Welcome readers. This month’s “Presidents Letter” is brought to you by Jim Tolonen, SCFF Treasurer. To help spread Scott’s president duties, each of us Board Members has taken over one month’s president’s letter. This month is my turn.
I am going to summarize the “ins and the outs” of our finances; then for anyone who makes it through that, I will also share a couple “good read” paragraphs from a fly-fishing book I recently read.
The SCFF was formed in 1980, and so we are a 44-year-old club, (which is an amazing accomplishment for any organization). We were formed as an IRS section “501- C- 4” fishing club. As such, we are a non-profit organization, but not a charity; so, contributions to our club are not tax-deductible, but generally we file a simple tax return, and we owe no taxes whether we make or lose small amounts of money each year.
We have four major sources of Revenue: Membership Dues (42%), Donations (16%), Annual Fund Raiser Dinner (28%), and all else (14%).
Membership dues are currently running about $9,000 per year, (225 members at $40 plus/minus for Family and honorary).
Donations have been running about $3,500 per year, although the past two years this number has been much higher due to extra donations from the passing of Steve Rudzinski, John Steele and Gil Santos.
The Annual Fund Raiser Dinner generally sells out for $7,400 (185 tickets at $40 each), Auction/Raffle for about $4,100, and Silent auction items for about $1,500. But we have big expenses of Hall rent, $800, Food and supplies $3,200, Raffle and door Prizes $3,000. So, net we bring in about $6,000 for the event.
All else miscellaneous revenue includes; monthly meeting fund raisers net of costs, BBQ and Swap meet events, Film tour net of costs, Yuba fishing trip net of costs, sales of logo-ware (now outsourced so just close-out this year), Sam Bishop’s donated stripping basket sales, etc. Although each year varies, these have generally brought in approximately $3,000 per year.
The net of all the above revenues runs about $21,500 per year, but can vary a lot, (as mentioned, more due to donations the past two years).
We try to run the club so that our expenses run just under this amount. Biggest recurring expense items typically are Aptos Grange rent $2,500 (club, fly tying, board meetings each month), Speakers costs $2,500, web site and newsletter consulting and fees $1,500, Roster/Printing postage PO Box and Supplies $1,500, FFFI Dues and Insurance $1,000, All Other $2,500 (Steele award, Fly tying supplies, computer and Zoom supplies, BBQ supplies, etc.) totaling about $11,500, but these also vary significantly each year.
The revenues less these recurring expenses leaves about $10,000 which we have been choosing to donate for Conservation contributions, $4,000 and scholarships $4,000. (Although this year 2025, due to the large increase in donations the past two years, we plan to increase Scholarships to $5,000 and Conservation Contributions to $5.000). We also expect to incur several thousand dollars in consulting costs to begin moving us onto a computerized accounting system, (we are still all manual and spreadsheet.)
That about does it. Any questions? Give me a text or email. Want to help out? Bill Seaman is stepping up as Treasurer for next year and perhaps sharing the load with a couple of Assistant Treasurers. Let Scott, Bill or me know if you have interest and can help.
Since I have heard that many fly fishers can read, we might consider book reports as a more regular item in the newsletter?
Now for a few good words, taken from the book “River Songs – moments of wild wonder in fly fishing” by Steve Duda (c) 2024:
“Fly Fishing teaches us a few things about a few things. We know which way is north and which direction the winds blows when the weather’s about to turn. We can stop the bleeding, patch the leaks, and always have duct tape handy. We know a few good knots, a few good jokes, and can curse in a handful of languages. We can pitch a tent in the dark and point to a few constellations. We know how to ford a river, build a fire and brew a cup of coffee. We can open a beer with almost anything.
We’re good sports and gracious winners who are used to long odds and making friends with failure. We are blessed with a vast reservoir of hope, and we trust that better outcomes and brighter prospects – the next cast, the next run, the next day – are around the next bend.
We’re a family of enthusiastic activists, weirdos, obsessives, and odd balls exploring the peculiar back alleys, sidetracks, and secret rooms of our sport. Fly fishing isn’t just one thing: it’s a whirling ball of bamboo rods, blue-lining, and bass. It’s poetry, permit, and plotting to bring down dead-beat dams. It’s tarpon, tenkara, and the alchemy of old fishing caps. It’s carp, conservation, and keeping a cigar lit in a sideways gully washer. It’s steelhead, shore lunches, and the beauty of native fish. It’s strange and beautiful – beautifully strange – and it’s what we do.
Most of all, this is a family that understands and appreciates the enormity wildness and wonder of the outdoors. Together, we stand in its light with humility, appreciation, and the determination not to lose what we love.”
Posted on April 23rd, 2025
