Budget Review Checklist

Take a moment to be friendly. The person you’re talking to might be nervous. Smile. Thank them for their time. Whatever fits you and the situation.

Any time we chat one-on-one with an organizer or their team, we should take the opportunity to check in. Find out how things are going. See if they have any questions or concerns; these can be about the budget or any other aspect of WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They’re one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. planning.

Before you dive into the numbers ask if there’s anything else they need to discuss. If all is well begin, the budget review.

Getting Started

• reject budget so you can update any fields you and the organizer agree need to be changed
• reassure the organizer that you’ll discuss any updates made
• ask if there’s anything in the budget the organizer is concerned about

General Information

• review number of attendees, days, tracks, volunteers, and speakers for consistency
• if there are inconsistencies discuss why they have too few or too many speakers or volunteers
• if they have more than 3 tracks, discuss with them potential conflicts and complications
• review the ticket price; tickets are never to exceed $25USD per person per day

Expenses

The following are required items and must be covered during the budget review. These items do not have to be expenses, but if they’re not listed as an expense we must ensure that they’ve made adequate arrangements for each:

• venue: all ages, without political or religious affiliation
• wifi
• comped tickets: for speakers, volunteers, and sponsors + scholarships if they wish
• lunch: with vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free/lactose-free/kosher options
• coffee and water service all day: and/or the regionally appropriate caffeinated beverage
• videography: most commonly done by volunteers with WordPress FoundationWordPress Foundation The WordPress Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Matt Mullenweg to further the mission of the WordPress open source project: to democratize publishing through Open Source, GPL software. Find more on wordpressfoundation.org. camera kits, but can be an expense
• swag: no sponsor logos on swag. if t-shirts they must be provided in both men’s AND women’s cuts not just unisex

Other common expenses that should be discussed:

• av rentals and fees
• printing: signs? banners? badges?
• after party/social event
• speaker event/ gift
• accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility): ensure they ask about it in ticket sales and remind them that WordCamp CentralWordCamp Central Website for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. will cover the cost of accessibility services such as ASL translators and CART services
• office supplies/event supplies: power strips, pens, scissors, etc
• insurance: All WordCamps are covered by the WPCSWordPress Community Support WordPress Community Support PBC is a Public Benefit Corporation, created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program. umbrella policy, so no extra event insurance is necessary.
• advertising: events can allocate from $50 to $400 on marketing/advertising (based on factors like the experience of the organizers, cost of living, size of the local community, etc. Make sure you mention the recommendations about how to use it and important reminders about Trademark use, family-friendly, and Code of conduct.

Expenses we NEVER pay for:

• design services
• event organizing services
• personal assistants
• special perks or gifts just for the organizing team
• special perks or gifts for sponsors
• speaker perks of gifts for vendors
• bribes
• emcees
• photography

Expenses we very, very, very, very, very rarely pay for (and only after getting agreement with other program supporters):

• speaker travel
• vehicle rental
• stock photos
• membership fees
• bank fees or taxes: for events not running money through WPCS that will have to pay taxes or expenses on income
• door prizes

Income

• ticket sales income: are comped tickets accounted for? are they required to sell out to balance their budget?
• total fundraising goal: their total expenses, minus their projected ticket sales income
• local sponsorship goal: realistic sponsor levels, what were they able to raise in years past, what are they planning to include in sponsorship packages, maybe review the sponsorship rules
• global sponsorship grant: 25-80% of the total fundraising goal. Larger grants for newer events!
• in-kind (donated) items: mark the price as $0 or add a line, and include an estimated approximate value in the Approved Budget.

Before You Finish the Call

• get verbal agreement that the organizer is comfortable with any updates made
• add the Global Sponsorship Grant in the Income section on the budget
  NOTE: This can be added after the call if you have questions or need help determining the amount. Simply tell the organizer that you will update it soon.
• click to submit the updated budget
• click to approve
• verbally share the organizer’s next steps. Ask them to:
  • send a venue contract or confirmation to support@wordcamp.org
  • update all required fields so the WordCamp can be moved to “Scheduled” as soon as (send them the edit link to their tracker page)
  • add a description about their camp to the top box on the tracker
• share that you will be sending a follow-up email with the next steps information in it

After the Budget has been Reviewed

• visit the WordCamp’s tracker page to fill in:
  • Global Sponsorship amount
  • Global Sponsorship currency fields
  • Comments to the Privates Notes
• update the tracker status to Needs Contract to be Signed
• send the saved HelpScout reply that applies to both the organizer’s and the WordCamp’s email addresses:
  • WORDCAMP: After Budget Review Followup (NOT Running money through WPCS)
    • In this case, uncheck the “Running money through WPCS PBCWordPress Community Support WordPress Community Support PBC is a Public Benefit Corporation, created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program.” field
  • WORDCAMP: After Budget Review Followup (Running money through WPCS)