Don’t Get Locked Out Of The House.

What would happen if your current admin/bookkeeper was suddenly gone?  Who would run payroll and pay bills?  How would you access bank accounts?  Where would you look to find all the passwords you need?

We get calls from churches all the time that are trying to find answers to these questions.  They might of had a bookkeeper that has suddenly become ill, quit without notice, or had to be terminated for wrong doing. 

That person was the only one on staff that had access to the software and passwords needed to do important financial functions, like making sure staff got paid.

It’s kind of like being locked out of your house.  Everything you need is just inside, but you can’t find the keys to get there.

Pastors often say things like, “I don’t want any access tothe financial stuff so people can’t accuse of me of wrong doing.”  That is great sentiment until everyone is locked out of financials and you can’t pay the bills.  You should have access to or at least know where you can find the log in credentials if needed.

You can gain access to bank accounts and financial software if you get locked out, but it is a frustrating process that can take weeks to accomplish.

I remember my mom getting locked out of our house one time when I was a kid.  My dad was at work and there were no cell phones.  I was eventually hoisted up to a window to remove the screen and force my way in.  Mom never wanted that to happen again.  She took steps to prevent it.  We hid a key in a can in our lawnmower shed. 

You should take steps to prevent yourself from being lockedout as well.  Like a key in a can, here are some things you can do:

1:            Make sure that more than one person is a user on every account.  Your bookkeeper can’t be the only person who knows how and where to access your accounts. The pastor, a board member, a back up user, or some other person must also have access to every account.  You need more than one key to the house!

2:            Have a back-up person trained to process payments and run payroll.  People get sick, take vacations, and might even be tempted to steal if desperate.  A back-up person can cover for your bookkeeper if they need time off or are suddenly not available.  It is also important to have more than one person looking at financials because it is a great deterrent to fraud.  It’s a good thing to have someone else ready with a spare key!

3:            Create a safe place to store all your passwords and log in information.  Do this for every account in each department.  Have the credentials for bank accounts, financial software, websites, alarm systems, and everything that requires a login or password.  Imagine not having access to your Amazon account or paying for music services that you can no longer use. 

Do not store this information where it is not safe, like in an email file or shared Cloud drive.  Use a highly rated encrypted password manager or even write them on paper and store them in a safe.  Make sure that the list is up to date.  Update it every time a password is changed, or a new account is created.  You need to hide some keys in a can that you can find when locked out.

4:            Never allow anyone to create accounts that can only be accessed on their personal devices.  Every account owned and used by the church must be accessible at the church and from church owned hardware. 

Did the church purchase the software?  Is it in the church name and for church use?  If the answer is yes, then there is no good reason for those accounts not to be accessible at the church and from church owned devices. Imagine buying rental property that only the tenants had keys for.  What would you do if they suddenly moved with the keys, or you needed access to the property? 

How many people have keys to the doors of your church?  Chances are that you will never be forced to pull out a screen and climb through a window to have Sunday services.

The same should be true for all the financial accounts and software you are using.  You have aresponsibility to make sure that you never get locked out.  I’m not suggesting that you give everyone a key, but at least have one or two trusted people in a place that can get in if needed.