Finances
As of the mid-December composition of this report, 2020 expenses for the ALC Network totalled $13,381.68 and income totalled $11,722.20. We have $7964.26 remaining in our accounts.
Our original budget for the year had us increasing spending on InterALC gatherings, retreats, and research articles on topics related to adolescent mental health, a plan we expected to pursue funded in part by program fees and new memberships from May-August annual events. We knew changing our membership fee structure and the big international facilitator retreat we had planned would impact our income and expenses, but we were not quite sure what that would look like and expecting to draw from previous years' surplus funds if we needed backup resources. When the Coronavirus pandemic hit, we quickly knew we needed to change plans.
Our big events and retreats were cancelled. Our article writers had too much going on to compose the pieces they'd wanted to. A number of projects folded as tuition-paying families that had sustained them lost jobs, moved out of urban areas, or suddenly needed to pay for childcare beyond what projects under pandemic restrictions could offer. At the same time, facilitators quickly put together an InterALC online offerings menu for kids across the network, collaborating to create a rich virtual environment that they held and shared from late March until the end of June. Many of the facilitators most active in this initiative were also from ALCs that the pandemic pushed into financial crisises, so it was fairly easy to decide where to reallocate our event and project budgets. We sent 7 projects funds directly, and we helped facilitators from an additional 3 projects get compensated for online events and organizing. Ultimately, we spent $1658 more than we collected this year; considering the impact and the circumstances, we feel sure it was the right move and will balance out in the coming year.
Annual membership payments continue to be the network’s main source of income. Even with the pandemic, we saw an overall increase in membership, and the transition from fixed annual fees to letting members self-select their amount from between $50 and $250 USD doesn't appear to have led to a significant decrease in income.
There are 2 other notable finance updates from the year. First, we continued to serve as fiscal sponsor to the Raising Free People Network, a mission-aligned partner we're delighted and honored to continue collaborating with. Second, 9 facilitators from 6 member projects collaborated on a 10-part webinar series on behalf of the ALC Network. The group self-organized, using ALC-NYC's Eventbrite, Vimeo, and transcription program subscription. The series has brought in donations of $1423.69 so far, which has gone to further support struggling facilitators and ALCs. Additionally, 2 new members joined the network inspired by what they learned from the series. As it looks like restrictions on gatherings and travel will persist for some months yet, we anticipate offering a second webinar series in 2021.
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