‘Can anyone help us with the books?’ Damn right!

Damn Good Advice for Treasurers is a free 98-page resource providing help on keeping the accounts, managing systems, planning, budgeting, reporting, fundraising, monitoring risk, banking, tax and succession planning.

Community Directors executive director Adele Stowe-Lindner said the updated guide was designed for regular use.

“We’ve written this guide to help you with practical guidance on everything from making sense of financial statements to contributing to a strategic plan,” Stowe-Lindner said.

It will help treasurers to steer their fellow board members “confidently and skilfully towards a shared understanding of the finances and the financial governance that are crucial to your organisation’s success,” she said.

The publication is a result of a new partnership between Community Directors and Beyond Bank, a purpose-led, member-owned certified B Corp.

Beyond Bank chief executive officer David Marshall said the bank was proud to support a guide that helps to build capability and confidence across the sector, and to help groups establish long-term sustainability.

“This guide provides vital information for not-for-profit treasurers to bridge any knowledge gaps they might have. It allows them to quickly build awareness in areas that may be new to them, as it is designed as a resource specifically focused on this sector.”

The guide will appeal to sector bean-counters who prefer their guidance written by empathetic humans, with chapters such as “How did I get stuck with this mess?”, “Cripes, that sounds like quite a lot. Isn’t anyone else going to help?” and “What else should I be afraid of?”

The guide also includes checklists for new treasurers, help with reading budgets and avoidin fraud, a glossary and a summary of key legal frameworks.