10-12-2012, 12:19 AM
I agree with much of what Craig has said and personally I would certainly like to see the members of Chess Scotland express their opinion, make suggestions and have an open, rational debate, through the forum, on how their funds should be spent.
I will officially be asking all parties concerned in early January for their proposed spending for the financial year starting 1st May 2013 to 30th April 2014 and will expect enough information to allow the Council and CS members to consider the merits of funding the proposed expenditure, the strategic direction the proposed expenditure takes that particular "branch" of Chess Scotland down and the goals and objectives that the funding hopes to achieve.
Without a plan, objectives and goals it is difficult to justify to members, government bodies and potential sponsors or supporters that Chess Scotland is worth investing in.
Again, my personal opinion, is that such objectives etc and proposed expenditure should be in the public domain for discussion, in advance of any final decision on them by CS Council. Part of the rationale behind this is the timing of the financial year, which runs from 1st May and the AGM which is generally around the start of September. By the time the AGM arrives, the major financial decisions have been made for most of the rest of the season and ordinary members have no real say in how funds will be spent for the rest of the season, other than to take the drastic action of voting one or more people out, which brings a whole, new set of issues.
Andy Muir's raising of the issue of what the adult 2013-14 budget should fund and to what extent is a good way to get the debate started, although it is perhaps clouded a little by the reference to the 2012-13 underspend.
So what are the priorities for all Chess Scotland members, at all levels of the game? Should the adult budget focus on the Olympiad and what is a reasonable expectation for such an event? Should we fund a team if it doesn't achieve a minimum level or look at improving the performance by directing funds at coaching or running another top class FIDE event where more of our players can gain experience?
Do we forget paying expenses for the Olympiad and fund more entry fees for top class international adult events?
What about the average club player? Investing in equipment benefits those who play congresses.
I'm sure someone will come up with an idea or two of what we should be supporting in the Junior International front but should we be looking at allocating more funds from both the International budgets to encourage more chess in schools and to support junior chess clubs throughout the country?
As for the current budget, it should be noted that at the start of the financial year there was a projected deficit for the year of £1,320.
I will officially be asking all parties concerned in early January for their proposed spending for the financial year starting 1st May 2013 to 30th April 2014 and will expect enough information to allow the Council and CS members to consider the merits of funding the proposed expenditure, the strategic direction the proposed expenditure takes that particular "branch" of Chess Scotland down and the goals and objectives that the funding hopes to achieve.
Without a plan, objectives and goals it is difficult to justify to members, government bodies and potential sponsors or supporters that Chess Scotland is worth investing in.
Again, my personal opinion, is that such objectives etc and proposed expenditure should be in the public domain for discussion, in advance of any final decision on them by CS Council. Part of the rationale behind this is the timing of the financial year, which runs from 1st May and the AGM which is generally around the start of September. By the time the AGM arrives, the major financial decisions have been made for most of the rest of the season and ordinary members have no real say in how funds will be spent for the rest of the season, other than to take the drastic action of voting one or more people out, which brings a whole, new set of issues.
Andy Muir's raising of the issue of what the adult 2013-14 budget should fund and to what extent is a good way to get the debate started, although it is perhaps clouded a little by the reference to the 2012-13 underspend.
So what are the priorities for all Chess Scotland members, at all levels of the game? Should the adult budget focus on the Olympiad and what is a reasonable expectation for such an event? Should we fund a team if it doesn't achieve a minimum level or look at improving the performance by directing funds at coaching or running another top class FIDE event where more of our players can gain experience?
Do we forget paying expenses for the Olympiad and fund more entry fees for top class international adult events?
What about the average club player? Investing in equipment benefits those who play congresses.
I'm sure someone will come up with an idea or two of what we should be supporting in the Junior International front but should we be looking at allocating more funds from both the International budgets to encourage more chess in schools and to support junior chess clubs throughout the country?
As for the current budget, it should be noted that at the start of the financial year there was a projected deficit for the year of £1,320.
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