Ask District Finance: March 2021

By Linda Patten, District Finance Officer

As we move into March, we are beginning the final quarter of the year.  The activity that is taking much of your time is connecting with your club members and talking with them about renewing for the next 6-months.  Right now, we have an incentive for collecting renewals from at least 20 people, for which you get District Bucks.   The other activities going on this month are the various speech contests.  The contest season runs like this: January is for club contests that feed into the Area contests in February, which lead into the Division contests this month in March. 

Having the contests brought out new questions for me.  One has to do with individuals who have dual roles whether in two or more clubs or a club and district role.  How do we submit our expenses to Concur?  I am testing this idea and will report back to you all next month.  Here is a preview.  I have my test officer change the banking information in the Concur account to the personal or business account.  Then I asked the individual to run an Area expense through the approval to funding process.  Once that is complete, we will change the bank account back to the club’s and run a club expense through.  If this works, and I can’t see why it wouldn’t, then between District officers and Club officers, we can keep the transactions clean for audit purposes and for accounting activities at both the club and District levels.

Remember that District Bucks purchase receipts must be submitted through Concur by June 1, 2021.  You cannot submit the District Bucks winnings as an incentive expense.  You must buy something like:

Club Supplies / Ads

 

 

Tokens of Appreciation

  • Cameras for hybrid meetings
  • Microphones for hybrid meetings
  • Computers for hybrid meetings
  • Facebook Ads — other online promotion
  • Mailchimp or other All-In-One integrated marketing platforms
  • Thank You cards (Not Gift Cards!!)
  • Flowers up to $25 USD
  • Toastmasters gift certificates & products
  • Gifts for speakers — tea, chocolates, coffee, etc.
  • Gifts up to $25 USD — journals / pads / totes / pens / tea
Incentives
  • Toastmasters’ products
  • Toastmasters gift certificates
  • Registration (i.e., Conference)

As a speaker, wouldn’t you like your token of appreciate to be something a bit more personal than a Starbucks gift card?  I can tell you that as a keynote speaker, I really appreciated a gift of my favorite tea and the cost was under the $25.  

If you have any questions about District Bucks expenditures, ask me before you submit them.  Let’s see how creative you and your club can be.