Topics/Policies Covered by Generosity Plus

  • Budgeting: Financial Management and Vision Fulfillment

                        Why have a budget?

                        How to build a budget

                                    Different types of budgets and their purpose

                                                Narrative

                                                Cash flow

                                                Line item

                                                Zero based

                                    The importance of collaboration

                                    How and when and why to make adjustments

                                                The 5/5 method of financial position evaluation 

  • Transparency: Open, Honest, Accountable

                        How shall we do our accounting?

What and when and why to report on church financial matters

                                    Internal vs external

                                    Records retention

                                    Creating a “reader friendly” statement

  • Internal Controls: Protecting the Church’s assets (and our volunteer’s reputations) 

                        Why we need internal controls? (As a both faith and sound business practice)

                                    Policies and procedures for: 

Safeguarding money and people

Counting and recording

Timely Reporting 

Reconciling statements

Assets other than cash

                                                The Audit (evaluating the compilation, the review and the audit)

                                    Insurance

                                    Multiple Signatures/multiple authorizations

  • Protecting your Building and Property (from a hostile take-over)
  • General Policies

                        The “No One Rule”

                        Investment Policy

                        Gifts Policy (Including receiving, refusing, and retiring cash and non-cash gifts)

                        The Importance of Training and Recruiting

                        Permanent Funds

                        Digital and Electronic Giving

                        Assessing Gifts “at risk”

                        Who Knows What About Giving (and WHY!)

Undesignated Bequests (How not to have a church fight or practice poor stewardship)

Who Decides Who Gets Paid (what to do in a budgetary short-fall)

Do We Prosecute?  (What to do in the wake of fiduciary malfeasance/embezzlement)

Credit Card Policy

Conflict of Interest Policy

Unrelated Business Income Tax (and the 990)

How Much is Enough? (Faithfully managing the “rainy-day” mentality)

  • Staff

                        Evaluations

                        Fair Compensation (COLA and Merit)            

                        Tax Considerations for Qualified Clergy 

  • Structuring Financial Ministries

                        The Finance Team

                                    Gifts and skills

                                    Responsibilities

                        The Stewardship Team

                                    Gifts and skills

                                    Responsibilities

                        The Legacy Team

                                    Gifts and skills

                                    ResponsibilitiesYour Church’s Last Will and Testament (Preparing for the end of visible ministry).