Relay For Life Accounting Chair Guidebook
American Cancer Society Eastern Division
RelayForLife.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Table of Contents
WELCOME TO THE RELAY FOR LIFE COMMITTEE!...... 5
WHERE DO THE DOLLARS GO?...... 6
RELAY FOR LIFE OVERVIEW...... 9
WHAT IS RELAY FOR LIFE?...... 9 PHILOSOPHY – WHY WE RELAY ...... 9 WHY RELAY?...... 9 NATIONAL RELAY FOR LIFE EVENT STANDARDS...... 10 Overnight Event...... 10 Opening and Closing Ceremony...... 10 Luminaria Ceremony ...... 10 Survivorship Activities ...... 10 Mission Delivery...... 10 Team Registration/Commitment Fee ...... 10 Tobacco-Free Environment ...... 10 No Alcohol Allowed ...... 10 Follow National Text/Graphic Standards...... 11 NATIONAL RELAY FOR LIFE EVENT RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 11 Always Focus on Teams...... 11 Mentor Teams Through Time...... 11 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate ...... 11 Location, Location, Location...... 11 Length of Event...... 11 RELAY FOR LIFE ACROSS THE COUNTRY ...... 12 INTERNATIONAL RELAY FOR LIFE ...... 13 STEP 1 – RECOGNIZE YOUR COMMITMENT...... 14
JOB DESCRIPTION:ACCOUNTING CHAIR ...... 14 Responsibilities:...... 14 Support Provided...... 15 Staff & Volunteer Partnership ...... 15 YOUR ROLE ON THE RELAY PLANNING COMMITTEE...... 15 YOUR ROLE LEADING THE ACCOUNTING SUB-COMMITTEE ...... 16 SUGGESTED ROLE DELINEATIONS WITHIN THE ACCOUNTING SUB-COMMITTEE...... 17 Accounting Sub-Committee Chair: Systems and Planning...... 17 Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee Partner: Data and Tracking ...... 18 Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee Partner: Accounting/Finance ...... 18 PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT...... 20
SUGGESTED TIMELINE...... 23 Your Relay For Life!...... 25
2 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook STEP 2 – RECRUIT YOUR PARTNERS...... 26
FIND HELP…BUILD YOUR SUB-COMMITTEE...... 26 WHERE TO LOOK FOR HELP...... 26 DEFINING EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR SUB-COMMITTEE PARTNERS ...... 26 LEAD YOUR SUB-COMMITTEE WELL...... 27 ADDITIONAL DAY-OF-EVENT HELP FOR ACCOUNTING...... 27 Bank Night Volunteers...... 27 On-Site Relay Volunteers...... 27 STEP 3 – ESTABLISH A PLAN ...... 29
BUILDING AN ACCOUNTING PLAN...... 29 Data & Tracking Support Plan...... 29 Accounting & Finance Support Plan...... 30 YOUR ACTION PLAN ...... 33 STEP 4 – COMMUNICATE HOW YOUR SYSTEMS WORK...... 34
COMMUNICATION TO THE ENTIRE RELAY COMMITTEE...... 34 COMMUNICATION TO TEAM CAPTAINS AND PARTICIPANTS ...... 34 STEP 5 – COLLECTING FUNDS ...... 35
COLLECTING AND VERIFYING TEAM FUNDS...... 35 Tips for Verifying Team Funds ...... 36 BALANCE FUNDRAISING TOTALS...... 37 STAY ORGANIZED AND UP-TO-DATE...... 37 STEP 6 – BANK NIGHT ...... 38
PLANNING BANK NIGHT ...... 38 BANK NIGHT STATIONS ...... 38 TIPS FOR A SMOOTH BANK NIGHT EXPERIENCE ...... 39 MONEY COLLECTION AND TRACKING STATION AT BANK NIGHT...... 40 BANK NIGHT WRAP UP...... 40 STEP 7 – FOLLOW AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY EASTERN DIVISION ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES AND POLICIES...... 41
RELAY FOR LIFE ACCOUNTING BEST PRACTICES ...... 41 Bank Night:...... 41 Processing Contributions: ...... 42 Security ...... 42 RELAY FOR LIFE ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES...... 45 STEP 1: VERIFYING MONEY RECEIVED IN THE PARTICIPANT COLLECTION ENVELOPE:...... 45 STEP 2: PREPARING CASH AND CHECKS FOR DEPOSIT...... 46 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING CASH ...... 46 CASH DEPOSIT HEADER FORM PREPARATION...... 47 SAMPLE OF CASH DEPOSIT HEADER FORM...... 48 Cash Log...... 49 INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING CHECKS...... 50 CHECK DEPOSIT HEADER FORM PREPARATION ...... 51 SAMPLE OF CHECK DEPOSIT HEADER FORM ...... 52 CHECK LOG ...... 53 INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREDIT CARDS ...... 54 STEP 3: COMPLETING FEDEX FORMS ...... 55 STEP 8 – WRAP UP ...... 56
FINISH STRONG...... 56 THE IMPORTANCE OF THANK YOU NOTES ...... 56 ATTEND THE COMMITTEE WRAP-UP MEETING...... 56 LEAVING A LEGACY FOR FUTURE YEARS ...... 56
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 3 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook TOOLS, SAMPLES & EXAMPLES...... 58
RELAYFORLIFE.ORG...... 58 THE LINK...... 58 RELAY CENTRAL ...... 58 BE AN AWARD-WINNING RELAY!...... 59
4 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Welcome to the Relay For Life committee!
On behalf of the Eastern Division Relay For Life Business Unit, thank you for playing an integral role in the mission of the American Cancer Society. Together, we are saving lives and creating more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back.
Every role on the Relay For Life committee is an important one, and one person cannot do it alone. It takes about 12-16 people to create a good Relay; the more people on the committee the better the Relay! The most successful Relay For Life events in the country have committees with 20 members or more.
The Relay For Life committee is led by an Event Chair or Co-Chairs. The Chair or Co-Chairs act as project managers to ensure the rest of the committee are on track, have the resources they need to be successful, and that they are following up with assignments. Each sub-committee has a Chair and sub-committee members. The sub-committee Chair takes the lead by making plans, delegating responsibilities, and reporting both progress and obstacles to the full committee. The sub-committee members carry out the plans, accept assignments, and support the full committee.
There are some resources that you’ll want to keep handy throughout your term (usually 2 seasons) on the Relay For Life committee: This committee guidebook Relay Central – http://www.RelayForLife.org/NYNJ - a website with Eastern Division- specific information and resources RelayForLife.org – http://www.RelayForLife.org - a national website with information, video training, resources, blogs, forums, and more Regional Mini-Conference – check with your staff partner about upcoming trainings in your area
By joining the Relay For Life committee, you are leading your community – or campus – in the fight against cancer. You are taking responsibility for one aspect of the Relay For Life…one piece of the puzzle…to help ensure its overall success. The funds raised at Relay For Life help support the mission of the American Cancer Society. On the next few pages, you’ll read about the accomplishments that have been possible thanks to Relay For Life teams, participants, donors, and committee members – like you.
Again, we thank you and wish you success in your role on the Relay For Life committee! ~ The Relay For Life Business Unit
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 5 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Where Do the Dollars Go?
Stay well: We help you take steps to prevent cancer or detect at its earliest, most treatable stage.
The American Cancer Society's telephone counseling service, Quitline®, doubles a person's chances of quitting tobacco for good. Since 2000, we have helped 400,000 tobacco users by offering one-on-one support and customized quit tools We develop guidelines for nutrition and physical activity and cancer screenings so that you know how you can help prevent cancer, and what tests you need to find cancer early. We work with employers, health care systems, and communities throughout New York and New Jersey to create healthy environments that support healthy lifestyles. More than 800 companies nationwide are using Active For Life to make it easier for you to stay physically active and manage your weight. This year, we launched Choose to Change®, a counseling service for nutrition and weight management. We provide tips, tools, and online resources to help you set goals and stay motivated to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle. You can create a personalized health action plan to discuss with your doctor at cancer.org. Get well: We're in your corner round the clock to guide you through a cancer experience.
Our phone lines are open every minute of every day and night for people needing answers. Every year, we provide information, help, and support to nearly one million people who call us at 1.800.227.2345. We're a trusted resource for more than 23 million visitors to cancer.org each year who access the latest updates and news on cancer and listings of local programs and services. Through our clinical trials matching service, we connect patients with more than 64,000 treatment options. We offer a wide array of support services through regional offices in New York and New Jersey, including compassionate, knowledgeable patient navigators who provide one-on-one guidance in hospitals and treatment centers. Local survivorship programs such as Look Good… Feel Better, Reach to Recovery, and Man to Man provide hope to those going through cancer treatment. Our three Hope Lodges in Manhattan, Buffalo, and Rochester served nearly 3,000 patients and provided 27,000 free nights of lodging last year. Our nationwide network of 28 Hope Lodges helps more than 30,000 patients annually—saving families tens of millions of dollars in lodging by providing a free place to stay while going through treatment far from home.
6 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook We offer an online support community for cancer survivors and caregivers that has brought together more than 93,000 people since 2000. In 2009, we served nearly 41,000 patients in New York and New Jersey—more than ever before. We expanded our Eastern patient service center to better respond to needs.
Find cures: We're getting results by funding research that helps us understand cancer's causes, determine how best to prevent it, and discover new cures.
We have contributed to a 14 percent decrease in the cancer death rate since the early 1990s. That means about 650,000 deaths were avoided and more birthdays were celebrated. We've had a hand in nearly every major cancer breakthrough of the past century, such as confirming the link between cigarette smoking and cancer, establishing the link between obesity and multiple cancers, developing drugs to treat leukemia and advanced breast cancer, and showing that mammography is the most effective way to detect breast cancer. We're the largest non-governmental funder of cancer research in the United States, having spent more than $3.3 billion on cancer research since 1946. Last year, we funded 320 new research grants totaling $145 million. Nationwide, nearly $500 million in multi-year research grants are at work, and every discovery benefits our communities. We fund beginning researchers with cutting-edge ideas early in their careers—42 of whom have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, the highest accolade of scientific achievement. This year, we enrolled 500,000 participants in Cancer Prevention Study 3 at Relay For Life. The study is focused on how genetics, lifestyles, and environments affect cancer risk. American Cancer Society-funded researchers in prestigious institutions such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, University of Rochester, Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, and Roswell Park Cancer Center are innovators—scientists at the beginning of their careers. ACS-funded researchers have discovered breast cancer genes, Herceptin, and Gleevec. Last year, American Cancer Society-funded researcher Dr. Yibin Kang at Princeton University discovered a gene responsible for breast cancer metastasis in up to 40 percent of cases. A treatment can now be developed to block this gene's activity.
