Define and create a "finance" role

[patcon]

Re-ticketed from https://github.com/hyphacoop/organizing/issues/70#issuecomment-538146143

Shared Description

:speaking_head: Loomio: N/A
:date: Due date: N/A
:dart: Success criteria: A role exists for dealing with financial matters, someone occupies the role, and everyone has clarity on its scope.

To Do

• [x] discuss scope of role and tentative #todo items below?
• [x] decide how we want to manage access to CRA system.
  • related: https://github.com/hyphacoop/organizing/issues/111#issuecomment-538144529
• [x] seek clarity on HST status https://github.com/hyphacoop/organizing/issues/120
• [x] collect SIN/bday/phone/name/address for all employees.
  • recommendation from: accountant kickoff meeting
• [x] ensure bookkeeping process is defined https://github.com/hyphacoop/organizing/issues/122
• [x] distill tasks from https://github.com/hyphacoop/organizing/issues/121#issuecomment-554994755

[patcon]

Related: tracking audit thresholds and organizing our exemptions: https://github.com/hyphacoop/handbook/issues/13#issuecomment-538496630

[patcon]

From above handbook page:

Finance WG is responsible for transfering money into our main Desjardins account when accumulated funds exceed a CAD 10,000 threshold.

Should prob add this to role definition

[benhylau]

Is this the same role as the person who will do payroll runs? My suggestion is for that to be a separate role. If we have these two roles filled by separate people, it ensures some redundancy. For example, the finance person would be aware of the payroll going out as well as the payroll person.

[patcon]

Is this the same role as the person who will do payroll runs?

I'm down for it to be separate. As I've said, I'm biased toward smaller separate roles that we rotate independently (and maybe more often), so I'm almost always :+1: on atomizing roles.

Clear scope though, ideally. Would hope for clear boundaries/interfaces between roles, not "both people watching payroll" and stuff like that, but rather move toward "role A does proces Y and leaves files in X directory, then pokes role B when done", instead of "role A and B collab on doing process Y" (which feels messy if avoidable)

Maybe solicit feedback in Loomio, or just create kickoff proposal to see if ppl vibe?

EDIT: Or we could just define this as one role for now, but write it knowing that some of the "payroll" todos we want to split out pretty much immediately.

[patcon]

Role Names: Really hoping for roles titles with personality for some of this btw :) inspo: Bad Idea Factory's Operating Agreement. Money Wizard? Treasure Goblin? This could be fun, and I hope we can inject personality into our first real role definitions ❤️

EDIT: Trying to find plant-themed treasure lingo, came across LotR's ent-draughts

[patcon]

Maybe related. Re: yurko comments on payment methods/docs: https://matrix.to/#/!wvFLvXHaNrxWWwFOKj:tomesh.net/$1572619673633KaSVh:tomesh.net?via=tomesh.net&via=matrix.org&via=elon.li

[benhylau]

From https://github.com/hyphacoop/handbook/pull/22#issuecomment-554049511

• Stretch Move/integrate content into relevant sections handbook, in particular with an eye to making things like individual role and working group responsibilities and deadlines clear and collected in one place. e.g.,
  • move some chunk of the processes you've described into guides page (i would imagine still grouped as finances)
  • add a role that clearly documents the responsibilities for payroll person inline with cultivator to that page
  • At some point I think we'll also want something like calendar deadlines (maybe a page but probably just added to our collective calendar) for some of the things you mention.

[patcon]

Ben and dc's comments in https://github.com/hyphacoop/organizing/issues/109#issuecomment-598152860 made me realize:

We could include in the finance role description a shortlist of legal (or org) docs someone in the role should be familiar with, if it's their responsibility to know it.

So if someone else is coming into finance role later, they'll know it involves getting familiar with docs x,y,z before stepping up.

(Not sure if this is a good or bad idea, but would make onboarding into role more clear.)

Suggested docs for shortlist:

• Social Insurance Number Code of Practice: Employers' responsibilities
• record-keeping: e.g., CRA: Income taxes > Keeping records

[benhylau]

See https://github.com/hyphacoop/handbook/pull/69/