RCW budget: January - March, 2011

Here is the first of our now-quarterly budget updates. As we transition our projects to community ownership this year, we will do our best to keep them as accurate as possible. 

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income from campsite fees and tent rental (Jan: $310.00, Feb: $60.00, March: $130.00): $500

Expenditure on staff salaries ($130 for two staff per month): $390.00

Campsite sub-total: $110.00

Mama Liberia Sewing Co-op

Thanks to a big order from the EBD Group, you'll see our Community Fund grows nicely this quarter. Because of their order--and the way we've set up RCW projects to grow the Community Fund--we now have project money for beach cleanup, sea turtle rescue and other cool stuff the community might want to try their hand at (not to mention we'll be able to give out some more small business loans)...

Community Fund tithe from Mama Liberia Sewing Co-op $3,000.00

It's been a quiet quarter, as we've been focusing on running a tight ship on our existing projects so that they can become 100% community-led. We've been an NGO in Liberia for almost two years, so it's time for our starter projects to stand on their own.

Project summary

Robertsport Community Campsite: $110.00

Mama Liberia tithe to Community Fund: $3,000.00

Community Fund as of December 2010: -$151.90

Community Fund as of March 2011: $2,958.10

Glad to be back in the green!

Budget updates for November/December 2010

Yes, these are late! We had a tumultuous start to 2011, and these updates fell by the wayside to be restarted again...now. 

Thanks for bearing with us. Project updates included.

Surf Liberia

Because of events beyond our control that disrupted where and how we store our inventory, we've put The African T-Shirt Company on hold as it transitions to local project leadership. That means, unfortunately, that sales of Surf Liberia t-shirts are also on hold. Lucky for us, the Community Fund is a doing well and this temporary pause will not disrupt our sponsorship of local surfers.

We hope to see The African T-Shirt Company and Surf Liberia t-shirt sales back up and running in a few months, 100% Liberian run.

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income

Campsite fees and tent rental: $275

Expenditure

Staff salaries (Nov/Dec): $260

Rake: $10

Sub-total: -$5

Sea Turtle Rescue

We have yet to start official fund-raising for this project, but pay for rescued turtles on an ad-hoc basis out of the Community Fund. So far, we've saved five! The turtles show up in a wheelbarrow and we carry them, flapping vigorously the closer they get to the ocean, until about 10 meters from the shore. They pull themselves the rest of the way, gaining visible strength as they reach the ocean. The waves surge over them, and they disappear, hopefully never to be seen again!

If you'd like to donate specifically to this project, please email me!

Expenditure

Two adult yellow-bill sea turtles: $20
A hutch of 100 leatherback sea turtle eggs, which sadly didn't hatch although we followed all the directions: $10

Sub-total: -$30

Community Beach Clean-up

We've collected over 2,000 pounds of marine debris in less than two years and this project is going strong. Miriama, who's been cooking the volunteers' meals as a thank-you for their good work, is taking over project leadership in the coming months.

Expenditure

Volunteer meals (Nov/Dec): $60

Sub-total: -$60 

Mama Liberia Sewing Co-op

We are working on a very large bag order that will bring in much-needed money to the Community Fund, so stay tuned for our next budget update, when all will be well!

Summary

Robertsport Community Campsite: -$5.00
Sea Turtle Rescue: -$30.00
Community Beach Cleanup: -$60.00
Sub-total: -$95
Community Fund as of October 2010: -$56.90

Community Fund as of December 2010: -$151.90

October 2010 budget update

October was a busy month at Robertsport Community Works. Dry season is upon us, which means the campsite is seeing a return of visitors eager to spend the weekend in Robertsport. We also held our 2nd Annual Surf Liberia Contest on October 24. Surf Liberia raises money for the Surf Liberia Mentoring Program--more specifically, for the university and technical school scholarships we provide for surfers who graduate from high school.

Here's the update!


Surf Liberia

The annual event for the Surf Liberia Mentoring Program, the Annual Surf Liberia Contest, was held in October. We're still waiting for two sponsors' donations to come in--fingers crossed--so that we can be 100% even on this, as planned...

