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A nonprofit organization, Food Bank of Centerville (not the real name, but this story
is true), has an annual budget of $1million. All revenues are from donations of food
(85%) and cash (15%).
The organization has a staff of 12. Administrative staff consists of an executive
director, assistant director and fundraiser, bookkeeper and administrative assistant.
The bookkeeper handles all bookkeeping functions but is not trained in accounting.
Therefore, a local CPA firm provides approximately four (4) hours of monthly
accounting services to reconcile the bank statement(s), make accounting entries and
produce financial statements for the officers and the board.
Another CPA firm performs an annual audit of the financial statements and prepares
the required Form 990. This process requires the organizations staff to provide
additional information to the CPA firm in order to accurately complete the Form 990.
The annual audit is required to study, but not rely on, the organizations internal
controls and make recommendations to the board regarding the adequacy of internal
controls. For the last several years, the CPA firm has noted there is not an adequate
separation of duties with respect to the functions of the bookkeeper since the
bookkeeper has control over many financial transactions and the recording of these
same transactions in the books. Like many nonprofit organizations, the officers and
board have concluded that the risks associated with this control deficiency are not
sufficient to necessitate the spending of additional funds to add part time assistance
to perform some of the accounting duties in order to achieve better separation of
duties. The executive director signs all checks, the CPA firm reconciles the bank
statements and prepares monthly financial statements, and the organization has
good budgetary controls.
The organizations accounting costs are as follows:
Bookkeeper salary$36,000
Bookkeeper fringes and office costs associated with this employee$10,000
CPA firm that performs the monthly accounting$8,000
Annual audit$12,000
Total$66,000
The organization was experiencing some financial difficulties due to the recession. In addition,
there had been some budget overruns, which have been explained, but which have not occurred
historically. One of the officers suggested that another CPA firm, with forensic capabilities,
perform a study of the financial operations. The result of the study found that the bookkeeper had
embezzled over $100,000 over a two (2) year period. The fraud was easy to perpetrate and even
easier to discover. The CPA firm preparing the monthly financial statements and the CPA firm
performing the annual audit both provide provisions in their contracts with the organization that
relieve them from the responsibility of discovering fraud unless it is material. The $50,000
stolen per year does not meet the definition of material.
The organization finds that its fidelity bond coverage only covers $50,000 of the $100,000 loss. It
is therefore determined that any further forensic work for years prior to the two (2) years
investigated would be pointless since any additional losses would not be recoverable and the
forensic audit work cost $10,000.
The fidelity bond company insists that charges be filed against the bookkeeper and that the
bookkeeper sign a promissory note, secured by a second mortgage on his house, for restitution.
The bookkeeper is sentenced to two (2) years in jail.
The organization is referred to the accounting firm Marshall, Jones & Co. (MJ) (a real Atlanta
local firm with several nonprofit clients). MJ proposes that the organization use the firms
outsourced accounting service, OnDemand Accountant (ODA).
Using ODA, the organization is able to terminate the relationship with the CPA firm preparing the
monthly financial statements and utilize an administrative assistant in place of a full-time
bookkeeper.
1.
The organization continues to handle billing for contributions and make deposits.
2.
ODA handles:
A.
The general accounting functions. The organizations QuickBooks are uploaded to a secure
server hosted by a Gold certified server hosting company. The books are accessible to any
authorized organizational user and ODA via the Internet.
B.
On a daily basis, vendor invoices are uploaded by the organizations administrative assistant
to a web based service called Bill.com. This service is configured to send an email to all
designated individuals for approval of payment of each vendor invoice. The organization decides
that the protocol is to have the executive director approve all invoices first. Bill.com sends an
email to the executive director each day invoices are uploaded. Once the executive director
approves the invoice, the volunteer treasurer receives an email requesting a second approval.
Once invoices are approved by both parties, an email is sent to ODA to perform the bookkeeping
functions. The designated ODA accounting services representative synchronizes the information
The organization establishes protocols as to how invoices are to be paid. Based on this
protocol, the ODA representative uses Bill.com to process the payment of invoices. On the
processing date, Bill.com sends checks to the vendors and debits the organizations bank
account for the total invoices paid through this service.
D.
