This page is meant to inform SRA members and donors about our org's finances and how to use them. This is a living document, so if you have any feedback please share it with me at finance@socialistra.org.
Yours, Gabe (SRA Treasurer July 2025-26)
In total, our 10,000 members pay about $400k of dues every year. Broadly, we spend it on:
Below is our current working version for the 2025 budget, originally passed by the General Assembly in late 2024 and subsequently tweaked by the Organizing Committee. The next budget will be voted on in October 2025.
| Revenue | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Membership Dues | $46,976.78 | $55,026.70 | $51,735.95 | $51,478.86 | $53,349.48 | $32,156.60 | $39,678.14 | $41,238.72 | $25,376.28 | $19,443.80 | $22,334.72 | $18,602.58 | $457,398.61 |
| Merch Store | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 1,378.00 | 16,536.00 |
| Total Revenue | 48,354.78 | 56,404.70 | 53,113.95 | 52,856.86 | 54,727.48 | 33,534.60 | 41,056.14 | 42,616.72 | 26,754.28 | 20,821.80 | 23,712.72 | 19,980.58 | 473,934.61 |
| Org Expenses | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dues Disbursements | $14,093.03 | $16,508.01 | $15,520.79 | $15,443.66 | $16,004.84 | $9,646.98 | $11,903.44 | $12,371.62 | $7,612.88 | $5,833.14 | $6,700.42 | $5,580.77 | $137,219.58 |
| Merch Overhead | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $400.00 | $4,800.00 |
| Legal & Professional Services | $0.00 | $1,600.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $1,600.00 |
| Insurance | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Software | $1,564.00 | $1,666.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $1,564.00 | $18,870.00 |
| Relief, Education, Other Fund | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $61,200.00 |
| Subtotal | $21,157.03 | $25,274.01 | $22,584.79 | $22,507.66 | $23,068.84 | $16,710.98 | $18,967.44 | $19,435.62 | $34,676.88 | $12,897.14 | $13,764.42 | $12,644.77 | $243,689.58 |
| Labor Expenses | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wages | $16,500.00 | $11,000.00 | $16,568.95 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $14,036.36 | $170,396.19 |
| Healthcare Reimbursements (HRA) | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $18,000.00 |
| Federal Taxes | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $36,000.00 |
| Shop Steward Stipend | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $6,000.00 |
| Subtotal | $21,500.00 | $16,000.00 | $21,568.95 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $19,036.36 | $230,396.19 |
| Net total revenue | Jan | Feb | Mar | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Revenues-Expenditures) | $5,697.75 | $15,130.69 | $8,960.22 | $11,312.84 | $12,622.27 | -$2,212.74 | $3,052.34 | $4,144.75 | -$26,958.96 | -$11,111.70 | -$9,088.06 | -$11,700.55 | -$151.17 |
Note from Gabe: The Technology Department is currently working on a robust way to store and distribute national policy documents. When that’s ready, I will collect historical budgets in that policy repository and link out to them here. They should all be available on the forum but you’ll have to do some digging. I also plan to improve the display of this table.
Note from Gabe: I can’t complete this section until I get Quickbooks access. Matt and Ben are working on that. I plan to regularly update the info here to see how our actual spending and income compares to what we’ve budgeted.
Though our finances are in good shape, the SRA is not up to date on its taxes. Each year, nonprofits are required to file a Form 990 each year disclosing certain financial information. Because previous leadership failed to file the 990s, the IRS automatically revoked our nonprofit status. In August 2025, we hired an accounting firm to do historical bookkeeping, prepare and file the missing 990s, and ask the IRS to retroactively reinstate our nonprofit status. We expect this to take roughly 12 weeks. Although the Finance Department is working hard to restore our official nonprofit status as soon as possible, failure to file is very common for nonprofits and we don't anticipate any negative consequences for chapters.
