Letters
to LLLI: Spending LLL Funds
Carmen Vandenabeele
LLLI Board of Directors
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 38 No. 3, June-July 2002 p. 66.
Dear Leaders,
Preparations are well under
way for the 18th LLLI Conference, July 3-6, 2003 in San Francisco, California,
USA with the theme Strength Through Diversity; Creating One Breastfeeding
World. Leaders, families, and health professionals in many countries
of the world are hoping to attend. They’re working to turn their
dreams into reality. Plans are underway for Area, Affiliate, and Regional
gatherings for education and support. There are also events planned
for family activities as well as Continuing Education sessions for Leaders
and health professionals. The Letters team has received several questions
from Leaders about the use of LLL funds for Conferences and other LLL
events, and general questions on how decisions about spending LLL funds
are made. These questions included:
- What principles are helpful
when determining the use of Group, Area or Leader funds for attending
LLL events?
- Is it always necessary
for Leaders to share rooms with other Leaders when using LLL funds
or can a family’s lodging be covered?
- Is there other information
we should know about that might impact local decisions about Conference
attendance?
Division, Area, and Affiliate
Administrators, as well as Leaders, are very conscientious about their
stewardship of limited financial resources. A growing number of Leaders
and their support people have discovered the benefit of referring to
basic LLL principles and ethics. This, coupled with any local laws or
LLL guidelines, can guide important decisions about the use of funds
or any other issue. Just as well-informed and supported mothers make
appropriate decisions about breastfeeding in light of their family circumstances,
well-informed and supported Leaders make appropriate decisions on behalf
of LLL in their unique situations.
Leaders are encouraged to
make decisions with LLLI’s purpose in mind as well as with the
principles that follow. There is a renewed emphasis on Leaders taking
responsibility for decisions made in light of the LLLI Mission—similar
to the practices used in the very early days of La Leche League. We
also encourage you to include all affected parties in the decision-making
and to consult, when appropriate, with support and resource people.
These ideas below may be new for some but they interconnect to form
a web that supports decision-making and they reflect the respectful
relationships found in mother-to-mother support.
Funds, whether financial
or human, are used carefully and go toward supporting LLL’s mission.
Activities comply with local
government regulations.
Families are a priority in
La Leche League. This might be a factor in the use of funds for volunteers
and staff participating in various activities in pursuit of the mission.
Many very effective volunteers have families who need their attention
and presence. These volunteers must take family welfare into consideration
when attending administrative meetings and educational events. Rather
than expecting these volunteers to wait until their families can do
without their presence, LLL is an organization that allows volunteers
to be with their families while serving the organization and the mission.
Decisions about how resources
are used are removed from self-interest as much as possible. For example,
when decisions are made about a Group Leader or member using Group funds
to attend a Conference, the decision-making involves those who raised
or donated the funds. Or it might involve other Leaders in the same
and/or neighboring Groups. The person receiving the benefit could also
provide input to the decision, but she would avoid dominating the decision.
Decisions consider the good
of LLLI as a whole. Things to take into account could include the continuity
of LLL’s presence in a particular community; the depth of LLL’s
influence in the community and the benefits of involving Group members,
Peer Counselors, fathers, and other volunteers in Conference activities;
the breadth of LLLI presence in the world and the possibility of helping
LLLI volunteers from communities with fewer resources.
These are some principles
to guide decision-making. Perhaps you can think of others. In many countries,
including the USA, the determination for use of funds is based on how
they are used to fulfill the organization’s purpose. Because Conferences
promote the LLLI mission in many ways, there are many possibilities
for funds being used to support attendance—including legitimate
expenses of attending for Leaders, families, Peer Counselors, and Group
members. However, it is important to make sure that donors understand
how the funds may be used. In grant applications, clarity in all stages
of the application about the ways the funds will be used will prevent
misunderstandings.
Since LLL funds are often
limited, sharing a room with other LLL people is a widespread money-saving
practice that is encouraged by many LLL entities. At the same time,
our focus on families makes it possible for volunteers to give their
whole hearted presence to any educational event. It can also involve
fathers, teenagers, and other potential breastfeeding advocates in activities
in support of our mission. Rather than try to make an organization-wide
rule, we suggest careful thinking and flexibility in light of LLLI’s
purpose and the principles found above. You may also find it helpful
to see how other Areas make these decisions.
LLL New Zealand Leaders know
it is difficult to obtain funding to attend an educational event outside
the country. LLL NZ requests that Groups apply only to local funding
agencies and corporations so that LLL NZ can continue to apply to national
funding agencies for large projects. Although the cost of an International
Conference is astronomical (about US $4,000) for them, Leaders do fundraise
to attend.
In South Africa, grant proposals
and appeals (to corporations, international agencies) are coordinated
through the Area Coordinator of Leaders (ACL) or Funding Coordinator.
