BP 11122023 129pm - Flipbook - Page 170
evidence as to where the donor wants the funds to be allocated or used. If the envelope
contains a check, feel free to write the donor’s name and address on the envelope … if it
contains cash, simply count it as envelope cash.
Q. Should we make up envelopes for cash or checks received without an envelope?
A. No. If the funds were received loose, then count them as loose. Some parishes ask the
counters to write the parishioner number on the check, which is helpful to the accounting
department, but an envelope should not be created.
Q. What if we get an envelope with cash AND a check in it?
A. Write the amount of cash on the envelope. Also write the check number and amount,
and note on the envelope that the check was moved to loose checks. Keep the cash with the
envelope, and move the check to loose checks. The payment is fully documented, and staff
will have a paper trail to follow. If a donor calls about a discrepancy with their payment, a
person in the office will be able to easily understand that the envelope contained cash AND
a check, and a copy of the check will be found with the loose check copies.
Q. Is it okay to cash checks or pay for church expenses with offertory cash?
A. No. Cash should never be exchanged to cash a check for staff or clergy, nor should
cash from the collection ever be used to make purchases or pay church expenses.
DUTIES OF THE COUNTERS:
The counters fulfill an important responsibility within the parish. Virtually all funds collected by
the parish pass through the count room. For this reason, the count team is composed of some of
the parish’s most trusted volunteers.
The counters are tasked with
• counting the parish’s funds properly and accurately
• protecting the parish’s funds
• maintaining strict confidentiality
• adhering to a strong set of internal controls
HOW DO COUNTERS PROTECT THE CHURCH’S FUNDS?
They do this in several ways:
• The counters should adhere to a strong set of internal controls. Internal controls are
procedures designed in such a way to prevent or detect errors or theft. Of course, they
don’t work when they are discarded. For example, one counter adding a batch of
envelopes, and one counter adding the checks from that batch, and then the two of them
comparing totals, is an internal control. This procedure is likely to catch errors, thereby
saving staff a good amount of time later, and reducing expense for the church. If a count
team were to just add the checks twice and attach the extra tape to the envelopes (i.e. not
add the envelopes), then they have disregarded the internal control.
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