I'm a huge advocate of starting the budget early. As a point of reference, our church's fiscal year begins in October and ends in September - we start the budgeting process in May. Why start so early? Experience. Starting the budget process months before the next fiscal year begins ensures everyone …

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Most Church Administrators are well aware of new compliance regulations for businesses and churches alike, but sometimes it can be confusing to know if churches are exempt from such requirements. Most churches operate on small budgets and don't have experts or legal professionals to help navigate …

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Creating the church budget for this upcoming year was more frustrating than usual. It's not because there wasn't a clear vision for the upcoming year or the vision didn't align with the mission. It wasn't because there was insufficient data to create a realistic income forecast based on giving and …

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These two words should send shivers down the spine of every church leader: fraud and embezzlement. While both crimes steal money and trust from the church, they are different. Fraud is when a bad actor intentionally deceives someone for financial gain. For example, fraud happens when someone …

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Like everyone else in this fast-paced, information-driven world, I need to consume a lot of information to stay on top of the news, compliance laws, and best practices that can help better operate the church. As you can imagine, an email subject line that read, "Embezzlement Hits One Out of Three …

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The moment the words "church budget" are uttered, there are two extreme responses: it's either met with eye-rolls, heavy sighs, or looks of resignation. Or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, people are opening up a spreadsheet in Excel, entering numbers and formulas before they know the goals the …

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