Easter Greetings
Easter Blessings!

I hope you all had a joyous Easter and that you are taking time to breathe after a very busy Lent. As you care for the finance and administration of your church, I offer you this prayer from our Book of Common Prayer:

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of
refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our
leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our
spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Warmly,
Kirby
The Rev. Kirby Smith
Chief Financial Officer & Diocesan Treasurer
(619) 481-5453
Basics of Church Financial Reporting
In Basics of Church Financial Reporting -  Part 1  and  2 , Jerry Keucher explains how to write financial and budget reports, and ways to use them correctly to present a clear reflection of a church’s financial health. This  spreadsheet  is a useful template format for a financial report that can be easily understood. Click  here  to view sample vestry reports tied to the parochial report, Revenue/Expense Budget and Balance Sheet. You may also wish to view the ECF webinar entitled  Fearless Finances . Stay tuned for some finance workshops with hands-on learning about financial reports.
Parochial Reports
Parochial reports were due March 1. Thank you to all who have sent yours in. This year, be sure to provide your 2017 year end financials, 2018 budget and a reconciliation of the financials and parochial report. If you have any questions, contact Diana Rubi. Reconciliation forms reside on our website.
HR Help
Hiring a new employee? If your church is a mission, please contact the Rev. Kirby Smith prior to extending an offer. He will help be sure that the letter of offer is compliant with employment and canon law. If your church is a parish, you are encouraged to contact Kirby to review the offer letter and job description. In either case, be sure that the offer is contingent on a background check and Safeguarding God's People Training.
Happy Administrative Professionals Day
Wishing you all a happy Administrative Professionals Day (Wednesday, April 25)! Take time to appreciate those in your organization who fulfill the administrative functions. And for those of you who are administrative professionals, thank you for all you do!
Copier Leases
Many of our churches have expensive copier leases. Over the length of the lease, the payments can amount to a significant expense. Prior to entering into a lease consider the following:

  1. Decide whether it is more advantageous to buy or lease. To do this, make sure you read the fine print of the contract to understand the entire fee structure and any lease payment increases over time. Also pay particular attention to whether there is a shipping fee charged at the end of the lease. Calculate the total lease payments you will be making over the lifetime of the lease.
  2. Prior to entering into a lease, track the number of black and white and color copies needed per month. If you underestimate the number of copies needed, you can end up paying expensive usage fees for extra copies. On the other hand, you don't want to pay for unused copies if you have too many in your base rate. 
  3. Evaluate the capabilities needed in a copier. Copier company sales reps will show you copiers with features that you might not need. Those features may not be necessary. At times, it might be more cost effective to outsource big jobs like annual reports and lease or buy a more basic copier. 
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Wellness Tip: Time Management Tips