Managing the flows

Hi everyone! I’m Pascalle Fijnvandraat and I am the treasurer of the 50th board of Kraket. In light of the search for the next board of our association, I will talk you through what a typical week in the life of a treasurer looks like. Of course all weeks are different, but I hope to give you a nice picture of what it looks like to be a board member of Kraket with this SECTOR article.

Monday

On Monday, we always start the day with our weekly board meeting. During this meeting, we update each other on the previous week and important things and activities that are coming up. Also, when there are important decisions to be made, this is usually the time we do that. Because the board of Kraket is officially a part time board, most of the board members, including myself, also follow a course each period. The course that I follow had a midterm this Monday afternoon, so the rest of the day I spent studying for this midterm.

Tuesday

Every week, we all have two so-called ‘kamerdiensten’. This means that you have to be in the Kraketroom, so it can stay open for all members. Tuesday morning it is my turn to open the Kraketroom, so I always make sure to be there a few minutes before 10 o’clock. Because there was an inhouseday with IMC this afternoon that a few other board members attended, I took over a ‘kamerdienst’, so I was in the Kraketroom all day. Luckily, I was still able to cross a lot of things off of my to-do list. I started the day by going through all the declarations that members have made. I try to go through the declarations once a week, so members don’t have to wait too long to be paid back. Next, I made a budget for the former board activity that we have this friday. For most activities, the committee will make a budget and I will only look through it to see if everything is correct, but since this activity is organized by the board, it is my job to make the budget. After lunch, I worked out some active member conversations that I had last week. These chats take place once a year with all active members of Kraket and every board member is responsible for a couple of conversations. After I had worked out the conversations, it was time to do some committee work. I am both in the almanac and the electoral committee, so each week, I also spend some time on work for these committees. Lastly, a less fun part of being the treasurer is handing out fines. For each activity, we keep track of those who registered and did not show up. Today, I made a list of those people and then, together with the board, I will decide whether people should be given a fine or just a warning. Then, it is my responsibility to notify these people of our decision and remind them of our fine policy. My day ended with going over my to-do list and checking off what I have done today and making a to-do list for the next day.

Wednesday

On Wednesday my day starts with a weekly meeting with the electoral committee. During this meeting we had a brainstorming session about board 51. After this meeting, it was time for me to tidy up the Kraketroom, because today was the trial session for EDS and EOR. We welcomed some high school students into the Kraketroom. It was also my responsibility to make sure that there were drinks and snacks for everyone, so last week, I already ordered those. During those drinks, it is your job as a board member to answer all the questions that people might have and to tell them more about Kraket, the VU and studying in Amsterdam. In between the drinks, I was able to do a little bit of accounting. Accounting is one of your primary tasks as a treasurer. Every payment that Kraket makes or receives has to be documented in Exact, our bookkeeping program, with the corresponding receipt or invoice. Today, also the charity auction took place and there were still some groceries to be done. Hence, I went to the supermarket and got some drinks and snacks for during the auction. During the auction, it was my responsibility to keep track of all the drinks that people consumed and when people left, they could pay for their drinks and items bought with me. I kept track of all the payments, to make sure that all the money goes to the charity. Luckily, besides my tasks during the auction, I also had enough time to enjoy the auction and even bid on some items myself.

Thursday

Thursday morning is my second ‘kamerdienst’ of the week, so my day started at 10 o’clock at the VU. Yesterday was the charity auction and because we hadn’t had the time yet to put away all the leftover groceries and stuff like that, I started the day with putting away those things. After that, I had a quick call with Sicco about the budget for this years’ study trip. Also, I started on the administration of the auction. The auction had multiple sources of revenue, so I put them all together in an excel spreadsheet to make a nice overview of who still had to pay and how much. My afternoon was filled with active member chats, which is always a fun way to stay connected with our members. In the evening, I worked out these conversations, so they are understandable for everyone on the board.

Friday

My Friday morning started very early at 9 o’clock at Rokin with the almanac committee. We had to take photos for in the almanac itself, which took almost the entire morning. When I came back to the VU, we had a quick chat with the electoral committee, because the speeddating event with the board is approaching. Next, I had a call with the manager of Il Cafè at which the beer cantus takes place next week. I am the contact person of the board with Il Cafè, so when we have an activity there, I usually talk things through with Il Cafè and forward the agreements to the committee. At 13 o’clock it was time for my weekly meeting with the almanac committee. The deadline for the almanac is quickly approaching, so during our meetings, we update each other on the progress and go over the to-do’s. Also, next week is the theme reveal of the almanac, so we talked about some last important things for the drinks. After the meeting, it was time for my own active member chat with Tristan, which I have, because I am on a few committees as well. At 15 o’clock, we had a meeting with the board about the Kraketweekend. I normally lead those meetings, so last night I had already made an agenda, so we knew what we needed to discuss. After the meeting, it was time to take the metro to the former board activity. We started at a nice restaurant, where we had dinner with everyone and then we walked to the Bierfabriek where we had rented ‘taptafels’, so we could tap our own beer. As a treasurer, it is your responsibility to manage the budget during the activity and keep in contact with the employees about the bill and the form of payment.

Overall, this week was pretty busy, but luckily it was also filled with a lot of fun activities. And of course, the former board activity was a great way to end such a week. As you can imagine, all weeks are different, but I hope to have given you an idea of what it is like to be the treasurer of Kraket. If you have any further questions, you can always send me a message or an e-mail!