Income
Registration fee for surf contest: $100
Sponsor donation: $100

Expenditure
Contest t-shirts: $300
Clean-up crew ($5 for the day to young men in the community): $40
Clean the Beach t-shirts for the clean-up crew: $48

Sub-total $-188


Robertsport Community Campsite

Income
Campsite fees and tent rental: $260

Expenditure
Thatch for the shower and bathrooms: $20
Rake: $5
Kerosene for the lanterns: $10
Staff salaries: $130
Hammocks:$35
Coal pot, receipt book and shower repair: $40

Sub-total $20


Sea Turtle Rescue

Expenditure
Rescue of two yellowbill sea turtles: $20

Sub-total -$20


Community Beach Clean-up

Expenditure
Volunteer meal for monthly beach clean-up: $30

Sub-total -$30

Community Fund Loans
Ansu $120
Sub-total of Community Fund in active loans: -$120

Project Summary
Surf Liberia -$188

Robertsport Community Campsite $20
Sea Turtle Rescue -$20
Community Beach Clean-up -$30
Communty Fund -$120


Budget Summary

Surf Liberia Mentorship as of October 2010: $7.00
Community Fund as of August/September 2010: $93.10
Community Fund as of October 2010: -$56.90

August/September 2010 budget update

We went on holiday in August, so are combining our budget update for the rainy season/summer months.

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income
Campsite fees and tent rental: $80

Expenditure
Campsite staff salaries (Aug/Sept): $220

Sub-total: -$140


Women's Sewing Co-op

Income
10% from product sales to Community Fund: $6.00

Sub-total: $6.00


Sea Turtle Rescue Project

Expenditure
August salary to project leader (end of 3-month pilot): $50.00

Sub-total: -$50.00


Community Fund

Expenditure
Loan to Miriama: $350.00
Loan to Sam Brown: $450.00
Work permits: $700.00

Sub-total: -$1,500.00

Project Summary

Robertsport Community Campsite: -$140
Women's Sewing C0-op: $6.00
Sea Turtle Rescue project: -$50.00
Community Fund: -$1,500.00

Sub-total: -$1,684.00


Budget Summary

Surf Liberia Mentorship as of Aug/Sept 2010: $195.00
Community Fund as of July 2010: $1,777.10
Community Fund as of August/September 2010: $93.10

August 2010 buget update

Here it is, short and sweet, with a little bit of commentary thrown in where I couldn't help myself.

Robertsport Community Campsite
We're going to need to buy new tents for rainy season. The wear and tear from the sun and sand corrodes the tent poles until their elastic snaps and the poles start to rust. We're working on a marifa fix for this (Swahili for 'making something work with what you've got'), which I'll blog about when we get there. The idea being: prolong the life of the existing tents as long as possible and keep an eye out for cheap tents to purchase.

Income
Tent rental and campsite fees: +$330

Expenditure
Campsite staff salaries: -$130
Brushing behind the cotton tree to expand where we can set up tents: -$40
New thatch for the shower: -$10
Kerosene for lanterns: -$20

Sub-total: +$130

Women's Sewing Co-op
We had a massive bulk order from a conference group in the States. Ten percent of product sales go to the Community Fund--a pool for seed money for new projects and loans to community members for their small businesses. You'll see that reflected below.

We also hired a Project Manager! This piece of information is so exciting, it will need it's own post.

Income
Community fund 10% of sales: +$1,000 (!)

Expenditure
Baseline salary (before commission) for Project Manager: -$40

Sub-total: $960


Sea Turtle Rescue
This project is in its 3rd month of pilot currently and we'll be writing up what we've learned--as well as whether we'll continue--when we receive and compile monthly project reports from the Project Leader

Expenditure
Salary (July): -$50

Sub-total: -$50


Community Beach Clean-up
Because of a simple communications issue that we're following up on, we haven't been getting the money to feed our cleanup volunteers from our partner, which means that we've been covering this cost for the last 3 months. We're on this...