ODA has restricted online access to the organizations bank accounts and verifies the
Each Friday, the ODA representative syncs Bill.com with the organizations hosted
QuickBooks. In addition, the ODA representative who processes the organizations payroll, using
an outside payroll service, records the payroll activity, for those weeks in which a payroll occurs,
in QuickBooks.
F.
The net result is that by 5pm on each Friday, the organizations accounting records are
completely up to date. Any authorized organizational user can access QuickBooks via the
Internet and print and/or review important financial information. Financial reporting has been
compressed to a weekly, not monthly, function. Month end statements are processed by ODA on
the first business day after month end and all desired reports are emailed to the appropriate
organizational staff, officers and board.
Annual ODA fees are $24,000. The organizations auditors have agreed to reduce their audit fee
to $10,000 due to the additional assistance provided by the ODA services. Total accounting costs
of $34,000 represent a $32,000 reduction from the organizations previous methods. In addition,
the possibility of fraud is 100% eliminated. As a result of using virtual accounting, the
organization finds that ODA can provide many more additional, useful financial reports on a
monthly basis. The standard statement of financial position, statement of activity and changes in
net assets and the statement of cash flows are merely lagging indicators of how the organization
performed. There are many, many other reports of Key Performance Indicators that tell a much
more in depth story of the DRIVERS of the financial performance, and ODA prepares this at least
monthly, unless more frequently is desired.
Studi kasus
organisasi memiliki staf 12. Staf Administrasi terdiri dari direktur eksekutif,
asisten direktur dan pengumpulan dana, pembukuan dan asisten administrasi.
kantor akuntan publik lain melakukan audit tahunan dari laporan keuangan dan
mempersiapkan Formulir diperlukan 990. Proses ini membutuhkan staf organisasi
untuk memberikan informasi tambahan kepada kantor akuntan publik untuk
secara akurat mengisi Formulir 990.
Organisasi ini mengalami beberapa kesulitan keuangan akibat resesi. Selain itu,
ada beberapa overruns anggaran, yang telah dijelaskan, tapi yang belum terjadi
secara historis. Salah satu petugas menyarankan bahwa KAP lain, dengan
kemampuan forensik, melakukan studi tentang operasi keuangan. Hasil
penelitian ini menemukan bahwa pembukuan yang telah menggelapkan lebih
dari $ 100.000 selama periode dua (2) tahun. penipuan itu mudah untuk
memperbuat dan lebih mudah untuk menemukan. CPA perusahaan penyusunan
laporan keuangan bulanan dan perusahaan BPA melakukan audit tahunan
keduanya memberikan ketentuan dalam kontrak mereka dengan organisasi yang
membebaskan mereka dari tanggung jawab menemukan penipuan kecuali itu
adalah "materi". $ 50.000 dicuri per tahun tidak memenuhi definisi "materi".
Organisasi ini disebut kantor akuntan Marshall, Jones & Co (MJ) (a Atlanta
perusahaan lokal nyata dengan beberapa klien nirlaba). MJ mengusulkan bahwa
organisasi menggunakan layanan akuntansi outsourcing perusahaan, OnDemand
Akuntan (ODA).
Biaya ODA tahunan $ 24.000. auditor organisasi ini telah sepakat untuk
mengurangi biaya audit mereka $ 10.000 karena bantuan tambahan yang
disediakan oleh layanan ODA. Total biaya akuntansi $ 34.000 mewakili
pengurangan $ 32.000 dari metode sebelumnya organisasi. Selain itu,
kemungkinan penipuan adalah 100% dihilangkan. Sebagai hasil dari
menggunakan akuntansi virtual, organisasi menemukan bahwa ODA dapat
memberikan banyak tambahan, laporan keuangan yang berguna secara bulanan.
Pernyataan Standar posisi keuangan, laporan aktivitas dan perubahan aktiva
bersih dan laporan arus kas hanya tertinggal indikator bagaimana organisasi
dilakukan. Ada banyak, banyak laporan lain dari Key Performance Indicator yang
menceritakan lebih mendalam kisah DRIVERS dari kinerja keuangan, dan ODA
mempersiapkan ini setidaknya bulanan, kecuali lebih sering diinginkan