The final issue of Two Year TAFF-Life comes to you from Suzanne Tompkins, the 2005 TAFF delegate and now North American administrator emeritus, at PO Box 25075, Seattle, WA, 98165, USA, suzlet at aol dot com. Date: 6/14/08
It was only a dream ...
My final report comes to you after the reins of administration have been turned over to the 2008 TAFF winner, Chris Garcia, who will be sending out the mailed copies with his first TAFF newsletter, thus saving a bit on printing and postage. My time administering TAFF had its bad times (having to cancel the 2007 Race) and good (receiving generous contributions from many individuals and groups, thanked below and in my previous newsletters). Thank you all for making it possible.
I'd also like to thank a few people who have really helped me along the way in big and small ways. Jerry Kaufman, who encouraged me from the beginning, and continued to help -- writing a 35 page draft of "my" TAFF report, now being expanded and edited (by me), choosing the right zines and materials to take to cons, send for auctions, put up for sale, and doing the big lifting in my admin. (I mean this literally -- we had at least 10 boxes of wildly varied donation materials, and he's been lifting them all over the place for years now....) Past admins. Randy Byers and Ulrika O'Brien, who were always there to ask for advice and help, especially when problems developed, Dave Langford, who also offered much needed advice, as well as continuing to maintain the wonderful TAFF website (taff.org.uk), and my UK counterpart Bridget Bradshaw, who was quite wonderful to work with. And to everyone who's voted in the past three TAFF races and/or contributed money and support. There was over $10,000 in the TAFF coffers during my time as administrator and this is all because of all of you.
The TAFF NA Fund as Passed on to Mr. Garcia:
Today, there is $430.96 left in my TAFF account. $9,500 has been sent on to Chris since January. After I've published my TAFF report, which will be within the next month, the balance of the Fund + any proceeds from the sale of my Report will be sent to him as well. As of my last report there was $7,982.23 (on March 4, 2008) in the TAFF NA bank account. Since my last real financial report of September 5, 2007, the fund took in money from donations, an auction, fanzines and other sales, payments on an old debt, and, of course, many votes.
DONATIONS, SALES, AUCTIONS, VOTES, MISC.
John Hertz's zine Dancing and Joking brought in an additional $23, bringing the total to date to $333.50. In addition to this, "The Send John Hertz to Japan Fund" ended up with a surplus and divided it equally among DUFF, GUFF, and TAFF, so TAFF was the recipient of $135.35. Through his efforts in many ways, John Hertz is certainly the biggest individual contributor (even if most of it was other folks' $), and TAFF owes him much gratitude.
Steve Stiles's Harrison Country added another $31 to our bank account, while sales of other trip reports brought in $26, and sale of Freddie Baer t-shirts added $30 as well.
Then candidates Chris Garcia and Christian McGuire worked on the auction at the 2007 BayCon that brought in $82.00. And thank you to SF3 who sent their annual TAFF contribution of $50.
In his final TAFF newsletter, Randy Byers reported that past TAFF admin. Velma Bowen had repaid $300 of the money she had borrowed. During my time as admin., she repaid another $350, $150 of which was during this time period. Chris will report on the balance that has been paid since he's taken over the job.
2008 Voters sent a total of $1,042.00 with their ballots, quite a number sending amounts well over the $3.00 minimum fee.
At the very end of 2006 I opened a CD and then another in 2007; the interest on them and the Savings account (whose whopping interest rate earned $4.34 in 2007!), added $326.12 to the TAFF account. (Jerry and I covered the tax on this amount, as did Randy on the small amount of Savings account interest prior to 2007 while he was admin.)
EXPENSES
Printing/mailing costs for Two Year TAFF Life #3 & 4; printing/postage costs for ballots for the 2008 Race, flyers for reports/zines, shipping supplies/postage for auction/sale items, mailing all the accumulated TAFF materials to Chris Garcia (actually reduced to only six boxes!) along with a few other mailings, and small misc. expenses came to $480.