Fight back: We help pass laws that defeat cancer and rally communities to join the fight. People who live in New York and New Jersey are protected by smoke free laws, thanks in part to the efforts of the Society and our nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). New York and New Jersey have some of the lowest smoking rates and highest tobacco taxes, thanks to decades of work. We helped pass state laws ensuring that people have access to and coverage for lifesaving screenings and treatment. We have helped three million uninsured, underinsured, and low-income women get breast and cervical screening tests and follow-up treatment since 1991, and along with ACS CAN, we have successful fought for legislation protecting this care. We are fighting for health care reform that focuses on prevention, ends the practice of denying coverage because of preexisting conditions, limits the cost burden on families, and ensures coverage for all Americans. We are working for state laws requiring chain restaurants to post calories for standard food items to give consumers information to make healthier choices. We fought to ensure that cancer patients in chronic pain have better access to prescriptions
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 7 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook and relief. One in 100 Americans participates in one of the 5,000 American Cancer Society Relay For Life events across the globe, comprising the world's largest movement to end cancer. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer unites nearly 250,000 individuals—all who believe we can make breast cancer history—at 22 locations in New York and New Jersey
8 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Relay For Life Overview
What is Relay For Life?
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.
Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. No matter who you are, there’s a place for you at Relay. To participate, form a team, or dedicate a Luminaria at your local American Cancer Society Relay For Life, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to: Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight. Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing. Fight Back. We Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.
Philosophy – Why We Relay
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.
Why Relay?
One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. The funds raised at Relay save lives by funding cutting-edge cancer research, early detection and prevention education, advocacy efforts, and life-affirming patient services. It is because of your involvement that we are able to save lives, help those battling cancer, and empower all to fight back against the disease.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 9 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook National Relay For Life Event Standards
Overnight Event The American Cancer Society Relay For Life was originally created as a 24-hour event to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Someone who has cancer battles it 24 hours a day. Those Relays fewer than 24 hours in length (usually 12 to 18 hours) are still overnight. Overnight can be defined as sunset to sunrise.
Opening and Closing Ceremony Relays begin with an opening ceremony, which clearly emphasizes that Relay For Life is an American Cancer Society event. The opening ceremony includes an opening lap by cancer survivors that sets the tone for the entire event. The closing ceremony provides another opportunity for cancer survivors and their caregivers to walk the track and to celebrate their success.
Luminaria Ceremony Luminaria, paper sacks filled with sand to support a lighted candle, are a Relay For Life tradition. The Luminaria Ceremony is often referred to as the Ceremony of Hope. It is a time to remember people we have lost to cancer, to support people who currently have cancer, and to honor people who have fought cancer in the past. The power of this ceremony lies in providing an opportunity for people to work through grief and find hope.
Survivorship Activities Survivorship activities include hosting a reception, as well as giving a special recognition memento to survivors (a sash, pin, or special shirt). Additional survivorship activities are encouraged.
Mission Delivery Educational activities at Relay result in greater awareness of cancer prevention and early detection methods. Relay supporters have evolved into year-round collaborative partners who promote cancer awareness and programs before, during, and after Relay.
Team Registration/Commitment Fee Teams that pay a commitment fee are more likely to follow through on their participation and fundraising. If nothing else, the commitment fee covers the costs of printing the registration materials and other event overhead costs. There is no nationally recommended amount, although many Relays charge $10 a person or $150 a team.
Tobacco-Free Environment A tobacco-free environment does not mean banning smokers/chewers. Rather, we encourage their participation but prohibit their use of tobacco during the event.
No Alcohol Allowed Relay For Life is a family event and often held on school property; therefore, alcohol is always prohibited.
10 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Follow National Text/Graphic Standards All national text/graphic standards for Relay must be adhered to. (The American Cancer Society Relay For Life Standards manual can be ordered by your staff partner from the shared services fulfillment center – product number 7542.24.)
National Relay For Life Event Recommendations
Caregiver ceremony Sponsorships Team and individual incentives Expense ratio of 10 percent Communication/newsletters Team captain/leader meetings Bank nights
Always Focus on Teams Emphasis should be placed on encouraging businesses, service clubs, and school teams to bring their families to the event, thereby leading to greater retention of teams. Relay is a family-friendly event.
Mentor Teams Through Time Groom teams through time to raise more funds. These participants become the source of your new committee members and provide new doorways into the community. Involve teams in other American Cancer Society activities throughout the year.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Inform teams through emails and e-newsletters through Relay Online (Convio), as well as meetings. Educate people on the information, programs, and services that the Society provides.
Location, Location, Location Relays are typically held at school or community football fields, fairgrounds, or parks.
Length of Event It is at least 12 hours, always overnight, usually starting on Friday evening. The majority of the events last 18 to 24 hours. The longer the event, the greater the opportunity for mission delivery, advocacy, fundraising, relationship building, and the recruitment of volunteers.
Totality of the Event Participants describe Relay as a life-changing event, one that provides them an opportunity to heal and grow. Relay can be like a support group for cancer survivors, caregivers, and their family and friends.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 11 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Relay For Life Across the Country
Since the American Cancer Society Relay For Life began, a single event has become an international movement to end cancer. Now the largest grassroots fundraising event in the world, Relay For Life is a success because of the impact of its volunteers around the globe. Here are a few key numbers that demonstrate the Power of Purple:
Relay supporters raised approximately $400 million in 2009 More than 3.5 million Americans supported Relay in 2009 Relay has raised more than $3.5 billion to fight cancer since 1985 In total, 5,100 communities hosted Relay For Life events in 2009 Across the United States, 150 new communities joined the Relay For Life movement in 2009
There are 13 Divisions of the American Cancer Society in the United States:
California Division, Inc. – California Eastern Division, Inc. – New York, New Jersey Florida Division, Inc. – Florida, Puerto Rico Great Lakes Division, Inc. – Michigan, Indiana Great West Division, Inc. – Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregan, Utah, Washington, Wyoming High Plains Division, Inc. – Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Illinois Division, Inc. – Illinois Mid-South Division, Inc. – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee Midwest Division, Inc. – Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin New England Division, Inc. – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Ohio Division, Inc. – Ohio Pennsylvania Division, Inc. – Pennsylvania South Atlantic Division, Inc. – Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia
Within the Eastern Division, we have 21 Regions:
Upstate New York: 1. Capital New York – Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselear, Saratoga, Schoharie, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington Counties 2. Central New York – Cayuga Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and St. Lawrence Counties 3. Hudson Valley – Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan, Rockland, Orange, and Ulster Counties 4. Lakes (New York) – Allegany, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates Counties 5. Southern New York – Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Owego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins, and Otsego
12 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook 6. Western New York – Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties
Metro New York: 7. Bronx – Kings County 8. Brooklyn – Bronx County 9. Manhattan – New York County 10.Nassau – Nassau County 11.Queens – Queens County 12.Staten Island – Richmond County 13.Suffolk – Suffolk County 14.Westchester – Westchester County 15.Asian Initiatives – Offices in Queens, NY and Cedar Knolls, NJ
New Jersey: 16.Central New Jersey – Mercer and Middlesex Counties 17.Jersey Shore – Monmouth and Ocean Counties 18.Metro New Jersey – Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties 19.Northwest New Jersey – Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren Counties 20.Northern New Jersey – Bergen and Passaic Counties 21. South Jersey – Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem
International Relay For Life
Planning an overseas holiday? Why not include visiting an International Relay in your vacation plans? In 1996, the United Kingdom became the first country to launch a Relay For Life outside the United States, marking the global debut of what has become the world’s largest volunteer fundraising event. The growth of Relay around the globe is a powerful reminder that cancer affects everyone. Today, nearly 1,000 communities in 20 nations, outside the United States, proudly host Relay For Life events.
Australia Honduras New Zealand Brazil Ireland Philippines Canada Jamaica Portugal Denmark Japan South Africa France Luxembourg Taiwan Germany Malaysia United Kingdom Guatemala Netherlands United States
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 13 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 1 – Recognize Your Commitment
Job Description: Accounting Chair
The Registration Chair is responsible for planning and implementing an efficient process to collect, process, and track all funds raised, and to work closely with the Registration Chair for collecting, submitting and maintaining registration forms and information for all teams.
Responsibilities:
Recruit subcommittee – Accounting/Finance, and Data and Tracking. Attend the Relay committee meetings and maintain communication with other event chairs, especially the Event Chair, and the Registration, Team Development, Survivorship, Sponsorship and Online Sub-Committees. Ensure all Relay committee members are familiar with registration, accounting, and data collection. Work with other Sub-Committees to develop a plan to educate and train team captains on all registration, accounting and data collection procedures for the following: Event Kick-Off Team Captain Meetings Bank Nights During Relay After Relay Attend event Kick-Off, all Team Captain’s Meetings, and Bank Nights to collect and process team and sponsorship dollars being turned in at all Relay meetings. Regularly report the fundraising progress to the Event Chair (monthly and then bi- monthly). Plan for Accounting needs at Relay and work with Volunteer Recruitment Chair to recruit enough day-of Relay volunteers to make each process run smoothly. Manage money collection and cash counting processes at the Relay and Bank Night. Recruit teams among community contacts. Promote Relay as an event within the community. During the event, thank teams, sponsors, survivors, and other participants whenever possible.
Qualifications/Skills:
Knowledge of and commitment to the American Cancer Society Mission. Knowledge of the community for recruitment of volunteers. Access to computer with Microsoft Excel program. Organizational skills and accounting skills are a plus.
14 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Support Provided
Receives training from Event Chair or American Cancer Society staff partner Guidebook complete with expectations, instructions and resources Regional RFL Mini-Conference Additional resources, guidebooks, podcasts, blogs, forums, and e-Learning courses (video training) found on RelayForLife.org >> Committee Chair Toolkit All necessary print materials
Staff & Volunteer Partnership
Overall Event Chairperson American Cancer Society Relay Staff Partner Relay Committee Chairs for other areas (logistics, entertainment, sponsorship, etc) Publicity subcommittee members Volunteers
Your Role on the Relay Planning Committee
Your Event Chair has asked you to fill this Committee position because you bring unique talents and skills to do this role well! As a Relay Planning Committee member, your role is to take care of all aspects of your focus area, Accounting, to the best of your ability for the Relay For Life event. As a member of the Relay Planning Committee, you should:
Attend all Relay Planning Committee meetings (or at least send one member of your Accounting sub-committee if you are unable to attend a meeting). For summer Relay events, meetings are typically once a month during the fall/winter and more often as the Relay approaches.
Work on your focus area outside of Relay Planning Committee meetings. o Relay Planning Committee Meetings are not “group decision making time”. Your Event Chair and the committee trust you to take care of your focus area without a lot of input from the whole committee during meetings. o Relay Planning Committee meetings should be an opportunity to report back on progress your sub-committee has made in your focus area. For example, for a June Relay, here are some things you might want to report on during different times of the year: .In the fall, report to the committee on the processes you will use to collect and track fundraising money so that the entire committee can accurately answer basic participant questions. .In January, report back on Kickoff registration results and fee totals. .Throughout the spring, make regular reports on fundraising dollars collected at Team Captain Meetings. .In April, report on security and logistical plans for the accounting area and collaborations with the Registration & Logistics sub-committees for Bank Night and the Relay event. .In late April, report on volunteer recruitment progress for Bank Night and Relay money handlers at Relay.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 15 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook .In early May, report on Bank Night plans and how the rest of the committee can participate and assist with Bank Night. .In late May, report on how accounting will work at the Relay so that the entire committee can answer basic participant questions. .In June, report on Bank Night results and fundraising progress and results.
