Want to make life easier for your organization’s accounting department? Avoid doing these five things!
1. Lazy Communication
Accounting is a profession with strict rules, stern regulations, and very important deadlines. You know what makes it hard for your accountant to meet all those requirements? Poor communication. We know you’re busy changing the world, and filling out a functional expense allocation spreadsheet is probably the last thing on your mind…but, um, we really do need that spreadsheet back. Our CFO Solutions service takes much of the weight off your shoulders, but a strong client-accountant relationship still requires your input. We’ll provide speedy communication and clear instructions on our end - we just ask that you please do the same on yours.
2. Endless Email Attachments
Are you guilty of sending your accountant email after email loaded with sensitive information and bulky attachments? There’s a better way, we promise. Our client portal allows you to upload documents to our secure cloud storage system, which keeps your information safe and our inboxes uncluttered.
3. Finance Charges
Do your bills stop getting paid when you’re not there to sign the checks? As accountants, the idea of paying finance charges is almost physically painful for us. Fortunately, with our online bill pay system, you can approve bills from anywhere, anytime. So unless you’re trekking through the deepest rainforest with no connection to the outside world, you have no excuse for letting bills go unpaid. (And if you are trekking through the rainforest, we’re very, very jealous. Take lots of pictures for us, please!)
4. Too Much Trust
In many small nonprofits, one person ends up maintaining sole responsibility for every element of the financial process. When you’re dealing with an overworked, underfunded staff, it’s so much easier to pick one person and say, “Here! You take care of all the money.” Unfortunately, that creates a tempting opportunity for even the most trustworthy employee. We don’t want to sound cynical, but it’s our job to keep your organization safe, and when a single person writes the checks, prepares the financial statements, and makes deposits, that’s a prime recipe for fraud.
5. “But that’s the way it’s always been done!”
Just because something has “always” been done a certain way doesn’t mean it’s the best way. The accounting profession is changing rapidly with new advances in technology, and embracing those changes is critical to providing you with the best service we possibly can. We’ll walk you through anything you need to know - all we ask if that you trust us to lead the way. Although if you’re really dead set on doing things the old way, we can probably dig up an abacus for you.