> This relates to my previous comment in response to Geoff. It's > all about how to smooth cash flow, given that both income and > outgoings are bumpy. > > If, in practice, some help from the IASA account is needed to smooth > ISOC's cash flow temporarily, that is fine by me but I'd like it > to be transparent and explicit. It should show up in IASA's accounts > and in ISOC's IETF pillar as a debt from ISOC to IASA (or the > opposite, if it's IASA that has a cash flow issue) but it would > be a wash externally. However, it should be constrained in such a way > that it is only for smoothing, and cannot be used to cover a real > cash shortfall. I agree that some accounting type person should > review the text. > > Brian > This sounds to me like people would like this to be based on a seperate account and pre-arranged quarterly transfers (pre-arranged meaning whatever was agreed by the budget process as subsequently modified by any supplementary agreements during the course of the year). In addition there is a requirement that tagged donations are promptly accounted for and one that (to the extent reasonable) a full allocation be made on other isoc expenditures that also benefit the IETF. The cash issue, however, is kind of a red herring. Assuming solvency, this is a wash to the outside world. My point is that cash is only one of many accounts, and there are other asset accounts such as operating funds and other iasa accounts. You're getting into specific bookkeeping directions here. It doesn't seem reasonable to create the chart of accounts or develop the cash management policies in this forum. Instead, more general policies that establish principles are a better level to be at. Things like "periodic transfers of isoc donations during the course of the year according to the pre-arranged timetable established during the budget process", "full allocation of expenses", and "ISOC shall establish and maintain prudent cash management policies to insure the continued viability of the IASA" are the level I think we should be talking. The basic point seems pretty simple: the ietf seems to want a seperate set of accounts so that iasa will have an accurate financial picture and a degree of financial control in regards to ietf-specific activites. Regards, Carl _______________________________________________ Ietf@xxxxxxxx https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf