We all owe the members of CRW a fiduciary duty to spend club funds prudently and effectively. CRW is a non-profit charitable organization. Our fiscal year is the same as the calendar year and we will continue having an annual budget.  Note that budgets are for spending and activities during the same fiscal year.

Budget:

We are asking each Program Coordinator to provide a budget for the year to the EVP or VP of Rides.  Our VP’s will be available to help the Program Coordinators with their budgets.  We will incorporate the Program budgets into the overall annual budget for submission to the Board.

For each budget, we will be asking for:

• The number of unique members expected to be attracted to the Program.  What is the constituency that you expect to serve?
• A rough outline of events for the year: educational, kick-off, end of season, social
• Number of riders expected for each event;
• Amount for each event;
• Location of each event.

We understand that budgets are rough projections at best, so the EVP and VP of Rides will be available to talk about adjustments to the budget during the year. Adjustments over $250 need the approval of the President and adjustments over $500 need the approval of the Board. These adjustments are not just to the total budget but for a single event that reaches those caps.

Spending Philosophy:

• Maximize cost effectiveness;
• How will it look to members who are not participating?  Is the spending a good use of club funds?  We encourage hosting an event at someone’s home or a public park (such as picnics) as opposed to a restaurant or bar if possible;
• Maximize the spread of benefits to as many unique riders as possible.  We want to avoid the appearance of a small group of “insiders” enjoying a disproportionate share of club spending;
• Modest spending for one-time rides, such as an “ice cream” ride or “cider and donuts” is fine.  For a ride series, having a treat for the first ride (kick-off the season) and last ride (celebrate the end of the year) is fine, but not on a recurring, regular basis.  The guiding principle is whether the treat would work for a ride of 60 riders as well as a ride of 10 riders;
• If money is being spent on a club ride or event, it must be posted on the calendar and email;
• When in doubt, run it by the EVP or VP of Rides.  It never hurts to have a second opinion.

Spending Levels:

Budgets will be imprecise, so to the extent that there are discretionary amounts built into the budgets, the following spending authority applies:

• $50 is within the discretion of Program Coordinator.
• $51-$250  requires approval from the EVP or VP of Rides.
• $251-500 Requires approval from the President.
• $500+ requires board approval.

These spending approval requirements do not apply to budget items already approved,

Merchandise:

• Prizes/raffles should be open to the whole club. To the extent that Programs purchase merchandise, they should be raffled rather than just for participation or “showing up” to an event.  Try to avoid giveaways that also are limited to a small subset of members as a practical matter, such as raffles for a ride that only Primož Roglič would be able to complete.
• Merchandise shop.  We will be creating a merchandise shop for members to purchase items like CRW water bottles, jerseys, etc.
• Ride Leaders/volunteer thank you gifts.  Our Ride Leaders and volunteers are important, so CRW will be including these gifts in the budget
• Club-wide challenges available to all are okay.  

Centuries/Charitable Donations:

These guidelines do not apply to the Centuries or charitable donations.  These two categories of expenditures will be handled separately. Charitable donation will require approval by the Board in advance of the donation. 

Reimbursements/Expenses:

As an initial matter, all CRW expenses should be paid by the individual running the program and quickly reimbursed by CRW with a detailed receipt submitted to the Treasurer with an approval as noted above. For substantial expenditures (over $500), a request for a direct CRW payment can be submitted to the Treasurer, who can either issue a club check or make payment by the club’s credit card.

Alcohol Policy:

If alcohol is served or paid for by CRW, it must be available to everyone who participated in the program that day and offered in a prudent manner. This is the insurance guideline.

Special Events per Insurance Guidelines:

Certain events trigger a special event status from CRW’s insurance company. Special Event criteria include the following:

• There is a charge for the event.
• New Members are signed up specifically for the event.
• There is social media or other advertising for the event outside of normal club channels.
• There are benefits to the ride that are not typical for the average Club Ride.
• Festivals with a ride.
• Races.
• Camps or Clinics with a Fee.
• Time Trials.
• Large number of riders.

A special event determination can only be made by the insurance company, so please contact the EVP or VP of Rides to discuss if any of the criteria are present in your proposed ride. Often a special event determination can be avoided by limiting registration to members (e.g. the fall century or the Adventure rides) which would otherwise require separate insurance policies.