To read the full details of our investigation and a timeline of events, log into the forums, check the 2025-08-10 Organizing Committee recording and agenda, and find "Hire a Firm To Reinstate our Non Profit Status" at the bottom of the notes document.
Please direct any additional questions to finance@socialistra.org so we can add them here.
Yes, but we won’t once we’re reinstated. Section 6652(c) gives a failure-to-file penalty:
there shall be paid by the exempt organization $20 for each day during which such failure continues. The maximum penalty under this subparagraph on failures with respect to any 1 return shall not exceed the lesser of $10,000 or 5 percent of the gross receipts of the organization for the year.
Luckily, the IRS waives most of these once we get retroactively reinstated:
“the IRS will not impose the Section 6652(c) penalty for failure to file annual returns for the three consecutive taxable years that caused the organization to be revoked if the organization is retroactively reinstated under this procedure.”
We may still owe penalties on tax year 2023 and 2024, capped at $10k each. Based on conversation with accounting firms and a tax lawyer, it’s our understanding that the IRS often revokes all 6552(c) penalties when requested. But if we do end up owing penalties, our budget will be able to accommodate them.
Most likely. Gabe, the Treasurer, will bring a quote for ongoing accounting services to a future Organizing Committee meeting. So far we have received two quotes; we’d like to get some better ones, and we hope that the accounting firm we’ve hired for remediation will give us a cheaper quote for ongoing services once they’ve already worked with our books.
Our 501c(4) was created in November 2018, so technically it has two months of 2018 taxes to file. We had very little revenue and assets during those two months, so if the IRS even cares about this we can file the 990-N e-postcard without professional assistance and any fines would be capped at a percentage of those two months of revenue. The firms we spoke to all think that the main issue is the 990s from 2020 onward. For more info, members should review the timeline prepared as part of the investigation.
Dues sharing is governed by the Dues policy passed by the Organizing Committee on 2025-07-13. SRA members and donors pay monthly, annual, or lifetime membership dues. While a chapter is active, it receives a share of all dues paid by people in its region. Before payment processor fees, chapters receive 30% of yearly, 70% of monthly, and 50% of lifetime dues.
These dues shares are calculated on a monthly basis. For instance, a $36 yearly membership is treated as $3/month, of which 30% goes to the chapter. Lifetime dues are treated as one-time payments.
Dues are calculated for each fiscal quarter and paid out the next month. For instance, Q1 (January-March) arrives in your OpenCollective account by April 30th. To budget ongoing expenses, you can work with your chapter's Secretary to calculate expected dues based on your member roster.
People can also choose to make one-time or recurring donations directly to your chapter's OpenCollective. Such donations are entirely kept by your chapter.
Anyone can submit an expense to a chapter's OpenCollective for reimbursement. If your chapter's Treasurer approves the expense and it conforms to national purchasing policy, it will be reimbursed to your bank account. If it's been longer than a week, please reach out to finance@socialistra.org.
To submit a reimbursement request, you’ll need to make an account on opencollective.com. Make sure to sign up using an email address that you regularly check (such as the one you use for other SRA business). If you already have an OpenCollective account, you can use that.
Once you’re signed into your account, you’ll need to go to your chapter’s “Collective”. The OpenCollective system includes “users” that submit expenses, “collectives” that reimburse expenses, and “fiscal hosts” that review expenses and manage money. To find your chapter collective, ask your chapter Treasurer for the link or search for your chapter’s name on OpenCollective. For instance, the Chicago SRA’s collective is https://opencollective.com/chicago-sra.
On your chapter’s collective page, find the “Submit Expense” button. In most cases you will be asking for a reimbursement. From here, add your bank account, hit “next”, and follow the instructions to submit your expense. Please don’t buy anything prohibited by our purchasing guidelines, and remember to include a receipt and description of the expense. Your chapter’s Treasurer should be able to help with any questions.
Certain expenses come out of the national budget, not your local chapter's budget. Submit them to the national collective instead of your chapter’s collective.
