Collective balance
Expense policies
Expense policies
The finance admins
- We will have 3-4 finance admins at any time. They will be:
- Regularly active in the group
- Easy to contact, either because of being consistently in meetings or by being responsive online
- Approved firstly in a meeting and then in a vote online. If anyone vetoes approval, it will be discussed in the next meeting.
- The finance admins will report back to the group on key information at meetings, and all group members will be made aware how to check OpenCollective to keep track of finances. In meetings, we will remind everyone who the current finance admins are.
- If anyone becomes unavailable for more than a month for any reason (ie they will not be checking Signal or attending meetings) they will be replaced as finance admin.
Claiming an expense
- People can submit an expense through the ORCA OpenCollective. They will need to provide a vaid receipt or invoice.
- Finance admins will discuss expense claims as they come in and approve at least once a week.
- Claims will be discussed in a group chat made up of finance admins and ordinarily individual expenses will not be discussed outside this group.
- Large or contentious expenses may be brought to a whole group discussion if deemed appropriate.
- Once our finance admins have approved claims, they are then be sent to the Social Change Nest team for processing, which they do on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
- You can contact the finance admins directly on Signal, by asking on a group chat, or face to face at a meeting.
What can be expensed?
- In general, we expect to be able to cover things like travel, art supplies, snacks for meetings and other small expenses for things relating to ORCA.
- In the case of travel to a large/popular event, we may have to set a ceiling on the overall spend, which can be shared between everyone in the group.
- We will aim to support each other with court/legal costs as much as possible if needed, but we are unlikely to be able to do this through our regular budget. Instead, we will look into fundraising specifically for large expenditures if needed.
- We try to dismantle power dynamics, which means that even though there are specific finance admins we all take responsibility for minimising costs, working cooperatively and spending sensibly.
FAQ
How do I get paid from a Collective?
Submit an expense and provide your payment information.
How are expenses approved?
Collective admins are notified when an expense is submitted, and they can approve or reject it.
Is my private data made public?
No. Only the expense amount and description are public. Attachments, payment info, emails and addresses are only visible to you and the admins.
When will I get paid?
Payments are processed by the Collective's Fiscal Host, the organization that hold funds on their behalf. Many Fiscal Hosts pay expenses weekly, but each one is different.
Why do you need my legal name?
The display name is public and the legal name is private, appearing on receipts, invoices, and other official documentation used for tax and accounting purposes.
Collective balance
£2,293.44 GBPFiscal Host:
The Social Change Nest