Greetings unto the Populace,
As our Royalty steps down and up, and the next Crown Tournament approaches, let’s talk about travel funding. The Kingdom Financial Policy says that each pair of Royals may be reimbursed no more than $4,000 throughout their reign, both as Heirs and as Sovereign and Consort. The Policy also provides that each pair be allocated $1,500 for travel when they are invested as Heirs. Under the current Policy, that is the limit that the Kingdom can provide – the remainder must come from donations.
For the past several years, the Unofficial Online Fundraiser has provided the funds needed to keep our Royalty on the move. I’d like to thank all those who organized, donated, and bid on those auctions. Unfortunately, the folks who have run the auctions have decided it’s time to take a break, and we will not have that income this year. While Hans and Genevieve; and Ajax and Gaia’s reigns were fully funded at $4,000, there will be no additional funds for Ajax and Gaia’s Heirs.
This is not necessarily a long-term issue. If you read the Policy changes proposed in the last Northwatch, you’ll have seen that the Kingdom Financial Committee has proposed that they be allowed to roll leftover funds from one reign into another; and that they be given the discretion to allocate additional funds for Royalty Travel, if such funds are available. And some funds may be available long-term – as we move back into more open events, the Kingdom looks forward to the financial benefit of well-attended Kingdom events, and the investment of Endowment and reserve funds may provide some support.
However, it will take some time for that to come about. Assuming the commentary we receive supports those changes, the new policy will still need to be approved by the BoD before it goes into effect. And much of our populace is understandably cautious in returning to large events. So, for at least the reign of Ajax and Gaia’s Heirs (the 35th Kingdom Reign), we may need to rely on donations from individuals or groups to allow them full funding for travel. If you, your friends, or your local group decide to donate to support their travel, please be sure to indicate that you want your donation to support Reign 35. If you simply send a donation marked “Royalty Travel,” those funds go into the unallocated pool, and under the current policy, cannot be allocated to any Reign.
Again, my thanks to all who have so generously supported the Kingdom in the past, both through the Unofficial Fundraiser and your own donations.
Yours in Service to the Dream,
Bayard