The FY 2027 Budget Process Has Begun

BY Dottie Barickman, TREASURER

It has been several months since I was elected Treasurer at VVA’s National Convention in August. I want to thank everyone who supported, encouraged, and championed me along the way, particularly my fellow women veterans who cheered me on immensely. I want to give a special thank you to Wayne Reynolds, the previous Treasurer and a mentor to me for many years, training, fostering, and respecting my growth with VVA.

During my first meeting with the VVA staff department directors, I introduced myself as a hands-on Treasurer, ready to learn my new position and role. I said that I want to keep in close contact with the Finance Department and the Fundraising manager. My goal is to listen first, respond later, and make a good impression that adds value to VVA, while keeping communications timely, accurate, and transparent.

We kicked off our annual Budget season in October, and by the time you read this, we will be well underway. Composing and approving the VVA budget is no small feat: It takes upwards of three and a half months from kickoff until approval. And it takes a plethora of staffers, officers, and Finance Committee members to move the budget ahead each year, with the goal of completing our work in January. Chuck Odom, the newly appointed chair of the Finance Committee, and I have pledged to work closely through the budget process to ensure viable and sustainable outcomes for FY2027.

As a nonprofit veterans service organization, it is imperative that we manage our finances closely so that VVA’s veteran support programs are maintained and the Government Affairs department is adequately funded. Part of these responsibilities is to report on the financial health of the organization through The Veteran, along with the committee’s weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports. Corporate financial documents, including the 990N and the Annual Financial Report, are available on the VVA website.

I intend to ensure the health and stability of VVA’s Reserve Investment Fund. This fund supplements expenses outside the budget. Its primary purposes are three-fold: to cover the organization for any unforeseen catastrophic event; to supplement the budget for planned or unplanned expenses approved by the Board during the fiscal year; and to cover operations and programs that may become a part of our Legacy plan.

Protecting for the present and preparing for future generations is what my Mission Statement stands for and is the way I, as Treasurer, can ensure that “Never Again Will One Generation of Veterans Abandon Another.”

Thank you for your support. If you have comments, questions, or concerns, please contact me at dbarickman@vva.org; or at 712-314-1808 (cell/text).

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