ASSET Support Services

The Community Accountancy Service at Voluntary Action Lewisham is free for charities and non-profit organisations working within the borough. This includes social enterprise organisations and community groups.  We have considerable experience of working with voluntary and community groups and understand the pressures and challenges faced by this sector.  We can support you at all stages of your organisation’s growth. For example:
 
Setting up a new community group

• an overview of financial implications and responsibilities
• writing a business plan
• creating budgets and forecasts to support funding applications

Getting going

• financial awareness training for your management committee
• support and training for treasurers
• developing a financial controls policy
• help with setting up basic bookkeeping systems
• how to monitor your cashflow
• record-keeping and reports for funders
• preparing year end financial statements 

As the organisation grows

• employing staff – from payscales to payroll
• preparing for audit or independent examination
• advice on choosing and setting up computerised accounts packages
• budgeting for full cost recovery
• support for lone finance workers and non-financial managers

Financial Health Checks
One of the ways we can help you assess the strength of your financial management is by doing a Financial Health Check for your organisation. This is a simple questionnaire which looks at the four key areas of

• financial controls
• record-keeping
• budgeting and financial planning
• financial reporting

After completing the questionnaire with the Community Accountant we can help you identify priority areas for improvement,devise an action plan and help you implement it by providing model documents and policies, bookkeeping templates, information and referrals to specialist agencies, one-to-one advice and support, and access to our in-house or public training courses.

Our newsletter, ASSET News, goes out once a year.  See the previous page - Community Accountancy - for the last ASSET Newsletter with information on Reserves Policies and free budgeting software.