The Role of Chapter Treasurer

The role of a treasurer is without a doubt one of the most important in the chapter. It is critical that the chapter treasurer be conscientious and have good systems in place; otherwise the chapter is at serious risk. This simple checklist is intended to help new treasurers understand the key functions of the role, but please keep in mind that every chapter is different so it’s critical to cater a comprehensive checklist to those realities, which might include such things as state or local filing requirements.

As a new treasurer, you will want to discuss the responsibilities and expectations of your position.  Customizing a position description is helpful to guide your efforts but also to archive in chapter legacy documents for succeeding treasurers (example position description).

Among the treasurer responsibilities and tasks are:

• When starting out, confer with the chapter president and outgoing treasurer to ask for lessons learned and make sure the signatories on the chapter bank account are current.
• The chapter treasurer must read and become familiar with the 2015 Policy on Financial and Property Controls and ensure the chapter is in compliance. Most critically:
  • That at least one member of the chapter’s board (who is not able to withdraw funds) is acting as the financial reviewer – reviewing on a monthly basis each of the chapter’s bank account records and the records of any debit or credit card transactions.
  • That the chapter keeps a current written inventory of all personal property in excess of $200 in value that the chapter owns.
  • That the chapter has a process in place to keep any restricted donations restricted for the purpose which the donor intended.
• With the chapter executive committee, become familiar with and understand TU’s risk management and insurance limitations and ensure the chapter is compliant – from the limitations of our 501c3 to liquor liability.
• Ensure the chapter president lists you as the new treasurer on the chapter officer roster and chapter contact information in the Leaders Only Tools section of tu.org. This is critical as it allows you to access the Annual Financial Report, among other things.
• Ensure the chapter Annual Financial Report is filed in the Leaders Only Tools section of tu.org within 45 days of the close of the fiscal year. To file this report, the treasurer will be asked a series of questions that aren’t all financial related (e.g volunteer hours). It is strongly recommended that the treasurer get assistance from other volunteers to help track these sorts of metrics throughout the year to make filing easier.
• File required Forms with the IRS each year. Questions about the correct Form 990 to file? Please visit: www.irs.gov or TU’s online resources for financial management and reporting.
• Particularly if your chapter is large enough to file a Form 990, ensure that you have the proper controls in place such as a conflict of interest form, document retention form, whistle blower policy and that you’ve shared the Form 990 with your entire chapter board.
• With the Executive Committee, develop, approve and track a budget of chapter expenses and revenues each fiscal year.
• Ensure that your chapter is set up with an electronic funds transfer (EFT) with the national office of TU to ensure delivery of the chapter rebate or an Embrace A Stream grant.
• Ensure donations to your chapter are properly acknowledged.
• Consider appointing an assistant treasurer, possibly the financial reviewer, such that you are transferring knowledge to a successor at an early stage and getting help with administrative tasks.