So why consider outsourcing? For some smaller to medium-sized churches, having an outsourced bookkeeper can increase expertise & accuracy, lower bookkeeping costs, and provide a missing link in internal controls. Let’s take a look at these one-by-one:
The cost of having someone on staff for bookkeeping in a small church often means combining the role with another role to make the job enticing enough. For other churches, it means hiring someone part-time who may not have a great deal of experience. Yet, for many others, it means asking a volunteer treasurer to maintain the accounting. Hiring someone who is trained and does bookkeeping for many churches means they can give you higher quality work at an affordable price.
Your church will be able manage the accounting tasks that are associated with programs such as preschools and fundraising. This will ensure these programs and your ministry are a success.
There are ways to avoid making mistakes in church bookkeeping.
Laying all that aside....another important reason for keeping books...is to make good financial decisions. You need to be able to pull up a report and see that you are spending more on expenses than you were in prior years.
Many churches and nonprofits are struggling to make ends meet with their limited resources. Nonprofits can save significant time, stress, money, and valuable resources by outsourcing their financial management. Time spent on books can be time well spent by you, the leader of your nonprofit.
In order to be able to manage the finances of a church, the bookkeeper may also need to act as an accountant or treasurer. They are responsible for all financial aspects of the church. These are their responsibilities, but not only.
Diocesan Canons state that treasurers and other officers of a church parish, mission or other institution be “bonded” according to Episcopal Church Canons. Episcopal Church Canons require that treasurers be “adequately bonded.”
seven years
Financial Records are traditionally kept for seven years. This relates to the laws of tax audits and the number of years back the IRS is allowed to look when determining an organization's tax liability.
The IRS may begin a church tax inquiry only if an appropriate high-level Treasury official reasonably believes, based on a written statement of the facts and circumstances, that the organization: (a) may not qualify for the exemption; or (b) may not be paying tax on unrelated business or other taxable activity.