O S E A S * E U R O P E

DEFRAYING COSTS - QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

  • Who funds your office/institution/foundation/educational advising center?
  • Do you knowyouroffice/institution/foundation/educational advising center's overall present and projected budget for the next 2-3 years?
  • Do you know the annual operational costs for your host institution and Educational Advisory Service? (Salaries, benefits, pension funds, rental//utilities/maintenance, communication services, printing/copying, supplies/materials, postage, equipment/fu rniture, audit, etc)? Do you know what proportion of total costs to your host institution the Educational Service represents? Do you know whom to ask in case you don't know at the moment?
  • Are you familiar with the laws of your host country/institution concerning accounting and sales procedures for an office like yours?
  • Are you solely responsible for all monetary decisions in your advising center? If not, do you know to whom you must go to request changes or increases in your operating budget?
  • Do you find yourself more in more in situations where you cannot obtai n permission from your superiors to expand your staff/services or make essential purchases due to budget cuts?
  • Do you know how to put together a budget proposal? If not, do you know who to turn to for advice?
  • Do you understand the culture and mores of your host county vis a vis charging for services, sales, postage or handling fees? Could you gradually introduce handling or other charges comfortably to your public?
  • If you could begin selling various materials in your office: - Do you have extra space in your office to store stock for resale? - Do you have access to receiving shipments via APO mail? - Are you or your staff familiar with computerized or other acco unting procedures in order to handle inventory control/ accounting of sales material accurately and effectively? - Do you have the time/staff to handle sales activities? - Do you keep accurate statistics to assess your public's needs, levels of study, fie lds of interest in order to assess what is the most useful sales material to order and when to order it?
  • If you answered yes to at least 50% of the questions above, you may be ready to try to experiment with defraying costs for your center! Be creative yet professional as you gradually develop your own methods of generating income for your center. Rememb er - There is no one right way to approach this project; your experience and understanding of your center's needs will guide you to choose the best methods for your public. Good luck!

    Prepared by Evelyn Levinson, Director, US-Israel Educational Foundation, Tel Aviv, Israel May 1995
    Telephone: 972-3-5172131 Fax: 972-3-5162016
    E-mail: elevinson@fulbright.org.il

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