Clear role descriptions for trustees and specific officers on the trustee board will help your trustees understand their duties.

The Treasurer of a small community group or voluntary organisation may perform all duties concerned with dealing with money. So the treasurer may also, in effect, be the bookkeeper and finance manager. This job description will therefore need to be adapted according to the circumstances of your organisation.

Treasurer

Overall

• Oversee the financial affairs of the organisation and ensure they are legal, constitutional and within accepted accounting practice.
• Ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures are in place.
• Monitor and report on the financial health of the organisation.
• Oversee the production of necessary financial reports/returns, accounts and audits.

Specifically

• Liaise with relevant staff, committee members and/or volunteers to ensure the financial viability of the organisation.
• Make fellow committee members aware of their financial obligations and take a lead in interpreting financial data to them.
• Regularly report the financial position at committee meetings (balance sheet, cash flow, fundraising performance etc).
• Oversee the production of an annual budget and propose its adoption at the last meeting of the previous financial year.
• Ensure proper records are kept and that effective financial procedures and controls are in place, ie:
  • Cheque signatories
  • Purchasing limits
  • Purchasing systems
  • Petty cash/ float
  • Salary payments
  • Pensions
  • PAYE and NI payments
  • Others as appropriate
• Appraising the financial viability of plans, proposals and feasibility studies.
• Lead on appointing and liaising with auditors/an independent examiner.

If the Treasurer is expected to undertake all finance duties consider adding:

• Undertake bookkeeping duties and/or oversee the finance volunteer ensuring posting and bookkeeping is kept up-to-date.
• Maintain the petty cash system and regularly process petty cash claims.
• Regularly carry out reconciliations/ oversee regular reconciliations by the finance volunteer.
• Arrange payments to creditors as appropriate and arrange appropriate signatures on payments.
• Make the necessary arrangements to collect payments from debtors and bank payments promptly.

Qualities

• Knowledge and experience of current and fundraising finance practice relevant to voluntary and community organisations.
• Knowledge of bookkeeping and financial management (as necessary).
• Good financial analysis skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly

As trustees, you share responsibility for governing your charity regardless of whether individual trustees have specific roles. For example, your charity may have a treasurer, but all the trustees are responsible for its assets and finances.