ECCU Blog

Did you know that we found a direct correlation between a ministry becoming financially distressed and maintaining adequate cash reserves? Certainly makes sense that if you have a buffer, your ministry is less likely to focus on survival. So why don’t more ministries maintain adequate reserves?

Just as in our personal lives, putting money aside takes intentionality and discipline. Helping a ministry understand why cash reserves are so important is a first step in this process. Here are the three main reasons a ministry needs to maintain cash reserves:

Cash Flow Fluctuation. Revenues and expenses don’t always match up (or come in and go out at the same time). For example, many ministries will get a significant amount of donations at year-end and need to rely on those funds to pay expenses that occur during the remainder of the year.
Unplanned Events. We all know “things” happen that we haven’t planned. Even the best prepared budgets don’t anticipate everything that might occur. Having cash reserves set aside is critical to being able to cover these items when they occur.
Potential Opportunities. What opportunities, if presented, would you want the ability to act on immediately? To take advantage of a God-given opportunity, you will most likely need access to some funds before you have time to raise them.

Just as each ministry’s mission is unique, the appropriate amount of cash reserves is also unique to each ministry. It takes discipline to determine your ministry’s needs. Start now, or you may experience unnecessary pain and risk troublesome problems that could have been prevented.

Check out our white paper Cash Reserves: How Much Is Enough? It will help your ministry determine what level of cash reserves is appropriate for your ministry.

I wonder how many ministries had to replace their air conditioning systems during this summer of record-breaking heat. Maybe yours is one of them. 

Did you have enough liquid funds to cover that expense, or did you have to come up with those funds another way? Maybe a special fundraising effort, a loan from your financial institution, or “borrowing” funds from another area of ministry?                                 

Even if we do all the scheduled maintenance, things like AC systems and roofs and parking lots and carpeting eventually need to be repaired or replaced. Unfortunately, these expenses create an emergency for many ministry organizations because they don’t have funds set aside for them. 

This is why you need a replacement reserve fund. It’s simply good stewardship of capital assets to have an account that’s specifically earmarked for the upkeep of your property, building, and contents. 

Are you unsure how to calculate the appropriate replacement reserves? Here’s a good starting point: 

1. List all the items your ministry must maintain or eventually replace.
2. Identify how long each item was expected to last when it was new (useful life in years).
3. Determine the remaining life of each item (again in years).
4. Determine how much it would cost to replace each item today.

By conducting this type of inventory, you can calculate how much should be in your replacement reserve fund today and how much to add to it each year. Better yet, you’ll avoid jeopardizing important ministry to pay for unexpected facilities expenses. 

Need some help? We created a replacement reserves calculator tool that performs these calculations for you. (There’s no charge to use it.) 

Have unexpected facilities expenses negatively impacted your ministry? Or have you been able to avoid situations like that because you have had a replacement reserve fund? Post a comment and tell us your story.

To help you know what to expect if you attend the upcoming 2011 Financial Forum for Ministries, I’ve asked each of the presenters what they’ll be covering. Next up is George Martin, CLU with HUB International Insurance Services. His session is titled, “Slaying the Cost Dragon.” 

MBG: How will your presentation help attendees better serve their ministries?

George: My presentation will give information and ideas to those responsible for their ministries’ benefits programs so that their benefits costs might be more predictable, reasonable, and easier to budget for. 

MBG: What are three important takeaways attendees will learn during your presentation?

George: First will be to think differently about the design of medical plans. Second, we will talk about selling the “We’re all in this together” mindset and teaching employees how to be better consumers of healthcare. Finally, people will learn how to use the new benefit plans to project future costs to their ministries.                                                                                                      

MBG: What is one suggestion you’d offer to help attendees gain the most from this learning experience?

George: Come with an open mind. The plan designs are different, but they have worked very well for many organizations. 

MBG: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing ministries today?

George: Ministries, like all non-profit organizations, typically pay lower wages than other businesses with which they compete for employees. Therefore, most of the secular and non-secular non-profit organizations we work with want to be sure that their benefits packages are as strong as possible. The struggle is how to keep the benefits strong but still affordable to both the ministry and the employees in any economic situation, especially the current one. 

What is the biggest challenge you face regarding benefits packages for your ministry staff?

Yes, this is a blog post about the IRS. So, understandably, I’m afraid I might lose you before we even begin. Please don’t check out too soon, though, because here’s the bottom line: The IRS actually has a new program designed to save you hassle and money. 

Good, you’re still reading. Now let’s talk about why this program might be important to your ministry. 

In the nonprofit world, especially in churches, it isn’t uncommon to find misclassification of workers—usually meaning an employee is mistakenly classified as an independent contractor. Why is it a problem? According to the IRS, “Employers who misclassify workers as independent contractors can end up with substantial tax bills. Additionally, they can face penalties for failing to pay employment taxes and for failing to file required tax forms.” 

The new IRS program allows employers to resolve past worker classification mix-ups. By making a minimal payment to cover past payroll tax obligations, employers can come back into compliance rather than waiting for a dreaded and painful IRS audit. 

If your ministry is eligible for this new program, you can obtain substantial relief from past-due federal payroll taxes. Once accepted into the program, you will pay an amount effectively equaling just over one percent of the wages paid to the reclassified workers for the past year. No interest or penalties are due, and you will not be audited on payroll taxes related to these workers for prior years. 

(Need help determining if you have classification mix-ups? In a blog post I wrote addressing the issue last year, I included a resource from the IRS to help distinguish employees from independent contractors.) 

There you have it. If you discover your ministry has employees who are classified as independent contractors, take advantage of this program to avoid hassle and expense and get into compliance. After all, how often does the IRS try to make things easier for you?

What is the one area that we see derail more ministries than any other? I’m sure you’ve already guessed that it has little to do with macro economic conditions or the weather.

In good times and bad, the area that poses the greatest threat to ongoing success in ministry is a loss (or perceived loss) of integrity.

Here are three steps you can take to ensure that your ministry keeps—and strengthens—its financial integrity.

1. Create an involved finance committee. When I meet with churches, the norm is a conversation with the senior pastor and a bookkeeper—the best have a competent and involved team of people who work together to ensure checks and balances.
2. Hire an outside CPA. If your ministry has more than $500,000 in annual income, we recommend that you minimally have a CPA compilation every year, and I’d suggest a CPA review as well.
3. Communicate with your congregation or donors. Stay in regular contact with updates about the financial condition of the ministry. This not only ensures that they understand and can hold leadership accountable, but also makes it easier to ask for additional giving when it’s needed.

Of course, it helps to find a financial institution that is aligned with your values and works to preserve your financial integrity (Hey, I can’t resist…this is important!). Look for product offerings that reinforce your commitment to integrity (like ECCU’s Positive Pay, which ensures that every check your ministry writes is verified for the same amount when it hits your account), or services like our ministry banking assessments to keep your financial strategies on track.

Bottom line: Accountability is king. The more safety nets you have in place, the less likely you are to fall.

What does your ministry do to protect financial integrity? Please leave a comment and share your practices with our readers.