Throughout the program year, the elected Auditor shall:
- Examine several financial transactions from different months in the year as well as different from the prior year’s examination.
- Examine the church’s reconciliation report between the internal financial document and bank, as produced by the Treasurer.
These examinations shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Reconciling checkbooks, bank statements, and financial statements (Balance sheet and P&L) to determine if they accord with one another.
- Selecting a subset of transactions and examining the backup documentation. Other transactions that seem out of the ordinary shall also be examined.
- Reviewing payroll and benefit expenses for consistency with the approved church budget.
- Reviewing payments to outside contractors and consultants, and their services donated.
- Reviewing written policies, procedures, signing authorities, etc. for processing account deposits and withdrawals, cash disbursements, payroll (salaries, vacation, individual budgets, timesheets if applicable), accounts payable/receivable and revenue, and receipts from the collection plate and special events, such as the Harvest Moon Fair or Spring Auction. The Auditor shall inquire of the Church Administrator as to the actual procedures being used, noting any discrepancies between written policies and actual practice.
- Examining the records of the Trustees on an annual basis.
The Auditor shall present an audit statement for the Annual Report, and be prepared to answer any questions at the Annual Meeting. The audit statement shall include the Auditor’s finding regarding the state of the church’s financial procedures.
—Adopted by the Parish Committee March 2012