Your Church

Offering Counters' Policies

as of September 7, 1997
The Nature of the Task
Counters are volunteers who accept the fiduciary responsibility to:
collect the weeks offerin!s
count those offerin!s
prepare vouchers
prepare the bank deposit
report the deposit sum to the treasurer
take the deposit to the bank"
#olicies
Countin! teams must consist of at least $ people"
%elated people may not work to!ether, unless a third, unrelated person assists"
&fferin! counters may not e'chan!e personal checks for cash from the plates"
Countin! teams must count Sunday after the service on church premises"
(t least one counter must make the deposit at the bank immediately upon completion of the
count"
)f an offerin! must remain uncounted, such as after the Christmas midni!ht service, the money
should be in a ba! and locked in the file cabinet" Counters may not remove it from the church"
*or their protection, counters leavin! the church with the bank ba! must not allow it to be
visible" Carry the ba! inside a purse, an overcoat pocket, a shoppin! ba!, anythin! to prevent
the fact that you are carryin! money from bein! obvious"
Your Church
Offering Counters Procedures
)nstructions as of September 7, 1997
This procedure should take $+ , -+ minutes"
The counters ba! is stored in the lower cabinet, directly behind the secretarys chair"
.eres what you should find in the counters ba!:
( book of deposit slips
( sac of rubber bands
(n endorsement stamp and stamp pad
( supply of voucher slips
( supply of money ba!s
(n addin! machine
Two posta!e,paid envelopes, addressed to the church"
)mmediately after the worship service is over, a counter must pick up the offerin! from the
plates on the communion table" It is important that these plates not be out of the counter's
sight once the service ends.
#ick up additional money from:
coffee donations
a plate on the piano in the choir room
an envelope in the front of the bottom drawer of the secretarys desk
envelopes locked in the top drawer of the counters file in the $nd floor choir closet"
/oull need key number 7 to unlock the upstairs hall door, alon! with keys 19 and 19( to enter
the choir closet and the lockable counters file"
*irst counter:
Sort out all identified pled!e money includin! envelopes, loose checks, and cash" There
must be a voucher identifyin! each payer"
0se the pled!e envelope as the voucher when furnished, makin! certain that the name,
amount, and check number are on the envelope"
1ake out a voucher form for each pled!e payment not accompanied by an envelope"
)f a check includes a pled!e payment and another payment, e"!" per capita, make out a
voucher form for each purpose and destroy the envelope"
(ssemble the money in one pile and the vouchers 2 envelopes in another pile" 3eep both
piles in the same se4uence"
Second counter:
5ather all non,pled!e money"
1ake out a voucher form for each check notin! name, address, amount, check number 6or
C(S.7 and the purpose of the payment"
1ake out a voucher form for each accumulation of cash, e"!" coffee money, loose
collections, church school, etc"
1" Combine piles of checks and vouchers keepin! in the same se4uence"
$" Combine all cash"
-" Combine all pled!e vouchers 2 envelopes and all other voucher forms" 8o not shuffle these,
they will then be in the same se4uence as the checks in case you have to reconfirm your
totals"
9" %un a tape on all checks and sub,total"
:" (dd bills and coins and total for your deposit slip"
;" Staple this tape to the treasurers copy of the deposit slip"
7" %un a tape on all envelopes 2 voucher forms" )f the tapes fail to balance, recheck your work
until they do"
<" =undle all envelopes 2 voucher forms with their tape" This !oes to the church secretary"
9" >ndorse all checks with the rubber stamp in the counters kit"
1+" %eturn the offerin! plates to the back of the sanctuary"
11" #lace checks, cash, ori!inal deposit slip, and one church,addressed envelope in a money ba!
and bind it with a rubber band"
1$" Take the money ba!, the ni!ht depository key, and the second church,addressed envelope to
the bank"
1-" 8rop the money into the ni!ht depository"
19" #ut the key into the envelope, seal it, and drop it in a mailbo'"
Your Church Voucher Form_______________________________________
Payor ___________________________________ Account Number ___________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Amount $ _________________________
For ___________________________________ Chec! No" _________________________
___________________________________ #ills _________________________
___________________________________ Coins _________________________
5race,Trinity Church, 1inneapolis