Communicate regularly with your Event Chair. You should touch base with your Event Chair regularly outside of Planning Committee meetings. Touching base with your Event Chair should include progress reports, questions, and any issues you may be dealing with. Your Event Chair is there to help and support you.
o Be ready to discuss big pieces of the Relay that affect the whole committee at different times during the season For instance, team recruitment and the Kickoff are big pieces at the beginning of the Relay season that the whole committee should be helping with. o Make sure you are spreading the word about Relay to your friends, family and co-workers and passing warm leads for teams and sponsors on to those sub- committees.
Take advantage of the opportunity to work together with other sub-committee Chairs in other focus areas on topics that overlap. We have provided a list of possible collaborations for you below, but this is not an all-encompassing list. For instance: o be sure to work closely with the Online sub-committee because the Convio tool may be used to track some fundraising totals. o work closely with the Team Development sub-committee to make sure all teams understand the process of turning in funds. o collaborate with the Logistics sub-committee to determine security and logistical needs for Bank Night and Relay. o work with the Volunteer Recruitment Chair to ensure enough volunteers are recruited for Accounting.
Your Role Leading the Accounting Sub-Committee
As the Accounting Chair, you have agreed to take care of the Accounting needs of the Relay For Life event in your community. The great news is that you don’t have to do it alone! Recruit a few friends to help you as sub-committee partners and share the volunteer work together. Everything is more fun with a partner! As the Accounting Sub- Committee Chair, you should:
Recruit partners to help. You can read more about this later in the guidebook. Also, suggested role delineations are included in the following pages. These roles are suggestions that help keep the workload manageable for each partner, but each Relay ultimately chooses how to distribute the work based on the skills, abilities, and time of the volunteers involved.
Delegate clearly. Make sure that every partner on your sub-committee knows exactly what they are being asked to accomplish and agrees to do it.
Communicate regularly. Keep in regular contact with your partners to make sure
16 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook they feel comfortable with their tasks and that things are moving forward. It may also be helpful to hold sub-committee meetings where all of your partners get a chance to meet one another, work together, and share ideas.
Complete Registration planning tasks. Work on and complete the parts of Relay Registration & Accounting that you have agreed to within your sub-committee. Suggested role delineations are provided in the following pages.
Ensure that someone from the Registration sub-committee attends the Relay Planning Committee meetings. It is important that your sub-committee is represented at every meeting to report back on your progress, contribute to large Relay decisions and solutions, and work with other sub-committees as needed.
Follow up. Make sure that all of the important aspects of Relay Registration & Accounting outlined in this handbook are being covered and getting completed. Step in as needed to make sure they get done.
Recognize and appreciate the contributions of your partners. Thank each of your sub-committee partners and make sure they know how much you appreciate their help and how they made a difference to the success of the Relay.
Suggested Role Delineations within the Accounting Sub-Committee
The “ideal” Accounting Sub-Committee would consist of three people, so that no one person feels overwhelmed by the job. These role delineations are suggestions, and you may need to modify them for the number of people, the personalities, and the skills of your Accounting Sub-Committee partners.
Accounting Sub-Committee Chair: Systems and Planning
This person is responsible for: Attending Relay Planning Committee meetings, reporting on Accounting progress, and leading the Accounting Sub-Committee. Recruiting sub-committee partners and helping sub-committee partners as needed. This also includes helping the Volunteer Recruitment Chair to recruit day-of volunteers to help count money at Bank Night and at Relay. Working with the Registration Chair to establish a Registration and Accounting Plan, including pieces for each sub-committee partner and systems to support it. This also includes establishing logistical needs and an on-site security plan. Communicating How Your Systems Work, including communicating to the Relay Planning Committee, to Team Captains, and general participants. Working with the Registration Chair to plan Bank Night, including finding a location, having volunteers to help with counting, and working with the Team Development Sub-Committee on the various stations and traffic flow. Helping with On-Site Management, by assisting sub-committee partners with any immediate needs at the Relay event. Wrap Up, including making sure everything is finished and wrapped up properly, including helping with post-event reconciliation as needed.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 17 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee Partner: Data and Tracking
Helping to establish a Registration and Accounting Plan, including planning how you will work with your sub-committee partners to collect all registration and fundraising data for the tracking spreadsheet or Convio and how you will keep your system updated. Tracking Fundraising Totals, including receiving all donation envelopes and totals from the Accounting & Finance partner, entering and tracking totals into the tracking system (either a spreadsheet or Convio – note: work with your staff partner to ensure that all offline funds and registration are being entered into Siebel, the American Cancer Society’s relationship management database), filing all envelopes as a paper trail, and on-going reconciliation of totals between meetings. Batching and Submitting Funds, including receiving and filing yellow batch receipts and Fed Ex tracking, and entering batch totals into tracking system. Helping to plan Bank Night, including receiving all money envelopes and batch receipts and keeping fundraising totals up to date and accurate for teams. On-Site Management, including receiving all money envelopes and batch receipts and keeping fundraising totals up to date and accurate for teams in order to announce at the Closing Ceremony. Reconciliation and Event Reporting, including updating your tracking system (spreadsheet or Convio) with all final event numbers and registration data, reconciling team numbers for final rankings, and submitting final spreadsheet or Convio data to the Society. Helping with Wrap Up, making sure that all Relay details are taken care of after the event, submitting all envelopes, batch receipts, and Fed Ex tracking information to your staff partner, and leaving detailed records for future years.
Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee Partner: Accounting/Finance
This person is responsible for: Recruiting day-of volunteers to help with money counting and processing at Bank Night and at the Relay event. Helping to establish a Registration and Accounting Plan, including planning for collecting funds at Team Captain Meetings or any other opportunities where money might be collected and planning for the collection, processing and submission of money at Bank Night and at the Relay event. Helping to Communicate How Your Systems Work, especially communicating when, where and how teams and participants should turn in donations. Tracking Fundraising Totals, including collecting donation envelopes, verifying the money in all envelopes, and passing totals to the Data and Tracking partner. Batching and Submitting Funds, including attending all Team Captain Meetings, Bank Night, Relay, and other events to collect money from teams and then correctly batching, sub-sourcing, handling, and submitting all money according to Society policies and procedures. Helping to plan Bank Night, including all money collection, handling, counting, and processing, and sharing team and batch totals with the Data and Tracking partner. On-Site Management, including all money collection, handling, counting and processing in a secure manner at the Relay. 18 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Helping with Wrap Up, thanking all day-of money handling volunteers, assisting the Data and Tracking partner with post-event reconciliation if needed, and making sure that all Relay details are taken care of after the event.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 19 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Partnership Agreement
Sample Relay For Life Committee Member/Event Chair Partnership Discussion
Relay For Life Committee Member: ______
Event Chair: ______
Staff Partner: ______
Date: ______
In order for a volunteer partnership or staff/volunteer partnership to be successful, we must have a clear understanding of the purpose of each of the roles that the volunteer and staff members play within the American Cancer Society Relay For Life event.
One intention of this document is to gain a better understanding of what the volunteer is looking for in their experience to be sure that we are fulfilling those needs. Another intention is to understand the role that the staff partner plays in terms of coaching volunteers for all of their events.
Committee Member
The reason that I am dedicated to the American Cancer Society mission is:
______
My vision for the Relay For Life of ______is:
______
Our goal for the Relay For Life of ______is to:
Be Engaged in the Recruiting Teams, Sponsors, Cancer Survivors and Caregivers and Meet the Event Fundraising Goal to Fund Vital Patient Services, Education, Advocacy Efforts and Research that supports my community members and those across the country.
I understand my role to be:
______
I understand the key responsibilities of my Committee position to include:
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
We have discussed the following:
20 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Succession plan Volunteer career path Trainings that are available to me.
My qualities that I feel will best compliment this role include:
______
I would like to receive further support and training in the following areas:
______
______
I like to be recognized the following ways:
______
The reason that I am most excited about volunteering for Relay For Life is:
The legacy that I would like to leave this Relay For Life event is:
______
In order for our Relay For Life event to be successful, I understand the need for regular communication through in person meetings, phone calls, e-mail (if applicable).
The day & time of the week that works best to meet with my Event Chair is: ______
The time of the day that is most convenient for me to discuss Relay updates & answer questions is: ______
I prefer to be contacted at the following phone number: ______
I understand that the term for the Relay For Life Committee Member is 1 year with a possibility of a second term if mutually agreed upon by myself and the American Cancer Society.
I am committed to the fight against cancer and the mission of the American Cancer Society. I understand that our Relay For Life event represents our chance to raise awareness for our community while raising funds for the Society’s lifesaving mission of eliminating cancer.
Committee Member Commitment: ______(Signature) Event Chair
The reason that I am dedicated to the American Cancer Society mission is:
______
My vision for the Relay For Life of ______is:
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 21 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
______
Our goal for the Relay For Life of ______is to:
Be Engaged in the Review of the Community Assessment and Goal Setting Process and Meet the Event Fundraising Goal to Fund Vital Patient Services, Education, Advocacy Efforts and Research that supports my community members and those across the country.
I understand my role to be:
______
I understand the key responsibilities of the Event Chair position to include: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
My qualities that I feel will best compliment this role include:
______
The reason that I am most excited about chairing Relay For Life is:
The legacy that I would like to leave this Relay For Life event is:
______
In order for our Relay For Life event to be successful, I understand the need for regular communication through in person meetings, phone calls, e-mail (if applicable).
The day & time of the week that works best to meet with my committee member is: ______
The time of the day that is most convenient for me to discuss Relay updates & answer questions is: ______
I prefer to be contacted at the following phone number: ______My role is to work closely with our staff partner to provide coaching, support and resources to our Committee.
I am committed to the fight against cancer and the mission of the American Cancer Society. I understand that our Relay For Life event represents our chance to raise awareness for our community while raising funds for the Society’s lifesaving mission of eliminating cancer.
Event Chair Commitment: ______(Signature)
22 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Suggested Timeline
This is a loose timeline to give you a feeling for what to expect throughout the Relay season. 11 to 12 months before event Event chair(s) recruited and trained Secure facility for Relay and finalize the date, time, and location of event Plan for the event, including goals for number of teams, survivors, sponsors and plans for other areas of the Relay For Life Begin corporate sponsor recruitment and continue through Relay For Life
9 to 11 months before event Event Chair(s) recruit committee members to fill Relay Planning Committee Conduct all Partnership Agreements so all Sub-Committee Chairs & Members understand their roles Sub-Committee Chairs recruit partners to help in their focus area Plan/schedule Relay Committee Retreat (training for committee members) Review data from last year as a full committee; include teams, sponsors, wrap-up notes, etc. Build a Team Development Plan including both Recruitment and Retention, and begin reaching out to invite past teams to come back; include a Team Blitz Week in the plan
6 to 9 months before event Hold Relay Committee Retreat for your committee Committee meetings should focus on: o Committee and Sub-Committee recruitment and development o Sponsor recruitment updates o Designing a team development plan for the entire committee including both Recruitment and Retention (i.e., Team Blitz Week) o Kickoff planning and invitation list Begin planning a Kickoff as an entire planning committee led by the Team Development sub- committee; set date, time, and location o Each sub-committee should contribute in some way to the Kickoff: . Registration & Accounting will need to collect forms and money . Relay Online Chair should make sure there are computers available to register at the Kickoff . Entertainment & Activities should help create an exciting program . Food & Hospitality should secure food donations and make sure everyone feels welcome at the Kickoff . Et cetera
5 to 7 months before event Committee meetings should focus on: o Team recruitment and retention progress (Team Blitz update) and updates from all sub- committees. . Have all past teams been contacted? . Have new potential teams been identified? . Have all returning and potential teams been invited to the Kickoff? . How is the entire committee participating in identifying potential teams and giving warm leads to the Team Development Sub-Committee? o Sponsor recruitment updates o Publicity progress focusing on team recruitment Hold your Relay Kickoff (ideally 5 months prior to your Relay) o Advertise local Team Captain University o At this point you should have 50% of your returning teams from last year registered o Be sure to follow up on the phone or through email with all attendees and those who could not attend the Kickoff 4 months before event Committee meetings should focus on: o Team Recruitment & Retention progress as a committee – You should have 50% of your total American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 23 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook team goal registered by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches from the whole committee. o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area o Survivor report on recruitment/retention progress o Publicity progress focusing on team recruitment and raising awareness of event in the community/ on the campus Host a Team Captain’s University (TCU) for all Team Captains, or publicize Regional TCU Hold first team captain meeting (ideally 3.5 months before Relay); focus on: o Phase 1: Team Building and Planning (review registration process, encourage team communication and goal setting, begin team fundraising event planning) o Review Team Fundraising ideas, including sales, dinners, tournaments, Mini Relays, etc. o Review Registration and t-shirt deadlines o Review incentive prize program, All Stars, and Team Fundraising Club o Review team mentor program – highlight great teams from last year offering to help new teams o American Cancer Society education/ mission moment o Team questions and answers
3 months before event Committee meeting should focus on: o Team recruitment progress o Survivor recruitment progress o Publicity focusing on survivor recruitment and raising awareness of event in community o Logistical plans for the Relay (items needed as donations, layout plan, etc.) o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area Hold second team captain meeting ideally 2.5 months before Relay; focus on: o Review Phase 1: Team Building and Planning quickly (registration, goal setting, planning) o Focus on Phase 2: Fundraising (individual AND team, successful ideas, highlight successes) . Emphasize individual letter-writing/online fundraising & team fundraising activities o Mention Registration & t-shirt deadlines o American Cancer Society education/ mission moment o Questions & answers
2 months before event Committee meeting should focus on: o Team recruitment progress. You should have 75% of your total team goal registered by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches from the whole committee o Survivor recruitment progress o Publicity focusing on survivor recruitment and raising awareness of event in community o Logistical plans for the Relay (items needed as donations, layout plan, etc.) o Entertainment & Activities plans and progress, especially for Ceremonies o Fundraising progress report by Registration & Accounting Sub –Committee o Each Sub –Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area Hold third team captains meeting ideally 6 weeks before Relay; focus on: o Review Phase 1: Team Building and Planning quickly for any new teams (registration, goal setting, planning) o Review Phase 2: Fundraising (Fundraising - individual & team, successful ideas, etc.) o Focus on Phase 3: Preparing for Relay Fun! (team theme and decorations, on-site fundraising, walking schedule, what to bring, activity sign-ups, healthy competition between teams, etc.) o Last minute fundraising ideas, such as an Online 10-Day Blitz o Incentive Prize, All Stars, Team Fundraising Club, and Team Awards information to encourage friendly competition – highlight the current fundraising leaders o American Cancer Society education and advocacy update o Questions & answers
1 month before event Committee meeting should focus on: o Team recruitment progress. You should have 100% of your total team goal registered by this
24 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches from the whole committee. o Survivor recruitment progress. You should have about 75% of your survivor recruitment goal by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches. o Fundraising progress report by Registration & Accounting Sub-Committee o Bank Night planning and scheduling. All committee members should participate and help with Bank Night. o Logistical plans for the Relay, including items needed as donations, layout plan, set up and tear down plan, on-site emergency plan, on-site security plan, rain plan, on-site communication, etc. o Entertainment & Activities plans and progress, including Ceremony plans and Relay Program needs from the whole committee. o Food & Hospitality plans and progress, including food and decoration donations. Plans for greeters to welcome participants to Relay. o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area.
2 weeks before event Committee meetings should focus on: o Logistical plans and updates for the Relay, including items needed as donations, layout plan, set up and tear down plan, on-site emergency plan, rain plan, on-site communication among the committee, etc. o Bank Night Planning. Coordinating last-minute details and who will do what for Bank Night. o Fundraising progress report by Registration & Accounting Sub-Committee. o Relay Program information coordinated by Entertainment & Activities Sub-Committee. o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area
1 to 2 weeks before event Hold Bank Night(s) o All committee members should help set up, man a station, count money, and tear down o All Society accounting and cash handling procedures should be followed, including counting in a secure location o Report fundraising progress to all Relay participants through email communication
Your Relay For Life! Work the Track to begin team retention and committee recruitment for next year All Society accounting and cash-handling procedures should be followed, including counting in a secure location Each sub-committee should manage their on-site responsibilities and communicate with the Event Chair and the rest of the committee as needed Logistics Sub-Committee works with the staff partner and Event Chair to handle any emergencies
3 to 4 weeks after event Hold wrap-up meeting for leadership planning committee; focus on: o Celebrating success o Assessing the event and looking at positives as well as improvements for next year o Remember recognition and thank-you’s o Committee positions and succession planning for next year o Discuss next year’s event – date, time, location Hold wrap-up meeting for team captains; focus on: o Celebrating success o Assessing the event – what went well, what needs to improve in the future o Recognition and thank-you’s o Discuss next year’s event - date, time, location o Use Wrap Up Meeting as an opportunity for committee recruitment
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 25 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 2 – Recruit Your Partners
Find Help…Build Your Sub-Committee
Accounting covers a lot of aspects of the Relay, and you will want help to do it all well. In fact, the larger your Relay becomes, the more work Accounting is. It is imperative to find some partners to help you so you don’t burn yourself out trying to do it all! As you learned in Step 1, you will want to recruit a sub-committee partner to cover Data & Tracking, as well as Accounting & Finance, in addition to yourself working on Accounting Systems and Planning. Suggested role delineations are included in Step 1 for your reference. Ultimately, you can organize your Accounting Sub-Committee however you decide based on the needs of your Relay and the skills and talents of your Sub-Committee partners, but the suggested roles work well and split the work in a way that makes sense and is manageable by each person.
Where to Look for Help
When looking for help, first brainstorm people you know who would be good in each role. Don’t just ask your best friend because they are your best friend, but if your best friend is great with spreadsheets, maybe they would be a good volunteer to fill the Data & Tracking role. Your sub-committee partners could be friends, co-workers, neighbors, or family…ask around to everyone you know because a lot of people have a desire to use their skills for a good cause. This could be their outlet for that hidden accounting talent! Next, consider asking people you may or may not know well who have jobs that compliment the skills of the roles you are trying to fill. You might also ask around at a local university, community college, or high school for students interested in some practical accounting and community service experience for their resume. You may have several people tell you no, or they are too busy. That’s ok…don’t get discouraged. Keep asking and find the right people to help you have top-notch accounting for your Relay event.
Defining Expectations with Your Sub-Committee Partners
So now you have brainstormed those great partners, asked them for their help with Accounting, and they said yes. Next you will want to clearly define their roles and expectations. Every volunteer wants to feel needed and important to the overall success of the event, and they also want to have clear direction of how they play a part in that success. In the same way that you and your Event Chair should sit down and define roles and expectations to give you clear direction as a Accounting Chair, be sure to sit down with your sub-committee partners and lay out their roles, how they can accomplish their roles well, and how you can work together to succeed. Having this “Partnership Agreement” conversation at the beginning will set you up for success throughout the Relay season. They won’t know that is what you need them to do unless you sit down and have a clear conversation establishing it so you can both move forward.
26 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Lead Your Sub-Committee Well
Now that you have recruited your sub-committee members, lead them well by communicating regularly, empowering them to do their jobs, helping to motivate them to continue to do good work, getting them excited about the final Relay and appreciating all their hard work. Regular calls (once or twice per month) work well to keep your relationships strong and keep everyone in the loop.
Additional Day-of-Event Help for Accounting
In addition to building a sub-committee to help with planning and carrying out all of the necessary accounting roles, you will also need willing hands to help with accounting duties at Bank Night and at Relay. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the accounting room all night long at the Relay and not get to enjoy any of the event! Here are some things to consider when seeking day-of accounting volunteers:
Bank Night Volunteers
You will need help collecting and counting money at Bank Night. Bank tellers or other people who regularly handle money are a great place to look for this short-term volunteer help. Their experience handling and counting money quickly and accurately is a huge benefit for your Bank Night(s). Depending on the size of your Relay, you will want to secure approximately four extra helpers for collecting and counting money at Bank Night (in addition to your four sub-committee members).
Consider working with the Corporate Sponsorship Sub-Committee early in the Relay season to ask a local Bank if they would become the Relay For Life Bank Night sponsor (making a cash donation to become a sponsor) and also providing their lobby as a secure space for Bank Night and also providing some tellers to help collect and count money. They get the benefit of the positive marketing to Relay participants as they come into their building and they are also helping a great cause.
On-Site Relay Volunteers
In addition, you will need lots of day-of volunteers at the Relay! The day-of Relay volunteers you will need to recruit include volunteers to help with Money Counting and Batching. You will also want to request Security volunteers from the Logistics Sub- Committee to help protect your safety when counting, processing and transporting fundraising dollars. You can read more specifics about these on-site booths/stations and your volunteer needs later in this guidebook.
You definitely want to have extra help so you’re not bogged down at a table or in the secure money processing room for the whole Relay…you should get to enjoy the event too! Work with the Volunteer Recruitment Chair to create a detailed schedule of volunteers throughout the Relay to help make sure all accounting stations are manned continuously during the event, with extra help at critical times during the Relay (like the beginning of the Relay when teams and survivors are checking in, when large fundraisers like auctions close to count large amounts of fundraising dollars, etc). Consider asking
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 27 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook teams and participants for help and giving them the opportunity to sign up for times to man the tables at Team Captain meetings…they can be an invaluable source of day-of Relay volunteers! Local service groups can also be a great source of day-of volunteers. In addition, consider local companies who may not have a team but might be willing to send employees to volunteers for several hours. As always, bank employees and other volunteers with cash handling experience are great to help with the counting and batching of funds.
IMPORTANT POLICIES: Be sure that all Registration and Accounting Volunteers are over 18 years old if they will be handling money at all. Registration and Accounting Volunteers may not bring any children under the age of 18 into areas where money is handled. At least two adults must always be present when money is being handled.
.