Expenditure
4 months of food money for volunteers: -$120

Sub-total: -$120


Surf Liberia Mentoring Program

Income
T-shirt sales: +$18

Sub-total: +$18


Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite: +$130
Women's Sewing Co-op: +$960
Sea Turtle Rescue: -$50
Community Beach Clean-up: -$120
Surf Liberia Mentoring: +$18
Total: +$938

Budget Summary
Surf Liberia Mentorship as of July 2010: $195
Community Fund as of June 2010: $839.10
Community Fund as of July 2010: $1,777.10

We have almost $2,000 to use for programming and loans this program cycle! Stay tuned for our plans.

June 2010 budget update

I know I should be better at posting what we're up to organizationally on here, and I promise to make more of an effort. You'll see. Coming this month: the challenges of sea turtle rescue, the successes of the Women's Sewing Co-op, and how we're adapting our surf mentoring program to better suit the needs of local surfers.

Thanks to a visiting Australian surfer who is helping get our Water Safety programs started and who stayed at the campsite for a bit (until he wisely decided that in the depth of rainy season, sometimes a roof and bed bed offered by the American women who run a youth program is better than a tent). His campsite fees and tent rental will ensure that our Campsite Manager and his back-up have their salaries paid through rainy season.

Also, a *huge* thanks to the EBD Group, who are purchasing 1,000 bags wholesale from the Women's Sewing Co-op for one of their conferences. More about this in another post, but let's just say that they've made an incredible impact in the Robertsport community and the lives of the women in the Co-op.

Here's the budget low-down for June 2010:

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income
Campsite and tent rental +$255

Expenditure
Wallace severance pay -$40*
Kerosene for lanterns -$15

*We had to let former campsite staff Wallace go, as he was showing up for work in a less-than-ideal condition. We will miss his kind face and hard work, and hope to see him at future beach clean-ups and in the community...

Sub-total $200

Women's Sewing Co-op

Income
Community Fund profits from bag sales (14 bags) $14

Sea Turtle Rescue

Expenditure
June salary for Project Leader -$40

Surf Liberia Mentoring Program
Surf Liberia t-shirts profits (13 shirts) +$117

Project Summary
Community Campsite $200
Women's Sewing Co-op $14
Sea Turtle Rescue -$40
Sub-total $174

Budget Summary
Surf Liberia Mentorship as of 2010 $177
Community Fund as of May 2010 $665.10
Community Fund as of June 2010 $839.10

May 2010 budget update

It's only June 2nd and I'm publishing our budget update for May. Quite happy with myself for that... Here you are!

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income
Campsite fees and tent rental $120

Expenditure
New platform for pit latrine
- Materials $40
- Transporting materials to Robertsport $30
- Workmanship $25
Kerosene $10
Salary Campsite Manager $70
Salary Campsite Staff $40 (half month)

Campsite sub-total -$95

Women's Sewing Co-op

Income
3 bags sold $4.50

Co-op sub-total $4.50

Sea Turtle Rescue
Check out the link to our new project!

Expenditure
$10 advance on salary for Project Leader ($50 salary total per month)
$20 for sea turtle and sea turtle egg rescue

Sea Turtle Rescue sub-total -$30

Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite -$95
Women's Sewing Co-op $4.50
Sea Turtle Rescue -$30

Project sub-total -$120.50

Budget Summary

Community Fund as of April 2010 $785.60
Community Fund as of May 2010 $665.10

April 2010 budget update

We've started a new project this month, one that works with the community to protect sea turtles. Young men will work on a community eco-tourism project that I'll write about in my next post. For now, here is our budget with project updates, as relevant.

Robertsport Community Campsite

In April, Wallace and T-Boy (aka Prince) were running the campsite. It made $325 in campsite fees and tent rental, but $40 of that was stolen.