Costs of attending an LLL International Conference are similar to those
of a New Zealand Leader. Highly motivated Leaders have used personal
funds to help defray costs. Funds gathered from craft sales, garage
sales, cake bakes, sling sales, and raffles seem like a small amount
but Leaders know that every bit counts!
From the Netherlands, Ans
Schoenfeld, Area Treasurer, reports "The Dutch representatives
get their travel expenses, hotel, and registration reimbursed. They
are supposed to pay for their own food. I always booked them two in
a room. The travel expenses are the largest portion and then it doesn’t
add that much to the amount if you are with two in a room instead of
four. In other words, we couldn’t afford to send another representative
to put four in a room. The money comes out of our [Area] budget. We
haven’t done much on fundraising, mostly because we don’t
have much experience with it and don’t know where to start and
who to ask."
In LLL Luxembourg, the ACL
reports that Leaders have developed guidelines together for the use
of these funds based on long time practice.
- Administrators and Leaders
who have never been to Conferences are a priority.
- Only flight, hotel, and
Conference fees are funded.
- They balance the amount
of funds they have with how many Leaders are interested and then see
how many they can fund.
- Applicants are also encouraged
to participate. Their expenses are reimbursed if they sign their Statement
of Commitment within a year after the Conference.
In Mexico the Area will pay
half of all expenses for 10 Leaders. In return, these Leaders are expected
to commit to stay active in LLL for the 12 months following the Conference
and to share their experiences in writing, Chapter Meetings, etc.
Throughout Latin America,
Leaders send funding proposals to foreign embassies, corporations (including
airlines), and other NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) as well as
WABA, UNICEF, and LINKAGES. Their successful fundraising has depended
on persistence and emphasis on the training to be obtained and how it
will benefit their communities.
Leaders in Paraguay number
only seven so they decide together whom to fund. With average salaries
equivalent to US $400, Leaders need to be funded completely in order
to attend events outside the country. Donations, such as from the Matthieu
Chazelle fund (See sidebar on page 59.), as well as other grants
and scholarships, were gratefully received. This situation is typical
of most countries in Future Areas in South America (FAiSA).
In Future Areas in Asia (FAiA),
the ACL, Coordinator of Leader Accreditation, and Area Professional
Liaison decide who will be funded depending on the current priorities
of the Area and amount of outside funds available. The Area Council
has strong finances and a talent for raising the needed funds to cover
all or part of several Leaders’ expenses.
The Hong Kong Group always
tries to pay Conference registration as a sign of support for the Leaders.
Then Leaders in the Group decide together who will benefit from the
funds. This often depends on who is available to go. Applicants receive
funding also, as available, as do non-separating babies and toddlers.
Meals are not funded.
Spain is a new Area that
is just beginning to develop policies and guidelines related to fundraising
for Conferences. All extra money earned by Groups (from book sales,
member fees, grants, and other income) will be dedicated to Continuing
Education for Leaders. Each year the Area Council will calculate how
much money is available for travel expenses and registration fees and
then will divide it equally among the Leaders who are available for
travel that year. The Spanish Leaders haven’t decided yet whether
these amounts will be carried over from one year to the next with the
idea of being able to send Leaders overseas to events such as LLL International
Conferences. They want to strike a balance between the need for training
administrators and the need for making annual meetings possible for
all Leaders.
Connie Little de Goiri, ACL,
lives in the autonomous Basque region (along the Atlantic Coast) of
Spain. She writes, "I was able to secure a grant from the Department
of Equal Opportunities and Gender Politics. Among other things they
funded 75 percent of the cost of my trip to Chicago, hotels, food, other
transportation, and the purchase of continuing education materials for
Leaders: tapes and books."
In her grant application
Connie stressed that "Promoting, supporting and protecting breastfeeding
according to the WHO and UNICEF recommendations is supported by local
legislation and is cited as a priority in the Plan for Affirmative Action
for Women in the Basque Country, which is very helpful for getting grants.
It wouldn’t be very appropriate for local institutions to ignore
the parliamentary mandate regarding breastfeeding and equal opportunities
for women."
Like many Leaders who are
successful fund raisers, Connie is aware of her value as a Leader to
the mothers in her community and of the value of the education and training
she gets at an LLL International Conference that enable her to be a
more effective Leader.
The education and training,
including the interactions with other Leaders, breastfeeding advocates,
and health professionals from around the world, that a Leader can get
at an LLL International Conference are unique and invaluable to her
ability to provide outstanding support to more breastfeeding mothers
over a longer period of time. Of course Leaders usually also have lots
of fun at a Conference and this is an important factor to consider.
Psychologists and our own experience tell us that we learn better and
retain more when we have fun. We wish you every success with obtaining
the financial support you need to enrich your community with LLL services.
We hope to see you in San Francisco!
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:41 UTC 2007.