28 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 3 – Establish a Plan
Remember: a goal is just a dream…with a deadline! Use the suggested timeline in Step 1, along with any feedback from last year’s Relay to develop an Action Plan with your Sub- Committee Members. Be sure to delegate responsibilities, provide due dates, and follow up before – as well as after – those due dates. Celebrate successes along the way as tasks are completed to keep your Sub-Committee Members motivated and feeling appreciated.
Building an Accounting Plan
Data & Tracking Support Plan
While the Accounting and Finance Sub-Committee Partner counts and batches the funds, it is up to the Data and Tracking Sub-Committee Partner to account for where the funds came from (ex: luminaria, sponsorship, team fundraising, etc.).
1) Acceptance of Funds from Event Participants / Team Captains Any time funds are accepted from a Team Captain, they should immediately be counted and verified. Issues where a Team Captain thinks they are submitting $500 in cash but only $400 is in the envelope must be caught and brought to the Team Captain’s attention immediately for resolution.
Participant Collection Envelopes:
Participant Collection Envelopes should be provided in the Team Captain Kit and additional envelopes should be ordered and distributed as necessary. Team Captains should complete basic information on these envelopes, including their team information and the amount enclosed. After the funds inside the envelope are verified, the envelope is kept as a record to the amount included and given to the Data and Tracking Sub-Committee partner for proper tracking.
2) Event Income & Participant Fundraising The Accounting and Finance Sub-Committee Partner will be giving you a stack of envelopes (or in some cases a similar tracking paper) showing the total amount of funds submitted by each team or revenue source (luminaria, sponsorship, etc.). These envelopes are your paper trail and are very important to keep in an organized way throughout the entire Relay season. If a Team Captain ever challenges the amount of money that they have submitted from their team, the envelopes – which show the verified, confirmed amount submitted – will be very valuable!
TIP: Use plastic bins with hanging folders for each team to keep the paperwork organized. Some brands such as Rubbermaid make plastic bins that are designed to specifically hold hanging folders. You’ll want one folder for each team – organized by team number, or alphabetically by team name. Keep a team roster of registered members, as well as empty, verified envelopes for future reference. These bins can easily be transported to Bank Night and Relay.
The amounts on these envelopes will be entered in to Siebel (the American Cancer
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 29 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Society’s relationship management database) as Team Estimated Revenue. Contact your staff partner about entering these amounts, in order to track team and individual fundraising and overall event progress.
Accounting & Finance Support Plan
Processing and accounting for thousands of dollars is quite a task – but the American Cancer Society finance department has worked with Relay For Life leadership staff and volunteers to create a process that works well in every community. The policies below are intended to enforce strong and consistent stewardship of contributions, reduce exposure to theft and embezzlement, protect the integrity of the society, and protect the safety of its staff and volunteers.
The American Cancer Society sincerely appreciates the hard work of volunteers and team captains, and the generous donations raised every year through Relay For Life. We take the processing and accounting of funds very seriously, and we understand how the timely and accurate remittance of funds is of the utmost importance to our mission to eliminate cancer as a major health concern. The policies outlined below are for your protection as a volunteer, and are not to be deviated from.
NOTE: Processes involving the handling of cash, checks, and credit card information outside of these approved options listed below are simply NOT ALLOWED.
1) Two People Must Be With Cash/Checks at ALL TIMES
From the time that you (or anybody on the event committee) accept cash or checks from a team captain or participant, two people must be with the money until it is deposited at the bank or dropped off at the Fed Ex shipping location or drop box. The two people may be volunteers, staff, or a combination of both, but the two people may not be family members.
Variations to this policy will not be permitted under any circumstances.
2) Accounting Logistics
At all Planned Collection Times, a separate, secure area MUST be available for the processing and batching of checks and cash. Specifically at the Relay where several people are present, it is of utmost importance that a secure location is identified to perform these tasks. This secure area must have a locking door, and its location should not be widely publicized to the general Relay For Life audience. For the night of the event, this secure area might include a locker room, unused concession stand, or even a recreational vehicle parked in the parking lot. A tent does not constitute a secure area – unless it has all four side walls down and there is at least one security guard patrolling the tent at all times.
It is important to work with your entire Accounting Sub-Committee and the Logistics Sub-Committee to identify the safest, securest, most organized way to welcome participants to the Relay and allow them to turn in any additional fundraising (see Logistics Guidebook for security recommendations). The registration area should be
30 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook separate from the accounting area at Planned Collection Times -- especially at the Relay. Work with your committee to identify the best way and time to collect and process funds at your event, keeping in mind that the money cannot be left unattended or with only one person. Runners will be needed to transport the funds from the collection area to the secure batching area, with at least two runners with the funds at all times. Make sure you plan ahead to ensure that enough volunteers are available so that you can enjoy the event entertainment or luminaria ceremony. Additional information on Accounting Logistics for the event is included later in this guidebook.
There are no acceptable variations to this policy.
3) Complete Cash Deposit Header Forms – Planned Collection Times
Several times throughout the course of the Relay season, you will receive cash from team captains, participants, committee members, and possibly even survivors. These instances must be properly planned for so that the cash can be counted and processed as quickly as possible. Planned collection times include the event kick-off, team captain meetings, bank nights, and the night of the event, where it is expected that team captains and/or participants will be submitting funds to the American Cancer Society.
Each time cash is received, it should be deposited as quickly as possible. This process includes: Dividing cash based on income source (team fundraising, luminaria, sponsorship) and completing the correct Cash Deposit Header Form with the correct Subsource for each type of income Ensuring that the total amount of cash collected matches the total cash amount from Participant Collection Envelopes Having two different volunteers/staff run an adding machine tape on the amount of cash present, each initialing their tape Filling in the Date and Total Amount fields on the pre-filled Cash Deposit Header Form for your event (to learn more about which Cash Deposit Header Form to use, see the next policy below) Use FexEx to send carbon copies of Deposit Header Form(s) & air bill to Shared Services to ACS Office
There are no approved variations to this policy.
4) Deposit Cash – Planned Collection Times
Any time you have a planned collection time, where you anticipate the processing of cash, arrangements should be made ahead of time for a night deposit (if you have a Bank of America, TD Bank, or M&T Bank branch near the event).
Remember, even after the cash has been counted and a Cash Deposit Header Form been completed, two people must continue to accompany the cash until it has been locked in the night deposit box .
Bank of America, TD Bank, or M&T Bank Deposit If you have a Bank of America, TD Bank, or M&T Bank branch within reasonable
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 31 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook driving distance from your event/meeting location, you should make arrangements in advance for a key to the Night Deposit Box (work with your ACS staff partner at least three weeks before the Planned Collection Time to allow plenty of time to complete necessary bank paperwork and acquire the key; process may vary by branch). After cash has been counted and an appropriate Cash Deposit Header Form completed, two volunteers must deliver and securely deposit the cash and the Cash Deposit Header Form in the Night Deposit Box at the bank. The cash will be processed the next business morning and will be credited to your event based on the coding on the Cash Deposit Header Form.
5) Process and Batch Checks – Planned Collection Times
All checks received at planned collection times must be processed and submitted the same night they are received. This process includes: - Dividing checks based on income source (team fundraising, luminaria, sponsorship) with no more than 100 checks per stack and select the correct Deposit Header Form with the correct Subsource for each type of income (this may require several Deposit Header Forms for team fundraising money depending on the number of checks received) - Ensuring that the total amount of checks collected matches the total amount for each source on the Participant Collection Envelopes - Having two different volunteers/staff run an adding machine tape on the amount of checks in each batch, each initialing their tape - Completing the Date and Total Amount fields on the pre-filled Deposit Header Form for your event - Packaging the Deposit Header Form with the corresponding stack of checks - Submitting all packages of checks to the Shared Services Business Center via FedEx - Send carbon copies of Deposit Header Form(s) and FedEx shipping information to ACS Office
There are no approved variations to this policy.
6) Credit Card Processing
All credit card information received at planned collection times must be submitted the same night it is received. Credit card information must be transcribed on to a Credit Card Donation Form and batched behind a Deposit Header Form for submission to the Shared Services Business Center. This process includes the same steps outlined above for Processing & Batching Checks and is detailed in Step 7 of this guidebook.
There are no approved variations to this policy.
32 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook 7) Unplanned Collection Times
In some circumstances when small amounts of funds are received during unplanned collection times, American Cancer Society staff may accept funds to be taken or mailed to the nearest ACS office by the following day. For the safety and protection of our staff, Society staff are not allowed to accept more than $200 in cash or $1,000 in checks, unless it is a single high-dollar sponsorship check. Funds exceeding these amounts must be respectfully declined until the next planned collection or must be submitted under the Planned Collection Times policies outlined above. Help your Society Staff Partner and BE PREPARED to follow the Planned Collection guidelines even during unplanned collection times.
Your Action Plan
ACTION PERSON DUE DATE COMPLETED RESPONSIBLE DATE
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 33 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 4 – Communicate How Your Systems Work
Communication to the Entire Relay Committee
This is the role of the Accounting Chair working on Systems and Planning, with help from the Sub-Committee Partners. It is important that the entire Relay committee (including other Sub-Committees like Publicity, Survivorship, Team Development, Logistics, etc) have a basic understanding of the accounting process and who to refer people to when they are asked questions. It is especially important that the Team Development Sub-Committee has a clear understanding of the processes because they run the Team Captain Meetings and also train Team Mentors who will get many questions regarding Accounting. At the committee meeting before the Kickoff, take about 10 minutes to explain the basic process of how money collection and tracking will work this year. Also meet separately with the Team Development Sub-Committee to go over specific details so they are prepared to answer questions if needed. You may also want to meet separately with the Online Sub- Committee to work out details on integrating Online and offline tracking of funds raised.
In addition to these early meetings with other Relay Sub-Committees to explain the Accounting process for the year, it is important to continue on-going communication with the rest of the Relay committee. This on-going communication is especially important with your Event Chair, the Registration, Team Development, and the Online Sub-Committees, since these people will be either be requiring regular fundraising reports or working closely with you to make sure the online data is updated regularly.
You will also want to work with other sub-committees as needed for specific pieces of your Relay planning. For instance, it will be important to work with the Logistics Sub- Committee to work out your security requirements for the Relay and any on-site logistical needs like tables, chairs, electricity, etc. Other sub-committees you will want to connect with include Publicity to make sure that all mass communication to the public has correct money collection information, and Volunteer Recruitment to be sure there is enough help at Bank Night and at Relay. You may also need to work with other sub-committees as specific needs for your Relay come up. Communication to Team Captains and Participants
Team Captains who attend the Kickoff or Team Captain meetings will want to know how they can turn in funds raised. You will need to work closely with the Team Development Sub-Committee to communicate that clearly to the teams and participants (you may even speak in front of the group about it if you feel comfortable), and you will also want to be present after all meetings to answer specific questions and collect funds. It is also important to teach Team Captains and participants how they are expected to turn in money at meetings, at Bank Night, and at the Relay, which will make your lives easier if they follow the system. If the registration and accounting systems are clearly communicated, teams and participants will follow them.
