The following Description of Duties, taken from the NETA Handbook, give information for both the Treasurer and the Alternate.
Treasurer
Summary: : the Treasurer keeps financial records for the area and reports regularly to the assembly and area committee. The Treasurer is responsible for submitting a proposed budget and encouraging contributions support for area and GSO services and serves as Chair of the NETA Finance Committee.
Qualifications: the office holder should be a responsible person with a solid period of sobriety (4-5 years). He/she should be organized enough to keep good records and some accounting, bookkeeping experience and basic computer skills are useful. Otherwise the person elected may need help in setting up a system, and possibly some clerical assistance. Persuasiveness, firmness and diplomacy will help the treasurer do the job.
Duties:
- As directed by the area assembly, conduct all financial activities of the area in coordination with the Finance Committee.
- Chair the Finance Committee and call Finance Committee meetings.
- Receive original copies of bank statements for the operating account and prudent reserve account. Provide copies of the operating account and prudent reserve account statements to the Alternate Treasurer and Area Chairperson each month and/orhave the following readily available online at any time for the Alt. Treasurer, chairperson and CPA: Online bank statements, Financial reports and Treasurer’s reports.
- Draft an annual budget for presentation to the Finance Committee and area committee for assembly approval. Serve as financial advisor to the area to encourage prudent management of funds and adherence to the approved budget.
- Collect 7th Tradition donations from groups, members, committees and assemblies and regularly deposit the funds in the area checking account. Have the 7th Tradition spreadsheet readily available online at any time for the Alt. Treasurer, chairperson and CPA. When receiving the 7th Tradition checks, the following is a recommended process for keeping track of the funds: a. If cash is received at an assembly or area committee meeting, provide a receipt for the case from the receipt book to the issuer b. Write down the date, check #, amount, and group name on each envelope as the checks are received c. Copy each check as a group, record the total # of checks deposited, and attach the bank deposit slip to the copies. Add this to the binder of bank records. d. Log each separate check or cash by its contributor (group, person, district, event, etc.) into the 7th Tradition spreadsheet under a new date of deposit column. e. Maintain a running total of all deposits.
- Maintain bank accounts for the deposit and disbursement of area funds and ensure that multiple signatories are required for the withdrawal and disbursement of funds. Two signatures are required at all times for the NETA operating checking account: Treasurer and Alt. Treasurer. A third person, the Chairperson is also required to be on the bank signature card. This third person will step in to sign checks should there be a problem with either the Treasurer or Alt. Treasurer.
- Ensure that check disbursement and signing is in accordance with the Northeast Texas Area Policies and Procedures.
- Disburse funds by check to pay area bills and distribute budget allocations.
- Make annual contributions to the General Service Office to support the General Service Conference according to the current budget.
- Make disbursements for the Delegate, Alternate Delegate and Area Chairperson to attend the Southwest Regional Forum, the Southwest Region Delegates Assembly and the Southwest Regional AA Service Assembly.
- Report to the area committee and assemblies on the state of area contributions and expenses.
- Maintain and report on the area prudent reserve account with the amount range in the prudent reserve authorized by the assembly.
- Disburse general expense funds approved in the budget for area officers and service committee chairs.
- Provide an end of year final expenditure report at the Spring Assembly that includes an accounting of all receipts or budgeted line items including funds advanced or paid to area officers and committee chairs and excess amounts owed to the NETA 65 Treasury.
- Advise districts and groups on proven principles of the Traditions and guidelines for financial management of funds.
- Ensure the timely filing of tax forms as required by law (i.e., federal and state). Make sure that the end of year reports showing all income and expenses as well as the Quicken file are provided to the NETA CPA as directed, but no later than the Spring Assembly. The Treasurer will approve and sign the Federal Tax Form 990 when completed by the CPA. The Tax return is due May 5th. The Tax Return should be made available to those who would like to review it.
- Secure an address or PO Box where mail is received securely such as at a business address or into a locked mail receptacle.
- As per Panel 65 additions to the NETA Polices & Procedures, the Treasurer is to receive bank statements and financial reports on a quarterly basis from any other NETA checking account as maintained by any of the Standing Committee Chairs: At this time, this includes Archives Committee, Convention Committee, and Corrections Committee along with its Orange Can contributions.
- Download and save all bank statements on a monthly basis for all accounts. This includes the Archives, Convention, Correction Committees as well as the Operating Account and the Prudent Reserve.
- During Panel 67, the Treasurer took control over the funds for the Orange Can and the Corrections. ALL NETA 65 Contributions are now mailed directly to the Treasurer including any funds for the Corrections /Orange Can. If the check is noted to be for Corrections or Orange Can it is deposited into the Corrections Acct. All checks and deposits are handled as for the NETA65 Operating account.
- Contributions designated Orange Can/Corrections are logged into a spreadsheet by Group and by deposit date.
- The deposit is then recorded by same date into Quicken in the Corrections Checking Acct.
- A digital copy of all the checks is saved by deposit date.
- An Orange Can report tracks both deposits and expenses. Expenses are found online in the account statement. This statement is then provided to the Chair. The Chair is responsible for saving receipts for the books purchased and being able to provide that to you upon request. e. After each deposit (monthly or bi-monthly) a PDF of the report is provided to the Corrections Chair.
- The Treasurer is to receive bank statements and financial reports on a quarterly basis from any other NETA checking account as maintained by any of the Standing Committee Chairs: Archives Committee, Convention Committee, and Corrections Committee along with its Orange Can contributions.
Area-Specific Duties of the Alternate Treasurer:
- Maintain oversight of area officers and committee chairs expense reports (including comparative accounting of funds dispersed vs. actual expenses and collection of receipts for expenses).
- Collect receipts from all officers and chairs that have a budget. Provide assistance on how to fill out the expense reports. a. Prepare a comparative accounting report of funds dispersed vs. actual expenses reported, for as stated above for use by the treasurer in: drafting proposed annual budgets b. providing quarterly assembly reports c. final accounting report for prior calendar year at each Spring Assembly d. filing tax forms.
- Inform the Treasurer as soon as feasible if an area officer or committee chair has not submitted an expense report within the time set forth in the NETA 65 Policies and Procedures.
- Serve as a signatory for the area operating checking account.
- Prepare and distribute NETA 65 contribution envelopes and GSO contribution and Birthday Plan envelopes at assemblies and area committee meetings.
- Serve on the NETA 65 Finance Committee.