Committee Expense Policy (April 2022)

Dear IES Committee Members, District Leaders, and Panel Members:

The longevity and success of the IES can be largely attributed to the contributions of our many volunteers. Your involvement has allowed us to continue the pursuit of our mission and goals, and our community wouldn’t be where it is today without that support. During the last two years of uncertainty, we appreciate how our volunteers demonstrated their on-going commitment to the IES, along with a high degree of flexibility with the shift to the virtual space.

As many of you know, we are currently in the process of building our 2022-2023 fiscal year budget. We are still experiencing the negative financial impact of the pandemic on LightFair – our largest source of revenue in years past. While we are very optimistic about the June 2022 event, it is essential that we identify and implement expense savings measures to support the Society’s ongoing recovery efforts.

Sustainability of the Society is our top priority; to continue developing and delivering the resources, networking opportunities and
content that our community of lighting professionals has come to rely upon. With this goal in mind, we have made the following
decisions:

• Committee travel will not be reimbursable for the foreseeable future, and meetings will remain virtual.
• Complimentary event registrations will need to be strictly limited (with exceptions of previously established award programs).
• Committees involved with event planning should now adhere to financial goals set forth regarding profitability. Moving forward, budgets will be managed by IES Staff regarding commitments or contracts for these events and work with Committees to meet these goal requirements.
• Regional funds will continue to be allocated for programs and travel that is related only to Section revitalization efforts.

As always, we are grateful for your dedication to the Society and your understanding as we progress into our bright future. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at ExecComm@ies.org if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
The IES Executive Committee