A colleague asked me how staff and lay members can help the church’s Finance Office. Here is my top ten list; yours may be different, so please let me know what I left out.
1. Pay all bills on time
- The church doesn’t want to be seen as a deadbeat, so get your bills/invoices to the Finance Office in a timely way so they can be paid on time.
- The church has a Christian witness every time it pays its bills
- If a payment is late, vendors will not want to work with the church and even tell others how poorly the church pays its bills
- If a payment is on time or even earlier than expected, it generates good will and that is a good thing.
- ALWAYS attach receipts to EVERY bill to be paid. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- The Finance Office needs TWO weeks to process payments. This allows for sick or vacation time off in the Finance Office and for other crises that arise.
- The Finance Office can make emergency payments the same day, but that should be for benevolent or charity needs: medicine, housing, food, and gas for traveling to work.
- Fill out the payment request forms for all expenses. Make sure the following are on it:
- Payee
- Instructions for delivery (such as “give check to …” otherwise it will be mailed)
- Budget account number
- A BRIEF explanation of the expense
- Dollar amount
- Signature of authorizing minister
2. Using a credit card is convenient, but it has requirements
- Every credit card expenses MUST have a receipt which is given to the Finance Office. NO exceptions.
- Every credit card charge is posted into the financial database so that you can look back at your expenses to see what you spent money on.
- For EVERY credit card expense, write in the budget line to which that expense should be charged.
- Turn in all receipts as soon as you get the credit card statement.
3. Paying staff for work is a payroll expense
- Unless you’re reimbursing staff for a work expense, all payments to staff must go through payroll. This even includes gift cards given to staff.
- This is an IRS requirement. Don’t blame the Finance Office for this.
Lead On!