ciation for the diversity of literary expression. I hope to see you at our Conference 2012. This is my last report as President of the SWG. It has been a challenging and enjoyable two years in the Presidency. I very much appreciate the cooperation of all involved with the Guild; our excellent staff; the committed and talented members of the board of directors with whom I have worked; the willing contributions of volunteers; and the excellent input from members, all of which help us to define what needs to change and what needs to stay the same. I recognise and acknowledge the numerous gifted and dedicated past presidents of the SWG, who were the guiding lights during my tenure on the board of directors. As Past President (2012-2013) I will continue to be involved to offer whatever support the new board might request. Thank you all for your participation in the SWG. Wishing you many good things in the years ahead. Cathy Fenwick
Executive Director’s Report Saskatoon Office Moves
O
nce again the Guild is on the move. This time the Saskatoon branch office of SWG has relocated to the Grain office on the 7th floor of the Bessborough Hotel. You’ll
find Sarah Shoker nestling in there as of the end of September. Her phone number and email address remain the same: 1-306955-5523; saskatoon@skwriter.com. She will be sharing Grain’s fax number: 1-306-244 0255, and the courier/drop-in address: Suite 719 -601 Spadina Crescent (in the Bessborough Hotel). Sarah’s new hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm. Drop by for a chat if you’re in the neighbourhood. Audit and Financial News In other news, the Guild’s audit process for the 2011-2012 fiscal year has been completed successfully and we are once again in a slight surplus position. Partly this is because the June retreat was cancelled, but also thanks to the diligence of the staff and the generosity of our funders and member donations. As is typical with not-for-profit organizations we work very close to the bone. We are always cognizant that we are dependent on lottery dollars for the majority of our operations, along with memberships and donations. Additional programming is funded by grants and sponsorships, for which we are most grateful. In fact, our auditors mentioned that they have never seen a charity organization like ours actively pursuing so many sources in order to offer the variety of programs we do. With the pressures of not knowing how much longer the lottery dollars are going to play out to our benefit in the coming years, whether or not the government will continue with the generous agreements for dispersing of them, and if the economic environment will sustain this
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process, plus the directives from funders to find other financial sources so we are not reliant on these lottery dollars, there is always an uncertainty. One thing we are certain of is that there is no more staff time to apply or search for additional dollars. Already the staff works far too many overtime hours, and we need to reduce this immediately. Other funding sources are also limited given that all organizations seem to be vying for the same support. Are we coming from a place of scarcity? Not at all. We come from a place of reality, with hope for the future and creative ideas for solutions. We are constantly searching for other options, ways to lighten the load of overworked and under paid staff while striving to provide relevant programming, to see that our publication contributors and our contract personnel and staff are paid fairly. Increases in one area mean decreases somewhere else, as we are still dealing with the same pots of money, while costs of everything go up. This is the lament of all non-profits and one that was reiterated numerous times by OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2012