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                           TO:  Interested School                                                                                                          FROM: Jim Bramer, Retired CPA-Auditor
                                                                                                                                                                                FILE: 7012-02/sch    

                            RE:  School and Big Pix Finance Reporting                                                                  Originated:   March 2000                            

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    Below is a hypothetical Online Email thread (THRD) between any of the following MFTeam members: PAT (Ministry Chief Executive), LEE: (Ministry Volunteer Treasurer), or FRAN: (Ministry Computer Bookkeeper) and  Jim@bcidot.org   Click here and go to List of threads (THRDs) at www.bcidot.org

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                        FR LEE:

     Hi Jim ..... appreciate your help in the past.  Am now faced with presentation of financial information to various School Ministry groups.  
      Please provide me with some thoughts along these lines.

FR JIM

        OK, Lee.  As I remember you are using our recommended QB Fund Accounting system via Method One where Special Purpose Funds - SPFund appear as QB Equity accounts. Go to to the "QB Fund Acctg FAQ" publication within the WEB Publication List  below to remind you re the definition of SPFunds and other detail about this QB Fund Accounting method.  Please also read two publications found in the Web Publications List   below: "Board Members and Ministry Finance Info" and "Church Membership-Finances". Reading these will give you a little of my perspective. 
    
        Fundamentally, I believe the School Ministry Finance Team needs to provide complete info, but keep it short and simple -- all on one page. Let me know, Lee, at   Jim@bcidot.org  if your Ministry Finance Team would like to use Chart and Graphs to provide such information.

                             FR LEE:

        Appreciate the overview, etc ....... please provide some examples with the above in mind.

FR JIM:

        OK ..... please be aware that I am basically using the numbers appearing within the "QB MinFin Samples" publication below.
        As pointed out below in the "Key Item Trend Statements" publication,  Ministry Board members need to have a "big picture" grasp of relevant Ministry Finances.  So the one-page example below is a suggested way to accomplish this.  You as School Treasurer, in my opinion, can then make copies of this for any School Business meeting and then highlight key data.  Sometimes colored highlights appearing on such a report can serve that purpose. 
        I am VERY much aware that the ideal is to enter transactions once and then have ALL of the financial reports flow from the QB System (or similar system), but, unfortunately, this not always possible. The report below was done via Excel ... let us know if you would like a copy of the Template .... but it easily could be originated in a Word document and saved also as a Template.  Then update the Word  Template by typing in applicable whole numbers from subsequent reports already being produced via QB, etc.    

		Sample School --- Beginning July 1, xxx1 and Ending May 31, xxx2
				"Big Pix" OPERATIONS      RECAP
				Special	General
				Funds	Fund	Budget to Date	Variance
	Revenue:
	Donations			$ 60,400	$ 77,800
	Earned Income			$ 50,600	$ 50,000
	Other			00	$ 1,500
	Total			$ 111,000	$ 129,300
	Expenditures
	Salaries/Benefits				$ 57,500	$ 57,667	$ 167
	Operations			$ 110,026	$ 47,926	$ 48,075	$ 149
	Mortgage Payments				$ 15,000	$ 15,042	$ 42
	New Capital Assets			$74,500	$ 5,000	$ 5,000	$ -
	Other			$ 1,000	$ 9,250	$ 9,275	$ 25
	Total			$ 185,526	$ 134,676	$ 135,058	$382
	Excess Revenue (Expenditures)			$ (74,526)	$ (5,376)	Annual Budget	$150,000
	Beginning Represented by:					Divided by 52
	Bank Balances			$ 97,500	see	(1) Wkly Need:	$ 2,884
	Less Unpaid					General Actual
	Operating Bills			$ 2,500	below	Income To Date	$129,300
		Balance		$ 95,000		Divided by 48 wks
	Ending Balance as computed			$ 20,474		(1) Wkly Average	$ 2,694
	"Spoken For" as Listed below:					Wkly difference	$ 190
	AA-Donor Restriction			$ 3,500		Ending
	BB-Donor Restriction			$ 1,200	Ending	Bank & Schar	$ 16,879
	Board Discretionary			$ 2,224	General	Less Unpaid
	Board SetASide			$ 13,550	(1) Fund	Operate Bills	$ 1,689
	Total of Special Funds			$ 20,474	$ (5,376)	Result is:	$ 15,098

      Be sure and ask me for sample of School Acct Rec (SCHAR) and Cash Flow Big Pix data.

                                FR LEE:     

       Wow, that is great information, Jim  ...... all on one page. Be interested in your view, after looking at the info,  just what you would 'highlight' as key information.

    FR JIM:

       I would identify at least the following..... 

• General Fund deficit for the 11 months is $5,376; 
• Or the School has used all of the Board Discretionary Fund bal and
• Borrowed the remainder from other SPFunds; 
• The weekly Budget need is $2,884 as compared to the actual of $2,694.
• But the School has lived within it's authorized annual spending budget - see the $382 above.

                                         FR LEE:     

                Seems the School Ministry Finance Team should understand a report like this and then I could take to our Board meetings.  Again distribute, highlight items and discuss more in depth with the Board members.
                Thank you, Jim ..... will let you know if we have any questions..

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                                                                - - - - - Web Publication List - - - - 

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Annual GAAP Church Financial Info 
Bank Balance, Beyond the 
Board Members & Ministry Finance Info 
Church Membership-Finances to 
Key Item Trend Statements - 
Ministry Accounting Issues 
QB Church Samples List 
QB Fund Accounting FAQ 
QB MinFin Samples List 
Reports, Ministry Finance 
Reports - Photo and Video 

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      Please Click Here for a list of more Christian School resources on www.bcidot.org.  The bulk of this Publication originated in March 2000 and was   UPTD: May 01, 2008  

HOME  |  ABOUT  US   |    OUR PURPOSE   |   SITEMAP   |  COMPUTER FUND ACCTG  |  HELPS

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       (1) An Online document, or WRIT (Writing), may be applicable to all Ministries, or it may be designed for just groups like: Evangelical Church, School, Missionary Agency or Organization, Christian Camp / Conference, or other named group.
       (2) WRIT formats include the perspective of   Jim@bcidot.org  via IOMs (Inter-Office Memos) to the Ministry Finance Team (MFTeam); THRDs, a hypothetical Online conversation with members of the MFTeam; GLEANINGS, or Scripture within context of the MFTeam; FWIW; A periodic editorial (For What it is Worth); TRUISM, or believed Ministry Finance principles; and via FAQ, response to Frequently Asked Questions

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