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 7 -8   July/August 2007  
         

TAW Deadline   The deadline for the June, 2007 issue of The American Wanderer is August 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.
 
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.
Does Sarbanes-Oxley (SOx) apply to our club?
Why should our club care about legislation aimed at improving the reliability of financial reports in large corporations? Because the non-profit community is voluntarily complying, up to a point, realizing that a similar scandal would result in harsher Congressional mandates than any self-imposed measures.

In a nutshell, SOx is really nothing more than mandating sound business practices-common sense things to do. Here are some you could do if you are not already:
— Have a policy that specifies who must approve expenditures, e.g., the board for anything over $500 or $1000.
— Require documentation, usually receipts and invoices, before payment; have different people in your club approve reimbursement (e.g., the president or vice president) and write the checks (e.g., the treasurer) so you have a cross check.
— Use basic accounting software to minimize mistakes.
— Have your board periodically review financial statements. (If they don't know how to read the statements, provide training so they learn how to make sense out of what they see.)
— Periodically have the club's financial records audited by someone(s) not on the board, to include a spot check of documentation.
— Shop around for the best deal on large purchases.
— Be sure any business you do with club members does not cost more than doing that same business with others.
— Talk about sound, ethical financial practices at the first meeting of each new board.
With good financial practices, AVA members will be above reproach. It's that easy (though a bit more involved for the National Office).
 
Next Executive Council Meeting  The next meeting of your Executive Council is Saturday, August 11, 2007 at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 17702 IH 35 North, Schertz, TX 78154. All Volkssporters are invited to attend for all or a portion of the meeting. Come watch your Council in action.
 
Agenda Items  There are two agenda items for the upcoming meeting copies are enclosed.
 
YRE/Seasonal Reminder Just a reminder that the window for sanctioning your YRE/Seasonal events for 2008 will close on August 31. Get your events in early so you have time to verify all of the information before it gets pulled for the Starting Point. Also, remember that the Quarterly After Action reports are due by the 30th of July for the quarter that ended June 30.
 
IRS Reports Your Club Officer Update (now filed electronically) can be entered at any time during the year but MUST be completed prior to November 15.
With the closing of the fiscal year, now is a good time to send in your Annual Financial Report. These, too, must be submitted no later than November 15. This report is still required in paper format. A copy of the form is enclosed.
 
Stamps for your Events Please do not ask for two stamps unless you really know that you need them. Now that the postage costs have risen, it is critical that we keep an eye on these expenses. When you have less than 100 walkers, two stamps really aren't necessary.
 
National Volkssporting Month October is National Volkssporting Month. If your club is hosting an event and would like to use the patches designed by Dorm Batson, an order form is enclosed.
 
2005 - 2007 Biennial Report This report should be posted to the AVA web shortly.
 
IVV World Report By the time you get this, the newest IVV World Report should be posted to the web.
 
New Executive Council A roster for the new Executive Council is enclosed.
 
Message from 2007 AVA Convention Committee Just when you thought you were done with those slackers in California, we've created some web pages that you might want to take a look at. (Go to www.ava.org and click on the link to the 2007 Convention.)
— Evaluation Page: Please use this page to send us your thoughts on what went right, what went wrong, and suggestions you'd like us to pass on to the 2009 and 2011 Convention Committees
— Your Photo Galleries: View photo galleries already submitted by attendees and send us the link to your photo gallery of the 2007 Convention.
— Workshops Page: Download materials used by the presenters at the workshops.
— Lost and Found: Did you lose that hat (or whatever) with incalculable sentimental value? See if it was found and email the Help Desk from this page.
The 2007 AVA Convention Committee would like to thank all those who attended the Convention and others who helped support our efforts. It was great seeing you all here in Sacramento and we thank you for bringing us moderate weather for the week -- it's hot now.
 
New Staff Member Please welcome Mark Chavarria. He will be handling events and making sure you have your stamps. You can email him at mark@ava.org
 

Enclosures: