Is your church vulnerable to fraud?One-third of all congregations experience theft, but researchers estimate 80 percent of cases go unreported and expect church financial fraud to reach $60 billion by 2025. Those are staggering statistics, but sadly this is a common problem that most church leadership prefer to ignore. "Not in our fellowship," they resolutely affirm. However, no individual is immune to temptation and studies show that the number one deterrent is fear of getting caught. The vast majority (87%) of the perpetrators have never been charged with fraud or embezzlement before.Pastors, elders, and trustees have an obligation to safeguard their ministry and shepherd the flock. This includes practices and procedures that prevent an easy stumble down the slippery slope of creative bookkeeping and skimming the church offering. Preventing Fraud in Church Accounting is a quick read for busy leadership. It exposes the problem and outlines the basics of the solution, including options for taking action. It's the perfect primer to educate the senior pastor or the young volunteer. It even includes a free confidential analysis of your church's financial status quo.The first step to a solution is knowledge, but the education process can seem overwhelming. Not with this short book. It can be read together in one committee meeting and will guide leadership to:* Examine two major problems with pastors functioning as Chief Financial Officer* Recognize three categories of fraud and how they apply to churches and nonprofits* Learn the types of internal controls that will decrease the risk of theft* Understand how the budget creation and review process creates accountability for ministry leaders* Explore what a full accounting plan of formal financial processes and reports entailsPastors, board members, treasurers, and anyone concerned about the safety of their ministry and mission can't afford to NOT read this book.

Integrity at Stake: Safeguarding Your Church from Financial Fraud by Rollie Dimos is a financial resource book intended for pastors, church leaders, and church administrators. Dimos' expertise as a certified fraud examiner and internal auditor provides the church audience with essential tools and know-how to assess their financial processes. Including practical steps for evaluation, Integrity at Stake details internal controls, risk management, and true stories to help church leaders reduce the risk of fraud and increase financial accountability and integrity.

The must-have reference guide for small and growing churches to understand church accounting basics in a reader-friendly format has been updated and expanded!CPA Lisa London and premier church accounting blogger, Vickey Richardson, help you understand what you need to know to manage the finances and keep your religious organization out of trouble with the IRS.Topics include how to:?Meet the IRS definition of a church?Determine whether to file for a 501c3 or not?Organize and retain accounting records?Establish controls to keep the money safe and guard against errors?Record and acknowledge donations of cash, stock, vehicles, in-kind, and more?Setup and maintain a benevolence fund?Create an accountable reimbursement plan?Handle mortgage payments?Calculate and file payroll?Structure pastor payroll and housing allowances?Budget for the next year?Recognize if you owe Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) ?How to fill out the 990N and 990EZ,?And so much more.Lisa London CPA is the author of The Accountant Beside You series of resources for the non-accountants in nonprofits, religious organizations, and small businesses to understand their accounting needs. She has decades of experience in auditing and consulting large and small organizations.Vickey Richardson is the founder and manager of Vickey's Bookkeeping, Inc., an accounting firm specializing in assisting churches. She is best known for her popular website, FreeChurchAccounting.com.

A discussion of the importance of accountability and financial controls for nonprofits. Using real-life examples, the book provides practical ways to prevent fraud at non-profits.

Essential guidance on the new fair value rules for accounting managers, auditors, and fraud investigators Fair Value accounting is emerging as the next prime opportunity for financial statement fraud. Explaining the many complex applications of fair value accounting in the preparation of financial statements, Fair Value Accounting Fraud offers timely guidance on an up-and-coming issue as U.S. and international accounting rules pertaining to the use of fair value accounting continue to change. You'll find discussion of U.S. GAAP and IFRS rules on fair value accounting issues, highlighting the areas most vulnerable to fraud Explanations of 75 categories of fair value accounting fraud schemes Fraud risk checklist that you can put to immediate use Practical detection techniques useful for auditors, investigators and others who rely on financial statements Expert advice from Gerard Zack, CFE, CPA, author of Fraud and Abuse in Nonprofit Organizations: A Guide to Prevention and Detection Comparing US accounting standards to International Financial Reporting Standards-thereby making this book useful worldwide- Fair Value Accounting Fraud helps you understand the new rules and develop new auditing and investigative techniques to enable you to detect potential fraud.

Step-by-step guidance for board members and executives on preventing and detecting accounting fraud In the wake of highly publicized allegations of accounting irregularities and fraudulent financial reporting that are shaking up today's corporate community, Financial Fraud Prevention and Detection provides a step-by-step guide to how these crises can envelop a company and how to prevent them from happening in the first place. It is written for almost everyone involved: outside directors, audit committee members, senior executives, CFOs, CPAs, in-house lawyers, and outside law firms. Provides a blueprint for Fraud Prevention and Detection for corporate executives Presents step-by-step guidance to corporate boards and C-suite executives on managing the threat of accounting fraud Prepares directors and executives for the possibility of accounting irregularities Answers the question of how accounting fraud starts—and grows With solid strategies for prevention of accounting fraud as well as a process to follow when fraud has been discovered, Financial Fraud Prevention and Detection vividly explores the corporate environment that causes fraud, how it spreads, the kind of crises it can create for a company, and the best ways to deal with it.