From our CFO, Marina Cook
Finance
We have now crossed our year-end so it’s time to get your finance packs done. So far, at the time of writing, we have already received moe than a quarter of the packs – great job!
The pack can be found here: https://www.playcentre.org.nz/member/finance/finance-pack-2020/
And more information including FAQs can be found here: https://www.playcentre.org.nz/member_post/finance-update-4/
Audit and Account timing
We have had a few requests for when the year-end accounts will be ready. We are aiming to have a sign off in late December or early January.
The target date for all Centres to have finished their finance pack is 25 September – once they are completed, it’s then a big job to run all the consolidated numbers. This happens alongside our annual audit and I expect will take most of October with the completion date in early November.
So please be a little patient. It’s a big job consolidating and auditing over 400 entities! The first step is getting all those finance packs completed – the date again, is 25 September.
Property Update
Last week our property team had our first monthly review of funding applications for the year. We allocated nearly $35,000 to 11 centres. It was a really useful process and allowed us to consistently apply funding and also assess some Centres that will have large projects coming our way but just need to do a bit more work before their applications are ready for approval.
We will be doing the application review every second Wednesday of the month; completed applications forms are to be submitted to your regional property coordinator to be considered.
Telecommunications
We are pleased to say that our first Centre has plugged in their phone, connected and it is up and running with no hiccups.
Personal thank-you
I really want to thank you all for your kind words after my unexpected win of the CFO Emerging Manager of the Year Award. It was really warming to read all your support on Facebook, the emails and even a few phone calls that have come my way.
It was a big journey from the first time I opened the half-started 2017 consolidation of the more than 470 Playcentres and associations and the accompanying enormous excel finance packs to figuring out how I was going to make this exercise an achievable task. Many nights were spent brainstorming that first 2018 simplified excel pack, to finally reaching that 2019 perfect online pack, and taking the leap of faith that we could rely on Xero and keep it as simple as possible and as a result get more accurate reporting.
So, a personal thank-you from me to everyone who has reached out over the past week or so, and to all the volunteers who truly made it possible. I couldn’t have won the award without you.
Ngā mihi nui
Marina