Streamlining Receipt Tracking for Small Churches: Seeking Effective Solutions
When managing finances for a small church, keeping track of receipts and expenses can quickly become a cumbersome task, especially when several employees use company credit cards. If you’re part of a church that struggles with a manual receipt tracking process, you might be looking for a more efficient and budget-friendly solution.
Current Process: Challenges and Inefficiencies
At this particular church, which employs five to ten payroll staff members, a master credit account through Chase is utilized for everyday purchases. At the end of each month, employees access their Chase accounts to manually enter expenses into worksheets. They print and attach receipts and submit these documents to an Accounting staff member for initial approval, followed by a second approval from another individual— all via paper. While this system may meet basic requirements, it can be time-consuming and prone to human error.
The primary goal behind this process seems to be safeguarding against both internal and external fraud, though efficient record-keeping is also a significant concern.
Looking for a Better Solution
To improve the overall experience, the church is in search of an affordable app that directly connects to their credit cards, enabling staff to capture and upload receipts directly from their smartphones. Ideally, this would work similarly to how American Express integrates receipt tracking with their services.
The church currently uses QuickBooks for their Accounting needs, operating under the Online Plus plan. Unfortunately, their credit cards are not integrated into QuickBooks—only their bank accounts are. While integrating credit cards could simplify the process, it raises certain questions. For instance, would each employee require their own account? And with the Plus plan limited to just three users, can access be restricted so that users can only add receipts to transactions without having broader capabilities?
Conclusion
Finding an efficient, cost-effective receipt tracking solution is essential for small churches aiming to streamline their financial processes. By leveraging technology, it’s possible to transform a tedious manual system into a more manageable digital workflow. If you have suggestions or experiences with similar challenges, your insights could help guide a much-needed upgrade!
No responses yet