Why do we need to move to the new finance system?

Everyone needs to transition to the new finance system to ensure that Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT complies with new Governance, Financial, legislative and Child protections Policies in Girl Guides and Australia. We need to ensure that we meet all the necessary Financial Regulations around the Charity & GST registrations. If we do not have everyone on the new system, we are at risk of losing our Charity Status.

Is there a time frame you want the transition done by?

Transition has commenced in most regions. Our last region, Southern Sydney Rivers is commening early June. Please read the transition information to get ready so we can get you started quickly. our aim is to have everyone in transition by June 30, 2023.

Who do I ask for help?

Your Region Volunteer Champion(s) are the best people to ask, or use the contact page to get in touch with the FTP team.

What is the Region Volunteer Champion Role?

The Region Volunteer Champion(s) are the people in your region who have been appointed by the Region Manager to assist you with the new finance system. It may be a member of your region team, or even your Region Manager/Asst Region Manager, or it may be someone else in the region. In most cases your RVC will be someone with a high level of financial knowledge and they will be able to help you understand the new system.

What Bookkeeping System is being used?

We are using Xero for our Financial System. All the forms on your region website have been created using JotForms.

If all the districts’ funds are in one bank account, how do we know how much belongs to each unit/support group?

Separate tracking ensures unit and support balances are maintained within Xero (Our Bookkeeping System) for each unit/support group can be easily see on the reports each month.

What security precautions are being used?

We are GDPR compliant. We have also bought the minimum amount of information regarding children into the accounting system, to maintain a Child Safe Child Friendly environment.

Do we retain our own bank accounts or are all Guide funds in one Guide Bank account?

Yes! each District and/or campsite retains their own bank account and has full access to it. If your district and/or campsite has more than one account, these will need to be combined during the transition process. For Westpac accounts, a nominated region team member and our Volunteer Liaison must be added to the account to connect it into Xero for reconciliation and reporting. For other banks, the arrangements will varying according to the bank. Where possible you will need a region team member.

If there is one account per district does that mean support group and units need to be together into one (1) account?

Yes, in the one account, but separate balances are maintained. You can easily see the split of costs between support group and units on the reports. Everything it itemised. we can report from region level all the way down to an individual member.

Sounds like it will be one person to deal with all money matters per unit is that correct?

No. Anyone from the District can complete a form for an activity, expense payment or invoice payment. The DM approves payments. The transitions are handled in bulk with payments being made from the region finance account, and then a regular reimbursement back to the region from the district bank account occurs. Income and expenses are tracked at a unit/support group etc level. Money matters is replaced by the reports that are provided monthly to the DM to share with others in the district.

Who will have access to Xero, Bank Accounts and Reports - DM's?

DMs will have reports provided to them on a regular basis but won't have direct access to Xero. Access to the bank accounts will be maintained as per arrangements now. Your Region Volunteer Champion(s) will have access to the region Xero file to assist with ad-hoc requests for information.

Do we need to change our Bank Account to Westpac?

No. We can bring any bank into the system. Depending on the bank the arrangements for connecting to Xero will vary and if you use a small localised bank you may need to provide us with a transaction listing each month.

How do I download the bank statements?

You should be able to download the statements from online banking or if you have a paper copy you could take a photo of it or scan it and upload that to your transition information form. if you have given our Volunteer Liaison access to your account, then you can just add the most recent bank statement to the transition form & we can get the rest.

Do we retain our own bank accounts or are all Guide funds in a HQ Guide Bank Account?

Yes! each District and/or campsite retains their own bank account and has full access to it. If your district and/or campsite has more than one account, these will need to be combined during the transition process. Where possible, a nominated region team member and/or our state Volunteer Liaison should be added to the account to connect it into Xero for reconciliation and reporting.

If there is one account per district. Does that mean the support group and units need to be together into 1 account?

Yes, in the one account, but separate balances are maintained. All transactions are coded so it is easy to tell with reporting where costs/deposits are attributed.

How soon after we complete a District Transition Information form can we begin to use the new system?

You can start using the new system straight away.

Do we need to setup a new bank account?

No. we bring one account from the district into the new system and ask you to transfer the balances from the other accounts into it. Individual unit balances are tracked in Xero.

How long will it take for my district to be transitioned?

Once we have all information and the bank feed has commenced, we aim to have each district loaded into the new system within a week. Due to the volume of districts transitioning at the moment, it may take some time for us to reconcile everything and get your first set of reports to you. During the transition we will be contact with you if we need any extra information. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

When a parents make a deposit does the system automatically send them a receipt (assuming system must have their email address)?

No. Their bank will issue them with a transaction receipt. Statements as to what the parents have paid for can be issued to the parents if they request. Please chat to your Region Volunteer Champion if you would like to explore in more detail.

If a parent pays for an event, that gets cancelled and wants to add the money to fees can it be done? or does it need to be refunded and fee paid separately?

Yes! A credit note is created & then parents are offered the choice of a refund or keeping it in their account to be applied to the next invoice.

So, do we still need to hand write receipts for parents?

We don't need to hand write receipts if we are receiving electronic funds. Term fees and support fees are invoiced to parents centrally. Other amounts for camp, etc can be deposited into the bank account and reconciled. Statements as to what the parents have paid for can be issued to the parents if they request. Please chat to your RCV if you would like to explore in more detail.

What if we have a parent who pays weekly by direct deposit. Is there a provision for this?

Yes, you would just need to note it to the Bookkeeping team so that they know it is happening. Each deposit will be allocated to the oldest invoice.

Does the system produce tax receipts for parents?

No. Tax receipts can only be issued by the Region Treasurer/Manager or State. Parent contributions are not tax deductible as they are not voluntary.

If a parent or community member/group makes a voluntary donation direct to your bank account, contact your region treasurer to find out how to get a receipt.

Can I request that a guide is not invoiced or has a reduced invoice?

Yes, At the beginning of each term the District Manager is sent a list of all girls to check before invoices are sent out. Any that are not to be sent an invoice can be marked as such. The same for any who you wish to give a reduction in fees to.

My district has annual/semester fees. Why am I being sent a list to check for invoicing each term?

To ensure that any girls who join during the previous term are issued with Pro-rata invoices for the remainder of the year/semester.

How do I arrange for a new guide to be invoiced mid-term?

Send an email to your Region Volunteer Champion(s) at your region finance email address. Tell them who needs to be invoiced, their unit & what you would like them to be invoiced. Once the new member has membership, the RVC will arrange for their contact details to be added into the finance system & send the request on to the bookkeepers.

How do I notify bookkeeping that our fees have changed?

Use the notification of incoming funds form. In the Type of incoming funds drop down box select “Membership Unit and/or Support Group Fees Update (200 / 201)” and complete the details as requested on the form.

How about if parents pay for 2 things in one deposit eg term fee + activity.

This isn’t a problem. If the description on the transaction is clear, the bookkeepers will be able to correctly allocate it. If they are unsure, they will ask you for assistance.

What is the app to scan invoices to upload them?

We use JotForm to automate the forms, it is easy to use and cost effective. If you are wanting to upload an invoice from your phone, then you can take a photo of it or scan it. CamScanner is a free app available on iPhone & Android that many have found useful.

Why are payments being made from a region account? Why can’t they be made from the district account?

We use a region account so that we can make batch payments and reduce everyones’ administration time.

With a batch payment we can upload a file to Westpac to make lots of payments from the same region in one transaction rather than having to do each one individually. The whole batch gets approved as if it was one payment.

To make the payments from each districts account would mean uploading a separate file for each district, in each region.

We then send a report monthly to each district that shows all transactions made by the region on their behalf and all deposits made into the region accounts that have been allocated to the district. If the district owes the region money, they are then asked to make a single payment to region to balance their report. If the district is in credit, as it won’t be long before more payments are made, it will carry forward to the next month.

What happens if we currently pay some invoices by direct debit (ie electricity, water). Does that continue?

Yes, that can continue. Please submit the invoices via the “send information to finance” form, with a note in the comments box to say it’s being paid by direct debit so that the bookkeepers can match the invoice to the payment when it happens.

Can we continue to pay bills via BPAY?

Yes, you can if you wish & submit the paperwork to us via the “Submit information to finance form”. however, we can also do these in bulk from the region account.

What’s the difference between reimbursements & invoices for payment?

A reimbursement is when we process a payment back to you (a DM, Leader, Volunteer or Parent) for something they already paid, such as craft items from Kmart or food from Coles etc…

When you have an UNPAID invoice that gets submitted differently, as we will pay the supplier directly, such as the electricity bill or an order for hall equipment.

What is the approval process?

All payments from Girl Guides go through a two step approval process. A Leader, Volunteer or Parent/Child submitting something for payment will be asked who their DM is for approval, when the DM approves it is forwarded to the accounts system. If a DM, ARM or RM, as well as where there are conflicts of interest like a DM related to the submitting person, submits something for payment then the approval goes through to another person on the Region or State team prior to coming to accounts.
The DM/Region Finance Team members, then check the claim & if they are happy with it, forward the email to the region ACCT email address to approve it.

