Regina Pinney
Executive Director
Essential Practices for Safeguarding Your Organization’s Finances
Ensuring financial stability and preventing fraud are critical for the long-term success of any organization. By institutionalizing strong financial practices, organizations can move from reactive decision-making to proactive, strategic planning. Here are 10 essential practices to safeguard your organization’s finances.
1. Establish a Strong Control Environment
Your organization must set clear financial policies that everyone follows—no exceptions. Leadership must be held to the highest standards, ensuring accountability in financial decisions, timesheets, travel expenses, and credit card use.
2. Use the Right Accounting Tools
Excel is not accounting software! Investing in proper tools like QuickBooks or Peachtree, and hiring staff with financial expertise, ensures accurate bookkeeping and financial tracking.
3. Form a Finance Committee
Without a dedicated finance committee, organizations may lack financial oversight. The committee should review budgets, cash flow, financial policies, and internal controls regularly.
4. Budgeting as a Strategic Plan
A well-planned budget answers key questions: What will we do? When? How will we fund it? Budgets help track progress, measure planning accuracy, and ensure financial sustainability.
5. Develop Strong Internal Controls
Implement a system of checks and balances so no single person controls financial transactions. Key internal controls include:
- Monthly bank reconciliations
- Clear policies for credit card use
- Board oversight on financial operations
6. Ensure Proper Record Retention
Financial policies should include guidelines for document retention, spending authority, and internal accounting methods. Properly maintained records improve transparency and compliance.
7. Regularly Assess Financial Health
Organizations should monitor key financial indicators such as: