[AGA SC] Re: Big AGA favor, indeed

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

Hi Diana,

I haven't talked with Scott at all on this -- this is the first e-mail
I've seen on the subject... I'm mostly out of the loop with AGA at the
moment with Dad stuff.  So take any reply as my uninformed opinion!

Wouldn't an approximate count (as Scott suggested) based on number of
boxes or weight be sufficient?  Scott is picking up on some loose ends
that we have unfortunately blown off in past years, namely reporting AGA's
assets annually to the IRS.  With our membership approaching 1000, I don't
think we can afford an audit or possible lawsuit.  This is just one more
of the things we need to do, like making sure we aren't losing money off
each book we sell.

Reading the e-mail, I think he is also saying that once he has the
inventory as a starting place, he will specifically NOT be bugging you to
do this again, but instead will just follow the purchases and sales to 
come up with next year's report for the IRS.

If your books are not purchased by the AGA in advance, then you shouldn't
need to count them.  This is what I do with the videotapes and disks -- I
put together a four or six of them at a time, then as they are sold, I
send requests to the treasurer for reimbursement.  Until I bill, they
aren't property of the AGA (and in fact, when I buy them, they are still
just blank DVD's, empty jewel cases, cardstock and ink).  If, however, I
chose to ask AGA to pay for the materials in advance, then I would
probably need to keep an inventory on this.

I would guess the numbers that are most important are the counts on the 
books we actually have to *buy* -- which is only APHB and Tropica... those 
are actual assets with known monetary value, wheras the magazines don't 
necessarily have a known fixed value -- all those PAMs could be worth zero 
because there's no demand for them.

Do you normally track all your non-paypal orders?  I have a small spiral 
notebook where I just write each order as I fulfill it.  Helps if I worry 
that I forgot one, and also if I ever got audited by the IRS, or worse, 
Amano, checking to be sure I didn't actually make any net money off tapes!

Diana, the fact that you continue to do this particular thankless job,
year after year, speaks volumes!  Not a lot of people are willing to 
"stick with it", especially through the changes as we've added online 
ordering and growing membership...and I really appreciate that.

  - Erik

On Sun, 11 Jul 2004, Diana Walstad wrote:

> Dear Scott,
> 
> This is a big favor indeed!  I have boxes of all different types of books
> and magazines all over my storage room.  It would take me probably 8 hours
> to do this, digging through dusty boxes and counting books.  I already do a
> lot
> every week for AGA and this does not sit well with me.
> 
> When is the IRS deadline?  Is this necessary for IRS or is this something
> that you just want to do.  Do you want the numbers of each issue?
> 
> I see a few problems with your request (and where you're heading):
> 
> My book cannot be put into inventory, since it is my own stash.
> 
> If hobbyist expresses grievance, I may send him an extra TAG (totally
> arbritary, but necessary in my opinion for goodwill).  Thus, I can guarantee
> you right now that inventory and orders will not match up exactly.
> 
> I like working independently and don't mind sending out books, because I
> haven't been "nickle and dimed".  The relationship between me and the AGA
> has been based solely on trust and my desire to see AGA succeed.
> 
> I don't want to receive letters from you saying that the inventory hasn't
> matched up and could I try to find out why (believe me, I have enough
> responsibilities at work working for federal govenerment, etc, etc).  I
> don't need one more "bureaucratic straw" to carry.
> 
> I've been doing this a long time and I would LOVE to turn this over to
> someone else.  It might be good for AGA.  When you start with someone fresh,
> you can set up the system you want right from the beginning.
> 
> The only thing I'm willing to provide is an estimate of PAMs and TAGs based
> on weight.  I can give an individual count of APBH and Tropica, since
> they're not so numerous.
> 
> By the way, I did not get a thankyou from you for my listing of non-PayPal
> orders.  This took quite a bit of my time.  My patience for nonpaid
> micro-managinig is not endless!!
> 
> Diana
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "S. Hieber" <shieber@yahoo.com>
> To: "Diana Walstad" <dwalstad@bellsouth.net>; "Cheryl Rogers"
> <cheryl@rightstuffwebsites.com>
> Sent: Friday, July 09, 2004 4:00 PM
> Subject: Big Favor
> 
> 
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > I know this won't be one of your favorite things to do but
> > could you give me an inventory of the items you have in
> > stock? This way I can balance some of our expenses against
> > the assests that they purchased -- and the sales against
> > reductions in assets.
> >
> > Cheryl, can you give the total on the number of tshirts? I
> > seem to have lost Ann's emaill address.
> >
> > An approximate count on the backissues (TAG or PAM) should
> > be more than adequate since their value fluctuates with our
> > promos anyway.
> >
> > We'll need this info when we file with the IRS.
> >
> >
> > Good news is that, once I have the inventories, I should be
> > able to keep track of in in the future via the records of
> > sales and purchases by AGA. so this should be a one time
> > task for you.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > sh
> >
> > =====
> > It's the contest that started international competition in aquascaping
> > planted aquaria! AGA's 2004 Aquascaping Contest is open for entrees:
> >
> >  http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2004.cgi
> >
> > Novices and experts alike show their skills. Past winners have been
> > novices and experts, too. You can view all the entrees at The 5th AGA
> > Annual Convention. Details/Registration at www.aquatic-gardeners.org &
> > www.gwapa.org
> >
> 
> 

-- 
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com

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