Income
Campsite fees and tent rental $285

Expenditure
Campsite staff salaries $140
RCW Community Campsite staff rain jackets (2) $30
New campsite bench $15
Thatch for the bathroom $10
Kerosene lanterns $10
Kerosene for the lanterns $10
Campsite staff t-shirts (2) $10

Campsite sub-total $60

Women's Sewing Co-op

After March's big order, the Co-op took a month to work slowly through a batch of lapa. We'll have the new bags on the website and at Tides starting next week. The team leaders will be selling at the U.S. Embassy Craft Fair next Friday, May 28, at the Public Affairs Office and have their very own booth. We're also looking into a major new product that would make a Liberian tradition in lapa style...I'll tell you soon.

Income
10% of Co-op products' profits to RCW Community Fund $6

Co-op sub-total $6

Surf Liberia Mentorship Program

Income
Surf Liberia t-shirt sales $40

Surf Liberia sub-total $40


African Women = Power t-shirts: $45 to the ARC's Survivors' Fund
Surf Liberia Mentorship Program: $40 to sponsored/mentored surfers

Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite $60
Women's Sewing Co-op $6
Total $66

Budget Summary
Community Fund as of March 2010 $719.60
Community Fund as of April 2010 $785.60

March 2010 budget update

Thanks to a generous order from a US conference, I believe this is the first month we're in the green! Hurrah! Now we can start allocating money to developing our Eco-Tourism Walks and a new conservation project I'll just keep secret for now...

We'll also be able to set money aside so that our Campsite Staff will continue to be employed through rainy season, when income will slow down substantially. Needless to say, Wallace and T-Boy are thrilled about this.

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income
Campsite fees and tent rental $245

Expenditure
Salary for campsite staff $130
New hammocks $30
Benjamin making another bench $15
Kerosene for campsite lanterns $10

Expenditure sub-total $185

Campsite sub-total $60


Women's Sewing Co-op

Income
15% project fee from sales of Co-op products $551

Co-op sub-total $551


The African T-Shirt Company Fundraising

Income

Profit from Surf Liberia t-shirts $36
Profit from Cotton Tree t-shirts for conservation projects $22


Eco-Tourism Walks

Income
$250 donation from the winning team at Quiz Night February 2010 (thank you!)


Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite $60
Women's Sewing Co-op $551
Surf Liberia Scholarship $36
Conservation projects $272
Total $919

Budget Summary
Community Fund as of February 2010 -$199.40
Community Fund as of March 2010 $719.60

February 2010 budget update

Lots of good stuff happened in the month of February. Alfred returned with $160. We had partners from Soul Surfers Foundation staying for three weeks, which brought in some good revenue for February and March, and they donated a tent for us to rent. Here's the update:

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income
Tent rental and campsite fees (we haven't yet been able to disaggregate, but we're working on it) $140
Alfred paying back December 2009 campsite fees and tent rental $160

Income sub-total $300

Expenditure

Rake $7
Hammocks $40
Lanterns $7
Cutlass $5
Twine $3
Receipt book $2
Logo stamp $5
Ink and stamp pad $5
Kerosene for lanterns $10

Expenditure sub-total $84

Campsite sub-total $216

Women's Sewing Cooperative

Income
15% from sale of beach bags, yoga mat bags and hand bags $31

Sewing Co-op sub-total $31

Surf Liberia Scholarship Program

Income
Surf Liberia t-shirt sales $36

Expenditure
Scholarship money for Peter Swen's school fees (Salvation Army High School on 24th St.) $50

Surf Liberia Scholarship -$14

Environmental projects

Income
T-shirt sales $22

Environmental projects sub-total $22

Project Summary

Robertsport Community Campsite $216
Women's Sewing Co-op $31
Surf Liberia Scholarship Fund -$14
Environmental projects $22

Budget Summary

Community Fund as of January 2010 -$454.50
Community Fund as of February 2010 -$199.40

This month, we hope to get out of the red and into the green, creating and growing a Community Fund that will be start-up money for community members' microenterprise projects. Thank you for your support!

January 2010 budget update

Robertsport Community Campsite
Income
Campsite fees and tent rental $150

We'll be disaggregating campsite fees and tent rental next month, just to keep things clear.

