Accountability policies are not about mistrust.
There are other good reasons behind proper policies and procedures.
Though more and more giving happens online, most churches still pass the offering plate. When the plates (or baskets or bags) are all collected, two or more people take them to another room, count out all of that cash and all of those checks, and prepare the deposit. It’s always two or more people.
Let’s say it’s Alice and Sally. But then the Sunday comes when Sally is not there. Alice says, “No problem. I’ll count it myself, just like I always do. I can easily do this without Sally.” But the wise deacon, or trustee, or pastor replies, “No, Alice. We always need two people to count the offering. That’s our policy.” And let’s say Alice gets mad at this. “What?! You don’t trust me? What have I ever done to deserve this mistrust?”
It's not about mistrust, and it’s not about Alice. There are many good reasons to have a policy or procedure like this in place:
1. To save Alice from unfair accusation. Maybe the church has an evil gossip in its midst. (I’m sure you don’t have any in YOUR church but I’ve heard they exist). Anyhow, maybe the church has an evil gossip who dislikes Alice and says, “… not only that, but I think she’s stealing cash from the offering plate when she counts it!” A simple answer could be, “Impossible. She never counts the offering alone. She couldn’t steal even if she wanted to.”
2. To save the church’s reputation. No one can accuse the church of mishandling the offering money if it has proper procedures and accountability in place, and follows them.
3. To save Alice from temptation. Let’s say the day comes when Alice is in a very bad place financially. An extra $200 of cash would be a great relief, and there it is. No one would know. But if there are at least two people always counting the offering, it’s just not a possibility. It probably wouldn’t even cross her mind. Or if it did cross her mind, she would know it would not be something she could get away with.
4. To give the church members confidence that their offering money ends up in the right place. If there was any suspicion that Alice or someone else was skimming part of the money off the top, it could quickly erode or even destroy the level of giving.
So nonprofits have accountability policies, procedures, and practices. They can pertain to the handling of money, or to the reporting of results, or to personnel issues, or to conflict-of-interest matters, or other things. They are important.
They should be written down, known by everyone, transparent, and carefully followed. Always. Sure some people are evil, and some people do bad things. But the presence of these practices does not mean anyone is accusing anyone else of something. They are there so no one will ever have to.
love, joy, peace … Michael
www.michaeljaffarian.com. I’m a freelance consultant to nonprofits, with an emphasis on research. I’m keen to learn about your organization, and you might be interested in learning more about what I do. Let’s have a conversation. Write to me, people! emichaeljaffarian@gmail.com.
Vol. 1 No. 49