Can someone send me a copy of a typical financial statement that a treasurer would present every meeting? This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Thanks!
Financial controls and consistent policies are the best way to ease your concerns. No officer should be left to make it up on her own, especially a treasurer. If your former treasurer is not available to train the new person (and even if she is), you might want to consider getting your treasurer a copy of PTO Today's Treasurer Toolkit. You mentioned that your bylaws don't list financial controls. There's a bunch in the toolkit binder. You can refer her to the procedures described there. It's her how-to manual so to speak.
i agree with above posts. checks and balances shoul dbe in place. 2 signatures required on all checks.
i wouldnt run backgrd check unless done on all officers and board (before elections!!) and has to be incorporated into your bylaws.
lots of people can 'steal money', becuase i think that is your concern. look at it this way, do you have checks and balances for cash transactions, fair monies collected, book fair monies etc? how do you count the cash and depositi it? is it done in pairs always? with signatures? etc etc and the people running these fairs, surely they are not all board members (and backgrd checked etc)... bottom line, ALL financiallly linked things need good checks and balances, including yearly audits etc etc.
i was a bit amused at the commet,,,just becuase you dont know someone raises insecurity...i dont see why that should be justified. the people voted this person in, and checks and balances written into your bylaws is what keeps your group in good financial order (and not just 'knowing someone').
the parent group should be run like any business. or else maybe not this year, but down the road, someone will take advantage of the lack of checks and balances.
Go to the bank and have the account set up requiring two signatures. When she makes out all the checks, she then approaches the President for the second signature and then mails it out.
She will not have full control over the bank account and two sets of eyes is best. Don't look at it as an issue of trust; consider it safety of funds belonging to the students. And setting it up for safety for future years to come!
This is just a portion of our bylaws. This pertains to the treasurer. Hope it helps.
d) The Treasurer shall receive all monies of the organization; shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; and shall pay out funds in accordance with the approval of the executive board committee. She/He shall present a financial statement at every meeting and at other times when requested by the executive board committee; and shall make a full report at the end of the current fiscal year.
e) All checks issued by the Marlowe PTO must contain 2 signatures of the executive board. All paperwork requesting payment must also be approved by 2 executive board members. A board member may not sign a check made out to them or approve paperwork for payment to them. 2 other members of the board must sign and approve.
DLF, Thanks for the reply. Good suggestions. I think we have some changes to make. Most of the bylaws I've read do not go into great detail on policy and procedure but these are good and natural things to a lot of the people that post to this board. Has anyone ever written these down?
