Exchequers are cool!
Greetings.

It has come to my attention that there are some areas of the SCA where there is a difficulty finding and retaining competent exchequers. I want to try to stop that by explaining just how easy and cool and nifty it really IS to be an exchequer!

1) I believe it is an HONOR to be an exchequer. You are being trusted with commonly held assets, trusted to manage those assets correctly, trusted to keep the records of those assets so that anyone else could understand the branch's finances, and trusted to report back to the group accurately the use of assets by the group. Good exchequers should be respected!

2) I believe the office of exchequer is the second-most important office in the group, second only to the position of Seneschal. Branches that don't have money don't thrive. Branches that don't use their money effectively stagnate. Branches that let their assets decay from misuse or neglect don't last long. Good exchequers help keep branches healthy!

3) I believe the office of exchequer is instrumental in branch decision making - because almost every decision a branch makes involves an asset of some kind, usually cash. The Exchequer provides information for proposals - can we afford to do X with what we have? How do we estimate a budget so we can not lose money on this activity? What were the budgets for the last three events of that kind that we held so we can start there for the budget for this year's event? etc. Good exchequers help direct branch activity!

4) I believe the office of exchequer is essential to keeping the branch out of financial trouble - by making sure that any transaction follows the rules. They don't have to approve every transaction, they just have to make sure they're allowable. The finance committee (which includes the exchequer) decides approvals of transactions once the exchequer says they are allowable. BUT, the exchequer is the first gate for any transaction to screen out the transactions that would get a branch in trouble. Good exchequers keep the branch out of financial trouble!

5) I believe the office of exchequer is interesting - you get to know about all the activities of the branch, see all the cool things people do, and help them find ways to do more cool and interesting things with the community funds, as well as try to increase the community funds for the benefit of all. Anyone who helps a branch find ways to earn more money to do more stuff should be considered a hero!

6) A successful tenure as exchequer can be used on a résumé to show trustworthiness for being a local treasurer for a branch of an international non-profit organization.

7) I believe the office of exchequer is the EASIEST office in this organization to hold. Really! Here's why:
a) The reports are all templates - and now even easier to use. I don't know of any other office in this organization where your entire report is basically fill in the blanks, and you can see right away if the report is acceptable because it balances.
b) The rules are based on current reality - not on something someone would have to research or learn that they wouldn't use in their modern life. The duties of this office (balancing a checkbook, etc.) all are the same as duties you need to perform for yourself anyway. No specialized skills or knowledge required.
c) The rules are 99.9% black and white, pretty clearly laid out, and easily accessible. The rules are based on common sense. If the rules say NO, then the answer is NO. Every time. The exchequer determines whether a transaction is allowable.
d) The decisions regarding allowable transactions (once they are ruled allowable) are *shared* with others in the branch - so no one person has to own the responsibility of saying yes to spending decisions using community property on their own. That's why we've been working toward the financial committee model all the way down to the local branch level. The exchequer can veto unilaterally based on the expense being against the rules, but once the transaction is said to be allowable, then a *team* determines desirable.

Therefore, it is easy, cool and nifty to be an exchequer! Go hug yours today! :)

NOTE: There is a difference between allowable and desirable which is where some people might get an incorrect impression of either their duty as exchequer or the decisions an exchequer makes.

There are certain things we *cannot* do with our funds. The exchequer determines *allowable*.

There are a lot of *other* things that we maybe shouldn't do but are still allowed: buy something unnecessary or buy something necessary at that price or at that time. Desirable depends on your viewpoint. The branch's financial committee (at least three people) determine *desirable* as a team. They have to, by a majority, agree that the purchase should be made before it can happen.

If a shire decides to spend $500 on a gold-plated gem-encrusted wubbie in a velvet-lined oaken box with leather bindings that they only take out once a year to wave around for five minutes to show everyone that they have it, they can. It's a pretty useless item to most of us, but if it has some significance to the branch and the financial committee approves the purchase, they can have it. Their justification could be that making the gold-plated gem-encrusted wubbie with the velvet-lined oaken box with leather bindings was a medieval project so that branch members could learn medieval techniques for gold-plating, gem-mounting, velvet-lining, box-making, and leather-binding. They don't need one as long as the financial committee approves it (even if the exchequer votes against it).

If a shire decides to spend $500 on a set of knives for the chef's guild but they only have one event a year, that's fine. It would be good if they shopped around to see if they could get the same or similar set of knives for less somewhere else, but if they have to have it now, and the financial committee approves the purchase (even if the exchequer votes against it), they can have it.

If a shire decides to accept a $10,000 donation from someone with the stipulations that a demo is performed every year for the next five years at a faire that the donor holds with at least 10 fighters attending, an ironwork and cooking demo with brick ovens, and at least 7 period tents showing different medieval crafts, otherwise the shire will have to pay for professional demonstrators of the missing items to appear, and they think they can commit to those requirements, then they can accept the donation. It may not be seen as a good idea by others, but if that branch's financial committee thinks they can fulfill those requirements and accept the consequences if they don't, then they can accept the donation with the stipulations. If the donation depended on providing mead for madrigal dinners for the next 7 years, then we couldn't accept the donation because alcohol was involved. If the donation specified that the donation (all or in part) must be returned if the stipulations are not met, we cannot accept the donation because once money is donated to us, it can't be returned. The exchequer would have to deny the donation for the last two versions, but turn over consideration of the donation to the financial committee for the first version.

I hope this clears things up, and shows that being an exchequer is no worse than any other office, is easy to hold, and can be an interesting job in our volunteer organization.

Susan Earley
Maestra Margherita Alessia, known as Ghita
Society Exchequer

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