How does the process work? It’s pretty straightforward and easy, actually. And LOTS easier than a CPA site visit!
- Someone at your church – might be you – pretty much knows how money comes in and goes out. The first thing you need to do is tell me who this person is.
- This person spends an hour or two answering questions online. The questions are easy (“How many count the collection?” and such – example). If this person wants to, he or she can refer the question out to someone else.
- Then key people review all of the answers – should take 20-45 minutes. They skip topics they don’t know much about, and focus on topics they DO know… and they make corrections as needed – example).
I then write the report – it’s 160 or so pages long, though it has an Executive Summary that won’t take too long to read! The sections address what you’re doing right, what could be improved, and what to do first. I also include chapters on best practices and how to do separation-of-duties when you only have three people.- I send the manuscript off to be printed, and a week or two later you get the books delivered to your door. We usually print up enough so each board member can have one, as well as one for the pastor, the treasurer, and the bookkeeper.
- Then we all get together for a video conference to discuss the findings and what’s most important to address first.
The process can go as fast as two weeks (most of that being printer time), but usually takes about twice that long.