34 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 5 – Collecting Funds
While all Relay For Life teams and participants are an important part of your event, extra attention should be paid to top fundraising teams and participants. Consistently recognizing these teams for their hard work and dedication to Relay For Life is the key factor in bringing them back to your event year after year. Most top teams and participants appreciate a personal thank you during the event, and by properly tracking their fundraising totals we can recognize them at the Division level at the Relay For Life Leadership Conference, Regional Relay For Life Mini-Conferences, and in some cases, through National awards.
To recognize these top teams and participants appropriately, fundraising amounts must be tracked down to the participant level. This information should be tracked by the Accounting Sub-Committee and provided to the staff partner for entry into the Siebel database. (your staff partner will know how to enter checks and cash raised by teams as “Estimated Revenue” in Siebel)
General event income not related to team and participant fundraising should be tracked separately. This may include sponsorship, luminaria sales, and revenue enhancers run by the committee and not part of team fundraising (such as concessions or merchandise sales). This financial information is an important indication of growth opportunities for your event, and allows participant fundraising data to be analyzed in the most accurate way possible.
Hopefully your Relay For Life event has already become – or is quickly on it’s way to becoming! – an important event in your community. Relay is a vehicle for bringing the American Cancer Society to people around the world, in both rural and urban areas, and involving people of all backgrounds. But most of all, Relay For Life is a fundraising event designed to raise money to fund cancer research, early detection programs, and patient services. No matter how much money your event raises, from $10,000 up to $1,000,000, fundraising is our way of furthering the mission of the American Cancer Society.
In Step 3, you created a Data & Tracking Support Plan, identifying how your event will capture Event Income and Participant Fundraising information. This chapter will go in to detail about how to manage each of the options.
Collecting and Verifying Team Funds
The process of tracking the amount of money raised starts with the Accounting & Finance Sub-Committee Partner collecting funds from a team captain, participant, or other Relay For Life committee member (ex: a sponsorship check from the Sponsorship Sub-Committee Chair or luminaria funds from the Luminaria Sub-Committee Chair). Any time funds are accepted from a Team Captain or participant, they should immediately be counted and verified.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 35 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Tips for Verifying Team Funds
The following steps will help your sub-committee confirm the fundraising totals with team captains in the most efficient way possible:
Encourage team captains to complete the information on the envelope before bringing it to money collection area; cash should be sorted by denomination, and checks should be together in one stack Have team captains form a line and use the “next teller available” approach to help the line move as quickly as possible; do not begin accepting funds until at least two volunteers/staff are present to process the funds (remember – from the time funds are accepted from a team captain until processing is complete, at least two people must be with the money at all times!) Remove the cash and checks from the envelope Count the cash, keeping the bills separated by denomination, and initial next to the Total of cash received Use an adding machine to run a total on the checks – twice; once you get the same total twice, compare it to the total on the envelope and initial next to the Total of checks received; place the adding machine tape with the stack of checks Check that any Credit Card Donation Forms have been filled out completely and signed by the donor; compare the total to the total on the envelope and initial next to the Total of credit card donations received Confirm the Total Enclosed on the envelope with the team captain; make sure that their arithmetic when adding the total cash and total checks is correct! Place the cash, checks, adding machine tape, and any other documentation (including Cash Donation forms for receipts) back in to the envelope and securely store it until your sub-committee is ready to start batching the funds Be sure to thank the Team Captain for turning in the money! Do not allow the Team Captain to leave unless another volunteer or ACS staff person is present; remember, from the time funds are received from a Team Captain until the processing is complete, at least two volunteers/staff MUST be with the money at all times! Keep the space as tidy as possible – make sure that a clear space is available on the table each time a team captain approaches; be careful that information from one team captain does not get mixed in with the checks, cash, or scraps of paper turned in by the previous person
Be sure that a proper number of volunteers are available to accept and confirm funds with team captains at each Planned Collection Time. It is imperative that team captains are able to turn in money regularly in an organized fashion, even if this means that your sub- committee does not begin the batching / tracking process until after the Planned Collection Time has ended.
Step 7 will go in to detail on how the Accounting & Finance sub-committee partner should batch the cash, checks, and credit card donations. The Data & Tracking sub-committee partner should read on to learn about how to use the envelopes to track the income correctly.
36 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Balance Fundraising Totals
During each Planned Collection Time, after the team captains have turned in all funds but before you begin entering financial information on the spreadsheet, it will be beneficial to make sure that the total amounts from the night balance, and make all necessary corrections on the envelopes before entering the totals on the spreadsheet. To make sure that funds balance prior to entering information on the spreadsheet or online: Total the amounts on the Cash Deposit Header Form(s) prepared by the Accounting & Finance sub-committee partner; this represents the total amount of cash collected during this Planned Collection Time. This amount should match the total of the cash amounts on the Participant Collection Envelopes. Total the amounts on the check Deposit Header Form(s) prepared by the Accounting & Finance sub-committee partner; this represents the total amount of checks collected during this Planned Collection Time. This amount should match the total of the check amounts on each Participant Collection Envelope. If the totals do not match, use the adding machine tapes to find and correct any discrepancies on the Participant Collection Envelopes. Total the amounts on the credit card Deposit Header Form(s) prepared by the Accounting & Finance sub-committee partner; this represents the total amount of credit card donations collected that night. This amount should match the total of the credit card amounts on the Participant Collection Envelopes. Once any necessary corrections have been made on the Participant Collection Envelopes based on the documentation available (adding machine tapes, etc.), now you are ready to enter the fundraising totals so that you can accurately track the amount raised by each participant and team! Stay Organized and Up-to-Date
Once the records have been updated, you should complete one last check and do a few tasks to make sure you’re ready to start the next Planned Collection Time with a balanced set of books. Compare Totals – Compare the total on your spreadsheet to the total amount of the deposit batch headers that have been submitted. Package and Store Used Envelopes – If a team captain ever has a question about how much money their team raised, or if their totals don’t match the ones you have record of, the envelopes with signatures and confirmed totals will be an important tool in settling any potential disputes! Bundle the night’s envelopes together and label them with the date, then store until the end of the Relay season. (TIP: plastic bins with hanging folders are a handy option) Re-stock Necessary Items – Are you running low on envelopes, paper clips, sticky notes, or rubber bands? Do you have plenty of pens and a few spare calculators available for team captains to use? How are the batteries in your adding machine? Make sure that you stay stocked up and ready for the next Planned Collection Time!
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 37 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 6 – Bank Night
Planning Bank Night
The Accounting Chair will work with the Registration Chair for Systems and Planning to take the lead on planning Bank Night, working closely with the Team Development Chair also. All other Accounting Sub-Committee Partners should help with the planning, and especially help the event run smoothly on site.
Many aspects of Bank Night involve other Sub-Committees because it is the last chance to connect with Team Captains before the Relay. Work closely with the Team Development Sub-Committee and other Sub-Committees as necessary to coordinate all of the Bank Night details and communicate them to the Team Captains. Bank Night is a great opportunity to collect and hand out lots of information and logistical items at one time when almost all Team Captains are present.
It is important to secure a location for Bank Night at least a month ahead of time. A bank lobby is an ideal location for your Bank Night, as long as there is enough room for all the stations and this makes the night-drop of cash extremely easy. Also work with the Volunteer Recruitment and the Registration Chairs to recruit some volunteers to help with Bank Night, especially with the money collection station and the money processing room. You should consider recruiting at least 4 extra volunteers to help with those areas, depending on the size of your Relay. Bank Night is also a great chance to train volunteers on registration procedures so they can help at the Relay.
In addition, plan ahead to organize all logistical details (including any food, handouts, additional stations, etc) and make your Bank Night great! Bank Night Stations
Bank Night works really well as a series of stations where teams turn in, sign up, or pick up different things for the Relay. Here are some ideas of things you can accomplish at different stations at Bank Night: Turn in any registration scannable forms, youth waivers and chaperone agreements that have not been previously turned in. You might consider making this the first station – mandatory before receiving t-shirts or any other information. Sign up for things at the Relay (possibly campsites, entertainment contests, volunteer hours helping with registration/accounting/luminaria/food, etc) Pick up important materials/items (could be things like a site map, program, Relay FAQ sheet, meal tickets, security bracelets, t-shirts, etc) Turn in Luminaria orders and decorated Luminaria bags (might even have a decoration station) Participate in Survivor Recognition activities (like having all Team Captains sign a banner, decorate paper chains, create handmade cards, or other creative ideas you come up with)
38 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook And most importantly, turn in all fundraising dollars raised so far in cash, checks, and credit cards. This station needs to include both money counters and someone tracking Team and Individual totals for awards and prizes.
Tips for a Smooth Bank Night Experience
Hold your Bank Night in a location where you can handle a lot of people and have a separate secure room for counting the money. Options could be banks, schools, community centers, etc. o Bank lobbies work really well, and can be a great benefit for sponsor recognition of a bank (even a selling point for a local bank to become a sponsor. They could be the official Bank Night sponsor, with all the teams actually coming into the local branch…talk about great marketing!). You could even recruit their bank tellers to help with the money tallying, which helps the process move quickly.
Consider setting up your Bank Night as a circle of stations where teams go from station to station around the room. This helps with traffic flow and reduces the lines at any one station if you have a lot of teams arrive at once.
Make the stations very clear with signage so Team Captains know exactly where to go in which order, and make sure the traffic flow pattern make sense with a lot of people moving around and possibly forming lines at the stations. Consider using a Bank Night checklist to help make it clear to Captains where to go.
Recruit extra help to man all of the stations. The entire committee should help at different stations, like the Luminaria Chair manning the luminaria station and the Survivorship Chair manning the Survivor Recognition station. Remember to recruit several extra volunteers with good cash handling skills (such as bank tellers or accountants), which will help the tallying go quickly. o Make sure all station volunteers know their role ahead of time and arrive early for Bank Night. For instance, the registration station might be asked to write down the number of registered team members on the checklist so that the next station can hand out the correct number of security bracelets (especially for all-youth events), so both station volunteers need to understand the process.
Have a 2-3 hour window where Team Captains can come and go during Bank Night, but provide some incentive for Teams to arrive at the beginning. This way, if all the teams come early, you can close up on time and not stay late counting money. o Incentives could be prizes for the first 10 teams at Bank Night, the first teams at Bank Night get points toward the Team Spirit award, first people at Bank Night get first choice of campsites, etc.
Separate the money collection station from the money counting room. The money collection station should track and verify team and individual totals for prizes and awards, and then give the money to the money counters in the secure room. This way the counters can begin counting and batching the cash and checks for deposit as soon as they are turned in, instead of waiting until the end of the night. American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 39 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Make sure one person (like the Event Chair or Team Development Chair) is not assigned to a station, but rather floating around and problem solving any issues during the evening. Money Collection and Tracking Station at Bank Night
Hopefully all team money should be submitted in pre-totaled envelopes, making this station run more smoothly. Consider providing a few separate, empty tables for team captains to sort, count and total their fundraising before approaching the volunteers to turn it in! All envelope totals should be verified in front of the Team Captains, and you may even consider writing the total on their Check Lists for their reference. The Data and Tracking Sub-Committee partner should be at this station as well, entering team and individual fundraising totals into the Tracking System. Many teams may ask for their running total of all donations at this point as well. Then the money should be taken to the Processing room and the Data and Tracking Sub-Committee Partner should keep and file all envelopes as a paper trail backup of what was turned in.
