The Audit Commission is on fire! Right after having selected their jobshadowers for this term and collecting the Activity Reports from all AEGEE antennae, the team met from the 20th until the 22nd of March in Brussels to audit the finances of AEGEE-Europe. The AEGEEan talked to the President of the Audit Commission, Arnau Robert (AEGEE-Tarragona), about the current and future plans of the Audit Commission.

The Audit Commission is a team composed by three members elected every Autumn Agora and is right now formed by Luca Lombardo (AEGEE-Torino), Mathijs Waegemakers (AEGEE-Enschede) and Arnau himself. “Our tasks are basically to ask for a summary of the financial activity that all the antennae had during the previous year, and check if they match with the information provided by the Financial Director through the Financial Reports. In case we have doubts, we ask for their documents”, Arnau explains.

To keep it simple: “we ensure that the finances of AEGEE are correct and according with our values, and following our mission and goals”, Arnau summarises. However, the team members are aware that the Network doesn’t always know what the Audit Commission goals are. This is why one of the points of their program this term was to actually give more visibility to their tasks, by starting to contribute to the AEGEE-Europe newsletter that is sent every two weeks, and through the brand new Facebook fanpage of the Audit Commission, where they broadcast their work regularly and post all reminders and relevant information for the antennae.

Getting ready for the Audit meeting in Brussels

The members of the Audit Commission met in the weekend of the 20th of March at AEGEE-Europe’s Brussels headoffice. It was the first one out of the two meetings that the Audit Commission has each term to check every single invoice and bill, in order “to make sure that everything is correctly posted and the money is spent wisely, and according to AEGEE’s values”, as Arnau explains.

These meetings are usually kicked-off with a teambuilding sessions among the team members, the jobshadowers who will join the meeting, and the Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe. Afterwards, the Audit Commission asks for all the bills and statements, and will spend the weekend checking if everything is correct. If the Audit Commission finds any mistake, they notify the Financial Director in order for her to fix it in her Financial Report.

The auditing sessions are very important, since the Audit Commission will report the findings that are relevant for the Network to know during the following Agora, right after the Financial Director presents the Financial Report. Therefore, a busy and crucial week is awaiting for the Audit Commission and Ioana Duca, our current Financial Director!

The jobshadowers are ready to support the Audit Commission

Meeting with the jobshadowers

Other than preparing for their Audit meeting, the Audit Commission has been gathering all the Financial Reports from the AEGEE antennae, and selected their team of jobshadowers who will support them in their tasks. “It was a very hard decision, because we only needed six jobshadowers, and around twenty people applied in the end!”, out of which eight people were accepted in the end, according to Arnau.

These jobshadowers have a relevant role inside the Audit Commission, since they get a first-hand experience on how the finances in AEGEE-Europe work. They might even become candidates for next year’s Audit Commission, which is why all applicants go through a very strict selection process.

The Audit Commission met a few weeks ago in a Hangout, where they were explained how the work was going to be – by now, they are already checking the main check points of the financial reports of all the antennae, which will be double-checked by the actual commissioners once they finish.

Last but not least, we asked Arnau what it takes to be an Audit Commission member, and why he would encourage potential candidates to apply at the Autumn Agora in Kyiv: “The Audit Commission is a very interesting commission if you want to practice what you studied, and you want to gain experience in this field [finances, ed.].” He adds: “You can help a lot in order to make sure the statements and finances of AEGEE are correct!”.

Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Barcelona

It is not so long time since the crazy love for numbers brought two ladies to the Audit Commission (AC). Now one of them,  Anna Gots is the new Financial Director of AEGEE-Europe and Esperanza Rodriguez Medina keeeps leading the AC train as President for the third term in a row,  since Agora Enschede also accompanied by Carsten Zwaaneveld. The AEGEEan caught up with the two of them to hear about their work and the preperations for Agora Budapest.

AEGEEan: We are half-way through your term as Audit Commission (since Agora Enschede). How has it gone so far?

It has been a very busy spring term. Usually during this part of the year there is not so much work, since most of the Financial Reports from locals are collected. So basically the work is based on the planning of further steps and improvements of things, help to the Summer University Coordination Team for the Summer University Financial Report plus the Audit meeting in the Comité Directeur (CD) House (which means auditing AEGEE-Europe). However, this term has been busier. First of all, this is the case because we conducted a full audit of one antenna under request. Second, because as we committed during Agora, we have been auditing Elena Antova’s work from home, which has involved a lot of communication with her and other CD members.

What have you been working on?

Apart from all the above mentioned, we have been discussing many things: different proposals to present at the Agora, some practical issues regarding AEGEE-Europe finances, improvements for the next Financial Report form, ideas on how to create a specific training for treasurers. We are basically focused on improving the financial management of the antenna. Furthermore, we have been trying to collect the missing Financial Reports. We have also been in touch with the Network Commission in order to find some common solutions, and we are still trying to find a logo, which has turned out to be harder than expected!

We have seen that you have been issuing open-calls for the AC job shadowers. Have you managed to get some motivated AEGEEans to join your term?

Yes, definitely! We were a bit worried, because one day before the deadline we only had two applications, but as usual, the day of the deadline many more applied! It was quite hard to choose, because the applications were of very high quality, but we had only three positions for this term (last term we had five because the task was to help checking almost 180 Financial Reports from locals).
We have chosen Michele Minuti (AEGEE-Brescia) once again, Francesc Amat Guasch (AEGEE-Tarragona) and Tina Pance (AEGEE-Ljubljana). Michele will be attending the audit meeting in Brussels, the others unfortunately can’t come, but they will also assist us on the audit from home and will participate in the discussions that will happen from now on.

The places for candidates are opening soon for the Audit Commission. Are any of you considering to run once again for the AC? 

Esperanza: After a year and a half in the Audit Commission, I feel that I could still keep improving things and take new challenges, so I wouldn’t mind to suggest my candidature once again! I really enjoy it!  However, I got a grant to work in the Spanish embassy of Miami for 15 months, so it will be almost impossible to keep doing the job. Unless the next CD fundraise so much to give reimbursements for traveling from the USA!  So I won’t run for Audit Commission again, but I hope that next AC will count on me if they need help, they have doubts, etc.

Carsten Zwaaneveld: When we arrive in Budapest my term will have lasted for just shorter than half a year; since this is quite short it would be logical to stand as candidate for this position again and have another year of being active in the Audit Commission. However, I might have finished my Master after that year, and not even be a student anymore. So I’m still in serious doubt, because I started to try to change culture regarding finances and transparency within AEGEE this term, and would like to finish that job.

If you were to encourage AEGEE members to run for AC, what would you say? Why is it worth it?

Being in the AC means getting really involved in AEGEE; you learn a lot about both AEGEE-Europe and locals. Also you feel that you can really help to improve the transparency and quality of AEGEE by improving the quality of finances. It gives you the possibility to work in a team and in communication with many people, since we are in touch with many European level bodies of AEGEE (CD, Mediation Commission, Network Commission, Juridical Commission, Chair Team etc.) and with locals. And of course, during the Agora we have an active role.
Furthermore, you get the chance to spend a weekend at the office of the CD House and after hours of checking bills… we also have fun!

 It looks like there are some changes to happen in the Audit Commission, so if you are good with numbers, would like to learn about AEGEE-Europe, Network and more, then maybe it could be an idea to candidate for the Audit Commission.The candidatures for the Audit Commission are still open, what are you waiting for?

 Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København