If your chapter is participating in a big event like a Pride parade that requires participants to show proof of insurance or pay a day rate, first try showing them a copy of the SRA's general liability insurance. You can get a copy of our policy by emailing finance@socialistra.org.
If they don't accept that, the Organizing Committee has allocated up to $1000/yr towards chapter event insurance on a first-come first-serve basis. You can submit such expenses to the national collective just like you would submit a regular expense to your chapter. Make sure to include
Once approved, the expense will be reimbursed like any other.
The Instruction Office will subsidize training of chapter members. They are working on a written policy, which will be posted here once finalized. Unlike other expenses, you must get the expense approved by Instructions before making the purchase. Contact them at instruction@socialistra.org for more information.
In general, eligible training is paid for:
The Instruction Office usually requests two letters of recommendation from non-leadership chapter members and a chapter vote in favor of the reimbursement. Historically, eligible training has meant training that will benefit the chapter, such as becoming a state-licensed CCL trainer or RSO training for a chapter that usually shoots on public land.
Please spend your dues! People donate to the SRA for a reason; the money doesn't do any good gathering dust in OpenCollective.
Most restrictions are set out by the Use of Funds Policy. Reloading equipment is prohibited because our general liability insurance has a specific carveout for reloaded ammo. We will explore altering the terms of the 2026-27 contract. For now, chapters don't need to prohibit reload/reman ammo from their range days - just don't actively induce people to bring it.
Chapter treasurers are required to maintain an inventory of your chapter's durable property, so that expensive purchases don't get lost and so that if your chapter dissolves its property can be given to another chapter. See the Chapter Finance and Property Custodian Policy.
If you run into trouble, please email finance@socialistra.org and Gabe will be happy to walk you through the setup process via screen share.
Note from Gabe: The Technology Department is currently working on a robust way to store and distribute national policy documents. Until that’s ready, I will provide the full text of all relevant finance policies here.
Dues: All dues paid are donations to the SRA and are not refundable.
Lifetime Dues: A full member may, at any time, submit payment of lifetime dues in the amount of ten (10) times the amount of the current Annual Dues. Members who have paid lifetime dues shall be granted membership for the length of the Organization's existence, unless removed or resigned.
Dues Waivers: If a member or applicant is unable to pay applicable dues due to financial hardship, they may apply for a dues waiver. Such a waiver shall require the affirmation of another member of the chapter whose jurisdiction they would or currently fall under. The Membership Director shall review the application and determine by established policy whether to approve or disapprove the application. If the member is At-Large (not within a chapters jurisdiction) the members of the OC or its designated workgroup will then approve or disapprove of the application.
The OC shall set a limit on the amount of dues waivers per month that may be granted by the Membership Director at any time.
Dues Disbursement Calendar and Calculation: On the last business day of January, April, July, and October, the Executive Director (or delegated actor) shall inform all chapter treasurers of the amount of money to be credited to their chapter. This shall be based upon the Executive Director (or delegated actor)'s previous accounting for the dues share of the applicable preceding months. For example, January's disbursement would include dues shares calculated on the first business day of November, December, and January. Dues may be paid out more frequently based on the deputy's time and ability.
The dues calculation for membership types are as follows:
Yearly - 30% paid to chapter and 70% paid to National
Example
Amount minus processing fee = Total
Total * 30% = Amount Paid to Chapter distributed over 1 year
Monthly - 70% paid to chapter and 30% paid to National
Example
Amount minus processing fee = Total
Total * 70% = Amount Paid to Chapter distributed monthly
Proper vs. Prohibited use of Funds: Chapters may spend revenue received by dues share on any activity or expense that is a legal activity or expense for a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization to make under the Internal Revenue Service Code.
Expenses that are explicitly forbidden from being made with dues shares are:
The Executive Director (or delegated actor) may issue further interpretations, guidelines, and policies on forbidden expenses to the chapter treasurer. Invalid expeness are ground for chapter and member discipline.