Bank Night Wrap Up
Each Sub-Committee responsible for a station at Bank Night should be responsible for setting up and cleaning up their station (i.e., Luminaria decoration station should be taken care of by the Luminaria sub-committee, etc). Make sure that each committee member pitches in and does their part to leave the Bank Night location the way you found it.
40 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 7 – Follow American Cancer Society Eastern Division Accounting Procedures and Policies
Relay For Life Accounting Best Practices
The American Cancer Society has very specific Accounting policy and procedures in place to ensure the safety of its finances, volunteers and staff. Take time to familiarize yourself and your committee with these procedures prior to the event. Your staff partner has an extensive toolbox of resources and materials to assist you.
Bank Night:
Hold a Bank Night at least one week to 10 days prior to the event. This will greatly simplify your job the day of Relay and diminish security issues regarding the handling and processing of contributions.
Best Practices:
Recommend Relay on Line. This preferred method will minimize the accounting activity at Bank Night and the day of the event.
Offer incentives to Team Captains who turn in money on Bank Night. Some events offer the first choice of campsites to those who attend.
Consider holding Bank Night in conjunction with the final Team Captain meeting.
For all accounting “paperwork” use different colored inks for Bank Night and for the day of Relay.
Make sure that the amount of contributions taken from the Participant Collection Envelopes agrees with the total recorded on the envelope.
Record the amount and circle this on the envelope. If there is an incorrect amount, cross it out and record the correct amount.
To accurately record team members’ contributions, create a tally sheet for each participating team (include each team’s number).
Work with the Registration Chair and Accounting Chair to ensure that all procedures work together.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 41 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Processing Contributions:
It is imperative that volunteer/staff handling money be familiar with ACS donation processing policy and procedures.
Best Practices:
No person under the age of 18 should be allowed to volunteer for Accounting, and also should not be allowed to enter the Accounting area.
Prior to both Bank Night and the day of Relay, arrangements must be made with your designated local bank branch for a night deposit key and night deposit bags to be picked up.
Secure a safe location that has walls and a locked door – classroom, office, mobile home, etc., to be used at Bank Night, Team Captain meetings and at the day of Relay. The room should have a view to the outside to enable the volunteers/staff to see who is entering the area. If a room with a view cannot be secured, a security person must be placed outside the door at all times.
Minimum of two volunteers/staff should be in the Accounting Room at any given time.
Be sure that the night deposit bags are sealed. It’s a good idea that the same volunteers who counted the money, prepared the deposit ticket, signed the adding machine tapes and sign or initial the night deposit bag.
Locate and map the route to nearest FedEx drop box ahead of time. Kinko’s is open 24-hours and has a FedEx drop box. Note: FedEx website does not always have an updated list of drop boxes, so check the exact location the day before the event.
Anytime money is collected, ensure that data or information on individual fundraising is kept so you know how much each individual raised.
After the money is processed, forward forms and empty envelopes to the Data crew.
Security
Events of varying size and venue have varying needs for security and/or crowd control. The Logistics Chair is responsible for securing whatever level of security your event may need. In order to determine that level of need, several variables must be considered:
Venue: Must be secured with limited access to the public. If your venue employs their own security try to enlist their support.
Need: The amount of security needed would depend on the amount of money you are expecting at Bank Night or at the day of the event.
If you opt to contract for paid security personnel or even if you have these services donated by security professionals (i.e. your local police department or a security company), please keep the following Best Practices in mind:
42 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Best Practices:
An armed guard or undercover police officer should patrol the Accounting area.
Upon arrival, security should check in with the Accounting team. Names of volunteer/staff and telephone numbers should be exchanged with security personnel in case of an emergency.
Armed security must accompanied two trusted volunteers/staff to the Bank to make the night drop.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 43 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Accounting Planning Sheet
Item Company/Contact Person Arranged by: Confirmed? Notes Several 10-keys (adding machines) w/ tape Extra machine tape & extension cords Night-deposit bags & money wraps Shared Services forms & envelopes FedEx envelopes and/or boxes Rubber bands Paper clips Post-Its
Staplers with extra staples & staple removers
Highlighters Pens (black ink only) Extension cords Staple remover Letter openers Sorting bins for cash & checks
44 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Relay For Life Accounting Procedures
A runner will deliver the Participant Collection Envelopes to the Accounting Area. The envelopes must be secured in a bin, box, or shopping bag along with one Control Sheet.
The donations are processed as follows:
Step 1: Verifying money received in the Participant Collection Envelope:
Verify one donation envelope at a time. Continue verifying the donation envelopes until you have completed one Control Sheet.
Count the contents by first accounting for Registration Dollars, then Luminaria Dollars, and then Donation Dollars.
If there is a discrepancy, make the change to the Donation Dollars.
Circle the verified amount on the envelope using RED ink and write the amount on the corresponding line of the Control Sheet.
Sort the cash and checks into labeled bins.
Add the columns and enter totals at the bottom of the Control Sheet.
Band envelopes with the corresponding Control Sheet. Put aside for data entry.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 45 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 2: PREPARING CASH AND CHECKS FOR DEPOSIT.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING CASH
Sort bills by denominations. Obtain the money wraps from your local bank before your event.
When placing bills in money wraps, make sure that it agrees with the amount on the wrap. For example, 100 twenty-dollar bills go into a $2,000 money wrap.
All wraps must be stamped American Cancer Society, Eastern Division.
There is no maximum dollar amount to be recorded on each Cash Deposit Header Form. The total amount depends on how much can fit into the cash bag.
Prepare Cash Deposit Header Form for Cash – Remember to fill in all pertinent information using a black ink pen: See instructions on the attached sheet.
Cash Deposit Header Form: Original Copy – send to the Bank with Cash. Second Copy – put in Brown Envelope and FedEx to Shared Services. Third Copy– attach to copy of CASH LOG and send to the Finance Department. Fourth Copy - maintain copy for your records.
CASH BAGS: Place the completed Original copy of the deposit ticket into the front pouch or inside the cash bag.
Make sure to tear off the top strip with the bag number before sealing each bag. When sealing the bag do not cover the bag number.
Enter each Cash Deposit Header Form on the CASH LOG. Write the Batch Number (as it appears on the Cash Deposit Header Form) – Amount of Deposit. Also attach the strip from the cash bag.
Only staff or a trusted volunteer accompanied by a security guard should be allowed to drop off cash at the night drop.
POST EVENT: Mail copies of the Cash Logs along with the third copy of the Cash Deposit Header Forms and strips from the cash bags to the Finance Department – Attention Judy Bracy.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 46 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook CASH DEPOSIT HEADER FORM PREPARATION
1. Event Description (Required Field) Relay For Life – Name of Event Location
2. Contribution Date (Required Field): Date of your event
3. Batch Number: Each form has a pre-printed batch number for tracking purposes.
4. Fund (Required Field): 1
5. Account (Required Field): 40200
6. DIV (Required Field): EA
7. LOC (Required Field): Appropriate Region (e.g. MANH)
8. ACT (Required Field): RFL
9. SEQ: Appropriate number (e.g. 02, 03)
10. Sub Source: 10000 (General) 13700 (Product Sales) 11100 Luminaria 12500 Registration
11. # of Forms: (Required Field) : ZERO unless a Cash Donation or a Split Gift Form needs to be attached.
12. Total $ Amount (Required Field) – Total dollar amount of all CASH. It is highly recommended that you count your cash twice for accuracy.
13. Event ID: Leave Blank
14. Benefit to Donor (FMV) % Per Gift: Fill in if applicable
15. Benefit to Donor (FMV) Amount Per Gift: Fill in if applicable
16. Split Gift Batch: Fill in accordingly (if you have problems, set aside and contact Judy Bracy at (914) 397- 8808)
17: Do No Update Donor Record: Leave Blank
18. Prepared by (Required Field) – Print Staff Name and Telephone
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 47 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook SAMPLE OF CASH DEPOSIT HEADER FORM
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 48 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Cash Log
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, EASTERN DIVISION, INC. RELAY FOR LIFE
CASH LOG
Event Date: Location Code: Name of Site:
Batch Number Cash Bag Number FedEx Number Deposit Amount
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$ INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Original Copy - send to Finance 2 Make a copy of the Original and retain in the Region 3. Number your logs 1 of 2, etc.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 49 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING CHECKS
Checks should be sorted by denominations. Example $5.00, $10.00 check, etc.,
Checks $100.00 and over without an address should be batched separately.
The odd denomination ($5.95, $37.42, etc.,) and odd size checks should be placed in batches of 50. It is required that you run an adding machine tape for each batch of 50 checks. To ensure that your totals are correct, please do your calculation twice for each batch.
Checks, Cash and Credit Cards from the Product Tent should be separated from the regular contributions.
Prepare Deposit Header Form for your CHECKS– On your Deposit Header Form remember to fill in all pertinent information using a black ink pen: See attached page on how to fill out the form.
Deposit Header Form:
Original Copy – Put in the Brown Envelope with checks and FedEx to Shared Services. Each Brown Envelope is one batch and should have no more than 100 checks. Second Copy – Attach to copy of CHECK LOG and send to the Finance Dept. Third Copy – Attach to copy of CHECK LOG and retain in the Regional Office.
Enter each Deposit Header Form on the CHECK LOG. Write the Batch Number (as it appears off the Deposit Header Form) – Deposit Amount – FedEx Number. Mail copy of Check Log to the Finance Department in White Plains – Attention Judy Bracy.
Prepare FedEx boxes/envelopes for your checks. Please note that the total amount of your envelopes per FedEx box/envelope cannot exceed $50,000.00. You can place a number of Brown Envelopes into each FedEx box/envelope, but the envelopes should not exceed $50,000.00 Address the FedEx labels to: American Cancer Society – Shared Services Center – 8400 Silver Crossing – Oklahoma City – Oklahoma 73132. Send FedEx packages 2nd day delivery (not overnight) to Shared Services Center.
Place all FedEx boxes/envelopes into sacks for delivery to the nearest FedEx drop off location.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 50 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook CHECK DEPOSIT HEADER FORM PREPARATION
USE BLACK INK ONLY
1. Event Description (Required Field): Relay For Life
2. Contribution Date (Required Field): Date of your event
3. Batch Number: Each form has a pre-printed batch number for tracking purposes.
4. Fund (Required Field): 1
5. Account (Required Field): 40200
6: DIV (Required Field): EA
7: LOC (Required Field): MANH (e.g.)
8. ACT (Required Field): MSB
9. SEQ: 02 (03 if applicable)
10. Sub Source: 10000 (General) 13700 (Product Sales) 11100 (Luminaria) 12500 (Registration)
11. # of Gifts: (Required Field) Indicate the number of checks or credit card charges in this batch. Not to exceed 100.
12. Total $ Amount (Required Field) – Total dollar amount of all attached checks or credit charges in this batch. Do not mix credit cards with checks.
