Financial Agreement
We are a financially-enabled node, which means we collect membership fees directly and manage our own finances. No other Enspiral subscriptions are required to be part of the global Enspiral network.
Purpose of funds
- Pay for (some of) the internal work making the node function — primarily facilitation and catalyst roles.
- Contribute to global Enspiral collaborations, e.g. co-budget, foundation overheads.
All other activities (e.g. contributing to members’ projects, funding external projects) are to be funded outside of the core node funds.
As a member-funded organisation which is reasonably simple and low-cost to run, we expect the majority of internal work to be from volunteers so we can keep our membership fees low.
Financial decisions
We make financial decisions on Loomio, using the Enspiral Decisions Agreement as our overarching framework.
Participants: Active members can vote on financial decisions.
Participation rates depend on proposal duration:
- A voting decision which runs for less than a week needs a quorum to be valid.
- For proposals which run a week or more, there is no minimum participation rate.
Amounts:
- Large transactions are defined as amounts greater than $1,000 NZD or 10% of node funds (whichever is higher).
- Large transactions require a consent decision.
- Anything less requires a simple majority of people participating.
| Amount / Duration | Less than 1 week | 1 week or more |
|---|---|---|
| Small | Quorum (75% of all active members agree or abstain) and no one blocks | Majority of non-abstaining votes affirm |
| Large (>$1k NZD or 10% of node funds) | Quorum (75% of all active members agree or abstain) and no one blocks | Consent: No one blocks |
A decision can be for a particular transaction, or a series of transactions over time. It could also be a standing order to represent a financial policy.
Subscriptions
Season fees are paid in NZD. NZ tax residents will have 15% deducted for GST and can receive a tax receipt upon request.
Members choose the amount of their subscription and are welcome to give themselves a full scholarship without needing any approval from other members.
Financial transparency
Our finances are transparent to the wider Enspiral network. Node hosts will provide financial reports when requested by the Foundation Board.
Enspiral Foundation is legal holder of funds
Node hosts are responsible for liaising with the Foundation Board and solving any accounting or tax issues that arise from the node’s financial operations.