About this Checklist
The idea of an employee or volunteer committing fraud against your church is unthinkable. Even so, it is something that ministries should prepare for. Ministries with written polices and well-communicated guidelines can help employees and volunteers remain accountable, especially when it comes to church finances. This checklist asks the following questions:
Do you have a comprehensive written policy that outlines how all aspects of your ministry’s finances are to be handled?
Do you conduct comprehensive background checks on all employees and volunteers who deal with money?
Do you have written position descriptions for all employees and volunteers who have access to financial documents and perform financial functions?
Do you document all financial transactions clearly and immediately?
Do you keep financial records (and duplicate copies) in a safe place?
Do you have a well-defined program for documenting suspicious financial incidents?
Do you make it easy and safe for employees or volunteers to report suspicious financial activity? Have you educated them how to do this?
Does your program for handling church finances involve multiple people who each have a specific role so that one person is not responsible for every aspect of your ministry’s finances?
Do you conduct annual audits by someone other than your church’s financial secretary or treasurer?
Posted 2022
This is a sample document only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this checklist should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your state. Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company assumes no liability in the preparation and distribution of this checklist.
