A word about finances – Issue 1/2020

Ronald Lüdemann, Treasurer Alpha1 Germany eV.

Dear members,
We have all experienced very turbulent and extraordinary weeks and months, and even in times of a globally progressing pandemic, the outlook remains very uncertain and offers little planning security. Will the population continue to adhere to hygiene measures, and will a contact tracing app effectively contain the spread of infections? It is impossible for any of us to foresee today what effect the extensive economic stimulus packages will have and what course the labor market and the global economy will take. We, too, must hope that a significant increase in national debt in the coming years will not lead to a reduction or even the elimination of our funding. This would undermine our financing strategy of "less pharmaceutical industry – more public funding" in the medium term. We will closely monitor developments from the association's perspective. It is encouraging that we have already received at least a portion of the funding we recently applied for in 2020.

As treasurer, I've been closely monitoring the impact of our unavoidable cancellation of the event in Göttingen over the past few weeks. The situation remained extremely tense until the very end. State-specific regulations were easing restrictions almost weekly. Only a few days before the scheduled date did the responsible health authority, as the supervisory body, issue the final rejection notice, meaning the hotel could not claim any cancellation fees or damages. However, it's important to note that the hotel showed great understanding for our situation throughout this entire period of uncertainty and would certainly have been willing to find an amicable solution.

So our finances were not affected and we were able to use the saved funds for urgently needed and current projects. The website received a content and visual overhaul. and is now technically up-to-date. To provide you, dear members, with all the important information, especially relevant for us Alphas, particularly during the Corona pandemic, the following changes have been made: several additional newsletters and even a Live webinar on YouTube Produced. What could be more important in such turbulent times than information and communication! Inevitably, additional financial savings will result this year because hardly any in-person events have taken place so far. In my estimation, this will not change significantly over the course of the year.

Obviously, many of you, and perhaps increasingly relatives, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues, have also noticed the increased online shopping activity, especially during this period. SmileAmazon in favor of our donation account This has been carried out. Many thanks for that. However, the general willingness to donate in the first months of this year is considerably lower than in previous years. This is regrettable, but understandable and certainly also due to the significant financial constraints and the great uncertainty in the job market.

However, if you wish and your personal situation allows, please take a look at our revamped website under the heading „Donate and support“That’s over. Here you will certainly find a suitable way to financially support Alpha1 Germany. However, I can assure you that, despite everything that’s happening around us, our club’s financial situation is extremely sound and will remain so for the foreseeable future.”.

Warmest regards and stay healthy and well – despite Corona,
Her