THE KASHMIRI PANDIT INTERNATIONAL (KPI)koausa.org/kpi/KPI-2016-12.pdf · THE KASHMIRI PANDIT INTERNATIONAL (KPI) Newsletter of Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc. Page 6 Kashmiri

THE KASHMIRI PANDIT INTERNATIONAL (KPI)

Newsletter of Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc.

E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.koausa.org

December, 2016

IMAGE COURTESY: CHANDER M. BHAT (NAGBAL, ANANTNAG)



Page 2 Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc.

President’s Message Dear Community Members, Namaskaar ! On behalf of my Executive Team and Board of Directors, it gives me immense pleasure to release the second and last edition of Kashmiri Pandit International Newsletter this year. This has truly been a phenomenal year. This issue will make an attempt to capture some of the accomplishments for this year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my executive team and the board for all what we have accomplished as a team this year. It goes on to prove that we with a “united house,” we can achieve anything we set our hearts and minds to. KOA is surely on right track with Dr. Shakun ji Malik taking over reins of the association from January 1, 2017. I am sure she will enjoy same level of support and encouragement that I did during my tenure this time. We have mailed Poozai Posh Version 2 book to all the members and donors in 2015 and 2016. You should be receiving your copy within a few days if you haven’t received yours yet. As promised, the members will also receive KOA Directory and a flash drive with some literature, audio and video clips which I assure will be ever-lasting and something our US-based members will cherish to have.

On January 2017, the next administration will take over and start working on the KOA calendar that like every year will be mailed to KOA members as well as potential members, just as we did this year with our sincere hope that these potential members see the benefits of being a KOA member and become one. As you know, membership dues are used to cover the ongoing costs for newsletters, directory, calendar, mailing expenses, and maintaining the association website, as well as to offset costs associated with our annual camps. Please support your organization and volunteers who work tirelessly for all the KOA activities by becoming a KOA member (http://koausa.org/koa/join/ ). As always, we are looking for members to come forward and help us with various programs. The KOA needs volunteers and donors like you to run these programs. We are always looking for generous donations for various programs from you (koausa.org/koa/donate ). Please play your part and help me in bringing KOA back to the USA. On behalf of KOA Executive team and the Board, a BIG thank you for your continued support and believing in us and our work we do for the community. Regards, Sunil Fotedar President, KOA Inc. 22310 Bridgestone Canyon Dr, Spring, TX 77388 281-387-1877; [email protected]

2016 Highlights (after May 2016) • Held two successful camps - East Coast camp during July 4th and West Coast camp during Labor day.

About 575 members attended the East Coast camp, which beat all previous attendance records. • Number of life members this year was at a record high – 74, and 100 total in the years 2015 and 2016

combined! • Raised approx. $35K for various US-based KOA projects and made several life members. • Mailed Life member certificates, laminated membership cards and book as a token of appreciation to all

our life members (260 between 2015 and 2016). • Mailed approx. 800 copies of Poozai Posh to members and donors. • Youth Fund launched. • SOP document passed unanimously. • New program Transformations launched. • Created several social media platforms for US-based programs, such as healthcare, Youth Initiative,

Entrepreneurship to name a few. • Conducted Kids Arts and Youth Talent contests. Winners declared were (Kids Arts Contest: Pearl Raina,

Ria Dhar, Medha Fotedar; Youth Talent Contest: Rakshita Ganjoo, Saguna Raina, Surya Ambardar)



Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc. Page 3

Resolutions Passed The following two resolutions were approved unanimously by the board:

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Document An SOP is a procedure specific to our operation that describes the activities necessary to complete tasks in accordance with industry regulations, provincial laws or even just our own standards for running our business. Any document that is a “how to” falls into the category of procedures. Bylaws are approved by the general body, but SOP is approved by the board. This is the second version of SOP, as I had created its first version in 2008. KOA is grateful to the following volunteers:

• Dr. Bansi Pandit, Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA) Nomination and Election Committee (NEC) Chairman in 2005, for writing KOA Election Procedures.

• Anjali Kaul Zutshi, Dijjotam Raina, and Rajiv Khoshoo (Bylaws Review Committee (BLRC), 2013-2014) for some sections from their SOP draft that were either used as is or modified in this document.

• KOA Youth Fund In our continued effort to make KOA relevant to the US-based membership, KOA would like to support youth events, such as the youth recognitions, culture and language classes, camps, and retreats - one being planned for February this year. It is because of this reason, we would like to set up a Youth Fund that will be similar to the General Donations or Printing Fund where money will be raised exclusively for the youth activities, if and when needed. In order to create such a fund, we got board’s approval for the following two motions

• MOTION 1: Create Youth Fund. • MOTION 2: Make a one-time transfer of $1500 from General Donations to the Youth Fund as seed money

to support immediate events such as Kashmiri Youth Winter Weekend Social Trip in Tannersville, PA scheduled for Feb 17 - Feb 20, 2017 to subsidize costs associated with boarding and lodging

Both these resolutions got unanimous board approval.