Expenditure
2 campsite IDs for campsite staff $10
2 branded and silk-screened T-shirts for campsite staff $10
3 kerosene lanterns $10
Kerosene for the lanterns $9
Campsite staff salaries $120

Sub-total $30

Women's Sewing Co-op
Income
10% from sale of hand bags $8
10% from sale of beach bags and yoga mat bags $22.50

Expenditure
Co-op bag tags $6

Sub-total $24.50

Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite $30.00
Women's Sewing Co-op $24.50

Budget Summary
Community Fund as of December 2009 -$509
Community Fund as of January 2010 -$454.50

December 2009 budget update

Robertsport Community Campsite
Expenditure
Ben's salary for campsite groundskeeping $15

Income
We won't know about our income for December until Alfred returns to Robertsport. So, for now, we're showing a loss on the campsite that we believe is temporary.

Sub-total -$15

Women's Sewing Co-op
Expenditure
Fee to participate in the U.S. Embassy Craft Fair $10
Bendu's travel and bonus for running the Co-op stall at the Craft Fair $30

Income
Bag sales at the craft fair (10% project fee) $38
Other bag sales (10% project fee) $18

Sub-total $16

We've only been publishing the 10% income we receive from Co-op project sales that goes to Robertsport Community Works as a project fee. This 10% helps to supplement RCW's finances if we're running project deficits and, if there is a surplus, goes into the Community Fund as seed money for other microenterprise projects.

In addition to publishing the organization's income, we're going to start reporting how much money, monthly, Co-op members are earning through their work. This better shows project impact and starts to communicate the effect the Co-op is having on the lives of women and their families. We'd like to determine the income RCW projects generate for the community each month. This is our first step towards doing so.

Co-op earnings from bags sold in December 2009 $315

Fundraising t-shirts
Income from Surf Liberia shirts $52
Income from Cotton Tree shirts for RCW environmental programs $8
Money raised for ARC safehouses for survivors of gender-based violence $18

Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite -$15
Women's Sewing Co-op $16
Community Fund total for December 2009 $1

Project funds for Surf Liberia $52
Project funds for environmental programs $8

Budget Summary
Community Fund as of November 2009: -$510
Community Fund as of December 2009: -$509

We haven't forgotten about our December 2009 budget update

We're not three weeks late on the December 2009 budget update. Well, we are--but we can't do anything about it. Since Alfred Lomax became Robertsport Community Campsite Manager in November 2009, he's been collecting and keeping track of campsite funds in a notebook dedicated for this purpose. He's also been keeping the funds he collects with the pastor who lives next door.

Verifying this for the months of December 2009 and early January 2010 is difficult because, since New Years, Alfred has been in Monrovia and upcountry tending to family affairs. He doesn't have a phone and no one in Robertsport, including his mother, knows when he'll be back. My frustration at not being able to locate him for our bookkeeping purposes was supplanted by the realization that him going AWOL meant we had to come up with another way to manage the campsite--fast.

Thanks to all of our supporters from the Liberian, UN and NGO communities, the campsite--as we'd like to show you in our upcoming December 2009 budget update--did well over the holiday season. We were able to widen the project's impact in the community and the quality of campsite service by hiring two full-time campsite staff working in day and night shifts. More about them and their work in a future post.

We hope Alfred returns to Robertsport so we can post the December 2009 budget update before January finishes.

November 2009 project and budget update

To all you faithful followers of these updates, we've changed a few things that you might find interesting. I've explained them for each of the applicable projects. Also, it looks like we might have some grant money coming in over the next few months. We'll update you on this very exciting news!

Robertsport Community Campsite
We've seen enough sustained income from the campsite that we wanted to reward the work that local surfers Alfred Lomax and Benjamin McCrumuda have been contributing the project.

Alfred Lomax is now the official Manager, responsible for setting up hammocks, tents and lanterns, keeping the pit latrine freshly ashed (to keep the smell and bugs down), welcoming guests and collecting campsite fees. Those of you who know Alfred personally know that he's a hospitality natural, and it will be no surprise that he's doing an excellent job. Alfred gets a $2 commission from each $5 camping fee, so that's why the numbers might look a little different this month.

