With changes in banking practices some are finding that petty cash set ups are no longer sustainable. Read on for some advice...

For some parishes who used to run a petty cash system and access cash by writing a cheque to the bank, this is now no longer possible. With fewer bank branches in many areas, using cash is getting even more difficult. 

We are suggesting that Parishes and local churches could do the following:

• Arrange an account. Have a look at what kinds of things are typically purchased using Petty Cash. Could these be mostly purchased at one place locally e.g. a supermarket? If this is the case, see if you can get an account at the supermarket (if you are part of the Diocesan accounting and banking system, contact us if you need a letter or other assistance to help set this up). There are also wholesalers such as Gilmours who can sign you up as a non-profit organisation: https://www.gilmours.co.nz/. Make sure you have a system in place for collecting receipts so that they can be reconciled against any invoices, and you may want to limit these kinds of purchases to a limited number of named people. 
• Identify a person who may be able to "cover" small purchases and claim them back. This is not an ideal solution, but may work for some. If you are on the Diocesan accounting and banking system, you can claim these expenses back by submitting an expense claim form and attaching receipts. 

If you are using the Diocesan accounting system and have some regular expenses that you need to pay "on-line" (e.g. subscription for a website) and don't want to use personal credit cards, please talk to us. We may be able to help set something up from this end and invoice you when a payment is taken out.

For more help or to discuss your needs, contact Andrew Metcalfe or Dominique Aitcheson.