Financial controls in churches and small charities

A good control framework allows a church or charity to function effectively, unhindered and operating on the right side of the increasing weight of regulation; it is not intended to be a straight-jacket. This paper looks at the controls most relevant to churches and small charities.

Topics covered:

• Controls covering church income;
• Controls and the recovery of Gift Aid;
• Controls over church expenditure;
• Controls and the payment of gifts or honoraria in churches;
• Controls over restricted funds;
• Controls and the role of trustees;
• Financial controls and the use of budgets in churches;
• Using reserves as a financial control;
• Financial controls and bank accounts;
• Controls over fixed assets;
• Controls over investments;
• The importance of 'team' as a financial control.