Ask District Finance: January 2021

By Linda Patten

As we end the first half of the District calendar year, it is a time to begin planning for club purchases before we get to June.  District Bucks is a great incentive savings program.  We have had so many clubs do Open Houses and many have completed their four.  There are clubs that have gone for the gold and have submitted for multiple incentives if not for all of them.  These are clubs that have a big vision of what they can do to enhance the club experience.

I am still getting questions of the type, “When am I getting my check for the Open House we just did?”  The answer is: There are no checks being written for incentives.  All award money goes into your club’s District Bucks account.  When you purchase an item for your club and submit the expense through Concur, I will approve it and the money will be transferred to your club’s checking account.  Easy and effortless, yes?

I also got a question about contest recognition.  There is no plan at this time to purchase medals or ribbons for winners and/or staff at the various contests, including District.  Right now, the plan is to create, produce, and send Certificates to recognize their accomplishments.

Finally, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, we are at the end of the first half of the fiscal year.  Believe me when I say, June will be upon us sooner than we think.  Remember that District Bucks must be used before June 30, 2021.  That means that the paperwork for the expense cannot be processed after June 30, 2021.  To be safe and sure that your reimbursement will be honored through District Bucks, I am setting June 1, 2021 as the deadline to get your expenses into Concur to be paid

January is a time of new beginnings and a time to review the budget you put together in July of 2020.  How are you doing on it? Have you brought in the money you expected? Do you have a plan for how you will spend that money as well as your District Bucks?  Have you set a plan for what your club will do when Shelter-in-Place is lifted? Are you going to stay virtual? Go hybrid? Return to in-person?  Whatever you decide, you might need equipment and supplies to get started again.  Now is the time to plan those expenses, know what you need to buy, check your District Bucks to see what is available, purchase the items and submit for reimbursement.

I want to celebrate with you on your successes.  I am looking forward to approving all your District Bucks expenditures.

Until next time!

Linda Patten
D57 Finance Director