Download a pdf version of this policy here.
ABOUT SQIFF
SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) was formed with the aim of adding to the exciting and growing amount of queer film stuff happening around Scotland. Since 2015, we have held an annual Festival in Glasgow alongside providing year round events across various locations. SQIFF aims to build community through queer films. Our goal is to get people watching, talking about, and making more queer films. We want to screen movies that people might not otherwise get a chance to see and create inspiring and informative events across Scotland. Moreover, we want to support marginalised groups within the LGBTQIA+ community by providing a networking system for queer filmmakers, as well as filmmaking workshops for audiences wanting to start on the medium. We want to challenge inequalities and barriers to accessing the arts.
This Financial and Reserves Policy outlines SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring the financial sustainability of SQIFF, for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including audiences, staff, participants, and volunteers.
This Finance and Reserves Policy includes information on:
- Policy Statement
- Purpose
- Principles
- Reserves Commitment
- SQIFF’s commitment to ensuring safe environments for Trans, Non-Binary and/orGender Diverse People, and people of the Global Majority
POLICY STATEMENT
SQIFF is an organisation formed to deliver activity with the support of appropriate financial resources in the area of LGBTQIA+ film exhibition. As such, SQIFF is fully committed to appropriately fundraising, generating income, building reserves and managing accounting in all its activities, including its public events and persona, and in all its other dealings. SQIFF is committed to being open, honest and accountable.
SQIFF understands Reserves as an amount of money left unspent as a buffer against emergency costs. Whilst some charities identify ‘Reserves’ as the total sum of all unspent funds (fluctuating every day), SQIFF instead utilises the Reserves as an emergency budget built to be relied upon in the case that expenses outstrip income.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Financial and Reserves policy is to explain to the Charity Commission, major funders & donors, the charity’s beneficiaries and the general public why SQIFF is holding unspent charitable funds instead of spending it on activity relating to SQIFF’s charitable objectives.
PRINCIPLES
SQIFF has committed to this Reserves policy with the following reasons in mind. SQIFF commits to not utilising its Reserve resource outside of these scenarios:
- Contingency: payment of unexpected expenditure in the event of an emergency.
- Cash-flow: payment of a bill before the income to cover it has been received.
- Commitment: payment of significant expenditure which cannot be covered withannual income.
- Conservation: collection of resources with the intention to be used only inspecific emergencies. Funds which SQIFF and its Trustees cannot spend without compromising their legal responsibilities in ensuring SQIFF’s resources are used necessarily, reasonably and in fulfilment of their charitable objectives.
- Closure: enough resources to cover the costs of closing the charity should it become financially unsustainable.
The following income is NOT recognised as ‘Reserves’:
- Total sum of unspent restricted income for particular project activity. SQIFF may collect any unspent restricted funds should this be permitted under the conditions of the restricted income. In accordance with Charity law, SQIFF commits to only spending restricted income in accordance with the wishes of the donors. Unspent restricted funds will be accounted for separately from other funds and carried forward to the next year.
RESERVES COMMITMENTS
SQIFF commits to working towards retaining a Reserves amount of £5000, equal to the organisation’s running costs for 1 month. This figure is subject to change in relation to cost of labour, resources and activity.
SQIFF commits to building long-term strategic Reserves plans which intend to retain a Reserves amount of £60,000, equal to the organisation’s running costs for 12 months. This figure is subject to change in relation to cost of labour, resources and activity.
COMMITMENT TO TRANS, NON-BINARY AND/OR GENDER DIVERSE PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF THE GLOBAL MAJORITY
We are committed to providing an environment that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive for all attendees, staff, guests and volunteers, in person and online. In particular, SQIFF works to provide the safest environment for Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People and people of the Global Majority.
Please refer to SQIFF’s Trans, Non-Binary and/or Gender Diverse People Statement and Anti-Racism Policy to see our full statement and measures.
We welcome any comments and suggestions that can help us to develop our Financial and Reserves Policy: [email protected].