Publications • KOA At A Glance

• KOA History

• KOA Programs & Projects

• KOA Accounts Management

• KOA Achievement Award

• KOA Oversight for India-bound Programs

• KOA EAP

• KOA SAC

• KOA Medical Fund

• KOA India Outreach

• KOA Flood Relief

• KOA Membership Drive

• KOA Youth Initiative

• KOA Healthcare Network

• KOA Entrepreneurship

• KOA Transformations

• Poozai Posh – Version 2

• KP Festivals

• KOA IT project

• KOA Website Requirements

• SOP document

Source: http://koausa.org/koa/downloads/




Membership in 2016 The membership (and hence revenue) this year is up significantly. Some highlights are: Total members in 2016 = 666, which is the 3rd highest so far in a single calendar year:

Year Total Members

2005 711

2006 685

2016 665

2000 513

2004 510

2003 471

2007 453

2002 451

2015 446

In addition, 52 members paid twice in 2016 which was paid towards for their 2017 membership. 5 existing members renewed to LIFE membership. Therefore, Total membership paid in 2016 = 666 + 52 + 5 = 723 which breaks all time membership record. NOTE: Number of votes in an election is not to be confused with the number of members. A Family member is counted as 1 member, even though they have 2 votes. Likewise, Senior member may have 1 or 2 votes, and Single member has 1 vote. 2016 membership is 666, which is equivalent to 1249 votes.

Membership Dues collected in 2016 The following table gives a comparison of revenue collected this year against previous years in descending order:

Year Revenue

2016 $53,251.00 As of Dec 18, 2016

2006 $24,917.00

2005 $22,712.00

2015 $21,967.00

2002 $21,000.00

2003 $20,064.00

2004 $19,773.00

2000 $19,683.85

As is evident, we have collected more than double of previous best in 2006 There are a couple of reasons for an increase in membership revenue:

1. With board approval in 2015, we increased family membership dues to $50 from $30 and single membership from $15 to $25, but kept $500 for life membership.

2. There was a huge jump in number of members choosing to become life members this year, as is evident in the following table.




Life Membership in 2016

Year # Life Members Change

2009 109

2010 120 11

2011 No Data available

2012 No Data available

2013 142

2014 164 22

2015 190 26

2016 264 74

In 2016, as many as 74 signed up as life members, beating previous record of 26 in 2015 (a total of 264 life members). In these two years, we have as many as 100 members signed up as Life members. On Jan 1, 2017, KOA will have 264 life members + 52 members who paid twice in 2016 = 316 members!




In my previous e-mail, I forgot to mention that the KOA Directory like Poozai Posh will be mailed only to those who

became KOA members in 2015 and/or 2016, and to those who donated money to various KOA programs in these

two years. You should be receiving the directory sometime in January, 2017. This was possible only because of

your generous contribution of $35,274.76 already collected (plus pledges worth $1,600.00 have yet to be

collected, as reminders have been sent).

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

# Life Members

# Life Members

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2009-102010-112011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17

Change in Life Membership

Change




KOA Financial Statements 1 January to 31 December 2015

Income

Membership Dues $21,967.00

General Donation $16,705.00

Sponsor A Child (SAC) $57,982.00

Education Assistance Program (EAP) $77,932.00

Medical Fund $44,673.00

Printing fund $7,805.00

Saima Kaul Trust $16,200.00

Total Income $243,264.00

Expense

Bank charges $2,809.92

Legal Fees $1,170.00

Education Assistance Program (EAP) $67,250.00

Sponsor A Child (SAC) $67,350.00

Flood Relief $10,755.00

General Donation (Saima Kaul Trust) $16,200.00

India day expense $178.59

KOA Calender $4,000.00

East Coast camp - Rental fees $3,750.00

East Coast camp - Souvenirs + Trophies $2,298.51

Liaison office $500.00

Medical fund $35,481.00

Postage, Mailing Service $517.85

Operations - Other $1,379.82

Insurance - Liability, D & O $683.00

Printing fund $9,950.84

Software Renewal charges $1,594.35

Wedding expenses $3,150.00

West Coast Camp $1,978.12

Total Expense $230,997.00




(Unaudited) KOA Financial Activity for Jan-June, 2016

Item Deposits Total Deposits

(Online+Checks) Expenses Comments

Checks Online

Membership $9,581.00 $13,690.00 $23,271.00

Education Assistance Program (EAP) $6,957.08 $1,500.00 $8,457.08 $83,600.00

Save A Child (SAC) $32,025.00 $1,551.00 $33,576.00 $29,790.00

Medical Fund $1,250.00 $1,250.00 $8,683.00

General Donation $787.00 $751.00 $1,538.00

Printing Fund $7,030.00 $4,662.40 $11,692.40 $13,698.54

Paypal/Bank Adjustment $226.00 $1.35 $227.35 $225.00

Refund $0.00 $75.00

Misc Expenses

Book Expense $1,060.00

English Jantri $1,500.00

eTapestry fee $1,674.07

India Outreach $20,000.00 For Jagti (from flood money after approval from donors)

