Follow the Money Trail: Help Protect Parish Collections

By Michael W. Ryan
Voice of the Faithful
January 22, 2014

http://www.votf.org/RyanBrochure.pdf

Voice of the Faithful® works diligently to help prevent financial malfeasance in our Church. When we drop dollars into the collection basket, we expect them to support our parish community, care for the poor and needy, foster charitable activities ... We do NOT expect our dollars to pay for clerical extravagances, a pastor's gambling habit, an usher's new car, a collection counter's vacation, or similar misappropriations.

One simple safeguard -- available in any parish -- can help secure collection dollars gathered each Sunday, says Michael W. Ryan, a retired federal law enforcement official experienced in conducting financial audits and security investigations.

Parishes that apply his guidelines might well find their collections increasing just by closing the loopholes that allow dollars to disappear before they can be deposited in the parish account.

Now YOU can make a difference by following Michael's guidelines:

Download his brochure Protecting the Parish Purse: Vital Information for Parish Staff and Volunteers Involved in Handling Sunday Collections. You may copy and distribute the printout or, even easier, order glossy brochures from VOTF for $1 each.

Also, download a Currency Counting Form you can print out and use to document your parish's Sunday parish collections better and more accurately.

Need more help finding the sequential seals or self-sealing bags highlighted in the brochure? Order self-sealing, tamper-evident polyethylene bags through Amazon.com, Staples, and other office supply companies, where you also can purchase numbered plastic security seals to secure collection bags.