Benjamin McCrumada is the campsite's Groundskeeper, responsible for building small benches, upkeep on the thatch around the latrine and shower area, and keeping paths and the parking lot brushed of bush grasses. He's paid a monthly salary of $15 for this--about the equivalent of the piecemeal work he was getting to do the same jobs, but now a steady a reliable source of income for him and his family.

Thanks to the magnanimous generosity of RCW Board Member Magnus Wolfe Murray, we've been renting his small ($10/night) and large ($15/night) tents to help raise funds for the campsite and the Community Fund, which provides the seed money for our microenterprise projects. As you'll see, now that it's dry season and thanks to the Nana's Lodge Sports Festival and Family Fun Weekend, we've had a good month.

Expenditures
Ben's salary: $15
Paying security one weekend because management didn't collect fees from the campers (it won't happen again): $60

Income
Campsite fees: $72
Tent rental: $75

Sub-total: $72

Community Beach Cleanup
Expenditure
New gloves for community members (30 pair): -$40
Sub-total: -$40

Women's Sewing Cooperative and The African T-Shirt Company
The Women's Sewing Cooperative did a good business going into the Christmas season, selling bags online through The African T-Shirt Company and at the US Embassy's Christmas Craft Fair. To make sure we had enough in stock, we expanded the Coop to 12 young women, diversified our product line to include yoga mat bags ($15) and hand bags ($10), and made some strategic scaleup and management decisions I'll blog about later. Based on good feedback from the bags, we've raised the price of the beach bags to $15. Because of the increased revenue and the new setup, we raised the amount of income coming in from 5% of profits to 10% -- an investment that will help make the project more sustainable. More about this in a future blog.

Income from Women's Sewing Coop bag sales: $48
Entry fee to sell Coop products at the Craft Fair: -$10
Transport and $10/day stipend for Bendu to come to Monrovia and sell at the Craft Fair: -$30

Our fundraising arm, The African T-Shirt Company, sells t-shirts--most of which we design ourselves, some of which we sell for friends. Three of our t-shirts fundraise directly to project areas:

Surf Liberia: These profits from these shirts goes to the Surf Liberia Scholarship Fund. In addition to paying half the school fees for our sponsored local surfers (they earn the other half by working on or running microenterprise projects), we also mentor them personally and professionally, helping them create short-term and long-term goals both for their surfing and their larger futures.

We held the 1st Annual Surf Liberia Contest this month and gave away
Income for Surf Liberia project from shirt sales and surf contest: $189
Expenditure for Surf Liberia t-shirts for local surfers in the contest: -$48
Travel and $10/day stipend for Solomon to sell Surf Liberia contest shirts in Robertsport that weekend: -$35


Cotton Tree: The tree that wraps around the front and side of this shirt is the ancient cotton tree on the Robertsport Community Campsite -- the historic tree that the boat carrying first President of Liberia Joseph Jenkins Roberts to Liberia was tied to. All profits from this shirt support our environmental programs--projects like beach cleanup and the community eco-walks in the surrounding rainforest.
Income for conservation projects: $45


African Women = Power: These shirts fundraise for gender-based violence programs in Liberia run by the American Refugee Comittee. All profits go to safehouses across the country where women and girl survivors of rape receive medical, legal, justice and psychological services. More on this in a future post.
Income for the ARC's safehouses for women and girl survivors: $36

Sub-total: $169 + $36 for the ARC


Project Summary
Robertsport Community Campsite: $72
Community Beach Cleanup: -$40
Women's Sewing Coop and African T-Shirt Company: $169
Total: $201

Budget Summary
Community Fund as of October 2009: -$711
Community Fund as of November 2009: -$510

Thanks to everyone for your support, suggestions and for helping us make this work.

