In December 2007, Pride had $50,966 owing and $3,469.71 in its bank account; however, following a generous no-interest loan, Pride WA has been given a reprieve from its immediate debt woes.
In an information session held on March 30th, the Pride committee announced that a Pride member, Charles Denham, had come forward with an unsecured, no-interest ten-year loan of $35,000 to relieve Pride’s current financial difficulties. In addition to the loan, Pride announced a 2008 profit of $7,165.68 from fundraising activities such as the Pride Quiz Night on March 18. With $5,498.20 in its bank account and $6,385.81 owing, Pride’s debt currently stands at only $887.61.
While individuals present at the meeting expressed congratulations to the committee for securing the loan, they also identified a number of crucial problems facing Pride, including the unworkably low numbers on the Pride committee, the difficulty of attracting and retaining volunteers, and a need to review Pride’s governance structure. Discussion from the floor centred on a perceived lack of knowledge of current community needs and poor engagement with young people.
Strategic plans for future events were also presented at the meeting and included a proposal to increase the entry price for this year’s Fairday to $10 for general admission and $5 dollars for members (with free entry for under 18s) to cover the rising costs of staging the event.
The information session on the 30th was held in lieu of the Pride SGM scheduled for that day. The SGM, at which the future of Pride was to be debated, was cancelled when the Pride committee were unable to ensure that all members had received written notice 30 days prior to the meeting.
The Pride committee have rescheduled the SGM for 6.30pm on April 27th at the Court Hotel, to be followed by the AGM at 7.30pm.
—
Disclaimer: Zoe Carter is a member of Pride.