Do I get a notification email?

Anyone submitting a form also receives a copy of the form and attachments (such as invoices/receipts) that they have submitted for their records. Accounts and the Approver also receive a copy as part of the process. We also send a remittance advice to the person/business we have paid when we process the payment in Accounts. Sometimes this advice will go to a DM so they know the payment has been made (such as a power bill).

What if a payment needs to be paid urgently?

Please advise if a payment is urgent and cannot wait until the payments we make each week. If so we will make the payment or advise the people with bank administration in your District to make the payment immediately.

Why do I get so many different reports?

Everyone’s needs are different so we started out by providing a full set of financial reports each month

WHAT ARE ALL THE REPORTS?

The DM & Leader report pack includes various reports for the District, including:

Profit & Loss for each month and the Year to Date

Balance Sheet - this shows the bank balance and other assets of your District such as IBF balances and even assets you have in the Region Account at the time.

Account Transactions - for the past month. You can check this to ensure we’ve coded items correctly and who has been paid or paid your District in the past month.

Cash Summary - for each unit, including the Support Group. This tells you how much of the total amount in District bank account is available for each Unit. This is where you find your Unit Balance, and we can walk you through this if you have queries.

Accounts Payable - shows you which bills are still outstanding in your District at the end of the month (EOM).

Accounts Receivable - shows you any outstanding amounts from invoices to the Youth as well as Hall Hire and any other amounts owing to the District.

Sample reports with annotations are available on the training page.

How do I find how much money my unit/support group has?

See the Cash Summary report above. This tells you and we can show you on the report where to find it.

What happens with reports being provided on a regular basis when there is no district manager? We have one leader in the district who is across all the accounts and should get the reports.

The reports can go to all Leaders / others nominated

Will you be able to reconcile to the bank statement and how does that work?

Yes! it is reconciled for you to the bank statement and that report is available.

Do we send a copy of the bank statement each month sent to you as well?

If a region finance team member has access to your bank accounts, they can download the electronic bank statement and provide to the bookkeepers. If they don’t have access, they may ask you to download it & save it in a shared folder or email it to them.

How do I arrange a refund for someone who is no longer attending an event due to illness?

You can use the Refund-Cancellation form & put the details in the “Refund Related to” box. The bookkeepers will then issue a credit note & then offer parents the choice of a refund or keeping it on their account to be applied to the next invoice.

If a parent pays for an event, that gets cancelled and wants to add the money to fee can it be done? or does it need to be refunded and fee paid separately?

Yes. When you notify the bookkeepers that an event has been cancelled, they will access the list of all those who have paid, create a credit note

Do all refunds/credit notes need to be settled by the end of the year?

No, they can be carried forward. Should someone decide not to return the following year, notify the bookkeepers and they will contact the parents to offer them a refund.

Do we have an estimate on the hall hire form?

We are nearly there and fingers crossed for an early 2023 release, currently we are in testing.

So what happens when a previous hirer stops?

You notify the bookkeepers and they will stop the invoicing

We only have casual hire, nothing ongoing, how do we do this?

There is a casual hall hire form also. If it is short notice, ie booking the night before, then you can ask them to deposit the $ and the bookkeepers can reconcile the deposit.

How will our Investment Building Fund accounts be integrated into the system? Will we get reports? Will we be able to access funds in the accounts using the forms?

We can add the IBF balances into the Xero system for your Region and they will then be visible on the District reports. The IBF access process remains the same.

How do I get my event added to this page?

Email your Region Finance Team and have your event added. Just let us know if you’d like a link to your District email address, a form or other information. We can also include a ‘downloadable’ file with all the information about your event. The finance email is your Region (CVR, NSR, SSRR…) as a prefix to ‘Finance’ i.e. CVRFinance@girlguides-nswactnt.org.au

Can I have a form created to collect RSVPs & payments for an event?

Yes, whilst this function is not widely available yet in the meantime you can email your Region Finance Team and have your event added, with forms & payment coming soon. The finance email is your Region (CVR, NSR, SSRR…) as a prefix to ‘Finance’ i.e. NPCRFinance@girlguides-nswactnt.org.au

Who is doing the bookkeeping and administration?

We have bookkeepers who are employed by GGA NSW,ACT & NT to assist. Their role is to assist you with all things finance and reduce your workload. The bookkeeping email is your Region (CVR, NSR, SSRR…) as a prefix to ‘Bookkeeping’ i.e. NSRBookkeeping@girlguides-nswactnt.org.au