DONATIONS

For any donations please contact the treasurer on treasurerbtw@aol.com

Or simply send your donations through PayPal.  This is done via the link below, which will take you directly to PayPal's website.

If you are a UK tax-payer and wish BTW to claim Gift Aid on your donation, please indicate this in the comment box with your donation.

TREASURER'S CORNER

FOURTH QUARTER 2009/2010

Our financial year ended on the 30 June. Both sides of the Revenue account are lower than last year, payments are 8% down and receipts 10%. Even so the balance sheet is stronger by some 18%. That can only be considered satisfactory. Thank you everyone for your efforts, it hasn’t been an easy year for some of you. Well done!

Operationally, the fourth quarter (Q4) saw the downward trend continue, and we finished the year spending £1.06 for every £1 we received. This was not unexpected given the present economic climate. Fortunately the memorial donation, given to us in Q1, made good this deficit and was responsible for improving the balance sheet. (The balance sheet is another way of saying what BTW has, or what it is worth - it moves up and down as money comes and goes).

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Where it comes from

The struggle to obtain a reasonable interest on our reserves continued, and with a shift from a maturing Charities Aid Foundation bond to a Standard Life bond, the annual return produced was 11% higher than last year (08/09). The Standard Life bond has also now matured, and the funds are now in an RBS 3year 4% bond.

Re-homing and other donations were lower for the year, as was Gift Aid from qualifying donations, but both the Mid Year event and the AGM activity were slightly up on the previous year, and Linda’s popular calendar provided some useful and welcome revenue. Standing Orders now number 10, and we are always happy to add to that number.

Last year we received some “exceptional income” from 4 legacies and a memorial, gift aided donation from an individual. This year we received no legacies, but another such donation. (Before last year there had been no legacies, or individual memorials, in my 6 years as treasurer, which is why I elect to call them exceptional. They are seemingly irregular and we cannot expect them).

PayPal has been a positive addition to our “begging bowl” and 30 donations were made this way.

A more recent addition has been our inclusion in MissionFish, eBay’s charity arm, whereby purchasers on the site may add a “little something” to the cost of their purchase. This then becomes a donation to a charity. The purchaser, at the point of payment can then select the charity from an offered list. I believe the vendor chooses the list, so if you selling on eBay, please consider BTW for inclusion if this facility is available. We must have been on some vendor’s list for we received a three figure tickle on 1^st. July, for trading in June.

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Where it goes

The moving of dogs was a little more costly, reflecting the higher fuel prices and, in some instances, longer journeys.  Several people who drove for us declined their expenses, and we sincerely thank them for that.

Veterinary charges also increased– the return of VAT to its higher level didn’t help - but sadly, more dogs required care, and there was one unusually high laboratory fee for a necessary referral.

Kennelling costs though were 23% lower, due to fewer dogs requiring boarding. In some cases Welfare’s friends have obliged here - and at no charge - grateful thanks for that, dear friends.

Administration costs and officer’s expenses showed little change, although the increasing price of postage is beginning to be noticed.

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It should always be remembered that our financial year is but the end of an accounting period in an on-going series of such periods. While it provides an opportunity for comparison with previous years, it is also a convenient point at which to have an external audit of our financial health.

When that audit is satisfied, the accounts are then offered for approval at the Annual General Meeting of Border Terrier Welfare, held in October. With that approval obtained, they are then sent to the Charity Commission and subsequently put into the public domain.

As I write, the next accounting period (financial year) has already started. It begins in negative territory because some of the cheques we have issued for services we received in June have not been presented to our bank before the end of that month. This is not untypical, and it has been the same for each of the past 5 years, but there is still 52 weeks of the fiscal year to run. A lot changes in that time.

Bob Bolton, Hon Treasurer.