Funding Budgeting

This page last edited on Sunday, May 23, 2004

Funding and Budgeting

Funding
In the best of all possible worlds, all the funding for our service work would come from our Seventh Tradition. Individual members contribute to their group, and that money is eventually passed on to the service committees that are directly responsible to those they serve.

The reality is that many PI subcommittees rely on their members' contribution of personal resources to fully realize their overall goals. How much and what an individual gives is their own decision. However we do not and should not contribute more than we can afford for our own personal well being.

Fundraising
The primary purpose of the PI committee is to carry the message of recovery in NA to the public and, ultimately, to the addicts who still suffer. It is not the purpose of PI to raise funds for NA. PI committees must never accept donations from organizations or individuals outside of NA.

However, area or regional PI committees sometimes raise funds for a specific PI project. For example: one area has a picnic in the park each year to raise funds for a billboard. Another area has a "breakfast for books" fund-raiser in which each person who comes to the breakfast (which, itself, is self-supporting) buys one or more Basic Texts . These books are subsequently donated to the PI and H&I subcommittees for use in their work.

If fundraising is being considered for a PI project, it is advisable to read the World Services Bulletin #21, The Generation of Funds and the Seventh Tradition in Narcotics Anonymous, first before proceeding so that all members of the PI Committee are clear about the issues at hand.

The PI committee does not accept funding from any group or individual in NA. All funds come through the Area Service Committee or Regional Service Committee. Fund-raising activities should only be undertaken with permission of the ASC or RSC. The Activities subcommittee will occasionally hold a function to raise funds for the PI committee.

Developing a Budget
If the PI committee had a budget in the prior year, look it over and evaluate it. Some question to answer are:

* Did the committee complete all of the projects it had planned?
* How did the amount budgeted to the various categories compare to what was actually spent?
* Is the committee planning to do more, less or about the same number of projects as it did during the prior year?

Take each project that your committee is planning and estimate the expenses which you expect for each one. Some of the expense categories that you might list are:

* Printing or copies
* Literature
* Postage
* Envelopes
* Phone bills
* Professional event registration
* Travel

It is especially important to remember the following when preparing our budgets and considering the issues of funding:

* PI committees are not autonomous, they are directly responsible to the service committee they serve and ultimately to the groups of NA.

* We must keep accurate and detailed records, receipts, and provide regular written financial reports to the committees we serve.

* We must carefully consider all spending decisions, taking care to manage NA funds responsibly.

* We should discuss financial guidelines with our committee’s treasurer, and follow these guidelines.

Once your committee has established a financial plan for the projects it intends to do in the upcoming year, the service committee funding your PI efforts will need to approve it.

Next: PI Within the NA Service Structure

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