Internal:Fiscal control policy amendments

Status: Draft

1. Replace Fiscal control policy 7.1 to say

1. Accounting Standards. The Treasurer shall maintain financial records that enable the preparation of financial statements that are consistent with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) sections FAS 116 (Accounting for Contributions Received and Contributions Made) and FAS 117 (Financial Statements of Nonprofit Organizations).

The change frames GAAP as applying to financial STATEMENTS not financial RECORDS, and removes commitment by the chapter to U.S. GAAP outside of FAS 116 and 117. U.S. GAAP overall calls for detailed footnotes to financial statements which are said to be infeasible or unsuitable for small nonprofit organizations.

2. Add this sentence to 7.7:

The treasurer shall keep a register of fixed assets owned by the chapter.

3. Replace the first sentence of 6.4 by:

All solicitation documents shall accurately report the 501(c)(3) status of the organization.

The change reduces the chapter's responsibility. The current phrasing implies that the chapter is aware of laws in the donor's jurisdiction (which might be outside the U.S.), the tax status of the donor's income, and particularly the tax deductibility of donations made to Wikimedia DC in the donor's jurisdiction.