Jammu Liaison $600.00

Air Tickets for Kailash Mehra $2,576.00 International + Domestic

Insurance D&O $1,107.76 Includes event insurance

Website $1,280.00 1st payment

Operational Expenses $5,742.27

Bank Expense $1,552.62

KOA Achievement Award $3,750.00

PayPal Fee $540.00

Total in Jan-June 2016 $57,856.08 $22,155.75 $80,011.83 $177,454.26

(Unaudited) KOA Financial Activity for 3rd Quarter, 2016

Item Deposits Total Deposits

(Online+Checks) Expenses Comments

Checks Online

Membership $6,050.00 $4,275.00 $10,325.00

Education Assistance Program (EAP) $32,500.00 $1,000.00 $33,500.00 $400.00

Save A Child (SAC) $15,090.00 $3,251.00 $18,341.00 $8,705.00

Medical Fund $13,600.00 $800.00 $14,400.00

General Donation $14,187.27 $9,727.00 $23,914.27




Printing Fund $375.00 $500.00 $875.00

Book Sale $1,760.00 $1,760.00

India Outreach $100.00

Refund $1,621.67 $1,621.67

Miscellaneous $22.00 $22.00

Back to Zone refunds $4,703.32

KOA Achievement Award $500.00

Operational Expenses $1,464.97 Includes bank expenses

PayPal Fee $456.06

Total in July-Sept, 2016 $85,183.94 $19,675.00 $104,758.94 $16,229.35

CONNECT WITH US YAHOOGROUP: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/koahealthcare/info TWITTER: http://twitter.com/KOAorg YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/sathyuk FACEBOOK PAGES: KOA: http://www.facebook.com/groups/koausa Youth: https://www.facebook.com/groups/koayouth Healthcare Network: https://www.facebook.com/groups/koahealthcare Entrepreneurs: https://www.facebook.com/groups/koaentrepreneurs

LINKEDIN FOCUS GROUPS: KOA Healthcare Partners Focus Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8559527 KOA Technology Focus Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8559541 KOA Entrepreneur Focus Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8559545

IMPORTANT NOTICE Copyright © 2016 by Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc. (http://www.koausa.org)

The information being shared is KOA proprietary. All rights reserved.

No part of this information/publication may be reproduced or discussed in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc. on any other forum/e-mail chain not owned by KOA.

Action will be taken against those who infringe upon this information.

KAUL GROUP

RAJEEV KAUL, CPA PC

BRIDGING THE EXPERTISE GAP IN

THE GLOBAL MARKET PLACE

FUNDAMENTAL STRENGTH

ENABLES BUSINESS TO SPAN THE

WATERS OF THE WORLD TO

UNCOVER OPPORTUNITIES

MEMBERSHIP DUES

• $25/yr for a single person;

• $50/yr for a family;

• $25/yr for a senior couple;

• $500 for life membership

HOW TO PAY MEMBERSHIP DUES

• Option 1: Make Online payment at KOA Website http://koausa.org

• Option 2: Write a personal check or

a bank check, payable to

Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc., and mail the check to the Treasurer’s address provided at

the KOA Website at

http://koausa.org

303 FIFTH AVENUE, SUITE # 1007

NEW YORK, NY 10016

TEL: (212) 684-8601 ; FAX: (212) 684-8602

� MORE THAN BOOK SMARTS OUR EXPERTS

HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SOLVING OUR

CLIENTS DAY TODAY CHALLENGES AS

WELL AS THEIR LONG TERM GOAL.

� WHETHER YOU ARE DOING BUSINESS IN

USA OR PLAN TO DO BUSINESS IN USA WE

CAN ASSIST YOU IN AREAS OF ASSURANCE,

ADVISORY, PERFORMANCE AND PROCESS

IMPROVEMENT.

� EXPERTISE IN CORPORATE FORMATION,

Documents

THE KASHMIRI PANDIT INTERNATIONAL (KPI)koausa.org/kpi/KPI-2016-12.pdf · THE KASHMIRI PANDIT INTERNATIONAL (KPI) Newsletter of Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA), Inc. Page 6 Kashmiri