Planning and Finance

Chair

Members

  • Matthew E. Hopton
  • Eileen A. Lacey
  • Suzanne A. McLaren
  • Robert S. Sikes
  • Robert M. Timm
  • Ron A. Van Den Bussche

 

History and Mission

The Planning and Finance Committee was established by the Board of Directors at the 1998 Annual Meeting in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Committee’s mission is to help ASM officers to develop the annual budget as a planning tool, and not just an annual spending plan. This consists of working with the President and the President-Elect to ensure that the annual budget provides thematic and conceptual guidance with respect to ASM financial priorities. Such priorities include but are not limited to producing ASM publications, hosting the annual meeting, supporting student research in mammalogy, and promoting greater understanding of mammals by both scientific and lay communities. 

With this background, the charge of the Planning & Finance Committee includes the following:

  1. Develop a philosophy and associated guidelines for use of the Reserve Fund, including the overall purpose for use of both Restricted and Unrestricted portions of this fund.
  2. Establish guidelines regarding annual spending limits (note: a written policy for spending from the General Reserve Fund was requested by the IRS and approved by the Board in 2009, see the policy here).
  3. Work with ASM leadership (notably the President and President-Elect) to develop the annual budget, with the intent of maintaining the long-term fiscal security of the Society.
  4. Determine the cost of insuring officers and the Society to protect against legal action (now a part of the Annual Budget).
  5. Explore ways in which the Society can increase its impact on mammalogy through growth of Society resources, activities, and products.

These responsibilities now comprise the ongoing duties of this committee. The committee also advises the President on use of Operational Contingency Funds.

Responsibilities

Specific charges to this committee include:

  • The President-Elect serves as the Committee Chair and plays a key role in developing, reviewing, and finalizing the Annual Budget.
  • The Chair collects annual budget requests from ASM committee chairs and Officers and transmits these to the President.
  • The Chair works closely with President in integrating budget requests with financial reports from the Secretary–Treasurer to develop a proposed annual budget for subsequent review by the Committee.
  • The Chair leads the Committee in a comprehensive review of the proposed annual budget prior to presentation to the Board.
  • The Chair presents the President’s proposed budget to the Board at the Annual Meeting, modifies the proposed budget according to motions from the Board, and provides the final approved budget to the President for transmission to the Secretary–Treasurer.
  • The Committee provides advice and recommendations to the President as needed on budget requests and strategic initiatives that involve expenditures of ASM funds.
  • The Committee continually evaluates how the Society can improve its relevance to its members and the profession of mammalogy.
  • The Committee develops and maintains a prioritized list of intermediate and long-term funding needs, consistent with the mission of the Society, to serve as guidance for appropriations should any annual budget permit. Updates on these prioritized needs are presented to and approved by the Board at regular intervals.