13 . Benefit to Donor: Leave Blank
14: Mark One Type of Batch (Required Field): Checks or Credit Cards (place X in appropriate box)
15: Split Gift, Do Not Update Records: Leave Blank
16: Staff Name/ Telephone (Required Field) – Print Name and Telephone Number
A completed sample of a Deposit Header Form is attached.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 51 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
SAMPLE OF CHECK DEPOSIT HEADER FORM
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 52 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook CHECK LOG
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY, EASTERN DIVISION, INC. RELAY FOR LIFE CHECK LOG Event Date: Location Code: Name of Site: Batch Number FedEx Number Deposit Amount
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Total of Deposits $ INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Original Copy - send to Finance 2 Make a copy of the Original and retain in the Region 3. Number your logs 1 of 2, etc.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 53 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREDIT CARDS
Recommendation: Contact Shared Service Business Center to order a wireless Credit Card Terminal(s). The terminal will provide immediate credit card approval. Paperwork will still need to be completed and sent to SSBC for proper coding and receipting purposes.
1. Complete the Shared Services Credit Card Donation Form for each individual credit card gift using black ink only and ALL CAPS. The Eastern Division accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover. a) TITLE: Fill in the donor’s title, as it should appear on their receipt. b) FIRST NAME (required): As it appears on the credit card. c) MI: Donor’s middle initial. d) LAST NAME (required): As it appears on the credit card. e) HOME PHONE w/AREA CODE (required): A telephone number is important so we can call the donor to verify credit card information if necessary. f) STREET NO. (required): The address number – e.g. For 123 Smith Drive, enter the “123” here. g) STREET ADDRESS (required)Street name and apartment, suite, bldg. number, etc. entered here. h) STREET ADDRESS LINE 2: space provided for additional information if needed. i) CITY (required) j) STATE (required) k) ZIP (required) l) E-MAIL ADDRESS:Optional. Another way to contact the donor. m) CREDIT CARD NUMBER (required): Must be accurate!!! n) EXP. DATE (required): Fill in the month & year of the expiration date. o) AMOUNT (required): Fill in the amount of the donation. p) PICK-ONE: Check the appropriate box to identify the donor as an individual, business or foundation. q) CANCER SURVIVOR?: Optional. Ask the donor if they would want to be recognized as a cancer survivor. a. SIGNATURE: If the donor is making the contribution in person, have them sign here. If the donation is made over the phone, please indicate “by telephone” or “on file”. 2. Complete a Deposit Header Form for each subsource, marking the “Credit Card?” box on the lower left section of the form. Do not fill the total amount on the Deposit Header Form until you are ready to submit a batch to Shared Services. (See instructions following this section regarding the completion of Deposit Header Forms.) 3. Shared Services will process all Credit Cards transactions.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 54 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Step 3: Completing FedEx Forms (these should be prepared before Bank Night and the day of the Relay)
SECTION 1: Write the date you are sending the package. Write sender’s name (must be staff name – e.g. Relay Staff Partner).
SECTION 2: Write the Lawson code for your event (e.g., EA WSTC RFL04)
SECTION 3: Recipient’s Name: Shared Services Business Center Phone: (866) 293-2906 Company: American Cancer Society Address: 8400 Silver Crossing City: Oklahoma City State: OK Zip: 73132 Most offices should already have these printed with the Shared Services Business Center address.
SECTION 4: 4a: check FedEx 2Day 4b: leave blank
SECTION 5: Check the type of packaging you are using
SECTION 6: NEVER check the Saturday delivery – the SSBC is not open to receive packages on Saturday.
SECTION 7: check “Sender”.
SECTION 8: NEVER sign in this section. Doing so means FedEx can deliver the package without obtaining a signature. A signature provides us with proof that the FedEx envelope/package was received.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 55 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Step 8 – Wrap Up
Finish Strong
Most of your work is complete once the Relay is over, but there are a few things to finish up before you are completely done. Be sure to complete all of the following items to leave the Relay in great shape for next year!
The Importance of Thank You Notes
Thank every person and company who helped with your area of Relay – including day-of- event volunteers, companies or organizations who donated supplies or allowed you to borrow items. Even consider sending a thank you note to vendors or companies you rented from in order to build good will for the future and open the dialog to possibly get a discount or donation of the item in the future. Also thank your invaluable Sub- Committee Members for all their help throughout the Relay season.
Attend the Committee Wrap-Up Meeting
Attend the Committee Wrap-Up Meeting to discuss with the entire Relay committee: (a) which parts of Relay went well, and (b) which parts could be improved. Also discuss Relay impressions with your Sub-Committee Members, and take notes on what could be improved for next year.
Leaving a Legacy for Future Years
Committee members typically serve in one position for two years, and then move to another position on the committee or to another volunteer opportunity in the Region or in the Division. Ideally, this helps keep the Relay fresh and exciting with a mixture of new and veteran volunteers on the planning committee each year, and also keeps volunteers from being burned out in a specific area.
Take the following steps to set up for future success: Decide now whether you are planning to return in your position next year, or whether there may be another position on the committee you would like to try. In addition, after serving as Event Chair there are additional volunteer leadership opportunities within the American Cancer Society available on: Regional Relay Task Force Division Project Teams – such as the Heroes of Hope Workgroup, RFL Leadership Conference Planning Committee, etc. Division RFL Advisory Team Division RFL Training Team
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 56 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook National RFL committees International RFL training teams Have a conversation with your Event Chair and staff partner to discuss your plans, any committee openings for next year’s Relay, and your future goals as an American Cancer Society volunteer. If you decide to step down from the committee or move to another position, think about who you know that might be a good fit to take your place. Consider asking them if they would be interested in taking your place for the next Relay, or at least give their name and number to your Event Chair to contact them regarding filling the position. The goal is to have the whole committee lined up within the first two- three months following the Relay, so they can have the entire season to plan and not be rushed at the end. If you are leaving your position, leave a legacy of your hard work by giving all of your detailed notes, lists, and files to your staff partner to pass on to the next chair.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 57 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook Tools, Samples & Examples
RelayForLife.org
For even more resources – including podcasts, video training, national guidebooks – plus blogs and forums, visit the “Committee Chair Toolkit” found on http://www.RelayForLife.org
The Link
If you do not already have access to The Link (the American Cancer Society’s intranet), please ask your staff partner to request this for you. There are many invaluable resources available with just a click of a button!
Log on to The Link at http://www.societylink.org
Once you are on the Relay For Life Eastern home page, click on the RFL 5Ds link, located on the left in the green “Inside This Community” menu
Click on any of the folders to find more information
Relay Central
Another place to access resources is Relay Central: http://www.RelayForLife.org/NYNJ Find new top-stories featured monthly Learn about Relay initiatives in the Eastern Division (NY & NJ)
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 58 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook
Recognizing Top Community Relay Events and Individuals
Nationwide Awards and Recognition Program Be An Award-Winning Relay!
Since Relay For Life’s inception in 1985, countless individuals, teams, and communities have worked together to celebrate cancer survivors and remember loved ones we’ve lost while raising much-needed funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.
Relay volunteers are recognized in communities nationwide for their dedication to the mission of the American Cancer Society. While no award can adequately recognize all that Relay volunteers achieve in their efforts to eliminate cancer, the Society offers the Relay For Life Nationwide Awards and Recognition Program as a tribute to some of the nation’s most outstanding participants. The awards highlight the success of individuals, teams, and events that define the hallmarks of Relay For Life, and serve to inspire others across the nation. Those recognized as nationwide Relay For Life award winners represent the very essence of what it means to be a Relay For Life volunteer.
Winners in each category are announced and presented to the winners at the Division Relay For Life Leadership Conference in the fall.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 59 ACCOUNTING CHAIR guidebook American Cancer Society Relay For Life Nationwide Awards and Recognition Program
All American Relay Award (application required) Awarded to communities that show growth, retention, Nationwide Online Communications Award Relay branding, diversity, and leadership in incorporating (application required) the 5Ds within the Relay event and throughout the year Awarded to the top three events and the top three teams recognized by the nationwide Relay For Life Marketing and Gordy Klatt Number One Net Income Award Communications Leadership Committee as demonstrating Awarded to the number one nationwide fundraising the best use of the e-revenue/communication tool and/or community and youth fundraising event in the country www.RelayForLife.org for online communications based on net income from Lawson Nationwide Per Capita Award Gordy Klatt Number One Per Capita Award Awarded to the top 10 per capita counties in each Awarded to the number one per capita county in the country population bucket based on the net income from Lawson based on net income from Lawson and county and county population from all the Relays in each county population* and awarded to the number one per capita and to the top five per capita youth events in each youth event in the country based on net income population bucket based on net income from Lawson and from Lawson and enrollment population enrollment population
Heart of Relay Award (application required) Nationwide Team of Excellence Award Awarded to community, collegiate, and youth events that Awarded to all teams that raise $50,000 and above (with an demonstrate successful practices and innovations in average of $3,333 per team member) and to all youth teams supporting the Society’s mission and 2015 goals in the areas of that raise $15,000 and above (with an average of $1,000 per fighting back, advocacy, survivor/caregiver engagement, team member) based on estimated revenue and number of and youth involvement team members in Siebel
International Heart of Relay Award : One World – One Nationwide Top Net Income Events Hope (application required) Awarded to the top 10 nationwide fundraising events and Awarded to international communities that demonstrate to the top five nationwide fundraising youth events successful practices that support and impact the global fight in the country based on net income from Lawson against cancer in the areas of mission, survivorship, youth engagement, and advocacy. Nationwide Top Online Fundraising Award Awarded to the top individual and top event with the Nationwide Data Club Award most online dollars raised (both community and youth) Awarded to the top three Divisions that excel in data capture based on credit card donations as determined by the National Relay For Life Business Unit Data Management and Analysis Team Nationwide Top Individual Fundraising Award Awarded to the top 10 individuals who raise the most funds Nationwide Division Per Capita Award nationwide and to the top five youth based on estimated Awarded to the top three Divisions with the highest per revenue in Siebel capita based on net income from Lawson and total county population in the Division Nationwide Top Team Fundraising Award Awarded to the top 10 community fundraising teams and Nationwide Number One Power of Hope Award to the top five youth fundraising teams in the country based Awarded to the top counties in each population bucket on estimated revenue in Siebel including both online with the highest per capita number of total registered and offline income survivors participating in all events in the county based on county population and survivors in Siebel Terry Zahn Award (application required) Awarded to the top three events and top three teams Nationwide Number One Rookie Event Award demonstrating excellence in a Relay event or team Awarded to the first year community event with the top net publicity income in Lawson and to the first year youth event with the top net income in Lawson * County populations are provided by Claritas to the American Cancer Society Nationwide Number One Survivor Engagement Award based upon US Census figures adjusted annually. Enrollmentpopulationsarefrom MarketDataRetrieval(MDR)(aD&BCompany) Awarded to the community event & the youth event with andareupdatedeveryotheryear.Financial figures are derived from Lawson. All the highest number of registered survivors entered in other award information is based on Siebel, unless otherwise noted. Siebel
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 60 ©2009, American Cancer Society, Inc.