it can be related to the Membership Committee.

Status of Internship

This section of the meeting minutes has been removed from the publicly available version of the meeting minutes due to conversation of compensation and job review for a staff member. If there are any questions or concerns about this decision, please email retejo@esperanto-usa.org.

Action Item: The board will discuss the internship in Slack and make a decision there.