AVA
CHECKPOINT
 
Official Voice of the American Volkssport Association
1001 Pat Booker Road, Suite 101
Universal City, Texas 78148-4147
Phone (210) 659-2112; Fax (210) 659-1212

  Volume 15, Number 4   April 2007  
         

TAW Deadline   The deadline for the June, 2007 issue of The American Wanderer is April 25. All articles and photographs should be submitted directly to: The American Wanderer, Laurel Parrott, Editor, and 3526 Humboldt Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55412, email TAW@bhi.com  Be sure to include "TAW" in the subject line of the email. NOTE: This is a new email address.
 
IRS Q&A by Bob Wright  Have a question or comments? Send them to Bob at rcwright_va@adelphia.net  Disclaimer: Bob is not a tax professional and voluntarily spends his time to research, compile and write this column giving general guidance and advice. AVA clubs should always check with a professional when faced with an accounting or tax-related decision.
Will the post office give our club a break because it is a 501(c)(3)?

Yes. Non-profit organizations are entitled to special mail rates. But before you get excited about saving money, do some serious analysis.

The USPS requires an annual license, a minimum of 200 identical pieces per mailing, sorting in accordance with strict USPS regulations, etc. If your club isn¹t large, it might be cheaper to stick with priority mail.

If the mailing includes advertising, it is ineligible for the special rate. (Selling ads to cover costs ends up adding costs in this case.) The USPS savings comes at a price. The mail may not get priority handling, which requires you to get mailings out sooner in the hope it arrives in time. Hence this approach is not well suited for time-sensitive information.

So consider the benefits and costs before pursuing postage savings through the USPS.

For more information, see USPS Publication 417, Nonprofit Standard Mail Eligibility, at www/usps.com.
 
Your Club's Vote at 2007 Convention  To ensure that your club has a vote at the upcoming AVA Convention, ALL club functions must be brought current. No report, stamp, or financial matter may be delinquent if your club wishes to vote.
All items must be in the National Headquarters no later than Monday, May 14 by close of business (5pm Central Standard Time). Anything not here will cause your club to lose their vote. If you have any doubts on whether something has been submitted, please call (210-659-2112) or email (avahq@ava.org) to check on it prior to this date.
 
Proposed Changes to the AVA By-laws  The proposed changes are included with this mailing. Your club needs to be prepared to vote on this item. Please ensure that your representative has a copy and knows how your club wants them to vote.
 
Event Stamps  When AVA sends a stamp for your event, they include a slip of paper showing the condition of that stamp. Please remember to return this paperwork with your stamp so your club does not get billed for damage that was not caused by them. If you do not find the paperwork with your stamp, please call or email Jose at jose@ava.org or 210-659-2112 with the stamp number and event number.
 
Account Balances for Individuals Please help us by passing this information to your members.

Individuals who have a balance on their account, whether they owe money to AVA or have a credit resulting from an overpayment to AVA, will receive a statement at the end of each month.

Those owing AVA have 60 days in which to pay their balance. If the balance is not paid by 90 days, their account is put on credit hold. A credit hold means that the individual is not allowed to purchase items, renew their Volkssport Associate Membership or process their books until their account is cleared. If, after six months, this balance still remains unpaid, it is written off to bad debt to zero out the account. However, the account will remain listed as not in good standing. If the individual wants to reinstate their account, the amount that was written off must be paid first.

Those accounts with a credit balance receive a "credit balance statement". This statement asks whether you want to donate your credit or if you want it refunded. The account holder MUST inform AVA how they want this handled. The credit does not stay on the account forever. If, after six months, of repeatedly sending statements, the account holder does not respond, the credit will be taken as a general donation.

This policy was put in place to help keep down the costs of maintaining these accounts.
 
Convention Questions and Answers  The Convention Committee has provided some answers to questions about the Convention. These are enclosed.
 
An Opportunity for Recognition 
AVA has supported the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport for many years. Recently, the President's Council announced the creation of two new awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA) and the. These awards were established by the Council to recognize Americans who have made a national impact through promotion or enhancement of physical activity, fitness, or sports in this country.

The Community Leadership Award will recognize up to 50 individuals nationwide, who have made a local impact in their State, community, club, or organization. The goal is to recognize one individual per State. The Lifetime Achievement Award serves to thank men and women who have dedicated their lives and their careers to improving the health of individuals and groups nationwide.

To be considered in 2007, applications for both awards, which include basic contact information and a brief description of the individual's work, must be received by April 1st. Award winners will be recognized in May National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. President's Council members will review applications and select award winners. Award and application information is posted on www.fitness.gov, the Community Leadership Award (CLA) at: http://www.fitness.gov/about_community_award.htm, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at: http://www.fitness.gov/about_lifetime_award.htm).
 
Reminder  The AVA is trying to compile a list of opportunities for publicizing the AVA such as the AARP Conventions. If you know of anything in your area that might be a good candidate, please email Jackie at jackie@ava.org or Curt Myron at treasurer@ava.org with the details. This list will be used by AVA to prioritize and budget for possible participation.
 

Enclosures