October 2009 budget update

Here's a summary of our October 2009 income and expenditures by project:

Organizational
Expenditure
Filing our Articles of Incorporation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs $75.00

Sub-total -$75.00

Robertsport Community Campsite
Income
Camping fees $25

Expenditure
Hammocks (2) $20.00
Benches around the almond trees $25

Sub-total -$20

Women's Sewing Cooperative
Income
23 beach bags $11.50

Expenditure
Beach bag tags $3

Sub-total $8.50

Surf Liberia Scholarship fundraising
17 shirts sold $68.00

Project summary
Organizational: -$75.00
Robertsport Community Campsite -$20
Women's Sewing Cooperative $11.50
September 2009 Community Fund -$627.50
Surf Liberia Scholarship fundraising $68.00

Community Fund as of October 2009: -$711.00
Surf Liberia Scholarship money raised in October: $68.00

August 2009 budget update

Here's a summary of our August 2009 income and expenditures by project:

Robertsport Community Campsite
Income
Campsite fees for 4 people $20

Expenditure
Shower thatch $6
Bench $10
Upgrade to bathroom thatch $4

Sub-total: $0

Women's Sewing Cooperative
Income
10 beach bags $5

Expenditure
6 sets of lapa from Waterside $44
6 sets of lapa from Waterside $54
Beach bag branding $7
Beach bag branding $5
7 sets of lapa from Waterside $63
Buying beach bags from the Coop $151
Buying beach bags from the Coop $46

Sub-total - $365

Surf Liberia Scholarship Fundraising
11 Surf Liberia t-shirts $55

Project summary
Robertsport Community Campsite $0
Women's Sewing Cooperative -$365
July 2009 Community Fund -$265.50
Surf Liberia Scholarship Fundraising $55

Community Fund as of August 2009: -$630.50
Surf Liberia Scholarship money raised: $55

To support our projects and buy beach bags or Surf Liberia t-shirts, visit www.robertsportcommunityworks.org.

July 2009 budget update

Here's where we are, at the end of July, on a project-by-project basis:

Robertsport Community Campsite
Income
Campsite fee $15

Expenditure
Stamp pad, ink and stamp $8

Sub-total: $7

Beach Clean-up Project
Expenditure
Beach Cleanup T-shirts for the Cleanup Crew to wear $50

Sub-total: -$50

Women's Sewing Cooperative
Income
1 market bag sold $0.50

Expenditure
6 lapa from store $20
Sewing supplies $1
2 yards solid cloth $10
12 lapa from Famatta $38
Sewing supplies for 5 sewing kits $9
July expenditure sub-total $78

Sub-total: -$77.50


Project sub-totals
Robertsport Community Campsite: $7
Beach Cleanup: -$50
Women's Sewing Cooperative: -$77.50
June Community Fund: -$145

Community Fund total: -$265.50

In August, we'll be starting a larger fundraising project that will help us turn the Community Fund from red to green. Stay tuned!

June 2009 budget update

In the interest of organizational transparency, we'll be posting a monthly list of Robertsport Community Work's income and expenditures. This information will also be chalked onto the back of our Robertsport Community Campsite sign for the community to see and respond to.

Here's where we are on a project by project basis:

Robertsport Community Campsite

Income (camping fee is $5 per person per night)
10 June 2009 - $10
26 June 2009 - $5
27 June 2009 - $5
28 June 2009 - $5
June sub-total - $25

We have two four-person tents that we're renting on the weekends (for a $20 deposit and complete with laminated instructions and tent inventory), but as we don't own them, we're not sure whether the money will go to the Community Fund or towards repaying their owner's substantial investment. If it's the former, expect to see the income they generate listed here.

Expenditures
Small welcome signs (2) - $12
Large information sign - $20
Gallon of navy paint - $14
Quart of white paint - $6
Paintbrushes - $6
Cutlass - $5
Grass cutter - $4
Receipt book - $3
Carbon paper - $3
Thatch for toilet - $20
Bush clearing - $5
June sub-total - $97

Beach Cleanup Project
Expenditure
Wheelbarrow - $35
Trash can (2) - $10
Leather gloves (5) - $10
Shovel - $5
Rake - $7
Sub-total - $67

Community Sewing Project
Expenditure
Lapa (2) - $5
Sewing supplies - $1
Sub-total - $6

Community Fund total: $125